7 Wonders is a board game designed by Repos Productions and the winner of over 25 awards! It is one of our family’s favorite games, and best of all it’s a game that can be played with 3-7 players. There are no games in our closet that we have played more or enjoyed more than 7 Wonders. It combines strategy, resource management, city building, and minimal aggression into a game that rarely goes longer than an hour from set-up to put-up.
Game Premise
In 7 Wonders you are the leader of one of the seven great cities of the Ancient World. You will gather resources, develop commercial routes, and pillage your neighbors using military supremacy; all while developing your city and building one of the great 7 Wonders of the ancient world.
The Babylon Board with cards already Played to Represent Structures
Why We Love 7 Wonders
Our family loves this game because you remain active the entire time. There is very little waiting on other players as everyone is looking at the cards at the same time. This makes the game feel very active. Many games that support more than 4 players often have tremendous downtime where younger children can become bored or distracted (this can be true for adults as well). 7 Wonders keeps each player engaged in making decisions constantly.
Another reason we enjoy 7 Wonders is the limitation of player interactions. Each player’s primary concern is their neighbor on the left and right. For new players, this is a benefit because they don’t have to be concerned with what’s happening around the entire table. It makes a large game feel small and playable.
The third reason we really enjoy 7 Wonders is that it’s easy to learn and young people can play it and enjoy it. In general, anyone who can read without help can learn 7 Wonders. Our children started playing without much help around seven years old. This really helps when the grandparents come and visit because we can all play something together that is enjoyable.
Components
As with all games, 7 Wonders contains many components. They are not very complex, but instead are well-illustrated cards slightly larger than normal playing cards. The game also contains cardboard cutouts of coins and victory points. The final components are the double-sided individual boards representing the player’s wonder.
Rhodes boards played with coins and negative points on the board
Game Play
The game, in its base form, lasts three ages (rounds). In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, then choose one card and pass the remainder to an adjacent player. Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources, or interacting with other players in various ways. Each card is played immediately after being drafted, so you’ll know which cards your neighbor is receiving and how their choices might affect what you’ve already built up. Each board has its own unique powers and costs that encourage a unique play for the players. Cards are passed left-right-left over the three ages, so you need to keep an eye on the neighbors in both directions.
Once all the actions are completed, each player then chooses another card from the deck they were passed, and the process repeats until players have six cards in play from that age. After three Ages, the game ends and you score the accumulative points.
7 Wonders Game Mechanics
Each card in each age has its own unique power, point value, and/or resource generation. Some cards have immediate effects, while others provide bonuses or upgrades later in the game. There are also cards that provide military strength to overpower your neighbors giving them negative points and your positive points. The cards are broken into four primary types that have their own associated color.
Military cards (red) are used to build for combat that happens at the end of each age.
Scientific cards (green) are used to combine symbols for extra points and playing certain cards for free.
Civic cards (blue) give points at the end of the game.
Commercial cards (yellow) give alternative ways to access resources and coins while also giving points at the end of the game.
Guild cards (purple) are only in the final age and change each game. These cards grant points based on meeting specific criteria of you or your neighbors.
Resource cards (brown) only provide resources for building other structures. At each age, the cost of a building becomes greater and greater.
Commodity cards (gray) are exactly like the resource cards except rarer and used more sparingly.
Playing 7 Wonders
Playing 7 Wonders is a simple yet delightful experience. It is one of the first games we teach people who have never played board games. The learning curve is gentle and new players will learn quickly. One aspect we love most about 7 Wonders for new players is that when they finish the game they feel accomplished.
I personally enjoy all the different strategies you can employ. There is no “One way to win.” Instead, you can employ many variants and take large risks that could lead to a great victory or more tragically a great defeat. In contrast, Christy likes the game because she can employ a consistent strategy that often takes her to victory.
Honestly, this is one of the best things about 7 Wonders, the variety! Each time you play it feels different because all the pieces and players change. Each time you play your board will be different than the last. Yet, there is some level of consistency that allows you deeper progress into the strategy of the game. We have played 7 Wonders more times than I can count and each time we get it out I’m excited to play. There are not many games I can say that about.
If you are interested in buying 7 Wonders you can find it on Amazon here.
