11.10.2011

Antoine Bauza made one of the best games of recent years with Ghost Stories and has followed up with another classic. The premise is simple; 3 to 7 players choose an ancient wonder at random and then over the course of 3 ages in which they play a total of 6 cards each, they try to amass as many points as possible by building structures. At times this is a little bit like multi-player solitaire, but with a couple of crucial differences that I'll explain later.Components-wise, this is a beauty. There's no main board - instead each player has a small one each that denotes their wonder (such as the Colossus of Rhodes or Pyramids of Giza) and they then play their cards alongside or put them under it to show everyone what buildings they've created so far.The cards, which are the meat of the game, have some wonderfully evocative artwork. I would however recommend getting some sleeve protectors because they'll get a fair bit of wear and tear in this game given the amount of dealing and shuffling. There are also some tokens to denote military victories and money.The crux of the game is simple - you build your civilisation by laying cards from your hand as structures such as a mine, watch tower, market or baths according to what is in your hand. However, to do so, you need resources. There are seven in total - natural ones like minerals, clay, wood and stone, which are plentiful, and three manmade ones - papyrus, glass and cloth - which aren't so. These are vital to obtain later in the game. Each wonder starts off with one resource and you can also buy resources that your immediate neighbours produce (without their consent) as well. So it's not necessary to have all resources if you have access to them, but make sure then that you have enough money to do so. Fortunately you can also make things easier for yourself by creating commercial buildings, which can obtain money for you, provide resources themselves or make buying resources off your neighbours cheaply.In total there are seven types of structure (7 is a recurring theme!). Military structures will determine how many points you score off your immediate neighbours, but beware being sucked into an unnecessary arms race! Civilian structures award just victory points, but require plenty of materials. Technology/Science structures can provide a multitude of points depending on how many you build and also allow you to build other types of buildings free of charge. Within 7 Wonders is a technology tree, which if you're lucky, can allow you to build a whole raft of structures free without obtaining the necessary resources. Beware taking the science path though, because more often than not your fellow players will see what you're doing and deny you the necessary cards! Finally, in the last age, Guilds allow you to score points depending on what your neighbours have built.So how do you play the game? You choose your wonder at random and then everyone is dealt a hand of 7 cards. The mechanic is that you choose one card per turn to play at the same time and then pass the rest of your hand face down to your neighbour. As such, you really have to make a tough decision on what to play on each go - do you lay a card you want but then potentially provide your neighbour with what they want?. This means that preset strategies don't really work, making for some interesting play. You can also deny other players cards that they may really want by discarding them (for 3 money) or adding them to your wonder. After six cards have been played, the next age begins and after three ages in total, you calculate points and the one with the most wins.Each wonder has specific abilities that are gained upon building the various stages which give the game a much more asymmetrical feel and helps replay value enormously. They're well balanced - some give you victory points and money, whereas the more intriguing ones allow you to play an extra card at the end of each age or play a discarded card for free. In the Bauza tradition, each Wonder also has two versions you can play, a side A and B.What makes the game so enjoyable is that it's fast, simple to pick up and has a ton of strategies to work on. What you get in your hand and what wonder you're given will determine what you go for and whilst Ages 1 and 2 are very much laying the foundation for all the big cards of Age 3, it never feels like you're falling behind at any point and indeed, the Guild cards are nicely placed for those whose initial strategies may have failed to pick up points. You'll return to this game time and time again trying to lay the foundation for your ancient civilisation.

21.10.2016

This is a great game that we keep coming back to, years after we bought it. The idea is that each player is a rival ancient civilisation, trying to get the most prestige (victory points) by having the best buildings, strongest military force, most advanced science and technology, and so on. Plus each player can choose to build their randomly assigned "wonder of the world" to gain even more prestige.The game is played out over three rounds, with three decks of cards that are progressively more powerful as you go on.The artwork on the cards and boards, by the way, is excellent throughout. At the start of each round every player has 7 cards, you play the card from your hand that is most useful to you,

4.10.2016

Again, this is another excellent expansion for Wonders. Adding 2 new elements to an already fantastic game.In Babel you get 2 expansions in 1, they can be played together or separately. The first is the Babel Tower itself which gives you the option to burn/discard cards in your hand to participate in the construction of the tower by laying tiles. Each player is dealt 3 tiles at the start of the game, chooses 1 and passes others round until each player has a starting hand of 3 tiles. Each tile has a different aspect which affects all players in the game (even the player who played the tile), these can vary from good (eg. bank pays out when you play a card of a certain colour) or bad (eg.

2.4.2013

It doesn't take long to see why this game has numerous accolades to its name. Simple to learn and a joy to play, 7 Wonders has the three things I often look for in a board game: flexibility, good components and a strong theme. The flexibility I refer to in this case is the rules. Although there is not a great deal to the rules of 7 Wonders - you'll have them all figured out by the end of the first age - there is enough going on for adults or more serious gamers to enjoy with family and non-gamer friends who will like the fact that there aren't 100 rules/phases to remember. And with various satisfying ways to score points, you will find that most games are different from each other.

