Lost Cities: Rivals

SETUP: Shuffle the deck and place it face-down between both players. Each player receives a scoring pad and pen. Determine a starting player randomly.

GAMEPLAY: Lost Cities: Rivals uses an auction mechanic where players bid for expedition cards. On your turn, reveal cards from the deck one at a time until a player calls 'Stop.' The player who stops the reveal wins the right to bid first on those cards. Players then alternate bidding using their expedition tokens (numbered 1-5) to determine who claims the cards. Higher bids win the cards, and your bid token is locked until the next round.

Once cards are won, they're added to your expedition tableau. You're building expeditions in five different colors (Jungle, Mountain, Desert, Ocean, Volcano). Cards in each expedition must be played in ascending numerical order. The multiplier values on cards (shown as ×2 or ×3) multiply your final score for that expedition.

Key mechanic: If you play a card in a color where you haven't started an expedition, you must pay an investment cost of 20 points before scoring anything in that color. This creates tension—do you invest early or play it safe?

ROUNDS: The game continues for three rounds. Between rounds, calculate your score for each completed expedition: sum the card values, apply multipliers, and subtract 20 points for each expedition you started but didn't complete. Write your score on the pad.

WINNING: After three rounds, the player with the highest cumulative score wins.

2-PLAYER ADAPTATION: This version is designed specifically for two players. The auction mechanic creates direct competition and negotiation opportunities. Unlike multiplayer Lost Cities, the head-to-head bidding system ensures constant tension and meaningful decision-making throughout the game. Players must read their opponent's bidding patterns and manage their limited bid tokens strategically.