Minos

About this board game

Minos is a 1991 board game for 2–4 players, with an approximate playing time of 120 minutes. Set 4,000 years ago, it takes you to Crete during the age of Minos, son of Zeus and Europa.

In the game, players work to build their own trading empires across the Mediterranean Sea. Ships carry you across the region as you establish new settlements and found trading centers, expanding your presence during the rise of the Minoan civilization.

The Minoans represented the first advanced civilization in Europe, and Minos places your competition within this historic setting. Each player aims to develop their empire while the available city sites are claimed and cities take shape.

The game ends when all city sites have been settled and at least two full cities have been built. At that point, the player with the highest income wins, as shown on the scale around the edge of the board.

If players are tied on income, the tie is resolved by cash: the player with the most money in hand is the winner. With its Mediterranean setting, settlement-building objective, and focus on income, Minos offers a race to establish a successful trading empire before the final city sites are occupied.