Boardgames

Cthulhu Wars: Ancients

A human-oriented faction game of diplomacy, Cathedral building, strategic movement, and costly spellbooks for 2–5 players.

120
minutes

2 - 5
player(s)

Medium Heavy

Cthulhu Wars: Ancients board game cover

About this expansion

Cthulhu Wars: Ancients is a faction-focused board game for 2–5 players, with an approximate play time of 120 minutes. It introduces a human-oriented faction that must compete without its own Great Old One.

The Ancients rely on diplomacy and negotiation to establish themselves across the world. Their main objective is to build Cathedrals in areas marked with Symbols associated with Yellow Sign, while also constructing one Cathedral in an unmarked area.

Other factions may welcome sharing their areas with a Cathedral, creating opportunities for cooperation. However, the Ancients do not have the punch of Yellow Sign’s undead army, so careful positioning and awareness of the other players are essential.

  • Cathedral building: Travel across the map to construct Cathedrals in the required areas.
  • Six spellbooks: Each creature has a dedicated spellbook, but gaining one makes that creature inferior in some way. In return, it becomes much less expensive, helping the faction build a stronger combat force.
  • Dematerialization: During each Doom phase, choose one area containing your units and move any or all of them to another selected area anywhere on the map.

Dematerialization supports both planned attacks and rapid Cathedral construction, allowing the Ancients to relocate their forces across the world. Since collecting all six spellbooks is necessary to win, every upgrade presents an important trade-off.

With its unusual faction design, negotiation-driven play, and distinctive movement ability, Cthulhu Wars: Ancients offers a different kind of challenge within Cthulhu Wars.

Other expansions for the same board game