Olympus

Lead a Greek city-state, worship the gods and build an engine to dominate the Peloponnese, without any dice.

Designers: Andrea Chiarvesio, Luca Iennaco
Published by: Stratelibri
Editions by: Fantasy Flight Games, Heidelberger Spieleverlag

Ancient Greece: city-states thrive, wage the occasional war, put up buildings and hold ceremonies to win the favor of the gods on Mount Olympus. You lead one of them, Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes or Argos, and your aim is to become the dominant power of the Peloponnese. Olympus is a deterministic strategy game with no dice, built on worker placement, resource management and engine-building toward victory points. A few more aggressive options than the usual game of this type are on offer, though a clever player can defend against them and quietly develop instead. Each city-state is defined by six values. A 2010 game for three to five, about two hours.

No random elementsWorker placement with six city-state valuesOptional aggression against rivals

Who it's for

You enjoy medium-heavy worker placement and like a few sharp elbows without any dice involved.

Not for you if…

You want a light game or a peaceful solo build. Aggression is possible and the planning takes time.

Vibe's take

Considered and competitive. Every placement shapes your engine, a surprise attack from a neighbor can sting, and the tension comes from the planning, not from luck.