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Long Island, early 1920s. Jazz in the background, people pretending they’re not watching each other, and everyone trying just a bit too hard to look important. That’s the vibe Gatsby goes for. You play as Dorothy Williams or James Miller, moving through parties and social circles, hoping to catch Gatsby’s attention.
I mean, it sounds fancy, right? But once you start playing, it quickly becomes less about champagne and more about timing, positioning, and figuring out how to get ahead of your opponent. So yeah, less dancing, more plotting. Which… I guess kind of fits the theme in its own way. If you like two-player games where you’re constantly reacting to what the other person is doing, this one might be interesting. Just don’t expect it to feel like a full story playing out.
👥 2 players, ages 10+
⌛ Playing time: 30 minutes
📝 Designers: Bruno Cathala & Ludovic Maublanc
🎨 Artwork: Christine Alcouffe
🏢 Publisher: 999 Games (Dutch version, review copy provided)
Gameplay Overview
At its core, Gatsby is a back-and-forth two-player game where you pick an action each turn. That action tells you where you can play and what happens first. Most of the time you’re placing influence tokens, moving up a track, or picking up some kind of bonus. It’s easy to follow once you get going, but the decisions start to matter quite quickly.
The board is split into three areas, and each one plays quite differently. In the cabaret, you’re placing tokens on a grid, trying to connect one side to the other or fill specific spots. It feels a bit like building a small puzzle, where you’re slowly working toward something while keeping an eye on how the grid might change in the next turns.
The finance track works differently. You move upward to reach characters, but there’s a catch-up system where being behind actually helps you move faster. At first that feels a bit unusual, but after a turn or two it starts to make sense. It turns that area into more of a timing decision rather than a simple race to the top.
Then there’s the racetrack, which is more direct. You place tokens from left to right and try to have the most when a row fills up. It’s easy to read, but still gives you those moments where you’re watching closely to see if you can take control before the opportunity is gone.
What really ties everything together is the action rule. You can’t pick the same action your opponent just used. It sounds small, but it changes how you approach the game. You’re not only thinking about what helps you now, but also about what you’re leaving open. Sometimes you even take an action mainly to limit your opponent’s options.
There are also bonuses and special tiles that give you extra effects. Some are straightforward, others can shift things more than expected. It keeps things from playing out the exact same way every time, and we liked that. Characters are collected at the end of your turn, and some are face down, so you don’t always know everything, but you’re never lost either.
The game can end quite suddenly if someone collects either three of the same type or one of each type. If that doesn’t happen, you simply count points at the end.
Artwork, Components, and Visual Design
The look of Gatsby is probably the first thing that grabs you. It leans into that 1920s style, with strong shapes, clean lines, and a lot of gold details. It works, and you get the style right away without it feeling over the top.
The board is split into three sections, and each one has its own colour and feel. The cabaret is warm and lively, the finance area is cooler and more structured, and the racetrack is bright and a bit more playful. It helps you read the board quickly, which is exactly what you want in a game like this.
The character tiles are clear and easy to recognise, and the points are easy to see at a glance. The wooden tokens are simple, maybe even a bit plain, but they feel good in hand and stand out well on the board. Nothing here feels overdesigned. It’s clean, readable, and just nice to play with.
Our Experience
From the start, Gatsby comes across as a tight two-player duel. Not something big or story-driven, but a focused back-and-forth where every move matters a bit more than you might expect. The three locations really drive that feeling. You’re never just working in one place, because whatever happens in the cabaret, the finance track, or the racetrack can influence what happens next somewhere else. That connection between the areas is what keeps the game engaging from turn to turn.
The cabaret stood out the most for us. It feels like a small, shifting puzzle where you’re trying to build something over multiple turns while also dealing with interference from your opponent. You can see a plan forming, and then suddenly it changes because one space is taken at the wrong moment. When things do come together, though, it feels very satisfying.
The racetrack is more direct, but still fun to play around with. It’s easier to read, and sometimes it comes down to whether you can get the timing right before a row fills up. It doesn’t always give you a second chance, but that’s also what makes it interesting.
The finance track felt more like a support system. The catch-up mechanism is a nice touch, and it creates situations where being behind isn’t necessarily bad, but it didn’t stand out as much as the other two areas. It’s useful, just not where most of the memorable moments happen.
What we did like a lot is how turns connect to each other. You’re often thinking about what this move means for the next one, or even the one after that. Not in a heavy way, but enough to keep you involved the whole time. There’s also a bit of uncertainty with face-down characters and swapping effects, which keeps the race for sets from feeling completely predictable.
After a few plays, though, we did start to feel like we had seen most of what the game offers. It becomes less about discovering new things and more about getting better at using the system. That’s not a bad thing, but it does shape how often we feel like bringing it back to the table.
Our Thoughts
I guess for us, Gatsby is one of those games that works really well when you take it for what it is. It’s a clean, well-structured two-player game that focuses on interaction, timing, and making the most out of each turn. Mechanically, it’s quite abstract. The setting looks great, but during play you’re mostly thinking about positioning, majority, and when to act. That doesn’t take away from the experience, but it does mean the theme stays more in the background than you might expect at first.
One thing we did appreciate more over time is how the action system shapes the game. Because you can’t repeat the previous action, you’re constantly adjusting and sometimes planning around what your opponent might want to do next. We didn’t really notice it in the first game, but it became more obvious after that.
The special tiles are a bit more mixed. Some feel great to use and give you a well-timed advantage, while others can feel quite strong, especially if they interfere with your plans at the wrong moment. It adds variety, but also a bit of unevenness that not everyone will enjoy.
In terms of strategy, the game seems to reward flexibility more than sticking to one plan. Focusing too much on a single area can make you predictable, while trying to do everything at once can leave you short when it matters. Finding that balance, and knowing when to shift your focus, is where most of the interesting decisions come from.
Replayability depends quite a bit on who you play with. Against the same opponent, the game improves because you start to recognise patterns and react to each other more. With different players, it can feel more like a fresh puzzle each time, even if the structure itself doesn’t change much.
So yeah, where does that leave it? Gatsby is a well-made, good-looking two-player game that delivers a solid experience without trying to be more than it is. It might not stand out as a must-have in every collection, but it’s definitely one we’re happy to play when it hits the table. And honestly, sometimes that’s exactly what you want… a game that’s easy to get into, plays smoothly, and gives you just enough reason to go, “okay… one more round.”
If you’re curious, it’s on BoardGameArena, so you can just try it and see if it clicks for you.
📝 We received a copy of the game from 999 Games.
