Cyclades 2 is a remake of the mythical board game, arriving next year
New rules, artwork and miniatures for a modernised, streamlined experience.
Cyclades, the mythical board game of throwing in with Greek gods, will see a complete remake in 2023 under the name Cyclades 2.
Cyclades 2 is described as a full “remake” of the original 2009 board game, revamping Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc’s gameplay with new rules and a number of tweaks to streamline the experience.
At Essen Spiel 2022, Dicebreaker was shown a very early prototype of the upcoming board game, including a first look at some of its new miniatures and artwork.
The core gameplay remains the same as Cyclades. Players collect gold from islands controlled by their warriors and sea spaces controlled by their ships, using that income to activate mythological creatures and earn the favour of gods from the Greek pantheon during an auction round. These powers can be used to acquire new units, help control more spaces and construct buildings, which then earn the metropolises required to win.
Replacing the original game’s three-part map board - which changed layout depending on the number of players - is a series of fully modular map tiles, similar to those seen in co-op board game Spirit Island. At the beginning of the game, players construct the map as a group, using two tiles per player. There will be ten different map tiles in total, allowing up to five players in the core box.
In a change to Cyclades’ win condition, Cyclades 2 will require three metropolises to be built in a player’s territory to claim victory - one more than the first game.
New to the game is a separate track for heroes on the auction board, which join the mythological creatures and gods that players can call upon to aid them. Heroes provide a permanent effect until sacrificed to place a metropolis.
Cyclades 2 will incorporate the “feeling” of the original game’s expansions in the core game, a representative told Dicebreaker at Essen Spiel 2022, with no plans to release any separate expansions for the sequel. A stretch goal for the board game’s upcoming Kickstarter will add an additional two map tiles to support a sixth player.
Cyclades 2 had been in discussion between Cathala and Maublanc for around a decade, with the designers eventually starting work on the update last year. According to the representative, the game aims to modernise the original Cyclades with a “2022 style” in its streamlined gameplay.
Artist Miguel Coimbra returns to provide illustrations of the Greek legends for Cyclades 2’s cards. Sculptors Valerio Carbon and Thierry Mason are behind the new game’s many miniatures - including unique figures for each of the six playable factions’ troops and boats. A dozen hero miniatures and what is expected to be ten creature figures - with the exact number yet to be confirmed - will also be in the box.
Cyclades 2 is expected to launch a crowdfunding campaign early next year.
Clarification: This article previously indicated that Cyclades, Inis and Kemet were created by the same designers. Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc were responsible for Cyclades, while Inis was designed by Christian Martinez, and Kemet was designed by Jacques Bariot and Guillaume Montiage.