- BGG rank
- BGG #1,714
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Lost Cities: The Board Game
2008
Rules assistance for Lost Cities: The Board Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.7/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Lost Cities: The Board Game
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Lost Cities: The Board Game is a board game released in 2008 for 2–4 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Track Movement.
About the game
Redevelopment of Lost Cities, first published with altered rules as Keltis, and then published by Rio Grande as Lost Cities: The Board Game with Knizia's original rules and theme. Reiner Knizia: "The original version that we developed is exactly what Jay [Tummelson, owner of Rio Grande Games] has now published [LCBG]" Primary differences between Lost Cities: The Board Game and Keltis: 1. In LCBG you play 3 rounds, scoring at the end of all 3 for the monuments you collect. (Normal scoring occurs each round.) In Keltis, you only play 1 round, and score everything each round. This is not just a rule difference, as the scoring is different for the monuments/stones based on the number collected. 2. In Keltis, you may play your cards in either order, descending, high to low, or ascending, low to high. In LCBG, you must play in ascending order. Note: the rules for LCBG have the Keltis rules as variants, and have the board elements necessary for #1 above. Keltis does not have the rules nor board elements to play LCBG. Kosmos (Keltis publisher) changed the card play to ascending and descending order to lower the luck level and add balance to the game. Kosmos changed the theme to fit in with other Kosmos abstract game series. There are more differences, which are non-substantive. Lost Cities: The Board Game has a different-looking board, tiles and figures (meeples) to connect with its predecessor. Card-play in descending order is an optional variant in this edition. The numbers have been multiplied by 5 to strengthen the relation to the card game, and instead of a scoring track you collect your points as golden coins. From the Keltis entry: Players play cards to move their playing pieces along stone paths. There are cards with 5 different colors/symbols, each corresponding to one path; in addition, each card shows a number (0-10, twice each). In each color, each player can play his cards either ascending or descending. Like Lost Cities, it's better to concentrate on a few paths, since the last spaces grants high points, but ending early gives negative ones. The player in turn plays one card (out of a hand of 8), or discards one. He moves the corresponding playing piece on the path. Many of the spaces have a token that grants some bonus - either direct points (counted on the scoring track), an extra move on a path, or wish stones that are needed at game end to avoid negative points. The game ends when a total of 5 playing pieces have reached the 7th space (or more) on their paths. Now, scoring happens: Pieces which only moved 1-3 steps give negative points (-4, -3, -2). Pieces with 4+ steps grant points (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10). One piece of each player is higher and scores double. Fewer than two wish stones grants negative points (-3 / -4) 5+ wish stones yield a bonus of 10 points. All this is added to the points scored during the game
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- KOSMOS
- 999 Games
- Rio Grande Games
- Zvezda
- IELLO
Questions and answers
Lost Cities: The Board Game 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 Lost Cities: The Board Game is 30–60 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 Lost Cities: The Board Game for ages 8 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.
Lost Cities: The Board Game has a complexity rating of 1.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Lost Cities: The Board Game belongs to these categories: Exploration and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Track 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 Lost Cities: The Board Game are: Reiner Knizia. 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 Lost Cities: The Board Game 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.