Running A Legendary Paper Is All In The Details In News Tower
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No one talks about this, but proper water cooler placement is the cornerstone of running a successful newspaper. A water cooler in the wrong place means reporters, typesetters, and support staff will be less likely to use it, and if it’s not in a comfortable spot to begin with, just walking to the fountain can put them in a bad mood on the way. Then when it breaks down, your repair person’s productivity will tank while they fix, leaving the printer in bad shape when it’s press time, costing you subscribers and revenue from a subpar issue. At least, that’s what I learned from News Tower’s version of the newspaper business, which combines fiddly workplace management with the actual work of reporting.
After launching on Steam Early Access in 2024, News Tower hits 1.0 on November 18. Set in the 1930s, it tells the story of the rise (and possibly fall) of an upstart paper growing from a niche one-sheet in Brooklyn to the biggest publication in New York City. After inheriting the business, your job is to build the headquarters of the operation to maximize efficiency while sending reporters out to get scoops on the most important stories of the day.
News Tower is a detailed management sim about running a paper in 1930s New York City.
But first, you’ve gotta get those water coolers right. Half of News Tower is about setting up the actual tower your newspaper is run out of. You have minute control over everything in the building, from walls and stairs to the desks where your new employees do their work. Then there’s the printer, of course, a hulking machine spewing heat and noise in all directions and distracting everyone from their work if you don’t choose its placement carefully.
The building portion of News Tower is all about setting your employees up to do their best work. Making a layout that minimizes the distance reporters need to travel to deliver their stories and custodians need to walk to clean messes is crucial, but so is the more detailed work making it a comfortable environment to work in.
Noise, bad smells, and high temperatures can all be distractions, and you’ll need to spend a lot of time placing ducts and handing out potted plants to keep everyone happy. Fail to meet their needs and their work will get sloppy, which means lost assignments and lower profits for your paper, which is already running on a razor-thin margin. It’s a lot to keep track of, and micromanaging the office can sometimes get in the way of the more enjoyable parts of the game, but the level of freedom in how you design the perfect newsroom makes even the more finicky moments of interior design worth it.
Managing an efficient workplace and gathering stories are both crucial for your paper’s survival.
What sets New Tower apart from any other management sim is obviously the news. On top of organizing your building, you need to actually gather the stories that make up your paper. It’s a multi-step process of telegraphists finding leads, reporters traveling to write the story, and typesetters and assemblers getting it set up for printing. Reporters all have specialities that make them better at certain types of stories, and readers in different areas all have preferences in what they’d like to read. On top of that, lawsuits and accidents can put your reporters out of commission or cost you money, not to mention the mobsters who you really don’t want to get mad at you for unflattering coverage.
As the game goes on, reporting adds layer after layer of complication. To break into new markets, you need to compete directly with rivals, which means you’ll want to keep some reporters in reserve to seize on scoops the second you’re aware of them. Different groups around the city, like the government, artists, and the Mafia, will all come to you with requests to skew your coverage, which can grant you crucial rewards but also tarnish your reputation with other groups. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether you’re running a hard-hitting news organization or a tabloid, and the strategy around how you shape your paper’s voice is by far the most compelling part of News Tower.
