It’s time to get your friends together for a game night, because The Sims Board Game from Goliath Games is finally here! The Sims team teases on the back of the game’s box that we will be able to “Ignite rivalries, meet unforgettable Sims, and discover where choices take you”, so let’s take a look and see what all comes with the game.
Table of Contents
The Game Board
The Sims Board Game uses a game board made up of three separate pieces. Individually, the backs of each of these pieces are Plumbobs, but put them together and flip them over, and you’ll have your hexagonal game board. The game board features six spots for you to place Venue cards, and highlights some classic locations from The Sims 4, such as Copperdale High School from The Sims 4 High School Years.
Terms to Know for The Sims Board Game
The instruction manual explains The Sims Board Game setup and gameplay steps in great detail with graphics to match, but there are a few terms that would be helpful to know before giving it a read:
- Card Hub: This describes the section next to your board, used to organize your Aspiration, Action, and Iconic Sims cards for the game.
- Move In: The Sims Board Game uses this term to describe setting up each player’s own card station.
- FULL: Maxed-out Needs will display a full green bar.
- EMPTY: Depleted Needs will display a full red bar.
- SIMbol: The icons indicating various interests, hobbies, skills, etc. on the cards.
The Cards on The Table
The Sims Board Game comes with seven different types of cards, many of which you will add to your Card Hub near the game board. Keep reading to learn more about each card!
Action Cards
Action cards can be just about anything, and there are 115 of them! Action cards highlight social interactions, such as Go On a Fancy Date, items like the Rainbow Treat, and other interactions like Study Biology. Each of these cards has 1-4 SIMbols.
Many famous Sims have their own Action cards as well. For example:
- “Watch Out! It’s Mrs. Crumplebottom!: You can take this card from any Venue! All players at a Venue of your choice lower 2 of their Needs, then discard this card.”
- “Don Lothario Makes a Move: You can take this card from any Venue! Attach this card to an Iconic Sim on the board. They are permanently worth 1 point.”
- “Grim Reaper Visits: You can take this card from any Venue! Discard any Iconic Sim, then discard this card.”
The Iconic Sims Move Action card is a special Action card. Drawing this card will make all Iconic Sims on the board Move. Every player picks up all of their Iconic Sims cards from their Home, and passes them to the left until the Iconic Sim finds a SIMbol that interests them.
Other Action cards include actions like:
- Reset- Bottom: “Discard the bottom row of cards in the Card Hub, then replace them.”
- Travel Again: “You may travel to another venue. (Lower the need, then take 1 card)”
- Reset- Top: “Discard the top row of cards in the Card Hub, then replace them.”
- Swap Cards: “Swap 1 of your Action cards with another player.”
- Draw 2, Take 1!: “You may lower any need to look at the top 2 cards of the Action deck, take 1, and discard the other.”
Action cards with green Needs icons in the center of the card indicate that you can fill that specific Need on your Needs Tracker Board if you draw that card.
Aspiration Cards
Included in the new board game are 27 Aspiration cards to guide your gameplay. Similar to The Sims video games, Aspiration cards in The Sims Board Game can act as a measurement to determine if you’ve “won or lost the game”.
