Villages

About this board game

Villages is a strategic card game for 2–5 players that plays in about 30 minutes. As a mighty king, you compete to expand your empire by building villages in a newly discovered land and earning 100 gold pieces across multiple rounds.

Every card has a gold value, and building begins by collecting three unit cards of the same color and laying them down. When another ruler plays a card you want, you can challenge them in battle. Send one of your village’s heroes, or secretly play a hero face-down from your hand, while your opponent does the same. The stronger card wins, allowing you to take a prisoner from the opposing village and add it to your own.

Victory depends on more than simply playing your strongest units. The game features 15 different unit types, each with its own strengths and winning strategies, making your choices matter throughout the game.

• Knights excel at defense.
• Wizards lose power only when facing enemies of the same color.
• Dragons grow stronger with every enemy they defeat.
• Heroes become much stronger when you are in last place.

War is only one path to prosperity. You can also take the role of a benevolent king, giving cards freely to other players. The first player to empty their hand and end the round earns bonus gold, creating an alternative to direct conflict.

With luck, careful timing, and clever combinations, Villages rewards different approaches to ruling. Will you expand through battle, exploit the abilities of your units, or prosper by helping your rivals?