7 Wonders is a drafting game for 3 to 7 players where each player takes the role of a civilization and its wonder. This game incorporates card drafting, set building, and simultaneous play to advance your civilization through the ages for warfare, commerce, science, monument, or wonder building. The player with the most points from this variety of buildings wins the game. Each game takes about 30 minutes. While best with 5 players, adding or removing players does not greatly affect the time commitment. As a classic eurogame, there is strong community support built around 7 Wonders and the 2nd edition update improves its colorblind accessibility using new art.
After watching several videos on how to play 7 wonders the most complete, easy to understand, and quick to consume video is the Rules Girl – How to Play 7 Wonders in 5 Minutes.
Rules Girl has really done a remarkable job in conveying the rules of 7 wonders quickly without losing important details other videos missed.
Repo Production, the game designer, also released a 10 minute how to play video. It is thorough and uses art and cards from the 2nd edition game.
Changes to 7 Wonders 2nd Edition
The update to 7 Wonders 2nd edition was an improvement to game art, symbols, and overall accessibility. Card colors are now tied to symbols and are friendlier to color blindness. Several of the cards, and many of the civilizations, had balance changes to ensure more competitive play at all player levels.
Mechanics of the game have not changed and using content explaining previous versions will work nicely.
Should I Buy 7 Wonders 2nd Edition
If you currently own 7 Wonders, I’d recommend avoiding purchasing the 2nd edition. While pretty, the update does not significantly update mechanics of the game enough to justify the price. Most casual players of 7 Wonders will not notice the balance changes between the various factions or cards. Instead, I’d recommend playing the updated version found on board game arena or on mobile devices. Both sources have updated their cards and rulesets as of this writing.
If you do not yet have 7 Wonders as part of your game collection, you should buy the second edition of the game over other versions. This quick to learn and play game is one of the best drafting games that has been published. The new art style and balance changes are a great overall improvement over the first edition.
Check out your friendly local game store or click the link to purchase 7 Wonders.
Play the Game
To find the version optimized for tablets visit the play store or apple store.
Visit Board Game Arena to play with friends or strangers around the world.
More resources for 2nd edition of 7 Wonders can be found at Board Game Geeks or see the 1st edition page.
