Lost Cities (EN)

Set out on several expeditions, but make sure each journey earns more than it costs. Lost Cities is a two-player card game where you build ascending runs of numbered cards, deciding which destinations deserve your limited hand.

On a turn, play a card to an expedition or discard one, then draw a replacement. Cards in a given expedition must rise in value, so playing a number can make lower cards in your hand unusable there. Starting a new expedition carries a scoring cost that its later cards need to overcome.

Investment cards can multiply the reward of a successful journey, but they can also magnify a loss. You must weigh the cards you hope to find against the cards your opponent may already be holding. Discarding an unwanted card may even give them exactly the number they needed.

Lost Cities suits pairs who enjoy a clear ruleset with persistent tension. Its changing hand gives you little room to pursue every opportunity, and reading the opponent's expeditions helps guide what you keep. The final score often reveals that a sensible decision early on was more important than one spectacular late card.

• Players: 2
• Age Range: 10+
• Typical game: Approximately 30 minutes
• Difficulty rating: 🧠½ (1.5/5)