Welcome to the World of 7 Wonders!

7 Wonders is an exciting card game that can be played by 2 to 7 players. The objective of the game is simple: score the most victory points by the end. How do you do that? Well, let me explain!

In 7 Wonders, you’ll be building your own ancient city. You do this by drafting cards that represent different things you can add to your city. Each card is worth a certain number of victory points, so choose wisely!

Now, if you’re playing with just 2 players, there are some special rules you need to know about. Don’t worry, I’ll explain those at the end of the rules, so stay tuned!

Ready to Get Started? Here’s the Setup:

Hey there! Let’s talk about how to get started with the game. We need to divide the decks based on the ages. First, we’ll create the Age I deck. The number of cards in this deck depends on how many players are joining in. Each card at the bottom has a number and a plus sign (like 5+). To form the deck, we take the cards with the number of players indicated on them and all the cards with lower numbers too. For example, in a game with 5 players, we’ll gather the 5+, 4+, and 3+ cards to build our deck.

In Age III, we’ll also include some guilds. The number of guilds we add is equal to the number of players plus 2. So, in a 5-player game, we’ll include 7 guild cards. Once we’ve formed the deck, any remaining cards go back into the box.

So, here’s what happens next: you have a couple of options when it comes to choosing your board. You can either pick one yourself or have one assigned to you randomly. If you go for the random assignment, we’ll shuffle the wonder cards and deal each player one. Then, you’ll flip it over, and the side that was at the top of your card will determine the side of the board you’ll use for the game.

Once that’s settled, everyone is given three 1 coins, and the rest of the money is placed in the center where everyone can access it. We also put the military tokens there for all players.

Now let’s talk about the cards:

These age cards are what you’ll use to improve your wonder and earn points. There are seven different types you’ll come across. First, we have the brown natural resources, followed by the gray manufactured resources. They only show up in the first and second ages, and they provide your wonder with the resources you need to build, or they can be bought by other players from you.

So here’s the deal. You’ve got these cards in the game: red military cards, green science cards, blues civilian cards, and yellow market cards. And guess what? You can get them in all three ages! Cool, right?

Let’s break it down. The military cards are all about defense and offense. They come in handy at the end of each round for protecting your wonders. Flex those strategic muscles!

Then we have the science cards. These bad boys score you victory points at the end of the game. How? Well, for every type of science card you collect, you earn some sweet points. So keep an eye out for them!

Next up are the civilian cards. They’re all about victory points. Just collect them and rack up those points. Easy peasy!

Now, the market cards. These babies are versatile. They can do a lot of things. They can earn you points or gold. They can help you create resources. And sometimes, they even change the rules of the game. Talk about power!

Finally, we have the purple guild cards. These puppies only show up in Age 3. They’re special because they give you unique ways to earn points based on the card you draft. That’s right, extra points are up for grabs!

Lots of Cards, Lots of Fun

When you’re playing a game with cards, those little rectangles hold a ton of important information. It’s all right there, right in front of you. Let me break it down for you. First, take a look at the top left corner of the card. See that cost? It tells you what you need to build the card. If it’s blank, you’re lucky because that card is free!

Now, shift your gaze to the center top of the card. That’s where the good stuff is. It’s the card’s output, or what you get from building it. Pretty cool, huh?

But wait, there’s more! Look at the bottom left corner of the card. That’s the card’s name. And here’s a fun fact: you can’t build two structures with the same name. So remember, names are important!

Okay, let’s keep going. In the bottom center of the card, you’ll find the number of players it’s used for. That’s crucial information, especially if you want to make sure you’re playing the right card at the right time.

Lastly, check out the bottom right of the card. Sometimes there are other cards you can build for free, just because you own this card. How cool is that? But if it’s blank, well, sorry, no freebies for you this time.

GAMEPLAY

In this game, there are three ages, each with six turns. After the third age, we’ll calculate the scores. At the beginning of each age, the dealer gives every player a hand of six cards. Then, we all play at the same time. Each turn involves three steps: picking a card, playing a card, and passing the rest.

First, everyone looks at their hand and chooses a card secretly, without showing it to other players. Once you’ve made your choice, you place the card face down in front of you and wait for everyone to do the same.

Now it’s time for the turns!

