Polis

About this board game

Polis is a card game for 3–5 players that takes about 60 minutes, challenging players to develop an ancient Greek city through economic choices, culture, personalities, and war.

Players offer and buy cards in different colours, with each colour providing advantages in one of four important categories: economy, personalities, culture, and war. The game rewards careful planning, as every part can become especially important depending on the strategy chosen.

Cards may be protected with money, but doing so comes at a cost: the protected card’s advantage is lost. This creates a tactical decision between preserving valuable cards and making the most of their abilities during the development of your city.

War does not simply remove cards from the game. Cards destroyed by war are retained and can provide points at the end of the game when combined with culture symbols, giving conflict a lasting effect on the value of your city.

• Develop an ancient Greek city with cards in different colours.
• Balance economy, personalities, culture, and war.
• Protect cards with money while giving up their advantages.
• Use cards destroyed by war with culture symbols for end-game points.
• Play across twelve possible city setups using six double-sided city boards.

The game ends when two piles are empty, and the player with the most valuable city wins. With six double-sided city boards, Polis includes twelve cities, each offering a different starting situation and adding variety to the strategic challenge.