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Thames & Kosmos Lost Cities: Rivals Card Game | Strategy Auction Adventure | Vibrant Colors for Two to Four Players | Family Friendly Fun by Kosmos

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 132 ratings

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Age Range (Description) Kid
Number of Players 2-4 Players
Brand Thames & Kosmos
Theme Game
Material Cardstock

About this item

  • Latest addition to the lost cities franchise by acclaimed game designer Reiner Knizia.
  • A stand-alone game that combines elements of the original lost cities with a new auction mechanic.
  • Players lay down cards to venture down expedition routes and win fame.
  • For 2 to 4 players ages 10 and up.
  • Play time: 40 minutes.

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Thames & Kosmos Lost Cities: Rivals Card Game | Strategy Auction Adventure | Vibrant Colors for Two to Four Players | Family Friendly Fun by Kosmos


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Product Description

Use your cards to venture down expedition routes that take you to far-flung and mysterious corners of the earth: to an abandoned mountain temple, a decaying circle of stone, a city sunken under the sea, an ancient stone-age settlement, and a Town inside of a mountain. Your goal is to plan the routes in such a way that they bring you the greatest possible fame. And if you are especially daring, you will also be able to wager on the success of your own expeditions. But watch out: you are not the only one traveling! Which routes will you pursue and how much gold is it worth to you? Plan well and use your resources wisely. Only the player who has collected the most fame at the end of the game will be the winner.

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From the manufacturer

Lost Cities Rivals
Lost Cities Rivals

Kosmos Logo
About KOSMOS Games

KOSMOS games build social skills, stimulate logical and strategic thinking, promote visual-spatial and math skills, cultivate physical coordination and manual dexterity, encourage family time, and inspire fair-mindedness, confidence, and honorable attitudes. German engineered and beautifully made, these games become enduring family favorites and game night classics. For all these reasons, Kosmos games have earned worldwide acclaim.

Lost Cities: Rivals

A Game by Reiner Knizia

Use your cards to venture down expedition routes that take you to far-flung, mysterious corners of the Earth. Your goal is to plan the routes in such a way that they bring you the greatest possible fame. If you are especially daring, you will also wager on the success of your expeditions. But watch out: You are not the only one traveling! Which routes will you pursue and how much gold is it worth to you? Only the player who has collected the most fame at the end of the game will be the winner.

Contents

Reiner Knizia
About the Author

Reiner Knizia was born in 1957 and lives in Munich, Germany. He holds a PhD in Mathematics and has published numerous games in Germany and abroad. Among his greatest successes are winning the 'Deutscher Spielepreis' (German Game Prize) in 1993, 1998, 2000, and 2003, and the 'Spiel des Jahres' (Game of the Year) for 'Keltis,' which is based on 'Lost Cities.' Reiner Knizia specializes in games that offer simple rules and a lot of freedom of decision.

What do you get?

No game board required for this latest addition to the Lost Cities franchise! 65 expedition cards, with values from 2-10 in five different colors, are what players use to start and expand their expeditions. Wager cards can be used to increase the value of expeditions, and the gold tokens are necessary to bid on expedition cards. Since each round starts with a different starting player (depending on who won the auction in the previous round), a starting player card is included to help keep track.

What's it all about?

How to Play

Cards and Coins

Discover more!

How to play

Players take on the role of adventurous explorers venturing down expedition routes that consist of cards placed in ascending numerical order. On a turn, a player can either uncover a new expedition card to add to the communal display, or use his or her gold to start an auction for the cards in the display-the cards go to the highest bidder and allow players to start or expand on their expeditions! Each expedition card has either 1 or 2 footprint icons on it; each footprint counts as one victory point. Daring adventurers will place wagers on the success of their expeditions in the hopes of earning more victory points. The winner is the one with the most points after all expedition cards have been uncovered.

Who will like it

Fans of Reiner Knizia's Lost Cities franchise will find a lot to love in this latest addition to the series which allows for play by 2 - 4 players! The introduction of an auction/bidding mechanic puts a new twist on the gameplay, creating lively player interaction and replayability. If you're not familiar with Lost Cities, but you enjoy games that are equal parts strategy and luck and that allow you to take chances, you'll find a lot to love in Lost Cities: Rivals. Bonus: the playing cards feature beautiful art and are color-blind friendly! Icons on the bottom of the cards help to distinguish the five colors that represent the different expedition routes.

Discover more Lost Cities!

Fans looking for more ways to enjoy the world of Lost Cities should check out the two other games in the franchise: Lost Cities: The Card Game is the original two-player version where, rather than bidding on cards to start expeditions, each player has a hand of cards that only they can see and use to embark on their journeys. Lost Cities: The Board Game is a four-person version that challenges each player to guide a team of explorers down expedition paths on the game board, collecting artifacts and victory points along the way.

What's in the box

  • playing cards, cardboard game components, rulebook
  • Looking for specific info?

