Amyitis

About this board game

Amyitis is a strategy board game for 2–4 players, with a playing time of about 120 minutes, in which rival architects compete to build the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and earn the most prestige.

Players take the roles of noble Babylonians seeking to raise their status through garden construction, irrigation, trade, and recruitment. They can acquire plants, hire craftsmen, develop irrigation, trade with ancient cities, build their palace, and seek control of the temples.

Each turn, a player chooses one of three actions. Recruiting a craftsman grants an action connected to a priest, resource, irrigation, or camel. Moving the caravan allows the player to purchase a plant or court card, or to trade. Passing can potentially provide income.

• Build gardens and expand the irrigation network.
• Recruit craftsmen to gain useful actions.
• Move the caravan to purchase plants, acquire court cards, or trade.
• Gain prestige through gardens, the palace, and control of temples.

The game is inspired by the story of Amyitis, whose homesickness for the forested mountains of the Median Empire is said to have led King Nebuchadnezzar II to create the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for her. Against this historical and mythical backdrop, players compete to shape the city and elevate their own standing.

Amyitis is an interactive contest in which one player’s choices directly affect the others. Careful timing, development, trading, and recruitment all contribute to the final struggle for prestige, with victory going to the player who has earned the most by the end of the game.