In the Cyclades archipelago, off the shores of a divided Greece, players develop their cities and compete for supremacy under the watchful gaze of the gods.
In Cyclades: Legendary Edition, designers have reworked the Cyclades base game and its many expansions to make gameplay more dynamic and fluid.
The game features a strategic bidding system that defines the actions available to each player on their turn. You must balance your finances to optimize the various actions provided by the different gods, with each player gaining the support of only one god each turn. The game features a shorter and more dynamic bidding phase than the original Cyclades thanks to a new exponential bidding scale. Six gods are available instead of the five, increasing the variety of actions available.
Players now use landscape tiles to assemble the modular game board during set-up, allowing for ever-changing maps and game strategies. New creatures and heroes are available in the base game, offering new strategic opportunities to build metropolises and gain decisive advantages on the battlefield. Your goal is to be the first to control three metropolises.
Cyclades: Legendary Edition features three game configurations:
"Classic" mode for 3-5 players in which each player defends their own interests.
"Team" mode for 4 or 6 players in which you play in teams of two, co-operating with one another and competing against others.
An enhanced and refined two-player mode.
- Strong mythological theme with a flavorful god-auction mechanic
- Multiple pathways to victory via Metropolis-building
- Tight integration of land and sea combat with modular temples/fortresses
- High player interaction through bidding and battles
- Relatively steep learning curve and many moving parts
- Setup and component handling can be lengthy for new players
- Auction-based control, territorial expansion, and divine influence to build Metropolises.
- Mythological island archipelago in ancient Greece; gods, heroes, and mythic creatures govern the islands.
- Tutorial
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Battle system (land and sea) — Units contribute strength, ports/fortresses add to strength, dice add randomness; battles resolve with losses and retreats.
- Card-driven abilities — Priestess, Philosopher, Hero, and Creature cards provide discounts, powers, and strategic options.
- Cycle-based endgame — The game progresses in cycles; victory is achieved by controlling three Metropolises or by most Metropolises when the cycle ends.
- God auction/bidding — Players bid on the five gods to gain access to their special actions during the game.
- Map tile placement and adjacency — Players place control tokens and fleets on connected land/sea tiles to expand influence.
- Metropolis construction — Metropolises can be built in multiple ways, providing powerful, game-altering effects.
- Resource management and maintenance — Gold and Priestess cards affect costs; maintenance costs must be paid to keep units on the board.
- Temple/Port/Fortress effects — Temples, ports, and fortresses modify combat costs or strength, influencing strategic choices.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you're here to learn cichlidy's legendary edition as quickly as possible
- because you don't have a bunch of time to start flipping through the manual and doing basic stuff like reading
- the goal of Cyclades is to be the first player to control three metropolises at the end of a cycle
- let's actually start playing this game
- you've done it you successfully learned how to play Cyclades legendary edition I hope this tutorial has been helpful in getting this great game to the table so you can play with your friends and family just a little bit faster
- listen mortal because the this is very important you may never sacrifice a hero during the cycle in which they are recruited
References (from this video)
- Solid game
- Good artwork
- Expensive Kickstarter
- Done with Kickstarters
- Cyclades (original)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's only a game
- Matt Leacock will you grow another thread of innovation in your skull and do something else
- we're done with pandemic
- I would rather be pessimistic and then pleasantly surprised then optimistic and then constantly disappointed
- I could rank something like Alice's garden a 9 10 out of 10 for how perfect a game for its genre it is but that doesn't mean I want to play it game after game
- this theme is going to speak to me heavily from a Nostalgia perspective
- you're not as good as you used to be mate
- this is why you've got to get your demos right
- head cubes on tracks is that really what I'm supposed to get excited for
- this one I think is the game that void fall should have been