    Customer reviews

    4.5 out of 5 stars
    4.5 out of 5
    132 global ratings
    Reminded me of Biblios and Lost Cities Card Game had a baby together
    4 Stars
    Reminded me of Biblios and Lost Cities Card Game had a baby together
    We used to have the Lost Cities board game and played that a lot as one of our first "modern" games. Then we got the Lost Cities Card Game and we still play that years later as a simple game we can play while socializing. Now there is this new Lost Cities Rivals, which is also a card game, but is different enough that it isn't replacing or a clone of Lost Cities Card Game.COMPONENTS:> Card quality seems okay. They feel a little thin, especially when I grab any other game's cards (Tichu, Uno) and those cards feel thicker.+ Stanard poker card size so standard size sleeves should fit just fine.+ The cardboard tokens representing treasure are fine too. I've seen others already take their metal coins or whatever "token" they prefer and swap it out. These work either way.+ I've seen posts where other players are getting confused if they are dealing with blue, green, red, or yellow cards. I'm including a picture of the four colors and symbols next to teach other. I personally am not confused.-- Arg! Black borders!! This means these cards are going to look beat up sooner than later. Wish they had not done that. I can only think that Kosmos did that so some of us OCD players will eventually replace their "worn" set with a newer set. How unfortunate.GAMEPLAY+ Easy to learn how to play+ This made me feel like Biblios in which you are also betting/auctioning to get the "best" card combinations to have the most points at the end. Except in Biblios, most progress is hidden, unless someone keeps changing certain die colors then you get a clue of what they might be going for. Whereas in Lost Cities Rivals you can see how each opponent is progressing...and they can see how you are progressing.+ Good suspense and decision making as you have to decide do you spend your coins on that card that your opponent clearly needs or do you let them have it so you have the funds to get a card that can better help you out. It can be a tough balance.REPLAYABILITY:> Similar to Lost Cities Card Game, the order in which the cards come out is always different. But you're also doing the same thing each time...which is trying to make the best run of sequential cards as you can. Thus not the most linear game nor a legacy game that gives you no replayability. But there isn't a dozen paths to victory either, per se, since there is one game mechanic at the core.OVERALL:+ I like the artwork+ It is a fun game to play and easy to teach+ It can support up to four players (though it would have been better if this works for six players, since the board game does four players and the card game does only two players).-- I wish they had made the cards thicker and no black borders so this game will last longer+ Affordable price point at under $15 at the time of this writing
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    Top reviews from the United States

    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2018
    9 people found this helpful
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    Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2022
    Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2021
    Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2019
    2 people found this helpful
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    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2021
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2020
    Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2020
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    5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle strategy awaits you as you walk the paths towards Lost Cities
    Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2020
    Lost Cites Rivals is a game that can be played either casually or pretty seriously. It will be up to you and those you game with to determine the proper flow and pace to set. I highly enjoy the bidding wars and tiny bit of sabotage available to me, others preferred the less confrontational approach, and the great thing is they both work well together. You will play many games of this in a row and everyone can have fun trying a different play style each subsequent game.

    I mention the above as a way to make sure if you’re introducing a bidding game like this to new players to not make the mistakes I did. Someone who’s never upped the ante on a hand of cards just to later back out and stick someone else with the bill won’t be familiar with some of the good natured fun that can be had in bidding/auction games. Teach that to them slowly and you’ll find they can quickly get into some of the intricacies of bluffing and gambling and really enjoy this fast and fun to play game.

    I have been able to teach this game in no time at all to teach to a new player, they picked it up just by watching the two of us who knew the game take our first turn, which is great for any game, there are no fussy bits and pieces, just an effective and engaging play experience. You will either turn over a new card or start an auction and begin the bidding process for your chance at the cards currently in play.

    Winning one of these auctions is what I like the most as there is an extra bonus to that player who after selecting cards to add to their own expeditions then has the option of removing one card from the playing field. This is that tiny bit of sabotage I mentioned that I love; it makes the stakes for winning an auction a bit higher and more strategic.

    As you journey and complete your expedition you’ll see the artwork change and develop over the course of the ascending value cards eventually leading to one of the treasured expedition sites. I didn’t see this for our first few games but they form a bit of a narrative path that tie into the exploration theme of the game. This was a delightful surprise and added to the overall quality I felt for the game, I enjoy the colors and the art both.

    In the end we have differing thoughts on Lost Cities: Rivals. This would be my weeknight game of choice for when we want to play something but don’t want setup and takedown time added into an already short work night. I enjoy the simplicity of bidding and adding cards to my expedition and being a bit deceptive with my intentions so I’m a solid 5/5 on this one. My wife who rates it a bit lower as she doesn’t like the bidding aspect in just a 2 player game but found it much more enjoyable with 3 players. I can agree with her that it was more fun with 3 as more is happening at the table, and we both look forward to trying it with 4 players.
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    11 people found this helpful
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    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2020

    Top reviews from other countries

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    Chris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Epic game, simple choices but deep tactics and strategies
    Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2023
    dean plumb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant bidding, card collection game
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2022
    Edith Valle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
    Reviewed in Mexico on March 22, 2019
    Emmanuel L. Piñera
    4.0 out of 5 stars Buen juego
    Reviewed in Mexico on July 22, 2021
    Keith Parrock
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but could be better
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2023