Lost Cities, a Fantastic Two-player Game!
It can feel like the search for a fun, original, two-player game is an expedition into the unknown, add on portable, easy-to-learn, good for couples and parent/kids, and it becomes a trek of epic proportions. Well, look no further, Lost Cities is your destination! If you are bold enough to take my word for it and want to experience one of the great two-player card games (at a great price), click below. Or keep reading if you need a little more convincing.
First off, here are the facts:
Designer |
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Artist |
Claus Stephan |
Publisher |
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# of Players |
2 |
Suggested Ages |
8 and up |
Playing Time |
15-40 minutes (1 to 3 rounds) |
Learning Time |
15 minutes |
Setup Time |
2 minutes (really!) |
Contents |
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1 Board
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60 Oversized Cards
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1 Rule Booklet
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Safety |
Not suitable for children under 3 due to small parts that may be inhaled or swallowed |
Before I write these long reviews (or blatant sale pitches), I try to play the game in question as much as possible. And Lost Cities has been a joy to research. I've played it with my daughter (10), my wife (younger than me, we'll leave it at that), and a couple of friends. It has been easy to explain, especially when you start playing it, and fun to learn. It has been sitting at the top of my stack of games for a while now--and my daughter keeps asking to play it (can't go wrong with that). The biggest challenge of Lost Cities is probably the scoring at the end of the game--you find yourself wondering why you can't add in your head anymore (but it gets easier as you go).
Here is how the US importer, Rio Grande Games, describes Lost Cities:
"For the daring and adventurous, there are many lost cities to explore. They are in the Himalayas, the ever-shifting sands of the desert, the Brazilian rain forest, ancient volcanoes and in Neptune’s Realm. With limited resources the players must choose which expeditions to begin. Those with high confidence may want to up the stakes: increasing the rewards for success, but risking more should the expedition fail. The player who finds the right balance will find victory!"
Play is Fast and Fun!
There isn't much waiting around in Lost Cities--you play a card and take a card--occasionally you'll get a little bit of analysis paralysis--but it only lasts a few seconds. Here is how it is played: The cards are shuffled, the board is laid out, each player is dealt 8 cards. The goal of Lost Cities is to build "expeditions", each expedition is a series of cards in one of the five colors (yellow = Egypt, blue = Atlantis, green = Jungle, white = Himalayas, red = Volcano). Basically each expedition is just a set of cards number 2 - 10, plus some additional investment (or multiplier) cards. The catch is is that your opponent is vying for the same cards as you are. If you start an expedition, by laying out a card of that color on your side of your board, you are immediately 20 points in the hole. You have to play enough cards in that set to add up to 20 just to break even. The more cards you play, the higher your score. You also have the option of first playing (before playing any numbered cards) 1 to 3 investment cards. These cards can double, triple or quadruple your score for that expedition, both positive and negatively (if the numbered cards you play don't add up to 20). Also, you can only play a new card on an expedition that is higher in value than the previous card (if you play a 4 you can't play a 2 afterwards). Play is fast, you play a card either as an expedition card or face up on the board between the players. You then take a card from the draw pile or one that is face up on the board. The game is over as soon as the last card is taken out of the draw pile.
There are a lot of great dynamics in the game that make this more than just two player solitaire--the ability to see what your opponent is playing, the give and take of the discards on the board. The pacing of the game, you can slow or speed it up by taking cards from the draw pile or the board. And the risk factor and the luck of the draw add an nice evenness to the game (no one player can dominate).
Isn't Lost Cites just 2-player solitaire? Here is a great answer from boardgamegeek.com user cferejohn:
"It is intensely interactive. Despite the fact that each player is apparently playing a game of solitaire in which they are trying to score the most points, you are constantly looking at the other player's board. If you've played the red 6 and have the red 8 in hand, do you play it, or do you hold onto it and hope to draw the 7? Bearing in mind your opponent may already have the 7 and be holding it to stop you from getting it. If you decide to wait, you are going to have to play or discard something else, which may in fact help your opponent even more."
Easy to Learn!
It takes about 15 minutes for the "instructor" (the person in the family/group who's job is to read the rules the first time) to learn the basics, another 5 minutes or so to explain to the other player--I find the best way is go over the 5 points below and then start playing--after a round the play becomes fairly apparent.
