Game rules

Cyclades: Legendary Edition rules – how to play and how to score

Reviewed on 20 October 2026 against the publisher’s rulebook. How we check

Cyclades plays 2 to 6 players: each leads a Greek city and buys the favor of the gods to build Metropolises. Here are the essential rules of the Legendary Edition, the end of the game and setup, based on the official rulebook.

Players: 2 to 6 (teams with 6)
Play time: About 90 minutes
Winner: The first to control 3 Metropolises at the end of a Cycle

Cyclades: Legendary Edition quick rules

The goal: Each player leads a city in the Cyclades archipelago. The goal is to control 3 Metropolises at the end of a Cycle. In team games, the team aims for 3 Metropolises together.
The archipelago: The archipelago is made of Land Areas and Sea Areas; neighboring Land Areas surrounded by water form an Island. You control an Area if you have a Control token, a Troop, a Fleet or a Hero there. Your gold stays hidden behind your Screen.
A Cycle: Each Cycle starts by updating the Creatures, Heroes and the order of the gods. Then everyone collects one Gold Piece per Cornucopia in their Areas, makes Offerings, pays Creature maintenance, and the gods act in board order. Apollo always plays last.
The Offerings: Each player places their pawn on a god, at the amount they offer. A god serves only one player: if someone offers more, you must immediately bid on another god. Apollo is free and nobody can evict you from him. You never go above 25 Gold Pieces, or above what you can pay.
The gods: Each god first gives, for free, its Building and its unit: Athena a University and a Philosopher, Zeus a Temple and a Priestess, Poseidon a Port and a Fleet, Ares a Fortress and a Troop, Hera a Building of your choice and a mercenary. Then come its paid actions. Apollo gives 2 Gold Pieces and 2 Prosperity tokens.
Moving and fighting: Poseidon sails Fleets, Ares marches Troops, for one Gold Piece per move. In battle, both sides roll a die and add their engaged units, plus their Ports at sea or their Fortresses when defending; the weaker side loses a unit, both on a tie.
Creatures and Heroes: With every god except Apollo, you can buy Mythological Creatures with immediate effects. Hera sells Heroes, with a strength of 1, whose Sacrificial Power often helps build a Metropolis.
Metropolises: Four ways: gather a Port, a Fortress, a Temple and a University; gather 4 Philosophers; sacrifice a Hero whose condition is met; or conquer a Metropolis. Each new Metropolis gives a bonus right away.
The end of the game: The game ends at the end of the Cycle in which a player controls 3 Metropolises, or in which a player was eliminated. Most Metropolises wins; on a tie, the most Gold Pieces behind the Screen.
Beginner traps: Never bid more than you have: the fine costs half your gold. An evicted player can come back for you. Apollo fills your coffers and lets you bid first next Cycle. Watch your opponents’ Philosophers.

How to score Cyclades: Legendary Edition

Metropolises: Cyclades has no points: you count the Metropolises you control. The game ends at the end of the Cycle in which a player controls at least 3, or after an elimination; most Metropolises wins.
Tiebreaker: Tied on Metropolises: the player with the most Gold Pieces behind their Screen wins. Still tied: shared victory.
Team games: The team counts its Metropolises together; for a longer game, you may aim for 4 Metropolises.
The 2009 box: The original edition ends at 2 Metropolises (3 with two players), with other rules: the Ludingo sheet, set for the Legendary Edition, reminds you.

Worked example

End of a Cycle: Emma controls 3 Metropolises, Jake too, Alex 2. The game ends. Emma has 4 Gold Pieces behind her Screen, Jake 7: Jake wins the tiebreaker.

Common mistakes

Ending the game mid-Cycle: Metropolises are checked only at the end of the Cycle.
Forgetting the gold tiebreaker when two players have as many Metropolises.
Playing to 2 Metropolises with the Legendary Edition: that’s the 2009 box’s rule.

How to set up Cyclades: Legendary Edition

Setup takes about fifteen minutes. Follow the steps for your player count for the gods and the archipelago; the rulebook also offers ready-made layouts.

The Auction Board

Place the Auction Board at the side of the table.
Shuffle the 5 God tiles and place them face up above Apollo.Then flip face down the ones closest to Apollo: one with 5 players, two with 2 and 4 players, three with 3 players, none with 6.
Reveal the first 4 Creatures on the Creature track and the first 2 Heroes on the Hero track.
Place the Philosopher and Priestess cards on their spaces, and the rest of the components nearby.

The archipelago

Take 2 random Archipelago tiles per player and assemble them, all on the same side.With 2 players, 8 tiles; with 6 players, all 10.

Each player

Take the components of your color and 5 Gold Pieces, hidden behind your Screen.
With 2 players, each player plays two colors as a team.In team games, gold is shared: 10 Gold Pieces per team.
Place the Offering pawns randomly on the Turn Order track.

Placement

1st Placement Round, in turn order: each player takes 2 free Land Areas on 2 different Islands, with a Control token and a neighboring Fleet.An Area with a Priestess icon gives a Priestess card.
2nd Placement Round, in reverse order: each player takes a third Area, with a Control token and a neighboring Fleet.
Each player spreads 3 Troops over their 3 Areas and removes the Control tokens where they placed a Troop.

Frequently asked questions

How many Metropolises do you need to win Cyclades?

Three, at the end of a Cycle, in the Legendary Edition; two in the 2009 box.

How much gold do you start with in Cyclades?

5 Gold Pieces each; in team games, 10 per team.

Can you evict the player on Apollo in Cyclades?

No, Apollo’s space is free and nobody can be evicted from it.

Ludingo’s Cyclades: Legendary Edition sheet was last reviewed on 20 October 2026, based on: rulebook (PDF), asso.fr, BoardGameGeek.