Tabletop games
7 Wonders
Repos ProductionAntoine Bauza2010
- players
- 3–7
- minutes
- 45
- years
- 10+
In the box
7 Wonder boards · Cards for the three Ages · Conflict tokens · Coins
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Antoine Bauza
- Artwork
- Dimitri Chappuis, Miguel Coimbra, Etienne Hebinger, Cyril Nouvel
- Publisher
- Repos Production
- Mechanics
- DraftingHand ManagementMeldingMulti-Use CardsNeighbour Scope
- Expansions
- 7 Wonders: Leaders · 2012
- 7 Wonders: Cities · 2013
- 7 Wonders: Wonder Pack · 2014
- 7 Wonders: Babel · 2014
- 7 Wonders: Armada · 2018
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Each player develops their city over three ages of six turns. Each turn, everyone chooses a card from their hand at the same time and plays it — to build a structure, build a stage of their wonder or discard it for three coins — then passes the rest to their neighbour. Each age closes with a conflict against both neighbours; after the third, add up the seven categories and the highest total wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
3 to 7 players, 3 coins each, 7 cards per age
- Three to seven players. Each player receives a Wonder board, Day or Night side, and three coins of value 1.
- In each age deck, keep only the cards intended for the number of players. In age III, add at random as many Guilds as there are players, plus two.
- Seven cards are dealt to each player at the start of every age.
How to play
6 turns per age, Simultaneous choice, Pass your hand on
- Each age has six turns. Everyone chooses a card at the same time, plays it, then passes the rest of their hand: to the left in ages I and III, to the right in age II.
- The chosen card is used for a single action: build its structure, build the next stage of your wonder (tucked under it, face down), or be discarded for three coins.
- A missing resource can be bought for 2 coins from a neighbour who produces it (brown or grey card, or the starting resource of their wonder).
- A structure whose chaining symbol you already own is built for free.
- On the sixth turn, keep one of your last two cards and discard the other, without receiving any coins.
- The end of each age triggers a military conflict with both neighbours.
Scoring
3 coins = 1 point, Science squared, 7 pts per set of 3 types
- Military: victory tokens (+1, +3 or +5 depending on the age) and defeat tokens (−1) collected over the three ages; this total can be negative.
- Treasury: 1 point for every three coins.
- Science: the square of the number of identical symbols, for each of the three types, plus 7 points for each set of three different symbols.
- Wonders, civilian structures, commercial structures and guilds: as stated on the cards.
End of the game
After age III, Highest total, Tie: biggest treasury
- The game ends after the third age.
- Add up the seven categories; the highest total wins.
- Tie: the biggest treasury wins; otherwise the victory is shared.
House rules and pitfalls
Science is the most rewarding category, and the easiest to sabotage in the draft.
- Science is the most rewarding category, and the easiest to sabotage in the draft.
- 7 Wonders Duel, for two players, adds two instant victories: military and scientific.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · Rules on video · In the same family · Play with the game assistant
Variants
Box
7 Wonders
7 Wonders Duel
For two players, with immediate military or scientific victory.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
Can you build the same structure twice?
No: you can never have two copies of a card with the same name in front of you. If you receive a second one, it can only be discarded for three coins or tucked under the wonder.
How does military conflict work?
At the end of each age, you compare your shields with each of your two neighbours. Winning earns a victory token (+1 in age I, +3 in age II, +5 in age III); losing costs a defeat token worth -1, whatever the age. If shields are tied, nobody takes a token.
How do you score science?
Each type of symbol (tablet, compass, gear) scores the square of its count: three compasses make 9 points. On top of that, each set of three different symbols scores 7 points. It is by far the most explosive category.
What do construction chains do?
From age II onwards, some cards show a chaining symbol: if a card you have already built bears that symbol, you build them for free. Building the right card early opens up free constructions later: that is the heart of the strategy.
Can you always discard a card for money?
Yes. You always have three options for the chosen card: build its structure, use it for the next stage of your wonder, or discard it for three coins. So you are never stuck for lack of resources.
How many cards are left at the end of an age?
The last hand of two cards is only half played: you play one and discard the other, without passing it on or receiving any coins. Everyone will therefore have played six cards per age.
Rules on video
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.