Lost Cities
Overall Rating: 9/10
Age: 10+
GLAM Age Range: 9-Adult
Number of Players: 2
Playing Time: 20-30 min
Publisher: Kosmos
Complexity: Low
Available At: Amazon.com
Quick Take: Play a card, draw a card. That's all this game is. It's the perfect example of a game that takes two seconds to learn how to play so it's accessible to everyone, but it's difficult to master and the wisest and most strategic player will most certainly win. You are going on a quest of your choosing, or multiple quests, to find a lost city. Play cards in sequence to get there. Sounds simple, is anything but. The artwork is beautiful, be sure to lay the cards out in order so you can appreciate and admire. The trickiest thing about this game is the scoring at the end. It's not terribly complicated but you definitely need a pen and paper handy.
How to Play: Collect the most points to win. Each player is dealt 8 cards to start. You must play cards in sequence in order to play them on your color stacks. You may play wager cards at the bottom of your stack in order to multiply your score on that column at the end of the round. Each turn you play a card and draw a card. You may either play a card on one of your expedition columns or discard it on the game board. Then you can either draw a card from the game board or draw from the discard pile. Once the discard pile has run out you total up your columns and calculate your score. You must subtract 20 points from each column after totaling it up, so it is possible to end with a negative score if you don't play enough cards. Whatever your remaining total is is multiplied by the number of wager cards you played at the bottom of the pile. If you play 8 or more cards on your column of cards you get a 20 point bonus. You are supposed to play three rounds of the game and total up your score from all three rounds to see who collected the most points and won the game.
Variations: You can play with the 5 expedition side of the board or the 6 expedition side of the board. The side with only 5 expeditions makes for more cutthroat play while the 6 expedition side is slightly more forgiving.
Similar Games To Check Out: Qwixx, Camel Up, Kingdomino, Splendor