Boards & Brews at Home: 7 Wonders

For this segment we are scheduled once again to play big box games at home with more components!  Tonight Ryan, Kayte and Rand join us to play the card drafting, set collection game, 7 Wonders.  In 7 Wonders you are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient World.  It is up to you to gather resources, develop commercial routes, affirm your military supremacy, and build your city to evolve an architectural wonder which will transcend futures to come.  7 Wonders lasts three ages.  Just like other card drafting games, each player begins each turn by selecting a card from their hand and then passing the remaining cards to an adjacent player.  Then, like other card drafting games, all players will simultaneously reveal their cards, playing resources if needed, or collecting resources. 

Players have individual player boards with special abilities on which to organize their cards and plan how to execute their next course of action.  The players then choose another card from the hands that are passed around the table until the remaining cards have been allocated and distributed for individual actions.  Once you have resolved all cards and options, and made it through all three ages, the game ends and each player totals their scores according to how well they have built up their empire.  Essentially it's a developmental card game in which some cards have immediate effects while others have bonuses or upgrades later in the game.  Some cards also provide discounts on future purchases, but one important focus of the game is to get as many additional resources as you can so that your accumulation of money is not easily drained out of your hand.

I really enjoy this game.  I've played it on and off now for several times, but I feel that the span of time between playing it really makes it all the more interesting every time I return to it.  In other words, I feel there is some good replay ability in this game.  I love the artwork.  That was actually one of the big things that drew me toward this game, plus thematically it's pretty cool.  Being in charge of evolving such great empires is a lot of fun, so I feel very engaged while I'm playing 7 Wonders.  It was an absolute delight having Ryan, Kayte and Rand over to join our game nights and we look forward to playing more games in the future with them.  7 Wonders is definitely a step up in the card drafting world.  Your strategy can really change quickly depending on the cards that make it around the table.  I've been experimenting with multiple approaches throughout the different times I've played this game.  I would definitely recommend it to you if you like card drafting games, but I would not recommend it as your first card drafting game if this area is more foreign to you.  If you're unsure, you may want to make sure you play it first before purchasing.  The box says 2 - 7 players, but the instructions and gameplay definitely require at least 3 players in this version.  

7 Wonders

Overall Meeple Rating: 7/10

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