These aspirations mirror those found in the video game, including the following aspirations:
| Aspiration | Description | SIMbols |
Mansion Baron | “This Sim is all about owning the biggest, fanciest home!” | House, Simoleons |
Joke Star | “This Sim wants to tell jokes and become a famous comedian!” | Business, Mischief |
Master Maker | “This Sim wants to become an expert at Fabrication!” | Chair, Gear |
Master Chef | “This Sim wants to master the culinary arts.” | Business, Cooking |
Five-Star Property Owner | “This Sim wants to be the best property owner the world has ever seen!” | Chair, Simoleons |
Eco Innovator | “This Sim wants to build a better, greener community.” | Nature, Gear |
Friend of Animals | “This Sim wants to be BFFs with all of the animals.” | Animals, Sunny |
Computer Whiz | “This Sim wants to know everything about computers.” | Creative, Gear |
Country Caretaker | “This Sim wants to tend the countryside and befriend all animals and critters!” | Animals, Nature |
Championship Rider | “This Sim wants to compete in competitions to become a world-renowned Horse Rider.” | Animals, Competition |
Chief of Mischief | “This Sim is all about pranks and mayhem.” | Crime, Mischief |
Big Happy Family | “This Sim wants to build a large, loving household!” | House, Romance |
Bodybuilder | “This Sim wants to work out and become as strong as they possibly can be!” | Sunny, Competition |
Expert Nectar Maker | “This Sim wants to master the art of Nectar Making.” | Cooking, Mischief |
Fabulously Wealthy | “This Sim wants to get rich and have a successful career!” | Simoleons, Competition |
Outdoor Enthusiast | “This Sim wants to experience everything nature has to offer!” | Werewolves, Sunny |
Ghost Whisperer | “This Sim enjoys encountering all types of spirits, from crows to Grim.” | Creative, Elixirs |
Public Enemy | “This Sim wants to make enemies and be a famous criminal!” | Crime, Werewolves |
Purveyor of Potions | “This Sim wants to learn every potion’s recipe and craft each one!” | Elixirs, Cooking |
Villainous Valentine | “This Sim wants to destroy the love lives of all Sims, including their own!” | Crime, Romance |
The Curator | “This Sim wants to collect everything this world has to offer!” | Chair, Fashion |
Serial Romantic | “This Sim wants to play the field and go on dates with all sorts of interesting people!” | Fashion, Romance |
Spellcraft & Sorcery | “This Sim craves a deep knowledge of the arcane magical arts.” | Reading, Elixir |
Best-Selling Author | “This Sim wants to write books and become a famous author!” | Reading, Creative |
Academic | “This Sim wants to attend university and get a job!” | Reading, Werewolves |
Freelance Botanist | “This Sim wants to grow plants and become an expert gardener!” | Business, Nature |
Perfectly Pristine | “This Sim likes their home to be presentable and clean all the time.” | Fashion, House |
Each of these cards in The Sims Board Game has two SIMbols.
Iconic Sims Cards
Iconic Sims cards invite Sims over to your Home, and they show off well-known Sims from different generations of The Sims video game. There are 18 Iconic Sims cards, and each card has one SIMbol that represents the Sims’ interests.
Home Cards
Your Home card is where you hold your collection of Aspiration, Action, and Iconic Sims cards when playing The Sims Board Game. There is also a section called Scored Aspirations, where you can place your completed Aspiration cards. There are 18 Home cards, and each player needs one. Home cards each have one SIMbol.
Venue Cards
The Sims Board Game includes six double-sided Venue cards, with three SIMbols on each side. These are placed on your game board in the designated areas and are the points of Travel for your game. Venue cards have their own traits that come into play during the game.
- The Llama Lagoon and Willow Creek Picnic Spot Venue cards: Sunny, Animal Lover, and Nature Lover SIMbols
- The Studio PBP and ThrifTEA Venue cards: Handiness, Fashion, and Simoleons SIMbols
- The Foxbury Institute and University of Britechester Venue cards: Career, Reading, and Creative SIMbols
- The Futures Past Museum and Elixirs and Brews Venue card: Indoorsy lifestyle, Elixirs, and Midcentury Modern Decor SIMbols
- The Blue Velvet and Solar Flare Lounge Venue cards: Romance, Mischief, and Crime SIMbols
- The Pectoral Fitness and Burner’s and Builder’s Gym Venue cards: Competition, Werewolves, and Cooking SIMbols
Venue cards also have a red Needs icon in the left-hand corner. This indicates the Need you will need to lower when you visit this Venue.
Turn Order Cards
Every player needs a Turn Order card. Turn Order cards provide a step-by-step overview of The Sims Board Game and how to play for you to reference throughout the game. The game comes with five Turn Order cards, color-coded black, white, blue, pink, and purple.
