HIGHLIGHTS AMONG GAMES

7 WONDERS

Ancient Wonders of the world

Dear Readers! Immediately after "7 Wonders of the World" were published at Spiel' 10 at Essen, in an edition limited to 777 copies, and playable for up to 7 players - a little play on numbers on the side - some mild criticism was mouthed about the high price of 40 Euros. A price really very unusual for a card game. But those doubtful voices were soon silenced, as the idea of the game and the fun it provides are golden stocks on the game market. The basic idea of choosing on card from a selection of cards in your hand and then handing on all remaining cards may not have been new, but the nearly endless possibilities that are hiding in the respective hands surpass all ideational predecessors, for instance the classic "Ochseln". At all events of the Austrian Games Museum you will encounter real wonders with this creation of Antoine Bauza. www.spielen.at

The light of our obligatory lamp, at the beginning, lights up one pre-assigned Wonder for each player, three card stacks, marked with different numbers, and a handful of coins. So far, "7 Wonders" gives no visual clue to the plethora of decisions, and easily made ones at that, are awaiting players. From his current hand of cards each player chooses one card and then put it on the table simultaneously to all other players. The remaining cards are handed to your neighbor. Due to this simultaneous decision-making there is nearly no waiting time, regardless if two or seven are playing. The single card chosen by each player can now be used to set up a building or to a Wonder or to acquire coins. Aim of this is to collect most points in your display of cards at the end of three rounds. Sounds trivial, when you read it like this, but due to the variation in the cards and their interlocking effects, which increase from round to round, result in ways of variations which could make you win that can barely be guessed at. Tactical decisions are as much of a necessity as is a basic strategic game plan. But foremost in this game you need to watch your neighbors, as "7 Wonders" has very strong interactive relations which have strong effects in the "Military" interim scorings and the final scoring. The 2-player variant is very exciting, too, as those players alternate to enact a turn of an imaginary third player and - in this way - can take cards out of play that might benefit their opponent. To erect your own Wonder is not mandatory, by the way, there are also other winning strategies, albeit valuable points from the eponymous game sometimes being the deciding factor. For enthusiasts - and there are many of them - I also must recommend the expansions "Leaders" and "Cities", with a special emphasis on "Cities", as this again drastically enhances interaction. But also in the basic version alone "7 Wonders" is worthy to be the 100. Highlight!

Comments to: hugo.kastner@chello.at

Homepage: www.hugo-kastner.at

RECOMMENDATION # 100

Players: 3-7

Age: 8+

Time: 30+

Designer: Antoine Bauza

Art: Miguel Coimbra

Price: ca. 30 Euro

Publisher: Repos Production

www.asmodee.com

Year: 2010

Competence: 4 von 9

Info±: 3 von 9

Chance: 2 von 9

You should know the cards, be able to assess the possibilities of your display and keep a permanent eye on both of your neighbors - then you will be able to make optimum use of your wonder. And yet, there is a nicely judged element of chance, which makes this game very attractive also for families.

Hugos EXPERT TIP

When you have had a few games of "7 Wonders", you could enhance the strategic element if, at the start of the game, you reveal the "Guilds" that are not in play. I also recommend to introduce new elements with the interesting expansions of "7 Wonder Cities" and "7 Wonders Leaders".

Hugos FLASHLIGHT

This is a truly worthy highlight that Antoine Bauza has provided for many, many entertaining hours - a card game, an optimization game, a family game, a game for in-between - "7 Wonders" combines all this and offers an unfathomable scope of possibilities to vary the game. The deluge of awards won by those 7 Wonders of the World is more than understandable!

PREVIEW

100 HIGHLIGHTS - An overview