
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Cyclades: Legendary Edition – Extension Maelström
- 2–6 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2026

2024
Rules assistance for Cyclades: Legendary Edition
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cyclades: Legendary Edition is a board game released in 2024 for 2–6 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Auction / Bidding, and Area Movement.
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.
Cyclades: Legendary Edition supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Cyclades: Legendary Edition is 60–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Cyclades: Legendary Edition for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Cyclades: Legendary Edition has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Cyclades: Legendary Edition belongs to these categories: Fighting, Nautical, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Auction / Bidding, and Area Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Cyclades: Legendary Edition are: Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Cyclades: Legendary Edition as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.