The highest decision-making organ in a city is the City Council, which lays down the general operative and financial outlines for a city and decides on its main objectives. The true power, however, is a little further down the hierarchy in the different councils working under the City Council.

In the card-driven game Councils & Contracts, the players act as developers who try to push their own objectives — namely, receiving lucrative building contracts. Therefore, it's important for them to gain influence in every one of the councils since doing so is crucial for deciding the assignment of building contracts. Naturally, all of the developers are keen to gain that influence...