Cyclades is a board game of domination and city building set in ancient Greece. The game board consists of a series of islands, with each faction having a predetermined starting point. Not all islands are the same, as only some can have a metropolis built on them. Each player starts with one island where a metropolis can be built. The objective of the game is to have two completed metropolis squares under your control.
To complete your objective you will need to win the favour of the Gods. Winning the favour of the right god at the right time is the key to victory, and missing out will lead to shame and defeat! The favour of Ares is needed to launch a land attack, the favour of Poseidon is needed to move ships and fight at sea. Ships and soldiers are represented by plastic miniatures. Athena allows you to recruit philosophers while Zeus gives you priests, both of which are useful throughout the game. Each god also grants you the right to build one of the four building types that go together to form a metropolis.
The fifth god, Apollo, gives you nothing in this turn but grants additional income in following turns.
Gaining the favour of a god works like an auction process. One at a time, the players bid on the god they want. If your bid is exceeded by another player you must immediately move to a different god. Being displaced at the wrong time will leave you seeking the favour of Apollo when you really wanted Ares. Likewise some games will end after a canny player refuses to enter into the bidding war, gathering Athena’s philosophers as an alternate way of winning.
Once the favours have been granted, player execute the rest of their turns in order. Each turn, this order will be different, as order is based on which god’s favour you have, but the order of the gods changes from turn to turn too (except Apollo, who is always last). One turn it will be Zeus who moves first, the next Poseidon.
There are monsters as well as gods in this game, with players able to recruit Pegasus, a Kraken, a Cyclops, and other mythical creatures to their cause. These creatures typically offer a one-shot effect, allowing you to move or fight when you otherwise can’t, others remain on the board until another player gets rid of them.
Working out what you want to do, and then doing things in the right order is crucial to victory. If you want to launch an attack from one island to another, you must first move your ships into position with Poseidon’s favour, and then attack with Ares’ favour in the next turn. In each case other players may outbid you to prevent you from moving at the right time, or to launch an attack of their own.
The game ends once a player has constructed their second metropolis. Cyclades is a fun board game, best suited to four or five players. There is a copy in our game library.
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