7 Wonders

Players: 3-7
Duration: 30-45 min
Difficulty: Medium
Age: 10+

Video by Watch It Played

General Description

7 Wonders is a card drafting and civilization building game created by Antoine Bauza in 2010. Players lead one of the seven great cities of antiquity, developing their city through three historical ages. You must promote scientific discoveries, military conquests, commercial agreements, and the most prestigious constructions to guide your civilization to glory. At the end of the three ages, the player with the most victory points wins the game.

Game Components

  • 7 Wonder boards (with Day side and Night side)
  • 148 Age cards:
    • 49 Age I cards
    • 49 Age II cards
    • 50 Age III cards
  • 78 coins: 54 coins of value 1 and 24 coins of value 3
  • 48 Conflict tokens:
    • 24 Defeat tokens (-1)
    • 24 Victory tokens (+1, +3, +5 depending on the Age)
  • 1 score pad
  • 3 effect description sheets
  • 1 card list and chain effects sheet

Types of Structures (Cards)

Cards represent seven different types of structures:

  • Brown (Production Structures): Provide common resources (Clay, Stone, Ore, Wood)
  • Grey (Manufactured Goods): Provide rare resources (Glass, Loom, Papyrus)
  • Blue (Civilian Structures): Provide victory points
  • Yellow (Commercial Structures): Provide commercial advantages
  • Red (Military Structures): Increase your military strength
  • Green (Scientific Structures): Provide scientific advances in three different fields
  • Purple (Guilds): Provide victory points according to specific criteria (Age III only)

Game Objective

Be the player with the most victory points at the end of the third Age.

How to Obtain Points

Points are counted at the end of Age III and come from:

  • Wonder Board — Points from constructed stages
  • Treasury — 1 point for every 3 coins
  • Military Conflicts — Sum of Victory and Defeat tokens
  • Blue Cards — Points indicated on Civilian Structures
  • Yellow Cards — Points according to Commercial Structure effects
  • Green Cards — Points for scientific symbols (according to specific formulas)
  • Purple Cards — Points according to Guild effects

Setup

Age Card Setup

  1. Separate the cards into three decks: Age I, Age II, and Age III
  2. For each Age, sort cards by minimum player count and keep only those with a number equal to or less than the number of players in the game
    • Example: In a 5-player game, keep all cards with 3+, 4+, and 5+
  3. For the Age III deck: Gather all Purple cards, randomly draw as many as number of players + 2, and add them to the Age III deck. Return the rest to the box
    • Example: In a 5-player game, you’ll draw 7 Purple cards (5+2)
  4. Shuffle each deck separately and place them in the center of the table

Player Setup

  1. Each player randomly takes a Wonder board and places it in front of them showing their preferred side (Day or Night)
    • Recommendation: For first games, use the Day side
  2. Each player receives 3 coins (value 1) as starting Treasury
  3. Leave the remaining coins in the center forming the supply
  4. Leave all Conflict tokens in the center forming the supply

How to Play

A game is played in 3 rounds (Ages I, II, and III). Each Age is played the same way.

Important Definitions

  • Neighbors: The players sitting directly to your left and right
  • City: Your Wonder and the Structures you have built

Summary of an Age

  1. At the start of each Age, deal 7 random cards to each player
  2. Each Age has 6 turns where all players play simultaneously
  3. Each turn has 3 steps:
    • Choose a card
    • Play a card
    • Pass your hand of cards

Turn Development

1. Choose a Card

  • Look at your hand of cards without other players seeing the content
  • Choose 1 card and place it face down in front of you
  • Leave the remaining cards face down

2. Play a Card

When all players have chosen, they play simultaneously. You can do one of the following actions:

A. Build the Structure on the card
  • Pay the card’s cost and place it face up on your Wonder board
  • The Structure remains in your city until the end of the game
  • Important: You cannot build two identical Structures (same name)
B. Develop a Stage of your Wonder
  • Pay the cost shown on your board for that specific Stage
  • Place the card face down under the board, letting only half protrude from the Stage you’re building
  • You now have the effect of this Stage available for the rest of the game
  • Stages must be built from left to right (Stage 1 before Stage 2, etc.)
  • Note: You can use any card to build a Stage
  • Building Wonder Stages is not mandatory
C. Sell the card
  • Discard the card face down in the center of the table
  • Take 3 coins from the supply

3. Pass Your Hand of Cards

  • Ages I and III: Pass remaining cards to your left neighbor
  • Age II: Pass remaining cards to your right neighbor
  • You receive a new hand from your neighbor
Sixth and Final turn
  • You’ll receive a hand of 2 cards
  • Choose 1 and discard the other face down (without receiving coins)
  • Play the sixth card
  • Continue with Military Conflict Resolution

Building in 7 Wonders

Types of Costs

A. No cost — You can build for free

B. Coin cost — Return 1 coin to the supply

C. Resource cost — You need specific resources

D. Free cost through chains — If you have the corresponding chain symbol from a previous Age

Resource Use

Resources produced by your city:

  • You produce 1 resource for each symbol you have:
    • Initial resource from Wonder board
    • Grey and Brown cards
    • Yellow cards (some)
    • Wonder Stages (some)
  • Each symbol can only be used once per turn
  • Resources are not spent and can be used every turn

Important: You cannot build two identical Structures (same name).

