2021Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi
- Videos
- 146
- Creators
- 91
1 - 4 players40 - 160 minHeavy weight

2025Dávid Turczi
Mainly reviews. Thebai is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 14 reviews, 4 how-to-play guides, 3 recorded sessions, and 5 unboxings.
From BoardGameGeek
Dark times loom over the kingdom of Thebes. The blind, old king Oedipus left the throne in disgrace and asked Polynices and Eteocles, his own sons, to rule the city together. But power corrupts and ancient feuds call for new blood to be spilled. Soon, Polynices finds himself leading an army from the rival city of Argos against his own brother. The Theban nobles support Eteocles as he maintains precarious rule over Thebes. The young king calls for defenders to man the seven gates of the city, while the invaders' seven champions lead the attack on the gates. Meanwhile, the famous citadel of Thebes, the Cadmea, lies in disarray. It is as if the Fates themselves have lined everything up against the current rulers of Thebes! While the common folks prepare for war, the noble families whisper among themselves that the time for new leadership has come, and the time to rebuild the Cadmea is now! In Thebai, players assume the role of influential leaders from noble families during the tumultuous late Bronze Age. Throughout the game, players are tasked with rebuilding the Cadmea, the citadel of Thebes, while restoring the city's exports, praying to the gods of the city, and protecting the lives of the citizens as grand heroes spill each other's blood outside the gates. The game lasts 10 rounds, each divided into an Action phase and a Fate phase. During the Action phase, players use one Citizen die, and then move their Archon on the Cadmea. During the Fate phase, players may get additional scoring opportunities, depending on their accomplishments and for protecting the city gates. After final scoring the player with the most Victory Points is the winner. -description from the publisher
Thebai has 26 videos from 20 creators: 14 reviews, 4 how-to-play guides, 3 playthroughs and 5 unboxings. They date from 2025 to October 2026.
To learn the rules, start with "Thebai - Tutorial & Playthrough" by Gaming Rules!, which runs 2 h 53 min. For a quicker teach, "All the Games with Steph: Thebai - Rules Overview" by Steph Hodge runs 31 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Introducing Thebai!" by Getting Games. 14 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Thebai - Solo Sessions with John LaRuffa" by No Fluff Solo Gaming with John LaRuffa, one of 3 playthroughs.
If you like it, try Imperium: Classics, Voidfall, Nucleum and Star Trek: Captain's Chair, also by Dávid Turczi.
8 of 20
2021Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi
1 - 4 players40 - 160 minHeavy weight
2023Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi
1 - 4 players90 - 240 minVery heavy weight
2023Simone Luciani, Dávid Turczi
1 - 4 players60 - 150 minVery heavy weight
2025Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi
1 - 2 players60 - 120 minVery heavy weight
From BoardGameGeek:
Dark times loom over the kingdom of Thebes. The blind, old king Oedipus left the throne in disgrace and asked Polynices and Eteocles, his own sons, to rule the city together. But power corrupts and ancient feuds call for new blood to be spilled. Soon, Polynices finds himself leading an army from the rival city of Argos against his own brother. The Theban nobles support Eteocles as he maintains precarious rule over Thebes. The young king calls for defenders to man the seven gates of the city, while the invaders' seven champions lead the attack on the gates. Meanwhile, the famous citadel of Thebes, the Cadmea, lies in disarray. It is as if the Fates themselves have lined everything up against the current rulers of Thebes! While the common folks prepare for war, the noble families whisper among themselves that the time for new leadership has come, and the time to rebuild the Cadmea is now! In Thebai, players assume the role of influential leaders from noble families during the tumultuous late Bronze Age. Throughout the game, players are tasked with rebuilding the Cadmea, the citadel of Thebes, while restoring the city's exports, praying to the gods of the city, and protecting the lives of the citizens as grand heroes spill each other's blood outside the gates. The game lasts 10 rounds, each divided into an Action phase and a Fate phase. During the Action phase, players use one Citizen die, and then move their Archon on the Cadmea. During the Fate phase, players may get additional scoring opportunities, depending on their accomplishments and for protecting the city gates. After final scoring the player with the most Victory Points is the winner. -description from the publisher
Designer
Dávid Turczi
Artists
Zuzanna Kołakowska, Lucas Melo, Piotr Sokołowski
Publisher
Board&Dice
Mechanics