Next, everyone reveals their chosen card and takes one of the following actions: build the card, construct the next stage of your wonder, or exchange the card for money.

When you’re building your card, you first need to pay the cost and then place it near your board to enjoy the benefits. To build a card, you have two options: either have the required resources or buy it from your neighbor for 2 coins (unless the cost has changed). But keep in mind that you can only buy brown or gray resources produced by your two neighbors.

To build the stages of your wonder (sections marked at the bottom of your wonder board), you need to have the necessary resources and discard the card you’ve chosen for this turn face down under the corresponding wonder section. And don’t forget, you must build these stages in order. As a last resort, you always have the option to just discard a card for 3 gold. Keep in mind that this card will be removed from the game.

To end your turn, you need to pass the remaining cards in your hand to your neighbor. In Ages 1 and 3, you pass to the left, while in Age 2, you pass to the right.

When it’s the 6th turn of the game, every player gets a hand with 2 cards. You’ll get to choose and play one of them, but the other card is removed from the game and not passed on. This marks the end of the Age.

The Age Comes to an End

At the end of each Age, players compare their military strength with that of their neighbors on the left and right. If you lose, you’ll receive a -1 military marker. If you win, you’ll get a 1 military marker for Age 1, 3 markers for Age 2, or 5 markers for Age 3. If there’s a tie, neither player gets a marker.

Then, the next Age begins.

Scoring

Once Age 3 concludes and we complete our military endeavors, it’s time to tally up the scores. Simply use the scoring sheet provided to determine each player’s final score. The order of scoring is as follows: military, coins, wonders, blue cards, green cards, yellow cards, and finally, purple cards.

The Scoring Order

Let’s start with military. To calculate your score, add up the value of your tokens, which can be positive or negative.

Next, we move on to coins. For every 3 coins you possess, you earn 1 victory point.

Now, let’s consider the victory points you may have gained from completing your wonder stages.

After that, we take into account any victory points from civilian structures constructed.

I’m going to explain how science is scored in the game. There are two ways to score science, and then the scores are added together. You get 7 points for each set of three different sciences that you complete. On top of that, you score for each match of science sign that you make. To figure out the score for matches, you need to square the number of matches you have. For example, let’s say you have 3 gears, 3 tablets, and 3 compasses. You score 7 x 3 for sets, which is 21 points. Then you square the number of matches, which is 3^2 (3 squared), equaling 9. Then you multiply 9 by 3, which is 27. Adding 27 to 21 gives you a total score of 48 points for science.

After scoring science, we move on to victory points from market cards. These points are also added to the total score.

Finally, any victory points from guilds are scored as well.

End of Game

The player with the highest score wins the game. In the event of a tie, the player with the most coins wins.

2-PLAYER

Playing a 2-player game is a lot like playing a 3-player game, but with a few extra cards and a special area called the “free city.”

To set up the game, we follow the same steps as the 3-player setup. Each player gets a wonder board, and we place an extra wonder board on the side of the players. This extra board is called the free city. Then we put a border card between the two players, and each player gets a hand of 7 cards. The remaining cards go in the center of the table. The player to the left (in ages 1 and 3) or the player to the right (in age 2) of the free city takes the free city card. Lastly, each player and the free city receive 3 coins.

Now, let’s talk about the gameplay.

When you play the game, there’s one extra step that makes it different from other games. It’s called the “free city” turn, and it happens between the two players. The player who has the free city card gets to take a card from the pile to their left and add it to their hand. Then they have to decide which card to play first: their own card or the free city’s card.

If they have a card specifically meant for the free city, they have to play it. And if they have any free upgrades, those need to be played first. If they don’t have a card for the free city, they can use the resources they have to play other cards and then discard a card to gain 3 coins for the free city.

Once the players have made their decisions, they’ll place the rest of their cards on their side of the border card and flip over the card they want to play. The game continues as usual. When the round is over, the players will take the deck on the other side of the border card and start a new round.

When an era comes to a close, it’s like finishing a game. We take away the last card from each round, as well as the pile, and then it’s time for military events. Finally, a new era begins.

Racking up Points

Scoring is done in the same way as mentioned earlier.

Scoring is done in the same way as mentioned earlier.