And the new hot game is...

[ironphoenix]

7 Wonders!

My copy has now been played over 10 times with various groups, and I think I can declare this the best game since Dominion, at least.

For a summary of what the game is about and how it works, I'll refer you to the above link to BGG; here's my review of what I like and don't like about the game, which is not on BGG.

Pros:
- Mix of strategy, tactics, and luck; more strategic players are likely to do well, but aren't assured of a win
- Wide group size range (3-7, with a 2-player variant)
- Short play time (~45 minutes, including setup and cleanup)
- Moderate player interaction, with no directly destructive interaction
- Very nice artwork
- Quite easy to learn
- Good replayability (setup factors and card shuffles make each game quite different)
- Basic version is good, advanced version adds factors once basic is mastered
- Rules are clear and coverage seems complete
- Box stores components well; 4 rubber bands are useful additions
- Excellent pacing, even with maximum players; downtime is not a problem

Cons (all minor, in my opinion):
- Setup and cleanup takes a little time because of card sorting
- Hard to see how there can be a lot of good expansions for this one
- A rules gotcha that catches most people at least once: players aren't allowed to build a duplicate of a building they already have

Comments

[zenten.livejournal.com]

I certainly have enjoyed playing it.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize you had a copy!

[zenten.livejournal.com]

I don't. I've played with you twice :)

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

Ah, I thought you meant since then!

[beable]

These pros make this sound like a game I would enjoy (one of the things I don't like about the Dominion interaction - particularly in intrigue - is how much of the interactiveness is destructive)

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

*nods* soul_diaspora and I generally exclude the aggressive cards when just the two of us are playing Dominion.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I think I may be mostly played out on 7 Wonders. It felt like a lot of flash, but not a lot of staying power. I think I'll be up for an occasional further game, especially playing B-side wonders, but not much more.

Some issues:
-- certain wonders "railroad" you. The 7-point final build is valuable, but the middle commits to a certain direction to be useful. The 2 army one, and the pick one science wonder come to mind most strongly. (And, if you don't build the wonder, you are even more dependent on the randomness of what cards give you.) The army one is worst, because it also strongly influences your neighbours.
-- the 3/5/7 vp wonder seems the thing to match against -- is the middle level on any other wonder actually worth 5 vp? Sometimes, if you are lucky, yes -- but you generally have to commit other actions to making it so, rather than just getting 5 VP straight up. (Maybe it costs more?)
-- there might be more room for planning in a smaller group, where cards might come back to you a couple times, so you can pay attention to what the splits/deals are, but with 7 -- it is hard to choose a strategy when the card deal can kill most any strategy.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

We'll see how it lasts... I figure it's got a fair bit more life in it for me, especially given my last point below.

Issues:

Railroading--Yes on the one hand, but... the influence on others generated by one's monument ability can be useful. I've found that perhaps the least useful ability is the 9-coin one, because played right, just about any of the others have the potential to be worth considerably more.

Monument Balance--I think that with the possible exception of the 9-coin monument, most of the monuments balance well on average, if you include the cost. The Pyramids (5 VP) cost more, as I recall, because the VP are "ironclad". I can't comment yet on how well-balanced the B-sides are, either among each other or against the A-sides.

Randomness--I know you aren't as much a fan of it as many; I'm actually very much a fan of having a good number of games in which the best strategy can be overcome at least occasionally by luck. I want the folks I game with to enjoy themselves, and because skill levels aren't always well-balanced, games like this give the less skilled gamers a chance at the win.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the nine-coin one does seem the weakest. Of course, that money can be spent on goods to build other stuff -- which is, I think, the idea of its value. But, still.

I think the two military one would be more valuable in a small game (3-4 players) than large, because your military will have an impact on a far larger percent of the players -- either by taking VP from them, or by triggering them to spend actions on military. But in a large game, that effect is much more difuse.

Yeah, the randomness does have its place. It isn't that I won't play it -- I do like it well enough to play it when it comes out, I just don't think I'm going to be the one suggesting we bring it out. And, yeah, lots of people do enjoy it, which is cool, too.

[concordantnexus.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for bringing said game up. =)

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

My pleasure... it was fun having such enthusiastic players!