Cyclades: Legendary Edition is more than just a reprint — it’s the near flawless remaster of an already exceptional design. Designed by Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, this version consolidates the original Cyclades and the best of its multiple expansions into a single, cohesive experience that feels both mythic and modern.
Kickstarted by Open Sesame Games and published by Hachette UK, Cyclades Legendary Edition is a director’s cut in every sense: refined, rebalanced, and reimagined for a more demanding audience of modern board gamers.
We received the retail meeple edition, which swaps out the Kickstarter miniatures for wooden ships and troops and uses cardboard standees to represent heroes and monsters. While the miniatures are certainly striking, the meeple edition more than holds its own, bringing a bright, bold and straightforward charm. The wooden components are clean and tactile and the hero and monster standees — featuring strong, recognisable artwork — give each mythological figure a distinct visual identity.
The retail version is a leaner offering for sure, and it lacks something like nine monsters and seven heroes (to be released later) but there’s more than enough here for a newcomer to the game, or even someone who likes to keep their collection tight and restrained. In any case, the production quality is excellent across the board, from the modular map tiles to the iconography and card design and Cyclades Legendary Edition will now pop on your table in a way that the original never did.
Gameplay in Cyclades: Legendary Edition revolves around a tense auction system. Each round, players bid for the favour of the Gods, with each deity offering a unique set of actions. Ares allows troop recruitment and movement, Poseidon does the same for ships, Athena grants philosophers, Apollo provides income and Zeus offers priestesses and temples. Bidding is done in turn order, but all money is kept secret — so you’re constantly second-guessing your opponents. If you’re outbid, you must pivot to another God, which creates a dynamic tension between planning and improvisation.
This system is deceptively simple but deeply strategic. You’re not just bidding for actions — you’re bidding for tempo, positioning, and denial. Priestess cards add another layer of nuance. They can be used to discount your bids, but they must also be sacrificed to sustain monsters you’ve recruited in earlier rounds. Monsters (and heroes) themselves are powerful and varied — some offer bonuses to friendly spaces, others disrupt enemy plans, and all of them feel impactful without being too overpowered. The need to sacrifice priestesses to maintain them adds a compelling upkeep mechanic that forces players to think long-term.
Combat is not entirely deterministic. Battles are resolved by comparing the number of troops or ships on each side, then adding the result of a die roll — ranging from zero to three — and then removing casualties from the side with the lower total. This injects a dose of uncertainty into every conflict, making positioning and preparation essential, but never guaranteeing victory even to a larger force. It’s a system that rewards calculated risk, and it ensures that even well-planned invasions carry tension and require commitment.
Cyclades Legendary Edition’s structure is built around the race to build three metropolises — that’s up from two in the original version of the game. Each metropolis can be constructed by collecting four different building types (port, fortress, temple, university), by recruiting four philosophers, by sacrificing a hero (when certain conditions are met) or by conquering a city that already has one. This creates a natural arc — from expansion and development to conflict and conquest as it becomes clear that a certain player is pulling ahead.
The modular board scales beautifully, with different configurations for each player count from two to six and many options for variation and alternative setup. In six-player games, all Gods are available each round and the players act in teams of two. In smaller games, Gods cycle in and out of use, ensuring that there’s always exactly one God per player, but that all deities rotate through the game over time. It’s a smart system that keeps the game balanced and varied regardless of player count.
Heroes and monsters add asymmetry and flavour. Each one has a unique ability, and their arrival is governed by a market that is clearly marked on the side board. You’ll need to time your purchases carefully, especially since monsters require priestess upkeep and heroes can swing battles or generate resources. The retail edition includes a generous selection, though some Kickstarter-exclusive characters are absent. These will be added in the upcoming Maelstrom expansion, which promises to expand the mythological roster and as far as I can tell, will make the only difference between Kickstarter and retail versions to be purely cosmetic.
What makes Cyclades: Legendary Edition so, so good is how it integrates its legacy. By the time I first played it, Cyclades had become a bit of a bear to get to the table. With multiple expansions (some of which were considered “bad”) and bits and pieces to add or omit from one or another, I just wasn’t prepared to invest the time and effort such a classic game needed. Others would criticise the “two metropolis” win condition as well, citing that games moved at a steady pace until all of a sudden someone had won out of nowhere.
The changes in Cyclades: Legendary Edition are so comprehensive that this is no longer a base game with bolt-on modules like most “big box” releases. Instead, it’s a fully restructured experience. The expansions have been woven into the core rules, with revised setup instructions, streamlined iconography, and balance tweaks that make the game competitive at every player count.
Two-player games feel tight and tactical, while six-player games become sprawling contests of diplomacy and denial with loads of table talk between teams. The rulebook is clear, well-organised, and includes helpful diagrams for setup, God rotation and turn execution. Cyclades: Legendary Edition is now a game that respects its players’ time and attention, allowing them to focus on the gameplay.
For me, Cyclades: Legendary Edition is a masterfully curated experience. It takes the bones of a classic and rebuilds it with modern sensibilities — streamlined rules, modular scalability, and a production design that’s both functional and beautiful. The auction system remains one of the most simple and elegant in board gaming, and the integration of expansions adds depth without dilution.
Whether you’re bidding for divine favour, deploying monsters, or racing to build your final metropolis, every decision matters — and every game feels like a mythic struggle for dominance. This isn’t just a legendary edition in name. Cyclades: Legendary Edition earns its legendary status, round after round and will draw you in time and time again.
