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Inspiration for Civilization cover: Stephen Boyd as Messala in "Ben-Hur"; Alec Guinness as Marcus Aurelius in "The Fall of the Roman Empire"; Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra
Full Game (Basic and Advanced): Wood Block version. Mounted main board, mounted AST and resource card boards, player boards, all Tech and Resource cards, all 9 player pieces as stickers on wood blocks. (Evan's Redesign)
Map for my ongoing graphical redesign of Civilization. The map incorporates the Western Expansion and measures 45x21 inches at full size.
AH Civilization - possible starting positions for each nation.
5 hours into a 7-player game - Late Bronze Age
Timeless AH's Civilization
First game of Civ for all four of us. Played at our local FLGS, +1 Gaming.
My hungarian box based on Evan Derrick's redesign. It's not just render this time :)
Babylon (InnsmouthMedic) ponders his next move.  He didn't have a beard when his turn began.
All Resource Cards. (Evan's Redesign)

Civilization (1980)

Players
2–7
Best: 6, 7
Playing time
360–360 min
Age
12+
7.48
Average rating
7,716
Ratings
3.64/5
Weight
#543
BGG rank
Top 1,000
Alternate names:Civilisation +3 more
Designer:Francis Tresham
Artist:Francis Tresham, Rodger B. MacGowan, Charles Kibler, Dale Sheaffer, Guillaume Rohmer, Ed Dovey
Publisher:The Avalon Hill Game Co +9 more
Average rating, ratings count, weight and rank are sourced from BoardGameGeek (BGG).
Game DNA
  • This game: Strategy 10, Luck 2, Interaction 10, Complexity 7.3, Theme 5
Strategy10.0
Luck2.0
Interaction10.0
Complexity7.3
Theme5.0

This game's strategy, luck, interaction, complexity and theme.

CivilizationEconomicNegotiationAncientSet CollectionTradingHand ManagementArea MovementSimulationArea Majority / InfluenceTurn Order: Stat-BasedTech Trees / Tech TracksAutomatic Resource Growth

Overview

Civilization is a game of skill for 2 to 7 players. It covers the development of ancient civilizations from the invention of agriculture c. 8000 B.C. to the emergence of Rome around the middle of the third century B.C. Each player leads a nation of peoples over a map board of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East as they attempt to carve a niche for themselves and their culture.

Although battles and territorial strategy are important, this is not a war game because it is not won by battle or conquest. Instead, the object of play is to gain a level of overall advancement involving cultural, economic, and political factors so that such conflicts that do arise are a result of rivalry and land shortage rather than a desire to eliminate other players. Nomad and farmer, warrior and merchant, artisan and citizen all have an essential part to play in the development of civilization. It is the player who most effectively changes emphasis between these various outlooks who will achieve the best balance and win.

(from the Introduction to the Avalon Hill edition rulebook)

This game has a huge following and is widely regarded as one of the best games about ancient civilizations. Each player takes on the role of leader of an ancient civilization, such as the Illyrians or Babylonians. Your task is to guide your people through the ages by expanding your empire and using its proceeds to finance new technological advances, such as Literacy, Metalworking, or Law. The advancements help your civilization better cope with its problems as well as help bring new advancements.

Civilization is widely thought to be the first game ever to incorporate a "technology tree," allowing players to gain certain items and abilities only after particular other items were obtained. This influential mechanism has been adopted by countless other board games, card games, and computer games.

Expansions

Advanced Civilization
Civilization: West Extension Map
Civilization: Expansion Trade Cards Set
Civilization Eastern Expansion Map
Civilization: The Expansion Project
Not available yet

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