1 Overview

7 Wonders is a card-drafting game for 2-7 players designed by Antoine Bauza and published by Repos Production in 2010. Players lead ancient civilizations over three Ages, simultaneously selecting cards to build their cities while passing the remaining hand to a neighbor. The game plays in 30-45 minutes regardless of player count -- one of the remarkable features of simultaneous card selection.

7 Wonders won the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2011 (Germany's award for complex strategy games) and has sold over 10 million copies. It remains one of the most-played gateway strategy games in the hobby.

2 History

Antoine Bauza, a French game designer, created 7 Wonders as a card-drafting game that could scale elegantly from 2 to 7 players without changing playing time. The innovative simultaneous action selection -- everyone drafts at once -- eliminated the dreaded "downtime" problem of traditional strategy games where players wait for their turn.

Repos Production published 7 Wonders in 2010 at Essen Spiel (the world's largest board game convention). It won the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2011 and spawned a beloved sequel, 7 Wonders Duel (2015, 2-player only), as well as multiple expansions. Today the brand includes Leaders, Cities, Babel, Armada, and the standalone 7 Wonders Architects (a simplified version for families).

3 Components

• 7 Wonder boards (one per player, double-sided -- A and B sides)
• Age I, II, and III card decks (separate decks, different card sets)
• 7 Wonder stages tokens (cover stages when built)
• Coin tokens (1 and 3 value)
• Military conflict tokens (Victory: +1/+3/+5; Defeat: -1 per Age)
• Score pad

4 Setup

1. Each player receives 1 Wonder board (randomly or by choice) and 3 coins.
2. Separate the Age I, II, and III decks. From each Age deck, remove cards based on player count (each Age has a specific per-player count; excess cards are removed randomly).
3. Deal 7 Age I cards face-down to each player as starting hands.
4. The player with the most recently read history book goes first (or choose randomly).

5 Card Types (by Color)

6 Three Age Structure

The game is divided into three Ages. Each Age follows the same structure:

1. Deal each player 7 cards from the current Age deck (face-down).
2. Players simultaneously draft cards for 6 rounds (the 7th card is discarded).
3. After each round, each player passes their remaining hand to a neighbor (see Passing Direction below).
4. After the 6th round (1 card left per hand), discard that card and resolve Military Conflicts.
5. Begin the next Age.

Passing Direction by Age

Passing direction matters strategically: in Age I you see what your left neighbor doesn't take. In Age II you see your right neighbor's discards. This shapes hate-drafting decisions.

7 Simultaneous Card Selection

Each round, ALL players simultaneously select one card from their hand and place it face-down. When everyone has chosen, all players reveal simultaneously and take their action. This is what makes 7 Wonders play in constant time -- no one waits for their turn.

With your selected card, you must do exactly one of:

• Build it: Pay any required resource costs and add to your city.
• Build a Wonder stage: Discard the card face-down under your Wonder board and pay the stage cost. Advance your Wonder marker.
• Sell it for 3 coins: Discard face-up to the discard pile and take 3 coins from the bank.

8 Resources and Building

Resources come from:

• Your Wonder board's starting resource (printed at top)
• Brown cards (Wood, Stone, Ore, Clay)
• Grey cards (Glass, Papyrus, Cloth)
• Some yellow commercial cards

Buying Resources from Neighbors

If you lack a required resource, you can buy it from an adjacent neighbor for 2 coins (paid to the bank, not the player). Your neighbor keeps their resource -- buying just gives you access to it this turn. Trade discount yellow cards reduce this cost to 1 coin for specific resource types from specific directions.

Free Chains

Many cards show a small symbol in the lower-left corner. If you previously built a card with a matching chain symbol, you may build the new card for free -- no resource cost. These chains are printed on the cards and are well worth planning around. Example: Barracks chains to Stables in Age II.

9 All 7 Wonders

Each Wonder board has a B side with different stage powers, providing 14 unique Wonder configurations total.

10 Military Conflicts

At the end of each Age, every player compares their total Shield count (from red military cards and some Wonder stages) against each neighbor independently.

Comparisons are made with each neighbor separately. You can win vs your left neighbor and lose vs your right neighbor. Ties result in no token for either player.

Total military swing across all three Ages: +18 pts maximum (winning both conflicts all 3 Ages). Losing all conflicts: -6 pts. This is a significant spread -- 24 points between total military dominance and total defeat.

