Founders
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You don't know who is playing on your side. You don't know who you're really helping. And when you realize who to betray, it's already too late to change strategy.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
The City is born in ice, but alliances remain invisible
Amidst a snow-covered and wind-swept landscape, a group of explorers discovers a gigantic cavern with a massive structure at its center: the Hearth. Around it, the Master Founders lay the foundations of what will become The City, home to the powerful Guilds of I C E. Designed by Bragou and Sams, illustrated by Léonard Dupond, Founders is a strategic tile-placement game where every choice builds the city but also your secret reputation.
Follow the directives of the first Council of Founders and the Guild Requests to design this legendary city from scratch. But there's a catch: you are in a hidden alliance with two other players whom you don't know. Every tile you place can help you, help your invisible allies, or give an advantage to your opponents. There's a cooperative scoring system, but only one player can win.
What they say abroad
A city builder where you don't know who is building with you or against you.
— FroGames
The legacy system transforms every decision into a permanent legacy for subsequent games.
— FroGames
Founders
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsThe city elements
What you place, what you hide, what you reveal
City Tiles
Each tile expands The City in a specific direction. It fulfills public Guild objectives, but also your secret objectives. The problem: you don't know if you're helping an ally or an enemy.
Alliance Cards
At the start, you receive two cards that tell you who you are allied with, but they don't know about you. You must deduce who they are by observing what they build. And they must do the same.
Secret Objectives
You have two personal design objectives linked to the city structure. Each time you fulfill them, you gain points. But revealing them too early means letting others know what you are aiming for.
The Hearth
The center of the city, from which everything radiates. Tiles closer to the Hearth are worth more, but are also the most contested. Controlling the center means controlling the final score.
When it ends, you finally understand who really won. And who was playing with you from the start.
A five-moment game
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Discovering the Hearth
Everyone places the first tiles around the central Hearth. The city is still empty, but patterns are already forming. Someone builds north, someone else east. You watch their choices and wonder: ally or opponent?
First deductions
You start noticing repetitions. A player places tiles that always satisfy the same type of objective. Could they be your ally? Or are they just following their own strategy? Every placement is a clue, but also a risk: revealing too much means being read by others.
The city takes shape
The City now has clear districts: dense areas, empty areas, strategic connections. Guilds demand specific structures. You must choose: fulfill a public objective that helps everyone, or place a tile that completes your secret design?
The partial revelation
Someone places a tile that unequivocally reveals their objective. Now everyone knows what they are looking for. You realize they are your ally (or enemy). You change strategy: you start building to help them (or block them). But is it too late?
The cooperative count
End of the game. The hidden alliances are revealed. You discover you were helping someone without knowing it. Or worse: that someone was helping you and you ignored them. The scoring is cooperative, but only the one who scored the most in their group wins. Rarely is it who you expect.
How to play
The flow of each round
Each round follows a simple structure: draw, place, deduce. The complexity is not in the rules, but in the implications.
From the common deck or a public reserve. Each tile has unique characteristics: shape, icons, connections. Some satisfy Guild objectives, others your secret designs.
Add the tile to the City respecting adjacency rules. Each placement is permanent and affects the final score of multiple players. The question is always: who am I helping?
If you have completed a Guild Request or a personal objective, score points (secret or public). Some effects change the board or unlock new tiles for subsequent rounds.
See what others have done. Who placed what, where, why. Mentally update the alliance map. At the end of the game, who did you really help?
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Asymmetric hidden alliances
It's not a classic hidden role game: you are allied with two players, but they don't know they are allied with you. You have to figure out who they are by watching their moves, while they do the same. The alliance map is a complex web that slowly unravels.
Tile placement with permanent legacy
Every tile you place remains in the city forever, even in subsequent games if you play in legacy mode. Your choices permanently shape the game world. It's not just a game: it's the construction of a story.
Cooperative scoring, individual victory
Your final score includes the points of your hidden allies. But only the player with the highest total in their alliance group wins. It's not enough to cooperate: you have to cooperate better than the other groups.
Deduction through placement
There are no direct questions or votes. You deduce alliances by observing what others build: repeated patterns, preferred areas, objectives fulfilled. Each tile is a clue, but also a potential bluff.
Double-layered design objectives
You have personal objectives (city design) and alliance objectives (helping your secret partners). Balancing the two is the heart of the game. Do you sacrifice personal points to help an ally? Or do you play selfishly and risk losing the cooperative bonus?
Modifiable legacy campaign
The legacy system is not linear: player choices determine which Guilds emerge, which districts become dominant, which rules change. There is no fixed story to follow. The City evolves based on who builds it.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends when The City reaches a certain size or when all main Requests are fulfilled. Then alliances are revealed.
Victory
- You accumulate the highest score by summing your personal points and those of your two hidden allies
- You complete your design objectives before the end, maximizing your contribution to the group
- You strategically help your allies without revealing your identity too early, maintaining the informational advantage
Defeat
- You unknowingly help the wrong players, building for opponents instead of allies
- You reveal your objectives too early and are systematically blocked by others
- Your alliance group scores less than other groups, even if you personally did well
Founders is the city builder where you don't just build buildings, you build blind trust. And you find out too late if it was deserved.
Frequently asked questions
Founders FAQ
How do hidden alliances work if I can't communicate?
At the beginning, you receive two alliance cards that tell you who you are teamed up with, but they don't know it. You can't talk about it openly. You have to deduce if they have understood by watching where they place tiles. If you notice someone building in areas that help you, they are probably your ally and have understood. Or it's just a coincidence. Doubt is part of the game.
Does the legacy system ruin the game if I want to replay it with different groups?
No. Founders has an optional legacy mode (progressive campaign with permanent changes) and a standalone mode (independent games without legacy). You can play the campaign with a fixed group and single games with others. The game does not force you into legacy.
Is it a bluffing game or a pure deduction game?
More deduction than bluffing. You can try to mask your objectives by placing ambiguous tiles, but every move leaves traces. It's not Coup (pure bluff) or Hanabi (perfect information): it's a middle ground where you read others' patterns and try to obscure your own.
Does it work with 2 players or do I need the full group?
It works for 2 to 5 players, but the experience changes. With 2 players, alliances are easier to deduce (fewer variables), but the tactical doubt remains intact. With 5 players, the alliance network is complex and chaotic. Ideal: 3-4 players, the balance point between deduction and complexity.
Is it available in Italian?
The edition for sale is in English. The game has text on cards (objectives, Guild Requests, legacy effects), so knowledge of English is necessary. There is currently no official Italian edition.
Founders is a strategic tile-placement board game for 2-5 players, lasting 35-60 minutes, recommended age 10+. Designed by Bragou and Sams, published by This Way!, it combines competitive city building with hidden alliances: each player is secretly allied with two others, but no one knows the full network. Scoring is cooperative (you add your points and those of your two allies), but only one player wins. It includes an optional legacy mode where permanent choices change The City in subsequent games. Mechanics: hidden roles, tile placement, secret objectives, tactical deduction. Available on FroGames.it, fast shipping throughout Italy.
Founders
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