Stratopolis

About this board game

Stratopolis is a two-player tile-laying game with a playing time of about 20 minutes, released in 2012. Players compete to build broad connected zones while also constructing upward across multiple levels.

Each player begins with twenty L-shaped tiles, each made of three squares. The tiles show different combinations of a player’s color, neutral squares, and the opponent’s color. Tiles are shuffled into a face-down stack, with only the top tile revealed for play.

The game begins with a two-square tile containing one red square and one green square. On each turn, a player adds their topmost tile to the display. A tile may be placed on the table if at least one of its edges touches an edge already in play, or it may be placed above the table on top of at least two tiles.

Higher-level placement requires careful construction. Every square of the tile must be supported, the tile must remain level, and red squares cannot cover green squares or green squares cover red squares. Other color combinations, such as green over neutral or red over red, are allowed.

• Build outward by placing tiles edge to edge on the table.
• Build upward when at least two tiles support the new piece.
• Keep every elevated tile supported and level.
• Prevent red and green squares from covering one another.

After all tiles have been played, each player evaluates their zones. A zone is a contiguously connected area of their color, and its score equals the number of squares in that area multiplied by the height of its highest square. The player with the highest-scoring zone wins.

Stratopolis also includes variants with a hand of tiles refreshed after each turn, or with all tiles available at all times.