Wonders usually take three cards to complete, but each card you contribute will gain you a reward.

Each player has a unique Wonder that gains them a special benefit when built.

Discard the card to build a piece of your Wonder.

There’s often a cost associated with playing the card more on that in a second. When you play the card, it enters your tableau *. Once a card has been chosen, the player must use it for one of three things: These games all use some kind of card drafting system. This system of choose-and-pass is known as card drafting and it’s become a popular mechanism in the years since 7 Wonders’ release. Once everyone has chosen, you pass your hand of cards to your neighbour. Each player has a hand of cards as your turn, you have to choose one of them to play. In 7 Wonders, turns are taken simultaneously. The game lasts for three Ages and then everyone tallies their points.

Among these structures are institutes of learning, centers of trade, and of course their Wonder: a civilization-specific monument that gives each player an overarching goal to work towards. The premise of 7 Wonders is simple: each player represents a different ancient civilization working to build the framework that will advance their society. So what made the game so special? This is what you thought I meant, right?īefore we can get into that, let’s take a look at how it plays. In our long-form article examining the most important games of the 2010s, 7 Wonders came in (fittingly) at #7. Known for its broad player count and short runtime, 7 Wonders was honoured by the Spiel des Jahres Jury with an Expert Game of the Year award (Kennerspiel des Jahres) in 2011. I am talking, of course, about 7 Wonders.ħ Wonders is a card drafting game designed by Antoine Bauza in 2010.

The monument became famous around the world. Its architecture reimagined what came before, but its success would inspire countless imitations. A colossal monument sits at the crest of a hill.

Seven wonders card game