Overview

Atlas & Zeus is a two-player card game designed by Reiner Knizia in which the islands of Atlantis are sinking one by one. Each player leads a clan trying to survive as the islands disappear beneath the waves. Players play cards to claim islands, attack opponents, and maneuver for position. The last clan remaining on an above-water island wins. It is considered one of the neatest little 2-player conflict games.

Components

• Action cards (various types for claiming territory, attacking, defending)
• Island cards or tiles (representing Atlantis locations)
• Player reference materials
• Rules booklet

Setup

1. Arrange the island cards/tiles in the center to form Atlantis.
2. Deal action cards to each player to form their starting hands.
3. Each player places their initial clan pieces on starting islands.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player plays action cards from their hand to perform various activities such as moving between islands, claiming territory, attacking the opponent, or defending against sinking.

Actions

• Claim an island: Play appropriate cards to establish control over an island.
• Attack opponent: Play attack cards to contest an opponent’s island control.
• Defend: Play defense cards to protect your islands from the opponent’s attacks.
• Move between islands: Relocate your clan members to different islands.
• Draw cards: Replenish your hand from the deck.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when enough islands have sunk that one player’s clan has no remaining above-water territory. The player whose clan still occupies at least one island when the other player’s clan is eliminated wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Sinking islands: Islands progressively sink throughout the game, forcing both players into ever-shrinking territory.
• Hand management: Balancing offensive and defensive card play is crucial.
• Two-player only: The game is designed specifically for two players.

Player Reference

Win condition: Be the last clan with territory on above-water islands

Core mechanic: Card play for territory control as islands progressively sink