Objective of the Game

Welcome, future architects of ancient Greece! In Akropolis, you're not just building a city; you're crafting a legacy. At the heart of the Mediterranean, rival cities vie for wealth and glory, and it's up to you, the most talented architects, to ensure your city triumphs!

Your goal is to grow your city by strategically building housing, temples, markets, gardens, and barracks. You'll need harmonious planning that conforms to specific rules and a keen eye for enhancing your city with plazas. Remember, Stone is an essential resource – gather enough quarries to build higher and make your city stretch towards the sky!

The player with the most points at the end of the game wins, so build wisely and strategically!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get those cities ready to rise! Here’s how to set up your game of Akropolis:

1. First, gather the City tiles that correspond to your number of players. You can check the backs of the tiles to confirm.
2. Next, create 11 equal stacks of tiles, placed face down.
   • For a 4-player game, each stack will have 5 tiles.
   • For a 3-player game, each stack will have 4 tiles.
   • For a 2-player game, each stack will have 3 tiles.

   Note: If you want a longer game for 2 or 3 players, you can use all the tiles. This means 19 stacks for a 2-player game, or 15 stacks for a 3-player game.

3. Place the rest of the tiles face up in the center of the table, forming a line. This line is your Construction Site.
4. Each player, now an Architect, takes a starting tile and places it in front of them.
5. The Architect who most recently climbed a hill takes the Chief Architect marker.
6. Working clockwise from the first player, each Architect takes a specific number of Stones:
   • 1st player: 2 Stones
   • 2nd player: 3 Stones
   • 3rd player: 4 Stones
   • 4th player: 5 Stones
7. Place the remaining Stones nearby to form the reserve.

You're all set! Time to build some epic cities!

The Turn of Play

Play continues in a clockwise direction, starting with the Chief Architect. Architects take turns performing two main actions until there's only one City tile left in the Construction Site.

Architect's Turn

On your turn, you'll perform these two actions:

1. Take a tile:
   • Choose any tile you wish from the Construction Site.
   • You must pay 1 Stone for each tile that precedes your chosen tile in the Construction Site.
   • If you take the first tile, you don't pay anything!
   • Spent Stones are returned to the reserve.
   • Important: If you run out of Stones, you must take the first tile in the Construction Site.
2. Add a tile to their City:
   • The tile you just took must be added to your city.
   • A City tile is made up of 3 Construction hexes. There are three types: Quarries, Plazas, and Districts.
   • You can place the tile on the 1st level or a higher level.
     • A tile placed on the 1st level must border another of your City tiles along at least one edge.
     • A tile placed on a higher level must be constructed on top of 3 hexes (it cannot be placed above an empty space) and must cover hexes on at least 2 different tiles.
   • Quarries: These don't score points, but they give you Stones! When you cover a Quarry with another tile, you immediately take 1 Stone from the reserve.
   • Plazas: These multiply the points you gain for Districts of the same type at the end of the game. The multipliers are represented by stars, and if you have several matching Plazas, their stars are cumulative. A Plaza doesn't need to border Districts of the same type. (Remember, you start with a Housing Plaza on your starting tile!)
   • Districts: There are 5 types: Houses, Markets, Barracks, Gardens, and Temples. To score points, a District must meet two conditions:
     • Its specific placement condition.
     • You must have at least one Plaza of that color in your city.

     A District on a higher level earns more points. A 1st level District is worth 1 point, 2nd level 2 points, 3rd level 3 points, etc. (Plazas on higher levels do not earn more points).

     • Houses: Only score points for Houses that are part of your largest group of adjacent Houses.
     • Markets: A Market must not be adjacent to any other Market.
     • Barracks: Barracks must be placed on the edge of your city.
     • Gardens: No placement conditions!
     • Temples: Temples must be completely surrounded.

Supplying the Construction Site

When there's only one tile left in the Construction Site, it's time to replenish:

1. Place the remaining tile in the first position.
2. Take one stack of tiles and place the tiles face up next to each other to replenish the Construction Site.
3. The Chief Architect marker passes to the player on the left.

Play continues around, starting with the new Chief Architect.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when there is only one tile left in the Construction Site AND all the stacks have been used. Important: The last City tile is not played.

Calculating Victory Points

Using the scorepad, each Architect calculates their victory points for each type of District:

1. Add up the Values of all your Districts that respect their placement condition.
2. Add up the number of stars on the matching Plazas.
3. Multiply these two numbers together.

You also gain 1 additional victory point for each Stone in your supply at the end of the game.

The player with the most points wins the game! In the event of a tie, the player with the most Stones wins.

Tips for Winning

Ready to dominate the Mediterranean? Here are a few pointers to help you on your way:

1. Don't Neglect Your Quarries! Stones are your currency for taking better tiles and building higher. Covering Quarries is a great way to keep your supply healthy, allowing you more flexibility in the Construction Site.
2. Plan Your Plazas Wisely: Plazas are your point multipliers! Focus on acquiring Plazas for the District types you're building most. Remember, their stars are cumulative, so more matching Plazas mean a bigger score for that District type.
3. Build Up, Not Just Out: Higher-level Districts are worth more points! While it costs Stones to get those higher-level tiles, the payoff can be huge. Look for opportunities to place Districts on the 2nd, 3rd, or even higher levels to maximize their individual value.