Needs Tracker Boards
Like the Turn Order cards, every player needs a Needs Tracker Board. These are used to refill or drain your Needs throughout the game, and are color-coded as well. These replicate the Needs Panel found in The Sims video games.
Plumbob Movers & the Interaction Die
Are you ready to play with Plumbobs? With The Sims Board Game, we can finally get our hands on these shiny symbols in the form of Plumbob Movers and the Interaction Die. The game comes with five Plumbob Movers of the same color-coding used for the Turn Order cards and the Needs Tracker Boards. Each player needs to select a color to represent themself for the duration of the game.
The Interaction Die is an eight-sided Plumbob green game die. This is used when two or more players are at the same Venue. The die has the following interactions:
| Symbol & Title | Action | Number of Occurrences |
 Awkward Interaction | Lower one of your Needs | 3 sides |
 Good Interaction | Raise one of your Needs | 3 sides |
 Learned Something New | Take one random Action card from another player | 2 sides |
Quick Gameplay Overview
The goal of The Sims Board Game is to earn eight+ points in your turn by completing Aspiration cards and collecting Iconic Sims cards. To complete an Aspiration card, collect three SIMbols from Action cards, and any combination of these SIMbols will count towards the Aspiration card. If your Home card has a matching SIMbol, this can count toward your Aspiration card total. Completing an Aspiration card is worth three points. Iconic Sims cards with SIMbols matching the ones found on your Aspiration card can be added to your Home and your score for one point each.
The first player starts the game by Traveling to a Venue with SIMbols that match their Aspiration card. Then try to choose an Action card that has a matching SIMbol. If none are available, you still need to draw a card. Complete the action listed on the Action card. You may also invite Iconic Sims over to your Home at this stage, if they are interested.
As you Travel to different Venues, your Needs will decrease. To fill any EMPTY Needs, Go Home on your next turn. If you choose to Go Home instead of Travel, you can draw a new Aspiration card to change your aspiration, and refill two EMPTY Needs.
Maintain your Needs, earn eight points, and you’ve won the game! Congratulations!
Review of The Sims Board Game so Far
When I wanted to get started and use the “Learn to Play” QR codes on the box and instruction manual, I was a little disappointed. These QR codes take you to The Sims Board Game YouTube teaser. This doesn’t really provide any more detail on how to play the game, so I recommend sticking with the instruction manual or reading online guides until those links are updated.
Using the Needs Tracker Board adds a feeling of immersion to the board game. You’ll quickly look down, see your Needs drained, and work to fill them up again, just like in the video game we all know and love. This feature could use a little more explaining, however. The instructions don’t call out how many Needs have to be EMPTY before you must Go Home and refill them, or be eliminated from the game.
The game board has a lovely design that intertwines the various worlds and neighborhoods in The Sims 4, with possible hints at new features. I also appreciate the fact that the backs of the three pieces are individual Plumbobs, and how they fold up nicely into triangles.
However, I don’t really feel like the game board is necessary to play the game. In my experience, it doesn’t really advance the game, and you can choose to go wherever you want on the board with minimal restriction. I would prefer a little more challenge in this aspect.
At the end of the day, the game is pretty fun. Playing with a mix of Simmers non-Simmers is a blast, too. Since each card reminds you of a household you’ve played, or a wild storyline you’ve concocted over the years of playing The Sims, they act almost like conversational prompts. Laugh over run-ins with Aliens with your Simmer friends, or fill your non-Simmer friends in on all of the Bella Goth lore. Whoever you decide to play with is sure to get a kick out of this game.
Now it’s your turn to play! What are your thoughts on The Sims Board Game? Share your reactions in the comments below!
Right now you can get The Sims Board Game in US online and retail stores like Target for $19.99USD. The UK / Europe and possibly rest of the world rollout is expected to start September 18th.
