In the ancient realm of Crete, amidst the sun-drenched shores and labyrinthine corridors of Knossos, the fate of the Minoan civilization is yet to be determined. As a member of one of the four illustrious Minoan clans, your destiny beckons you to vie for the prestigious title of Minos, the ultimate leader of your people.
But keep in mind - unlike the tumultuous conquests of other civilizations, the Minoans are renowned for their pursuit of peace and prosperity. In this captivating journey, the essence of your quest lies not in the clash of swords, but in the art of governance and the cultivation of your clan’s unique identity.
As leaders of Minoan clans players are in charge of the first European civilization. Build cities, monuments and other structures, open new trade routes, expand and fight off outsiders out of your land, plan your actions with your clan council, research and issue decrees so your actions will be more powerful than your opponents! You have only 4 rounds to prove you are worthy of the legendary Minos title.
Draft and assign the dice to the programming board. With lower value dice you can secure stronger actions but the higher value dice will help you climb on the tracks and gain their benefits. During the action phase each player takes their dice in order from highest to lowest and performing the pre-planned actions. Players also build their tableau - each card has an instant effect and a triggered reward connected to the specific action or die value they can use to make the action more powerful. Moreover, twice in the game players get Victory Points for their civilization progress in the region.
—description from the publisher
- Deep strategic planning with an elegant dice-action system
- Beautiful, colorful components and board
- Very long playtime and heavy
- Rules teaching can be slow; high cognitive load
- Ancient world, strategic warfare and development
- Bronze Age civilization-building with heavy dice action
- Array
- Coimbra
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a very heavy thinky game
- not a light game
- it's a neat smooth experience
- this is not a windmill valley
- it's a dry as a bone
References (from this video)
- Rich card system enabling powerful combos and crown mechanics
- Clear dice-drafting system with meaningful planning
- Excellent production quality and visually bright components
- Accessible solo mode compared to other heavy Euros
- Flexible scoring options via cards and tracks
- Weak and unintuitive map that offers limited interaction
- Region scoring can be overwhelmingly powerful and punish ignoring it
- Very long downtime / AP, especially with four players
- Rulebook could be clearer; some first-teach issues
- Cheaty/algorithmic AI in solo mode can feel unfair
- Civilization development, city-building, resource management
- Ancient Bronze Age Crete / Minoan civilization
- Strategy-focused with modular card-driven synergy
- Coin BR
- Seven Wonders
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area control / presence scoring — Region scoring based on majority of meeples in regions; presence yields points without direct combat.
- Card drafting and play (including crowning under Palace) — Acquire cards, play them for powers, then crown them for ongoing bonuses; cards can be played from hand or a face-up display; some can be tucked under the Palace for further bonuses.
- Dice drafting and allocation — Roll dice and place in action cradles; higher dice grant stronger actions but may push you into trade-offs with other players.
- Resource management and building — Spend resources to build city tiles and buildings that provide bonuses and victory points.
- solo mode — A relatively simple AI-driven solo mode using a deck and indicators to draft dice; designed to be approachable.
- Track advancement and upgrades — Advancing blue, red, and yellow tracks yields bonuses and unlocks; tracks influence cards, goods, and region scoring.
- Turn order and action priority — Turn order shifts as dice are resolved; higher dice act first, but timing of card draws and actions matters.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- There is a lot of downtime and the downtime is insane
- Four players is unbearable
- This is a heavy Euro game
- The region scoring can score you ridiculous amounts of points
- The card system is good and you can't ignore any aspect
References (from this video)
- Designer pedigree with multiple hit games
- Interesting non-combat clan development system
- Dice drafting mechanics well implemented
- Multiple scoring opportunities
- Similar satisfying feel to other Cordoni designs
- Bronze Age civilization
- Minoan Clans
- European civilization development
- Dice drafting and programming
- Endless Winter
- Dice Hospital
- Lockup: A Role Tail
- Resurgence
- Nova Roma
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you don't take my word for it folks I was watching the uh Dice Tower Essen excitement list
- I vouch for each of these quite highly
- so much game play depth in less than 15 minutes
- one of the prettiest games you will ever see
- a good tile layer needs to be so kind of connected together
- I want a statue to myself
- it just really seems like a very exciting modern trick-taking game
- beautiful and then you see the completed thing that's one of my favorite things