Iliad is a two-player tile-placement strategy game by Reiner Knizia that reimagines the Trojan War as a tactical duel between Achilles and Hector. Players select tiles from their hand and place them on the board to compete for majority control in rows and columns in this draw-one, place-one set collection game.
The Verdict
based on 16 reviews
The Dice Tower provides a comprehensive review of 'Iliad', a two-player abstract strategy game by Reiner Knizia. Reviewers Mike and Chris offer an overview, gameplay analysis, and their final thoughts, both awarding high scores to the game.
The reviewer praises Iliad as a remarkable and original Knizia design. It's a tight, tactical abstract tile-layer where players vie for varied success tokens through strategic tile placement and powerful special abilities, creating high-stakes tension and requiring deep contemplation despite simple rules.
Iliad is a tight, tactical two-player strategy game by Reiner Knizia that shares DNA with Samurai. It offers deep spatial choices, tense tile-placement dilemmas, and a quirky, balancing endgame scoring system.
Andrew Lynch praises Iliad as a fresh, nuanced, and rewarding tile-placement game by Reiner Knizia. He highlights its strategic depth, replayability, and quick playtime, which combine to offer lasting appeal and encourage thoughtful decisions.
Reiner Knizia's Iliad is a tight, strategic two-player tile-placement game offering deep decision-making in a compact, gorgeous package. The reviewer praises its clever balance of area majority and set collection, making it a fantastic quick game.
Reiner Knizia's Iliad is a tight, thinky two-player abstract game on a 6x6 grid where players invest hoplites into rows and columns to win gods and points, blending clever strategy with tense resource management.
William Niebling awards Reiner Knizia's Iliad 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising its tactical depth, fluid tile-manipulation mechanics, and lovely components, while noting that its random element and loose theme might not suit everyone.
Reiner Knizia's Iliad is an intense, visually striking two-player strategic card game featuring striking plastic-free components. While the initial rules have a steep learning curve, it ultimately delivers a deeply rewarding tactical experience.
The reviewers found Iliad to be a really solid card game, particularly for two players, offering great depth and interesting decision-making, especially appealing to those who enjoy tracking cards. They did note that the small iconography could lead to analysis paralysis.
It’s hard to imagine there are many gamers who won’t enjoy this quick but tactical board game for 2 players
Iliad is a Trojan-themed hand-management battle game where players strategically build armies and launch tactical attacks to claim victory cards and Helen. It offers a tight balance of card conservation, risk-reward pacing, and rock-paper-scissors combat mechanics.
Iliad is a deceptively simple two-player abstract strategy game featuring tile-placement mechanics, tight tactical tension, and alternative win conditions tied to Greek mythology.
Similar games
Similar theme
Lists to explore
View all lists & features
Top 25Best 2 player-only board games
Find out which games to play with your loved ones, siblings, friends, kids or parents.
Top 25The Best Board Games of 2025
2025 was a year stacked with amazing board games. Find out which ones stood out.
Top 25The 25 best card games
Their components fits nicely in the palm of hands yet the possibilities are endless.
RankedJamey Stegmaier board games, ranked
From Wingspan to Scythe — see how Jamey Stegmaier's games stack up.







