In Welcome To…, you’re transported to a stylized 1950s American suburb where you take on the role of an ambitious architect, tasked with designing the perfect neighborhood. With pastel aesthetics and charming visuals, the game sets a nostalgic tone—but beneath the retro flair is a clever, strategic roll-and-write (well, technically flip-and-write) experience that will test your planning skills in unexpected ways.
Each turn, players simultaneously choose from a set of number-and-effect combinations to fill in houses on their three suburban streets. The goal is to meet a variety of city planning objectives—creating neatly numbered estates, building pools, developing parks, and more—all while following strict placement rules. The tension builds as the neighborhood fills up and the ideal combos become harder to find, forcing you to adapt and rethink your strategy.
Welcome To… is approachable for newcomers but packed with thoughtful decisions, making it a standout in the world of roll-and-writes. Whether you’re looking for a casual solo game or a competitive multiplayer challenge, it offers a satisfying mix of planning, probability, and charming presentation.
Table of Contents
Game Overview
Player Count & Playtime
Welcome To… supports 1–100 players and plays in about 30 minutes, making it easy to slot into any game night or accommodate large groups.
Objective
As suburban architects, players aim to score the most points by writing house numbers on three parallel streets and fulfilling various neighborhood goals such as completing city blocks, building parks, and installing pools.
Gameplay Loop
- Each turn reveals three face‑up cards showing a house number paired with an action (e.g., build a park or add a pool).
- Simultaneously, every player chooses one of the number‑action combos, writes the number in an empty house on their sheet (numbers must increase left to right), and applies the linked effect.
- Effects help you mark off objectives, like creating estates or filling park spaces, which earn points.
- Players are also competing to be the first player to complete public goals that change every game.
Key Mechanics
- Flip‑and‑Write Selection – Pick the best number‑action pairing each round.
- Number Placement – Strategically place increasing numbers to unlock actions and score.
- Action Economy – Balance competing goals: pools, parks, fences, and more.
- Risk Management – Sometimes you settle for a lesser combo to avoid blocking future plays.
Game End & Scoring
The game ends when no player can legally write a number 3 times or one player completes all three public goals. Players then tally points from completed neighborhood features and lose points for unfulfilled objectives. Highest total wins.
Designer & Publisher
Designed by Benoit Turpin and published by Blue Cocker Games, Welcome To… has become a benchmark for modern flip‑and‑write games.
What Makes It Stand Out
At first glance, Welcome To… feels like a relaxing suburban stroll. Players act as 1950s neighborhood architects, trying to design the most appealing housing development by filling in house numbers across three streets. Each turn, everyone chooses one of three number-and-action combinations to place in their neighborhood, aiming to fulfill various goals like completing estates, building parks, or installing pools.
But don’t let the charming pastel theme and welcoming tone fool you—Welcome To… has a surprising amount of depth. The core gameplay revolves around clever number placement and symbol selection, and it quickly starts to feel like a game of probability and calculated risk. You’re constantly assessing which combos to take, knowing that the ideal pairing might never appear again. Sometimes you have to gamble and hold out for that perfect fit—but other times, it’s smarter to cut your losses and go with a “worse” option that at least nets you some points.
That push-and-pull tension makes every choice interesting, and it’s what keeps the game feeling fresh. There’s also a nice sense of progression: even if you start with little understanding, your strategy naturally improves over time. And for those looking to shake things up, Welcome To… has a host of modular expansions—seasonal maps, thematic twists, and new objectives—that keep the game replayable and dynamic without overwhelming new players.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Accessible & Quick: The rules are straightforward and a full game takes about 30 minutes.
- Engaging Decision‑Making: Choosing which number‑action combo to take feels like a fun probability puzzle—you’ll find yourself weighing the odds of perfect fits versus settling for solid options.
- Simultaneous Play: Everyone writes at the same time, so there’s virtually no downtime.
- Modular Expansions: A wealth of add‑ons (seasonal boards, new objectives, alternate scoring) lets you tailor complexity and keep the game fresh.
- Scalable Player Counts: Welcomes 1–100 players, making it great for solo play or large gatherings.
Cons
- Analysis Paralysis: With multiple goals and combos each turn, newer players can stall while deciding.
- Combo Scarcity Frustration: If the perfect number‑action pairing never shows up, you can feel squeezed out of your ideal plan.
- Locked‑Out Slots: Once you fill a street, finding a valid placement gets tougher, and you may end up wasting actions.
Final Thoughts
Welcome To… has earned its place as my favorite roll‑and‑write game for good reason. Its blend of simple rules, simultaneous play, and meaningful choices keeps the tension high without bogging down the fun. After playing a few rounds, I was so hooked that I picked up the sequels—Welcome To New Las Vegas for its wilder combos and placement challenges, and Welcome To… The Moon for a campaign-style adventure. Each adds fresh twists while preserving the core appeal.
This is a perfect game for groups with varying gaming experience: its easy entry makes it welcoming for non‑gamers, and its depth rewards repeat play. Whether you’re chasing the ideal number‑action pairing or pivoting strategies on the fly, Welcome To… delivers an endlessly replayable puzzle that keeps me reaching for “just one more game.”
Where to Buy
If you’re ready to build your suburban utopia (or try out its sequels), here are the easiest places to pick up each title:
- 🏠 Welcome To… (Base Game)
Buy on Amazon (affiliate link) - 🎰 Welcome To New Las Vegas
Buy on Amazon (affiliate link) - Welcome To… Expansion Bundle
Buy on Amazon (affiliate link)
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