Picture a city waking to the first light of dawn - bustling harbors, noisy markets, and an air thick with opportunity. We're in 4th-century Thessaloniki, during the age of the Tetrarchy, where Greeks, Romans, Syrians, and Illyrians cross paths in the agora, trading, scheming, and building their fortunes.

In this board game, you take on the role of one of the city's patricians - an ambitious merchant striving to secure as much wealth and influence as possible. Your task is to fulfill contracts, gather commodities such as grain, oil, and grapes, and send shipments to allied cities across the region.

The game offers multiple paths to victory. You can focus on selling your goods at the best possible prices, or pursue strategic shipments to high-value destinations. As the game progresses, you climb the Influence track, shaping the popularity of individual destinations - and unlocking bonus rewards for aligning your shipments accordingly.

The game comes from designer Daniele Tascini, known for titles like Tzolk'in and Teotihuacan, who once again delivers a well-crafted economic system full of meaningful decisions. Thessaloniki supports 1 to 4 players aged 14 and up, with a single game lasting around 90 to 120 minutes.

Thessaloniki is a great pick for fans of heavier eurogames who want to experience trading, planning, and competing for political influence in an ancient city brimming with opportunity.

Thessaloniki is played over a flexible number of rounds, determined by the pace set by the players. In each round, every player takes one turn, beginning with the starting player and continuing clockwise around the table. The turn order remains fixed throughout the entire game.

On your turn, you will perform the following steps:

1. Move
2. Gain Goods
3. Resolve the Alcove
4. Resolve the Sunset

MOVE 

The main board features 7 Alcoves where your Workers conduct their businesses. On your turn, move one Worker clockwise by 1–2 spaces, or pay 1 Denarius to move 3 spaces.
Moving your Patrician is free; moving a Merchant costs 1 Denarius.

Place your Worker in the rightmost empty spot of the destination Alcove. If it’s full, push the rightmost Worker forward to the next available Alcove, shifting others right to make space. Whenever any Worker is pushed, its owner gains 1 Denarius.

GAIN GOODS

For each Worker in the Alcove you moved to (including your own), gain 1 Raw Good matching their colors.

RESOLVE THE ALCOVE

Gain Mosaic bonuses from each Alcove you pass through or stop on where you have a Mosaic. Then, gain the Alcove bonus of your destination.

Receive action points equal to those shown in the Alcove. Spend them to perform Alcove actions or take a Contract. Actions can be repeated and you may pay 1 Denarius for an additional action point. Unused Action Points are lost.

ALCOVES EFFECTS:

• Officium – Spend an action point to gain a Mosaic or Place a Mosaic
• Taberna – Spend an action poin to gain a Statue or Place a Statue 
• Officina – Spend an action point to refine Goods
• Forum – Spend an action point to place a statue or fulfill the contract 
• Port – Spend an action point to sell any number of Goods of the same color
• Legatio – Spend an action point to fulfill a contract or place a Mosaic
• Mercatus – Spend an action point to Filfil a contract or refine any 3 Goods

RESOLVE THE SUNSET

Most Alcoves feature a Sunset effect, resolved at the end of your turn. This effect is mandatory and must always be carried out – even if your turn only involved taking Contract cards.

The endgame is triggered when 2 out of 4 conditions are met. The player with the highest score wins!