Rise & Fall

Players guide a civilization across a unique, vertically varied fantasy archipelago where glaciers sit on islands and sheer cliffs shape movement and expansion. Each player begins with a village, a citizen and a ship, then recruits additional units, builds temples and markets, and fields specialized highlanders who can traverse cliffs. Actions are chosen from a compact six-card personal deck, with no luck or hidden randomness; play emphasizes planning, area control and route management on a freshly generated 3D map each game. Accessibility for new players comes from clear action options, while experienced players engage with tight, deterministic strategic decision-making.

Players: 2–4 best 4
Playing time: 40–80 min
Age: 14+
Complexity: 3.2 / 5

7.2 on LudoyaTerritory BuildingMovement PointsModular BoardGrid Movement

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About the game

Design: Christophe Boelinger
Art: Dogan Oztel
Sabrina Tobal
Dave Youkovich
Publisher: Ludically

Expansions

See them in Ludoya

Rise & Fall: Inland Threats2024

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Where to buy it

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On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya

97
Plays logged: 160
Players: 1h 35m
Average play: 28
In collections: 12
On wishlists: 2
Pre-ordered

7.2/10

from 17 Ludoya reviews

andycted7.0
A reasonably good euro, especially considering it came out in 2024. Has a wide tree of choices, perhaps too wide at times given that most of the points are made with area control, hence expansion. But the core mechanism, decline and timing are all neat. It is a heavily optimisable game, which however lacks the freedom of a Roads and Boats, or the scope of a Civilization, ending up being a semi abstract expansion-racing game, without a lot of meaningful interaction. Huge learning curve, but lacks a soul to accompany you during that learning curve. Reminds me a bit of Terra Mystica
Toni Cutillas7.9
- Base -
Javo7.0
Por ahora solo probado en solitario. Tiene 4 automas que se comportan diferentes, no son dificiles de llevar pero requieren mantenimiento.

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

If I play a Civilization card, do all my matching pieces have to take the same action?

No — when you activate that card each matching piece is activated independently and may perform a different action, and you choose the activation order (see B – Take Actions, p.7).

If a card is placed in Decline, will it ever return automatically when I still have pieces of that type?

No — a card placed in the Decline zone remains there regardless of what pieces you have in the World; the only way to regain it is to purchase it (see C – Decline, p.7).

Can I purchase a Civilization card in Decline even if I don’t currently have any of that piece type on the board?

Yes — you may buy a card in Decline; if you have at least one of that piece in the World it goes to your hand, otherwise it goes to your reserve, and the cost varies with the number of trophies claimed (see D – Purchase a card in Decline, p.8).

Do cliffs block movement and actions for every unit?

Cliffs occur when adjacent spaces differ by two or more levels and block actions that require same-level adjacency (p.10); for unit specifics, Nomads cannot move over cliffs (p.11) while Mountaineers can move across cliffs (p.13).

Can a Ship move through sea spaces that are occupied by other ships or pieces?

Yes — a Ship may move to any empty Sea space in the same Sea Region and may cross Sea spaces that are already occupied to get there (see Ships – Movement, p.12).