Six people to be
A recent grad, a former line cook, a retired guidance counselor, a carpenter, a political fixer or a washed-up rock singer. Each has a past with Chad.
Now in testing
Town and Gown
An idle game about a college town. You start with one leased storefront café. You end up so powerful you take over the college itself.
Ask to join the testComing to iPhone, iPad & Android
The Daily Grind
114 College Ave
Latte$5.50
Drip coffee$3.00
Scone$3.50
Rent to Gus, today−$150.00
Till$212.40
Chad Prescott came by. He says hi, boss.
Pick a name, any name
The town and its college share a name. You choose it.
WestbrookHarlowAshford FallsPort EverlyLinden Grove
The town paper is the Courier. The campus paper is The Gown. Between them, everyone will know what you did by Monday.
How it works
One storefront, then the block, then the town, then the college.
01
Open the café
You lease The Daily Grind at 114 College Ave. Empty the till, pay the bills, and buy the espresso machine, the seating and the sign.
02
Hire a manager
Bring on Nicky, Joanne or Priya and the shop keeps earning while you are away. Come back to a full till and a town that kept talking.
03
Buy the block
Buy your building, turn the place next door into a pizzeria, a bar or a second café, then work your way across the block and the town.
04
Take the college
Once you own the town, start donating to the university. Name the buildings, take seats on the board, and run it from the inside.
What the game holds
Money comes in on its own. People are another matter.
Run the counter
Upgrade from a few stools to a second floor: espresso, pastry, signage, baristas and outlets for the students who never leave.
Earn while away
With a manager in place, the shop earns for up to eight hours while you are gone. A district manager later makes it earn more.
People remember
Everyone in town likes you a little or a lot, or not at all. Friends cut your rent and open doors. Enemies find ways to make you pay.
Romance and gossip
Flirt with the Dean, the roaster or the student body president. Jealousy follows, and the campus paper is always looking for a story.
The garden
Grow mint, basil, marigolds and tomatoes in real time. Turn them into the day's special, flowers in the window, gifts, or orders for people around town.
Two newspapers
The town Courier and the campus Gown report your milestones, and Chad's. His headlines always seem to be one step ahead of yours.
The campus calendar
Orientation, exam week and Saturday game days each change who comes through the door and what they spend.
No game over
Fall behind and nobody fires you. Chad just buys a little more of your town.
Who you play
Six new owners, and every one of them knows Chad.
The town
Win them over, or win in spite of them.
Your nemesis
Chad Prescott calls everyone “boss.”
A developer from a rival college town, he bids against you for every building worth having. Every face in the game has eight moods, and you will see all of Chad’s.
Questions
When can I play?
Town and Gown is in testing now on Apple's TestFlight and Google Play's testing tracks. It will come to the App Store and Google Play once testing wraps up. If you would like to help test it, write to us.
Which devices does it run on?
iPhone and iPad on iOS 15 and later, and Android phones on Android 7 and later. It is played upright in portrait.
Is it free?
Yes. The game is free with occasional ads, and nothing in it needs a purchase. You can choose to watch an ad to double what your shop earned while you were away. Remove Ads turns ads off, and the Provost Pass also lets you set how the people in town feel about you.
Who is it for?
Anyone who likes idle games, small towns, and people with long memories. It has romance, jealousy and a dive bar among its storylines, and it is not made for children under 13.
What does the game collect about me?
Your shop stays on your device: there are no accounts and we run no servers. Ads come through Google AdMob, which uses your device's advertising identifier under the choices you set, and purchases go through Apple or Google with RevenueCat. The privacy policy has the details.
The lease is ready when you are.
Town and Gown is in testing on iPhone and Android. Write to us if you would like an early key to the café.
Ask to join the test