Ethnos

About this board game

Ethnos is a fantasy area-control card game for 2–6 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes. First released in 2017, it challenges players to unite fantasy tribes and gain control of the land across three ages.

At the start of each game, players choose six of the twelve available tribes, or five tribes in a 2- or 3-player game. A deck is then created using only those tribes. Cards belong to six colors, each matching one of Ethnos’s six regions, while three glory tokens are placed in every region from low to high.

On a turn, you either recruit an ally or play a band of allies. Recruitment means taking a face-up card without replacing it, or drawing the top card of the deck. To play a band, choose cards from your hand that match in tribe or color, place them in front of you, and discard every other card in your hand.

• Place a token in the region matching the color of the top card played.
• Use the special power of the tribe member on that top card.
• Choose from twelve fantasy tribes, including giants, merfolk, halflings, and minotaurs.

At the end of the first age, the player with the most tokens in each region scores the glory shown on that region’s first token. After the second age, the players with the most and second-most tokens score the first and second glory values. After the third age, scoring works similarly, and the player with the most glory wins.

In games with two or three players, the contest lasts two ages instead of three. With its changing combination of tribes, colors, powers, and regional majorities, Ethnos offers a focused race for control and glory.