Purchasing Resources from Neighbors

If you don’t have the necessary resources, you can purchase them from neighbors:

  • Pay 2 coins per resource to the owner
  • The neighbor keeps the card and can use the resource
  • Each symbol can only be purchased once per turn
  • Purchased resources are used the same turn

Resources you can purchase:

  • Initial resource from Wonder board
  • Resources from Brown cards
  • Resources from Grey cards

You cannot purchase:

  • Resources from Yellow cards
  • Resources from Wonder Stages

Notes on purchasing:

  • You cannot use coins received from other players in the same turn to purchase
  • You cannot purchase resources from Structures built by neighbors in the same turn
  • You cannot deny neighbors the purchase of your resources
  • Both neighbors can purchase the same resource in the same turn

Free Building Chains

Starting from Age II, some cards have a chain symbol that allows free building:

  • If you have a card with the same symbol in the upper right corner, you can build the new card for free
  • You can pay the cost if you don’t have the chain symbol

Card Layout

  • Overlap cards of the same color so effects remain visible
  • Overlap resources with the initial resource on the board

Military Conflict Resolution

At the end of each Age, compare your military strength with each neighbor:

Military Strength Calculation

Count all military symbols from:

  • Your built Structures
  • Wonder Stages (if any)

Comparison with Each Neighbor

For each neighbor:

  • Equal strength — You receive no tokens
  • Lower strength — You receive 1 Defeat token (-1 point)
  • Higher strength — You receive 1 Victory token from the current Age:
    • Age I: +1 point
    • Age II: +3 points
    • Age III: +5 points

After Age III Resolution, proceed to End of Game.

End of Game

The game ends after Military Conflict Resolution of Age III.

Victory Point Scoring

Use the score pad to record points:

1. Wonder Board

  • Sum the points from constructed Stages

2. Treasury

  • 1 point for every 3 coins

3. Military Conflicts

  • Sum the values of all Defeat and Victory tokens (can be negative)

4. Blue Cards

  • Sum the points from Civilian Structures

5. Yellow Cards

  • Sum the points according to Commercial Structure effects

6. Green Cards

  • Count all scientific symbols (city + Wonder)
  • Symbols give points in two different ways that are added together:

Identical symbols

  • 1 identical symbol → 1 point
  • 2 identical symbols → 4 points
  • 3 identical symbols → 9 points
  • 4 identical symbols → 16 points
  • 5 identical symbols → 25 points
  • 6 identical symbols → 36 points
Groups of 3 different symbols
  • For each complete set of 3 different scientific symbols: 7 points

7. Purple Cards

  • Sum the points according to Guild effects

Winner Determination

The player with the most points wins the game.

In case of a tie: The player with the most coins in their Treasury wins. If still tied, they share the victory.

Basic Strategies

  • Diversify resource production: Try to have access to different resource types to avoid depending on neighbors
  • Watch your neighbors: Pay attention to their military strength and resources to adjust your strategy
  • Plan chains: Building cards that give free chains in later Ages is very valuable
  • Don’t neglect the Wonder: Stages usually give powerful bonuses

Advanced Strategies

  • Scientific specialization: Scientific symbols give points exponentially (1, 4, 9, 16…)
  • Military control: Maintaining military superiority prevents losing points and awards positive ones
  • Efficient trading: Commercial Structures reduce the cost of purchasing resources (from 2 to 1 coin)
  • Guild timing: In Age III, Guilds can give many points depending on your city and your neighbors’

Tips for Beginners

  1. Don’t ignore military: Losing all conflicts can cost you 6 points (-1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1)
  2. Manage coins well: Don’t run out of treasury, you’ll need it to purchase resources
  3. Read cards carefully: Some Yellow and Purple Structures give points according to specific conditions
  4. Prioritize by Age: Age I (resources), Age II (military and science), Age III (direct points)
  5. Use the Day side: For first games, Wonders with the Day side are simpler

History and Trivia

  • Created by Antoine Bauza in 2010
  • Published by Repos Production
  • Winner of the Kennerspiel des Jahres (Expert Game of the Year) in 2011
  • Has sold over 2 million copies worldwide
  • Has numerous expansions: Leaders, Cities, Babel, Armada, Edifice
  • Inspired by the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Colossus of Rhodes, The Lighthouse of Alexandria, The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Great Pyramid of Giza, and The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
  • In 2020, 7 Wonders: Architects was released, a simplified version of the original game
  • There’s also 7 Wonders Duel, a 2-player version considered one of the best games for couples