What Lost Ruins is
Five expeditions, each starting 20 points in the hole. Play a card, or discard it where your rival can grab it. Sometimes doing nothing is the boldest move.
An expedition only climbs, so the 4 you play early is a 4 you can never come back for, and the 9 in your hand gets dearer every turn you hold it. A wager doubles what a camp finally scores, debt included, which is what makes most of them traps.
Discarding is not a free pass either. What you throw lands face up in the middle where your rival can take it next turn, so half the thinking is about which colour they cannot use.
Two players exactly, and there is always somebody to play. Seat a computer opponent, or take the weekly co-op run: one shared camp, dealt identically to every pair on earth, ranked on a world board.
How to play Lost Ruins
- Each turn: play one card or discard one, then draw one. Always eight in hand.
- An expedition’s numbers must climb. A 4 after a 7 is gone for good.
- Wagers double what an expedition finally scores — but only if played before any number.
- Discards are face up and your rival can take them. Throwing away is never free.
- An expedition scores its cards minus 20, times its wagers. Eight cards takes a 20 bonus.
- The round ends the moment the last card leaves the deck. Best total over three rounds.
How to win at Lost Ruins
Set out, or don’t bother
A camp needs about 21 points of cards just to break even, so three small numbers is a loss with extra steps.
Wagers go down first or never
A wager is only legal before any number in that colour, so the bet is placed while you still know nothing.
Eight cards pays a flat 20
The explorer’s bonus is never multiplied, but it is what turns a marginal expedition into a good one.
Watch the deck counter
The round ends the moment a draw empties the deck, and the player who took that card gets no further turn.
Read their columns before you bin
Their five expeditions tell you exactly which colours are safe to throw and which are a gift.
The live total is not the score
Each camp shows what it would earn if the round stopped now, so a red number is a decision, not a verdict.
Questions about Lost Ruins
How is an expedition scored?
Add its number cards, take away the 20 it cost to set out, then multiply the whole thing — debt included — by one plus its wagers. Eight or more cards adds a flat 20 on top, and that part is never multiplied.
Can I play a number lower than the last?
No. Each expedition strictly climbs, so a 4 played after a 7 is gone for the round — and the app dims every card in your hand that will no longer go down.
How long is a match?
Three rounds by default, or one if the host prefers a short game. Totals carry across the rounds and the highest sum takes it.
What changes in the weekly version?
The same 60 cards in the same order go to every pair on earth, and you play into ONE shared set of expeditions instead of racing each other. The board ranks the team score, then how many camps ended in profit.
Is Lost Ruins free?
Yes. Every game on Table Party is free, with no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
How many people do you need for Lost Ruins?
Exactly 2 — Lost Ruins is built for that number and no other.
Do we need to download anything?
No. One person opens the site and starts a room; everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Can we play Lost Ruins over a video call?
Yes. Share the room code in the chat and play with the call running — everything private stays on each player’s own phone.
