Garage Rock: Core

Garage Rock is a medium-weight, worker-placement game that transports you back to the 1980s — a time when big hair, cassette tapes, and BMX bikes ruled the neighborhood streets. Step into the shoes of a teenage garage band, fighting for glory in the high-stakes "Battle of the Bands," hosted by the infamous local pirate radio DJ, Johnny Law. As you compete for fans, you'll upgrade your skills, post flyers around town, sell band merch, and pour your heart into writing songs that make your fans shout for more! Record demos at the local studio, complete your album, and hand your demo tape to Johnny Law to get your music aired on his Pirate Radio station, broadcast from his secret treehouse.

On your turn, you'll place band members at various locations on the town board, visiting shops to gather the skills needed to qualify for one of four available gigs. Use the money earned from gigs to visit the Music Shop to upgrade your instrument or swing by the Clothing Store to boost your band’s image with a fresh new look. Pump some quarters into the copy machine to print flyers and spread the word about your band all over town. Record a demo tape that will boost your popularity when it’s played on Pirate Radio by dropping radio cubes down the treehouse cube tower.

The game unfolds over sixteen weeks of summer, with the grand finale being the "Battle of the Bands" contest. The band with the most fans at the end wins the game.

Garage Rock adds a layer of strategy, combining the excitement of worker placement and resource management with a thematic and nostalgic teenage music scene experience. It's time to build your band, rock the garage, and dominate the neighborhood!