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A card-crafting shedding game where your cards get more powerful as you explore them.

Designed by John D. Clair (Mystic Vale, Ready Set Bet, Space Base), use the game's inventive transparent cards to track your upgrades!

$19

Ruins

EVERYTHING Ruins

"(Claiming a card) is so, so, so wonderful... One of my favorite bits of design or development that I've seen in a while."

Taylor | Taylor's Trick-Taking Table

Ruins - $19

Upgrades stack into game-altering combinations!

Time to play

30 min

Players

2 - 5

Main Mechanic

Layering

Ages

13+

Series

Tricky Card Games

Box Size

Small^[?]

Craft unique, transparent cards in this shedding game where you uncover ancient ruins and find treasure!

On your turn, upgrade a card and play it. Upgrades can stack into wild, game-altering combinations (like a card that equals four 11’s!).

You only get to claim two cards for the entire game, so sometimes your discoveries will end up in the hands of your opponents. How will you construct the perfect combo?

Race to play your last card and score!

Ruins

Base Game

Sold Out

$19.00

Ruins Upgrade

Upgrade

Sold Out

$10.00

Total: $0

Not currently available in

United States (Contiguous)

"I particularly enjoy how you claim the cards... Very unique!"

Kovray

Start slinging upgrades!

How To Play Ruins

Why we bring Ruins to game night:

Why We Love It

Obviously, The Transparent Cards - Let's face it. The sleeve upgrades you use to improve your cards are the showstoppers. With the game's isometric art style (created by Jake Morrison), treasures and secrets whimsically reveal themselves as you play!

Powerful Card Crafting - A lot of shedding games are calculating, precise affairs that reward careful play. Ruins also has that character. But it also happily throws a wrench into your best-laid plans when a powerful upgrade comes out. Will you be able to claim it? If not, you'll have to plan around it!

Interesting Torch Tempo - The deck makeup changes dramatically from hand to hand. So, when you're dealt cards, you're forced to consider every upgrade and torch usage. Who will best adapt to the evolving deck?

How to be the best explorer:

Strategy

Stake Your Claim - You can place a claim card on one of your ruins. For the rest of the game, when any opponent is dealt that ruin, they must give it to you. Make sure to stack upgrades on that card to make it worth it!

Keep Track Of Your Opponents - As the rounds go on, try to keep a handle on what cards are being upgraded—especially your opponents' claims.

Skip Turns Straegically - When you follow with a card or set of the same rank as the last type played, the next player in turn order must pass (even if they are able to follow). You may be able to plan ahead for this powerful action!