7 Wonders: Architects takes the classic drafting game and simplifies it somewhat.
But does it make it any less fun?
In 7 Wonders: Architects, 2-7 players race to become a leader of the ancient world by completing an architectural wonder that will last through the ages.
7 Wonders: Architects Game Overview
Quick Rules Summary
Each player has a Wonder constructed on face-down “incomplete side” tiles. They also have a deck of cards they place on their left face up so everyone has their deck to their left and access to their neighbours on their right.
On your turn, you draw a card from the deck on your left, the adjacent player’s deck on your right or a central deck that is face down. Most of these cards are resources or point cards you keep face up.
Some are science cards and if you get one each of the 3 icons or two of the same you discard them to gain a token that gives you a bonus.
Others are combat, some of which have horns that flip over that many combat tokens.
How do you win?
When all the combat tokens are flipped, players compare their combat value to the players on each side and score 3 points for each player they have more than.
Resources are traded in to build pieces of the Wonder from the bottom up and are worth points and often add abilities or other bonuses.
The points cards are obviously worth points and the most points wins.
Main Mechanisms
Set collection really. Wonders need several of the same or different resources to build the individual parts.
USP
It’s a cross between 7 Wonders theming with something like Splendor for drafting set collection. I don’t think Splendor is the right example but it’s the best one I can think of right now.
Theme
The ancient world, it’s fairly abstracted but all the places and Wonders are real so you might learn something.
Setup
Everyone gets the components from their nice little box, shuffles the deck, arranges the Wonder and you’re good to go.
Components & Artwork
The tiles for the wonders are nice and look really cool. The art on the tokens and cards is minimalistic and helps with gameplay.
The player components come in really nice boxes and the cards come in little plastic holders so the deck can be placed face up without revealing cards in the deck.
Ease of Teaching
The game is very simple. Draw from one of 3 decks and do whatever the card needs you to do. It’s all open information too except for the face-down card in the middle deck but once they draw it, it becomes open information.
Similar Games
I already mentioned 7 Wonders which has the theme covered. There are a few games where you draw to collect sets to get/build something and Splendor is the only one coming to mind.
7 Wonders: Architects Review
Positives
Very simple gameplay.
Each Wonder plays differently with different abilities.
The components are really nice.
Some point cards give you control of the cat statue which lets you look at the top card in the central deck before you draw it and the wrestle for the cat is fun.
Negatives
Plenty of ‘luck of the draw’. One player at the table told me someone once won by just drawing blindly from the central deck every turn.
Sometimes all 3 decks end up with a card you neither want nor need meaning you have to waste a turn.
Summary
A fun game I really enjoy playing.
Jesta ThaRogue