My 5-step Method for Teaching Lost Cities:
- Show the different cards: 5 different colors, numbered 2-10, three handshake (investment) cards per color
- Show how the cards are placed: handshake (investment) cards before any others, every card higher than the last
- Show how each turn is played: place a card, either on your expeditions or on the board, take a card, either from the draw deck or the board
- Show how the game ends (and how this is used to pace the game): when the last card is taken from the draw deck
- Show the scoring system: probably the most complicated part of the game, go through it slowly, show the example on the back of the instructions
Easy to Setup!
Setup of Lost Cities is very easy, takes just a minute (really). Basically open the box, take out the board, shuffle the deck thoroughly (I always give it a few extras since it is pretty color coordinated from the last game) and deal 8 cards to each player and then place the cards down as a draw deck. Easy peasy.
While the them of Lost Cities, doesn't really "play" into the play of the games, the design is really nice, each set of cards shows a series of steps along the expedition, here are some great photo montages by boardgamegeek.com member Major Sholto:
Lost Cities is perfect for your "non-gaming" friend!
Since Lost Cities is so easy to teach, it is perfect for sharing with a friend, especially if they are not a hard-core gamer. The graphics are fun and inviting, the play is fast, and there is enough of a luck factor that it can trump knowledge enough to keep the entry-level player enthused.
Awards, Awards, Awards!
- 1999: Meeples' Choice Award
- 1999: A la carte 4th Place, Fairplay Magazine prize for card games
- 2000: International Gamers Award winner
- 2006: "Juego del año en España 2006" http://www.premiojda.es winner.
- 2007: Major Fun Award Winner.
Lost Cities is a Great for Couples!
I first started looking at Lost Cities as a game to play with Jennifer--she isn't into learning a ton of rules and our life doesn't generally let us have hours to play a game--so it has to be easy to learn, relatively quick to play and engaging enough (with the potential for deeper strategy) to keep us coming back from more! Lost Cities fits the bill!
From a review by boardgamegeek.com user danwojciechowski: "After more than 80 games, our record against each other (he and his wife) is roughly 50/50. We love a game that neither of us can dominate, and a victory is often only 30 minutes away, even after the most humbling defeat. The strategies of Lost Cities seem easy to grasp within a few games, so that neither of us has significant "grasp of the game advantage". The random draw of cards can obviously tip the scales, but we find the game provides enough scope that this is rarely overwhelming. Even if it is, the 3 game sessions format means that there are plenty of opportunities for the luck of the draw to swing the other way. Even with some luck involved, we have found plenty of clever strategies to apply in the face of less than perfect card draws.."
Lost Cities is a Great for Younger Players!
What I like about Lost Cities is that after I played it with my daughter (took her a game to get the hang of it), and after she lost a couple of times, she still liked it and actually showed a friend how to play (and initiated a game with another grown up). I don't know exactly why it appeals to her--I think she likes the theme, even though it isn't integral to the game. When we play we make it more cooperative than cut-throat. We don't deliberately hide cards from each other and we'll slow the pace of the game down near the end if we have some cards left to play.
Meet the Designer: Reiner Knizia
From boardgamegeek.com:
"Reiner Knizia (born 1957 in Germany) is a full-time game designer who has been living in England. He earned a PhD in mathematics and has previously worked in the banking industry. His first published games in 1990 were Gold Digger and Digging. Since then he has been one of the world's most prolific game designers with over 200 games to his credit. He is particularly notable for his auction trilogy and his tile-laying trilogy."
Want to try it out before you buy? You can play it free online at flexgames.com.
Some people learn better by watching, so for you (you know who you are), here is a great youtube video explaining Lost Cities:
All the Rules that are Fit to Print!
A game is an investment, sure, you'll spend more on going out to a movie for a family of 4, but if you are going to spend your hard earned dollars on a new game, you want it to be something you can play over and over again, you don't want it to become too stale or boring. So if you want to get a better in-depth look at Lost Cities, check out the link to the rules on Rio Grande's website.
Don't want to take my word for it? Check out Lost Cities on boardgamegeek.com, I won't hold it against you (maybe just a little).
And are you like me, do you mispell, misspel, misspell words all the time? Here are some of the ways I've spelled Lost Cities incorrectly: Lost Citys, Lst Cities, Lost Citis.
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