
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,086
- BGG rating
- 8.5
Innovation Ultimate
- 2–5 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2025

Rules assistance for Innovation: Cities of Destiny
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Innovation: Cities of Destiny is an expansion for Innovation released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 30–75 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Carl Chudyk and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Layering.
With Innovation: Cities of Destiny, the third expansion for the card game Innovation, players can now add cities to their civilization-building efforts. Unlike previous base game and expansion cards, which each featured three icons and a text ability, cards in Cities feature six icons that can provide you with extra actions, icons, and achievements. Innovation: Cities of Destiny is played with the base game and can be combined with any or all of the previous expansions.
Innovation: Cities of Destiny supports 2–4 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 Innovation: Cities of Destiny is 30–75 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 Innovation: Cities of Destiny for ages 14 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.
Innovation: Cities of Destiny has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Innovation: Cities of Destiny belongs to these categories: Card Game, Expansion for Base-game, and Civilization. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Layering. 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 Innovation: Cities of Destiny are: Carl Chudyk. 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 Innovation: Cities of Destiny as an expansion for Innovation. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Innovation to use it. Check that your edition of Innovation is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.