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Explore Balmain. Own the Parks.
Balmainopolis puts the parks in play. Power moves collide with karmic retribution, until a tax lobbyist sets their sights on your side of Thames Street. Gather your crew or join solo and outfox everyone chasing Balmain's best bayside charms.
Board mood
Local turf. Park power.
Turn
08
Quick, competitive rounds.
Ready
Soon
App Store launch in sight.
Match flow
Fast turns with plenty of payback.
How to play
Local turf. Bold stakes. Good times.
Where the parks, jetties, and nooks on this peninsula become a playground. Step inside Balmainopolis and turn a casual stroll into a beautifully cheeky rivalry.
A little bit local. A little bit ruthless.
Step 1
Get in the game
Create a game or join one. Invite your friends and plan your session. Balmainopolis is tailored to your timing, player mobility, and capacity for chaos.
Step 2
Hit the parks
The neighbourhood parks are home to the prized assets in this game. Check in to buy them with your Balmain Bucks. No dice. No couch. Balmain parks are yours, if you can take them.
Step 3
Build your empire
Jetties, beaches, forts, and benches start portfolios. Upgrades and improvements bring the premium touch. Add the utilities to round out portfolios. Every asset earns Balmain Bucks when rivals pass through your turf.
Step 4
Expect the unexpected
Your progress through the parks might be interrupted by mandates from the Mayor, a ransomware attack, a lurking local lobbyist, or a Mars rover falling from the sky above. The Breaks and the Balkitty opportunities demand that capitalists get creative in order to contend with these curveballs.
Ready, set, go+
Starting from your game's meeting place, each team will receive a deal. Taking them up will send teams sprawling across the game zone. From the time you start, every team will have staggered turns at transacting with The Bank of Balmain. Be ready for your window to open to make your deals. If another team checks-in before your turn comes around, you'll miss out on the deal.
Check-in+
GPS tracks your progress through the game. Check-in when you arrive at a landmark. If it's on the market and you want to buy it, stay there until it's your turn to transact with The Bank of Balmain. If another team owns it, pay your visitor's fee and be on your way. You must check-in at all of the assets in a park before you can leave in order to pick up a gift at the Cha‑Ching Checkpoint.
Your parkland portfolio+
In Balmainopolis, players try to build empires from portfolios of parkland assets and bayside utilities. Trade, upgrade and manage them to grow your balance of Balmain Bucks held in The Bank of Balmain. Friendly rivalries might leave you bankrupt. Legacy elements might preserve your legend. However it ends, in this game, our aim is to knock your socks off with a good time as you make the rounds of Balmain's lovely parks.
Watch out+
As teams scour neighbourhood parks for landmark development opportunities, side-quests can grow or drain your Balmain Bucks, open chances to seize landmarks from rivals, and develop the neighbourhood into a playground of alliances and ambushes. Stay out of The Lock Up if you can.
The den is where deals are made+
When you get an invitation to step into this den, you'll be able to negotiate with other teams to buy, sell and swap assets or build joint ventures and commercial partnerships. Special abilities that you've earned in the game might help you in the den.
Lizzie's on standby+
Lizzie is docked in your game and ready to shoot the breeze with you as you decide where to invest, how to earn rewards and will give teams regular updates on who's making big time Balmain Bucks in the game.
Stay safe+
Some elements of the game invite you to create content. There's a wishing tree that preserves your wish throughout all games. If you make it to the scrabble leaderboard, your record will be preserved. Mugshots are posted on an inmates wall. Other users in any game can see your content when they visit those locations. Use a team name and create your wishes and photos in a way that you're comfortable displaying in the app (and in our marketing content, including our instagram).
Why it lands
If you've ever walked through Balmain and thought I could run this place, or if you feel that you're an all-rounder whose dream day hops from inventing the next best kayak to a quick energy cleanse before throwing a line in, show up for a showdown in this digital-physical ode to Balmain.
It's properly fun. You start out thinking it'll be a nice walk and suddenly everyone is plotting and now I look around and lament the lack of drones delivering honey in da hood. Balmain in the best way.
Competitive, weirdly strategic, and funny.
I liked that it got the us moving while still feeling like a real game. The families on Ann Street are making this an annual challenge.
The mix of local references, chaos, and tactics is fresh. It is easy to start and hard to stop.
FAQs
You might be wondering
Do I need to know Balmain?
It helps, but if you can read the map and recognise a park, you will get to where you need to be. The inside edge might come from what you can do with your knowledge of the neighbourhood in combination with what you know of Shakespeare.
How many players can play?
Balmainopolis is going to be most fun if you play in a group that might be chasing the same assets. We suggest that up to 10 teams of 2 to 4 play in a single game, although solo players can participate.
How long does a game take?
Sessions run for as long as you like. We suggest 3 hours is enough time for an empire to rise, a ransomware attack to strike, a tug of war against Woolwich and a quick Council election or product launch. Your host sets the session time and Balmainopolis customises the game to suit.
What if I get stuck in the slammer?
The Lock Up will take your mugshot when you check in. Good luck making bail.
Android?
iOS first. Android after we sort out who really owns Elkington Park dog stick library.
How do I learn to play?
You can read the outline. In the app, you will find Lizzie waiting to help you out as you move through the steps.
What are the Breaks?
Some are lucky. Others are not. Just when you thought it was your turn to make a move, Balmainopolis serves up a Break.
What is the Balkitty?
The Bank of Balmain is cashed up, and Balkitty is how it keeps things tight and cosy with Council. Balkitty dishes out grants, rewards and cheeky opportunities and every so often, it bites.
What is cosmic justice mojo?
The way you choose to play marks you as eligible for golden ripples or karmageddon. That's all we're saying.
Are games open to everyone?
The host will mark a game as either public or private. Anyone can join a public game (until it's maximum group size has been reached). Private games are open to guests invited to join by the host.
Are the features the same every time I play?
When your host creates a game and sets parameters, we use them to construct a game zone that might make the most of it for your group size and game time. We're also adding new parks, assets, opportunities and interruptions. A set of them will be compiled to create a fun game zone for you.
Can I sponsor this game?
Local businesses in the community are welcome to co-develop a presence in Balmainopolos. We are working with one business to create a Broke-ahontas Bailout for teams facing bankruptcy in the game. We love this feature and are looking forward to introducing it. Get in touch to get started in co-developing a local business engagement point.