15.10.2016

I got this game as a last minute game night addition, I'd previously noticed it but if I'm honest it was only chosen due as it seemed to be the best available for 6+ players on Prime Now (yes, it really was that last minute!). Despite this original reason we are now very happy to have purchased this game.At first glance the rules can seem a little over bearing (particularly if you are not used to the "European" game style), but it is actually pretty easy. I would recommend having a quick read through and then keeping them to hand during the first play, after that there is a 1 sheet quick rules page which can be kept at hand for reminders.I think the recommended age on box (10+) is about right,

26.5.2015

I was sceptical of any game offer a quality two player experience - this is not something that happens often but since I love Civ and the person for whom it was purchased love Civ too, I figured why not. I was richly rewarded.This game is fun. It's fast, it's strategic, it's just great for two players plus. We have played it multiple times now and it keeps on being as much fun as it was in the start.How does it work?Well each player takes on a wonder of the world and uses it as a base to build; build a wonder; build advances in science, arts or even an army for military victories. To do this you simply play cards dealt. However, the fun here is derived from the mechanism that means you don't keep one hand each game.

21.4.2016

first things first, stop reading this review and click the add to basket button, plenty of time to read my review while you wait for the delivery!! simply a great game, one of my absolute favorites. its extremely simple to play but still has the element of planning and strategy. you can pick up the game and get the gist of the tactics from the first play through but there is enough complexity to it that there is a deeper strategy to it. if i were to be extremely critical, one minor critique i have of the game is that it can become ever so slightly samey, you find yourself following the same tactics each play through and buying the same cards but then the game does have enough difference in so

17.5.2017

7 Wonders is a great board game which sustains being played many times.The outcomes are different each time due to a cleverly crafted mix of luck and strategy.We play as a family of 4 (kids aged 8 & 11) and everyone can participate equally, most of the time it is hard to tell who has won until all the final scores are added up.The board, pieces & cards are good quality, and the illustrating artwork is beautifully done.It takes some initial commitment and patience when you start out to read through the instructions and familiarise yourself, but once done you wonder why it seemed so complicated at the beginning (a bit like Monopoly/Ticket To Ride or any other board game worth playing).2-PLAYERS:

30.6.2013

This game is easy to learn and yet has a lot of depth. The basic idea is to build up your civilisation over three ages, and maximise your points by the end of the game. In the first age you are building up resources, in the second age you refine your tactics and start to develop the direction of your civilisation, and in the third age you try and go all out for maximum points.You can chose to be militarily focused, or go for science, or even build up the civil society. and up until the end of the game you have no idea who has won :)I have played this with a mixed group of adults and children, and the kids enjoyed the game just as much as the rest of us. We all played on an even basis.

21.5.2017

7 Wonders is a drafting/tableau building game. Complexity wise I'd say it isn't a gateway game, since too much information is hidden away in people's hands and decks, but I do rate it as a really good "Next step game".You'll start each Age with a hand of cards representing useful stuff like mines, statues and Socrates, and the table then drafts them to either build, use to fuel the construction of their wonder or if your doing really garbage, throw it away for some coins.After each Age you'll have a scrap with your neighbours to steal some of their victory points, so it might have been worth building some of those dudes with swords.After three rounds,

27.4.2017

Best board game I have played.All players have their go simultaneously, so there is no waiting around while other people have their turn.It works just as well for 3 players as 7.The gameplay is simple enough to become quick and intuitive after a couple of play throughs, but complicated enough that there is lots to think about strategy wise.The combination of luck and skill is perfect. There are lots of complicated factors you could consider when choosing your next move, and doing this well will affect your chances of winning, so when playing it certainly feels like the game requires skill and that you have a lot of control, which is how you want a board game to feel.

13.8.2011

If you want something different then Monopoly or cludo then this conpletey out there. This a hobby boardgame which i am getting into myself and brought this as a starter because of the speed you play one game around (30 minutes) and the meachanic of the game.Please note you need 3 people to play, you can play as a two player game but in the rules booket you experence playing the game with 3 or more people.If like me you play Video games and like Civiliation games gathering resources and buildings then this is right up your street. its a card point scoring game you start by getting one of the 7 wonders mat and play 3 round of cards where you gather resources to build your wonder,

19.9.2016

Another excellent expansion for the 7 Wonders game.The Cities expansion gives players a new set of cards to play with and takes the starting hand total from 7 to 8 cards. The new cards are Black in colour and most score points or offer coins to the player AND their respected neighbours. However, some have what we have dubbed as a "Global Economy" aspect, these cards force every other player in the game (not just the 2 immediate neighbours) to pay money to the bank, if you have no money to pay you will gain a Debt Token (another new feature) which cannot be repayed or discarded in any way, at the end of the game Debt Tokens take Victory Points from their recipient.Another new feature is the Diplomacy Token,

18.5.2020

This game looks simple at first glance, but quickly occupies the whole dining table. There are a few rules to remember, but once you played once or twice it becomes crystal clear and there is a quick cheat sheet inserted in the box for reference.We are a board game family (typically like to play Ticket to Ride, Carcassone, Dixit, Monopoly, Sushi Go, Catan) and this game fits the tastes of everyone. The combinations that can be played are multiple so it never gets boring. The main idea is that you pick one card from your hand and pass the rest to the next player until no more cards are left, so you end up with a combination to compare with others - the most scoring wins.

2.8.2019

This game is great for many reasons. At first the rules make it look quite complex, but it's just that there are lots of different card types. I think the best way to learn is to start playing with 3 or 4 players, everyone showing each other their cards and helping each other, then when you get the hang of what the cards all mean it becomes pretty easy to play, and you can then be skillful as you start to develop your own strategy. We love that everyone plays at the same time, so no waiting for others to finish their go. We love that you can influence what cards the person next to you gets, and we love that you can play the game in very different ways, and it's not predictable which strategy will win.

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