Akropolis: Rules, Scoring & Strategy
Build a multilevel Greek city from hexagonal tiles, using stone quarries to build upward and matching plazas to turn districts into points.
Build a multilevel Greek city from hexagonal tiles, using stone quarries to build upward and matching plazas to turn districts into points.
This independent guide covers setup, turn-by-turn rules, important scoring decisions, worked examples, game suitability and common questions. For an unusual card interaction, always apply the instructions of the edition you own.
What makes it distinctive?
Blue Houses score as a connected group, green Markets need separation from other Markets, red Barracks want outer-edge positions, yellow Temples need complete surrounding neighbors, and purple Gardens score without the same restrictive adjacency conditions. Consult each district’s exact condition before committing a tile.
Game at a glance
Getting started
Give each player a starting city tile and the resources indicated by player count. Prepare the construction-site tiles, including their combinations of quarry spaces, col…
Main decision
Select one tile from the construction site, paying a stone for each tile you skip, and add it to your city. Whenever you cover a quarry with an upper-floor tile, collect …
Scoring
A district type scores only when you have at least one corresponding plaza. Each plaza grants stars for that color. Multiply the sum of the heights of qualifying district…
For whom?
Akropolis suits players who enjoy visual spatial puzzles with a compact ruleset. The publisher also provides advanced district-scoring variants; these are optional extra …
Setup and tile market
Give each player a starting city tile and the resources indicated by player count. Prepare the construction-site tiles, including their combinations of quarry spaces, colored districts and colored plazas. The shared market contains tiles available to draft in player order; the earliest choice is free while skipping earlier tiles costs stones.
What happens on a turn?
Select one tile from the construction site, paying a stone for each tile you skip, and add it to your city. Whenever you cover a quarry with an upper-floor tile, collect stones. Refill the market as the rules require. Players continue drafting until the construction tiles are exhausted.
Tile placement rules
A new tile must connect to the existing city. It may be placed on ground level or on top of other tiles, but an elevated tile must rest stably on at least two underlying tiles and cannot have empty space beneath its hexes. A single upper tile cannot sit entirely on one lower tile. Building upward increases the level multiplier of scoring districts.
Five types of districts
Blue Houses score as a connected group, green Markets need separation from other Markets, red Barracks want outer-edge positions, yellow Temples need complete surrounding neighbors, and purple Gardens score without the same restrictive adjacency conditions. Consult each district’s exact condition before committing a tile.
Why plazas matter
A district type scores only when you have at least one corresponding plaza. Each plaza grants stars for that color. Multiply the sum of the heights of qualifying districts of that color by the total stars on matching plazas. Multiple plazas of the same color add their stars together rather than being multiplied separately.
Worked scoring example
Suppose you have qualifying blue Houses with combined height value six, and blue plazas with three stars total. Houses contribute 6 × 3 = 18 victory points. If you lack any blue plaza, the same blue district group scores zero for its color.
Stone quarries and final points
Covered quarries produce stone useful for later market selections. Remaining stones add points under the rulebook’s final-scoring conversion. Keep their purchasing function in mind instead of hoarding them without considering the opportunity cost of later drafts.
End of game and strategy
Score all five colors separately, add any remaining-stone points, and compare totals. Plan both geometry and multiplier growth; a high-level district that breaks its scoring condition may be less valuable than a legal ground-level placement. Avoid building an attractive color without collecting matching plaza stars.
Audience and variants
Akropolis suits players who enjoy visual spatial puzzles with a compact ruleset. The publisher also provides advanced district-scoring variants; these are optional extra conditions and should not be mixed with the base-scoring requirements during a first play.
Akropolis scoring: detailed worked examples
Evaluate only qualifying districts
For blue Houses, identify your single largest connected group; other separate Housing groups do not score. For Markets, only those without a neighboring Market count. Barracks must touch the outside edge of the city; Temples must be completely surrounded; Gardens qualify without another placement condition. Districts on higher floors contribute their floor level instead of merely one point.
Calculate each color separately
For each color, sum qualifying district levels and multiply that sum by the stars on matching Plazas. A missing Plaza means zero points for that entire district color. For example, five Houses on level one and two on level two form a connected seven-House group worth nine district levels. Three blue stars make 27 points. Add a point for each remaining Stone after calculating the five colors. More Stones break a tied final score.
How the game ends
When one city tile remains in the Construction Site, refill from the next tile stack and pass the Chief Architect marker. Once the final replenishment stack is exhausted and only one tile remains, scoring begins: the last market tile is never placed. Do not plan a final construction turn that the game does not allow.
Strategic implications
Completing a Temple’s six surrounding hexes requires space, while Barracks prefer the city’s edges. These ambitions can conflict. Building a Market beside another Market may remove both from scoring, so spacing matters. Before taking a high-level tile, check whether its placement preserves all relevant qualifying conditions. A new Plaza can multiply many existing district levels, making a modest-looking tile surprisingly valuable.
Optional advanced rules can change district conditions. Keep them separate from these standard rules. For detailed calculations, read the Akropolis scoring reference.
Frequently asked questions
Can districts score without their plaza?
No.
Does building higher always help?
Only when the district still meets its scoring requirements.
Can a tile hang over empty air?
No.
Does one plaza score separately from another?
Plaza stars of the same color are summed before multiplying.
Is Akropolis cooperative?
No, players build and score their own cities.
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More scoring examples
See Akropolis Scoring Explained: District Heights, Plazas & Examples for a focused scoring reference.
Sources and editorial scope
Publisher rulebook or official rules information. This original explanation does not claim personal playtesting or publisher endorsement. Card names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Editorial policy and corrections.