7 Wonders board game: rules and strategy
Also known as: Seven Wonders
7 Wonders explained: draft cards over three ages, build your ancient city and wonder, trade with neighbours and score in seven ways. Rules, tips and review.
- Type
- Card game
- Players
- 3–7
- Age
- Ages 10+
- Play time
- 30 min
- First released
- 2010
- Designed by
- Antoine Bauza
- Publisher
- Repos Production
7 Wonders is a card drafting game in which each player leads one of the great cities of the ancient world. Over three rounds, called ages, players build structures that produce resources, earn coins, increase military strength, advance science and give victory points. Each player also slowly builds their city's wonder, such as the Pyramids or the Lighthouse. What makes the game special is that everyone plays at the same time, so even with seven players a game takes about half an hour. Players interact mainly with their two neighbours, trading for resources and comparing military strength, which keeps the game fast while still letting large groups play together.
Our verdict
7 Wonders gives the feeling of building a whole civilisation in thirty minutes. Simultaneous play means almost no waiting, and the drafting creates small, interesting choices: take the card you need, or take the card your neighbour wants. There are many paths to victory, so players can try a different strategy each game. It also stays the same length whether you have three players or seven, which is rare for a strategy game and makes it valuable for larger groups of experienced players.
What works
- Plays up to seven people in about 30 minutes
- Very little waiting between turns
- Many different ways to score
What does not
- Card symbols take time to learn for new players
- Hard to follow what players far from you are doing
How to play 7 Wonders
At the start of each age, every player receives a hand of seven cards. Everyone chooses one card at the same time, places it face down and then reveals it. A chosen card can be built if you have the resources it requires, or if you buy missing resources from a neighbour for coins. Instead, you may discard the card for three coins or use it to build the next stage of your wonder. After everyone has acted, players pass their remaining hand to the next player and choose again. This continues until six cards have been played; the last card is discarded. At the end of each age, players compare military strength with both neighbours and gain or lose points. After the third age, players count points from military, coins, wonders, civic buildings, commerce, guilds and science, where sets of different symbols score very well. The highest total wins.
Tips for new players
- Watch what your neighbours collect, and sometimes take a card to stop them.
- Resource cards are most valuable in the first age; later they are hard to afford.
- Science sets grow quickly in value, but only commit if the symbols keep coming to you.
- Do not ignore military completely, or both neighbours will collect easy points from you.
Good for
7 Wonders: common questions
How many players does 7 Wonders support?
The base game is designed for three to seven players.
How long does a game of 7 Wonders take?
About 30 minutes, almost independent of the number of players, because everyone plays at the same time.
What is card drafting in 7 Wonders?
Each player keeps one card from a hand and passes the rest to a neighbour, so everyone chooses from a slowly shrinking set of cards.
7 Wonders belongs to its owners. Playdonya is not connected to them and does not sell this game; the cover is our own illustration.
