Welcome to Akrotiri!

As an explorer in ancient Greece, I embark on thrilling adventures in search of the legendary Minoan temples hidden deep within the Aegean Sea. These magnificent structures have remained a mystery for centuries, but now I possess a precious treasure map that reveals their exact location. Exciting, right?

But here’s the catch: these expeditions are not cheap! In order to finance my quests and unravel the secrets of the temples, I must also find a way to earn enough money. It’s a challenging endeavor that requires both skill and strategy.

Are you ready to join me on this extraordinary journey? The race to discover the immense treasure hidden within the Minoan temples is about to begin. Will you be the one who finds it first?

Getting Started

Before venturing into the vast Aegean Sea, we need to set up the game. Here’s how it works:

Let’s get started! Put the game board in the middle of the playing area, leaving some space around it for the other game pieces. Next to the main board, put the market board and place all the resource cards on it, making sure that each card covers a matching colored square. Now, it’s time to choose your color! Each player picks a color to represent them in the game. You will each get 6 temples, 1 boat, 2 drachmas, and a player board that matches your chosen color.

To decide who goes first, the group can use any method they like. Once that’s settled, each player will put their six temples at the bottom of their board, covering all the temple squares. Mix up all the land tiles and create a face-down pile. Starting with the first player, each person will draw a tile and add it to the main board. On that tile, place two resources – one that matches the color and one random resource.

So here’s how it goes: we start by gathering and shuffling all the map cards. Everyone gets an Easy Map card and a Medium Map card. The rest of the cards are set aside next to the board, organized by difficulty level. Now each player gets two goal cards, and the rest go next to the map cards. You choose one card to keep and one to toss.

Alright, now it’s time to pick a spot on the island of Thera where you want to dock your boats. The leftover land tiles become the draw pile. Each player takes one tile secretly, trying to keep it hidden from the other. With everything set up, we can dive right into the game.

GAMEPLAY

If you want to play the game, here’s how it goes. First, it’s my turn, then it’s your turn. We take turns, one after the other. When it’s my turn, I have to do three things in order. First, I place my land tile next to another tile. They have to be connected, of course. Then I put two resources on the tile. Finally, I do my action phase. How many actions I can do depends on the number on my board. If it says 3, I can do three actions. Then it’s your turn, and I’ll let you do your thing.

Once I finish my turn, I’ll pick a card from the stack. Then it’s your turn to play. We’ll keep taking turns until one of us has built all six temples on our player board.

Things You Can Do

You have the option of moving your boat to deliver more resources. You can follow a shipping route or go to a different dock on the same island. Empty boats can move two spaces during the movement action.

You can also load your boat with resources. Remember that a boat can only hold a maximum of three resources. So if you have more than three, you’ll have to leave some behind.

Last but not least, you can excavate a temple. This is an important action that will help you build your temples faster.

If you want to excavate a temple, you need to follow a specific set of steps. First, you must dock your boat on the island where you want to build the temple. Then, you’ll need to play a map card that matches the temple you want to construct. It’s important that at least one tile on the island meets the requirements listed on the map card. Once all the requirements are met, you can place the temple on your player board on the island.

Getting Map Cards

While your boat is at Thera, you have the option to buy new map cards. You can purchase up to three map cards with one action, but you’ll need to pay Drachmas for them!

Ask the Oracle

In the game, you can choose a tile with a specific terrain icon. Then you can flip land tiles until you find one that has the icon you want. If you find a matching tile, you get to keep it. If not, you can keep the last tile you revealed.

THE END OF THE GAME

Once a player places their sixth temple on the board, the current round is finished before the game ends. All players should have the same number of turns. After that, it’s time for final scoring. Each map card, goal card, and drachma is scored individually. The player with the most points wins!

Hi, I’m Ellie! I live in Northeast Tennessee and I’m a big fan of animals, fantasy fiction, and being outdoors. I have an amazing husband who loves me almost as much as our two furry friends. It’s great to be part of this fantastic community!