Grepolis, unpacked

Grepolis holds the shared-map corner. Every city sits on an island, the sea is the only road, and every attack arrives by ship on a timetable your neighbours can read. Geography does the balancing that unit counters do elsewhere.

The gods add flourish without taking over: accumulate favour, spend it on a power that saves a defence or wrecks a harbour at the right moment. The core stays about position and timing.

A full round, played with an alliance that talks, is one of the best experiences this genre offers - and it is free to find out whether that is your kind of thing.

Why it earned a slot

• City-state building
• Mythological units
• Naval warfare

Who takes this corner

Players who want other people in their game and enjoy the negotiating as much as the fighting.

If you would rather play alone, the island layout will feel like a constraint rather than a design.

Opening moves

Harbour and a few biremes before anything ambitious. Most early losses are ships reaching an undefended port.

Join an alliance on the first day and say which island you are on. Neighbours matter more than skill at the start.