Ilium

About this board game

Ilium is a strategy board game for 2–4 players, with an approximate playing time of 35 minutes. Released in 2008, it casts players as archaeologists excavating the legendary site of ancient Troy, seeking artifacts in the footsteps of Heinrich Schliemann.

The board features dig sites connected by paths of different lengths. Each site begins with discovery tiles equal to the number of paths leading to it. These tiles represent five types of artifacts and show between one and five artifacts each, creating a changing supply of discoveries to pursue.

On each turn, a player draws a card from their own deck. The card determines whether they place one, two, or three archaeologists on a single empty space along any path. When a path is filled, the player with the most archaeologists there claims a tile from one of the adjacent dig sites. In each site, however, that player may take only the tile with the fewest artifacts.

The player with the second-most archaeologists then takes the tile the first player left behind. As dig sites are depleted, more valuable tiles become available, making the timing of each placement increasingly important.

• Place 1–3 archaeologists according to your drawn card.
• Compete for filled paths and excavate from adjacent sites.
• Collect artifacts across five types while managing access to valuable tiles.
• Use a secret artifact-type card to shape your final scoring.

Ilium ends after all five tiles showing five artifacts have been claimed. Players then discard the tile of their secret artifact type that contains the most artifacts. The player with the most complete sets wins.