11 Science Scoring

Science cards provide three symbol types: Compass, Gear, and Tablet. Scoring:

• Each individual symbol type scores its count SQUARED. So 3 Compasses = 9 pts, 4 Gears = 16 pts.
• Each complete SET of all three different symbols scores +7 bonus points.

Science Scoring Formula

(Compasses)^2 + (Gears)^2 + (Tablets)^2 + (7 x number of complete sets)

Science Scoring Examples

Science scales quadratically -- every additional symbol of a type you already have is worth MORE than the previous one. The 4th Compass is worth 2*(4)-1 = 7 more points than having only 3. Science rewards full commitment.

12 Scoring -- All 7 Categories

13 Guild Cards (Purple)

Guild cards appear only in Age III. They score based on specific card counts -- often including your neighbors' cities as well as your own. This makes guilds unpredictable: a guild worth 0 points in one game might be worth 15 in another.

Key guilds include:

• Traders Guild: 1 VP per yellow card in your city and neighbors' cities
• Craftsmen Guild: 2 VP per grey manufactured goods card in your neighbors' cities
• Scientists Guild: Provides a wild science symbol (one additional symbol of your choice)
• Strategists Guild: 1 VP per defeat token held by your neighbors
• Shipowners Guild: 1 VP per brown, grey, and purple card in your city

14 Strategy Guide

Science Snowballs -- Commit Early

Science is the highest-ceiling single strategy in 7 Wonders because it scales quadratically. Committing fully to science by Age I means drafting green cards aggressively in all three Ages. The target: at least 3 of each symbol type. With 4 of each, you score 76 points from science alone -- typically enough to win the game.

Resource Self-Sufficiency Pays Dividends

Every resource you buy from a neighbor costs 2 coins. In a typical game, a player who buys heavily spends 10-15 coins on trading. A player who built their own resources spends 0-5. That 10-coin difference = ~3-4 VP difference at game end plus more coins for other uses. Build brown and grey cards in Age I.

Military at the Margins

You compete with each neighbor independently. A common strategy: get just enough shields to beat ONE neighbor in each Age while ignoring the other. The token swings from beating one neighbor (+1+3+5 = +9 total) vs losing to one (-1-1-1 = -3) represent a 12-point swing for 2-3 military card investments. Efficient.

Hate Draft Green Cards

If the player to your left is building science (Age I cards pass leftward), you can see what they keep and what they want. Taking green cards out of the pass -- even if you're not running science -- denies them key symbols. A single hate-drafted Compass is worth 7-15 points of denial value in some game states.

Coins Are Points

1 VP per 3 coins. A yellow commercial building that generates 6 coins = 2 VP. But those coins also enable expensive Age III card purchases. Maintaining 6-9 coins through Age II buys strategic flexibility.

Blue Cards Are Reliable and Boring

Blue civic buildings offer fixed VP with no opponent interaction. They're never wasted and never blocked. A pure blue strategy rarely wins but never collapses -- it's the safe fallback when other strategies fall apart.

15 Expansions

• Leaders: Adds a leader card draft before Age I, granting powerful individual powers throughout the game. Highly recommended for experienced groups.
• Cities: Adds black city cards with corruption and diplomacy mechanics. More complex, excellent for groups who have mastered the base game.
• Babel: Adds tower-building and legislation effects. Changes the game significantly.
• Armada: Adds a naval fleet development mechanic running parallel to the city.
• 7 Wonders Duel: A standalone 2-player game with deeper strategic depth than the base game at 2 players. Highly recommended for couples or competitive duos.

16 Frequently Asked Questions

Who designed 7 Wonders?

Antoine Bauza. Repos Production, 2010. Kennerspiel des Jahres 2011.

Which way do you pass cards?

Ages I and III: left. Age II: right.

How does science work?

Each symbol type scores squared + 7 pts per complete set of all three symbols.

Can you buy resources from anyone?

Only from immediate neighbors (left and right). Costs 2 coins per resource.

What happens to the last card?

Discarded. Each hand starts with 7 cards and 6 drafts -- one card per hand is always cut.

How many shields to win military?

Just more than each neighbor independently. Compare against each separately.

Do you have to build Wonder stages?

No -- optional. But the bonuses are usually worth it.

How long does it take?

30-45 minutes at any player count, due to simultaneous drafting.

What are free chains?

Symbols on cards that let you build the next card for free if you previously built a matching card.

What is hate-drafting?

Taking a card specifically to deny it to a neighbor, even if you don't need it yourself.