“Marijampolė” Officially Launched – A Historical Strategy Board Game Inspired by the City

The educational strategy board game “Marijampolė”, created during the quarantine period, has officially launched. Developed by Tomas Miliauskas and Monika Sadauskaitė, the game is a unique cultural project designed to introduce younger generations to the rich history of Marijampolė, present the city to its visitors in an engaging way, and deliver a compelling experience for strategy board game enthusiasts.

Build Your Own Version of the City

In “Marijampolė,” 2–4 players compete to build a thriving and successful city. However, as history shows, every city creator has their own vision and ambitions. In the game, each player shapes Marijampolė differently — whether as a small trading settlement along the Jevonis stream, an interwar industrial metropolis, or a center of monastic culture.

By constructing significant buildings, establishing companies, using the strengths of historical personalities, and navigating difficult historical periods that impacted Lithuania, players actively write their own version of the city’s story.

History as the Core of the Game

From the earliest development stages, the history of Marijampolė became the foundation of the game. The deck includes 114 chronologically numbered cards representing key historical events — from the first fishermen who settled near the Jevonis River to March 1989, when the city’s name was changed from Kapsukas back to Marijampolė.

Special character cards feature prominent historical figures such as Jonas Basanavičius, Vincas Kudirka, Žemaitė, and many others whose lives were connected to the city. Each card description was prepared in consultation with local historians to provide authentic and meaningful historical context.

The game also reflects broader historical challenges that shaped Lithuania and Europe — including world wars, occupation, and the press ban. These events influence gameplay and create obstacles that players must overcome while developing their cities.

“We didn’t want to create just another quiz-style history game where players feel tested,” says co-author Monika Sadauskaitė. “Our goal was to give players — even those who have never visited Marijampolė — the opportunity to experience and build the city themselves.”

A Board Game That Also Works as a City Guide

Another distinctive feature of “Marijampolė” is its architectural element. Stylized illustrations allow players to recognize well-known city landmarks. Card descriptions provide additional insight into each building’s origin, significance, and historical journey.

Game co-author and illustrator Tomas Miliauskas shares that capturing the city visually was one of the most enjoyable parts of the creative process.

“One of the most exciting aspects was drawing the buildings I passed every day in my hometown or saw in historical photographs. Some were quite challenging — for example, the old Long Square building was so long that it simply wouldn’t fit on a single card,” Miliauskas recalls.

New Projects on the Horizon

The creators already consider “Marijampolė” a successful project, regardless of commercial results. During development and release, they connected with a warm and passionate board game community and received highly positive feedback from playtesters.

The publishing partner for the game is the Kaunas-based game development company SneakyBox. The collaboration is set to continue, with new board game projects already in development.

When asked about future ideas, Tomas Miliauskas smiles and reveals a long-standing creative ambition — to transform Justinas Marcinkevičius’s literary work “Grybų karas” into a board game format.