Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Redevelopment of Lost Cities, first published with altered rules as Keltis, and then published by Rio Grande as Lost Cities: The Board Game with Knizia's original rules and theme.
As you go along the path you collect tokens that are either extra points, artefacts, or the ability to jump an extra square. The artefacts are counted up at the end of the game and become plus or minus points depending on quantity. There’s an element to the game which was completely overlooked by me the first time I’d played Lost Cities. By drawing a card from the face down pile you are moving one step closer to the end of the game. Whether you want to clear your hand of unwanted colours or maybe you have cards in your hand that you’ve drawn but can no longer play. In these instances discarding your cards is a good way to optimise your hand without mounting more costly expeditions. Draw a card If you don’t want to use a dice on a turn, you can pass. But beware! Use it too many times and you’ll take a huge hit when it comes to end game scoring. Although it is also worth noting that if you don’t use it at all, you’ll also take a hit at VP time! Sneaky!The game ends when a total of 5 playing pieces have reached the 7th space (or more) on their paths. Now, scoring happens: At the end of the game the person with the most points – converted into coins – wins. To play a three round game takes about 45 minutes. The game is played with each player having a small sheet showing 6 different potential expeditions. There’s also a column filled with artefacts (urns) and one with dice. Each round, the starting player rolls the 6 dice and selects one for number and another for colour. The remaining players get to select from the rest. Then everybody simultaneously writes their chosen number in the corresponding colour column on their sheet. Bottoms Up Each player guides a team of explorers on up to five expeditions. To advance along an expedition path, a card in the path’s colour must be played for each step forward. The card must be of equal or greater value to the player’s card previously played on that path.
The ability to place numbers equal to those before them in columns is a little bit of a pressure-off moment. And being able to combo moves to trigger urns and accelerators to gain more points is very satisfying. Likewise, being able to pass but having to balance crossing off dice just enough to get you out of negative scoring is another lovely twist. Because although it feels like the game is inviting you to take it easy or even cheat, the dice you want is going to come up at the point you need to pass. It always does!Before beginning the game you should decide how many rounds you intend to play. The winner is the person with the most combined points by the end of those rounds. The manual recommends 3 rounds, whilst that’s usually a good amount, you may wish to have a practice round with new players first. Discard a card
Great Deal 
New Comment