See 7 Wonders on Amazon
Expansions
Another great aspect about 7 Wonders is its plethora of expansions. Over the course of seven years, the developers have released six expansions! Each of these expansions adds to the game in a substantial way. I’m going to go into details on the expansion in this article but I will mention our favorites. If you’re looking to buy the expansions I suggest you purchase Leaders and Armada. These two add a lot of value to the game. We also really enjoyed the Cities expansion. Our least favorite is the Wonder Pack and Babel.
As a small business, we want to encourage people to support other small businesses. One of those ways is through Etsy and the amazing things you can find there. For 7 wonders there are many options which you can see here. But the most interesting ones are these three.
There is also a really well-designed two-player version of 7 Wonders for the times when you don’t have many players. I would suggest purchasing this game over trying to play the 7 Wonders 2 player variant.
See 7 Wonder Dual and its expansions on Amazon here
Duel
7 Wonders: Duel – Pantheon (October 2016)
See 7 Wonders Dual on Amazon
Awards and Honors
2012 Awards
MinD-Spielepreis Nominee
Ludoteca Ideale Winner
Boardgames Australia Awards Best International Game Nominee
2011 Awards
Boardgames Australia Awards Best International Game Nominee
Vuoden Peli Adult Game of the Year Winner
Spiel des Jahres Kennerspiel des Jahres Winner
Nederlandse Spellenprijs Nominee
Lys Passioné Finalist and Winner
Lucca Games Best Boardgame Winner
Juego del Año Tico Winner, Tico Nominee, and Finalist.
JoTa Best Light Board Game Nominee, Best Light Board Game Critic Award, Best Light Board Game Audience Award, Best Card Game Nominee, Best Card Game Critic Award, Best Card Game Audience Award, Best Artwork Nominee, and Best Artwork Critic Award
Japan Boardgame Prize Voters’ Selection Winner
International Gamers Award – General Strategy: Multi-player Winner
Hra roku Winner
Guldbrikken Best Adult Game Winner
Gra Roku Game of the Year Nominee
Gouden Ludo Winner
Golden Geek Most Innovative Board Game Nominee, Best Strategy Board Game Nominee, Best Party Board Game Nominee, Best Family Board Game Winner, Best Card Game Winner, Best Card Game Nominee, and Best Board Game Artwork/Presentation Nominee
Fairplay À la carte Winner
Deutscher Spiele Preis Best Family/Adult Game Winner
Click here to read about Discovering your backyard!
Click here to read about making Family Night Fun!
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We only recommend products, people, and companies, we would use ourselves. All opinions expressed here are our own. Posts within our site may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may earn us a small commission. See the full disclosure here.
In our home, we have at least one, if not two nights a week that are exclusively reserved for Family Night. These nights are not extensively planned or complicated. Instead, they are simplistic in focus, yet surprisingly rich in enjoyment. I’m a pretty easy-going person and I enjoy NOT planning! Most of my work life is built around structure, deadlines, and planning. The last thing I want to do is overthink our weekly family fun nights. Occasionally we do go all out to plan a fun adventure or special outing, but on a weekly basis, the focus is on togetherness, and simplicity for kids and adults. However, I do have a consistent goal, delivering fun to the kids while simultaneously causing as little work as possible for Christy and me!
1. Pizza Family Night
Pepperoni Pizza. The Family Night Favorite.
Yes, it’s a little cliché… but it checks all the boxes. Rarely will you see more joy on my children’s faces than when I bring home hot pizza for dinner! Not because my wife isn’t a good cook, she is an incredible cook and can make a mean homemade pizza, but bringing home pizza is one of the easiest ways to meet my goal. The kids are going to have fun (probably because pizza night usually involves a movie, see below) and Christy doesn’t have to cook or clean. It’s a win-win for all!
One potential issue with pizza night is that it can be expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. For us, we lean towards Domino’s pizza because they have had a large pizza for $8 all year. Or one of my children loves Little Caesars (I know…) $5 pizza. Either choice is better than the price you pay in a store and it’s already cooked. If you have the finances and their pizza is good we would always suggest you support a local pizzeria when possible. Places like Joe’s Pizza in Mesquite Texas or Strongs Brick Oven in Newport Kentucky (Yes I know they aren’t even close to each other, but I don’t know where you live or where you’re traveling). No matter how you get your pizza the key is to make sure it’s tasty and it’s easy.
2. Movie Night
Movie Night is a classic. Cliché again? Perhaps, but highly effective. During the week our family strives not to watch movies or TV shows at night. So when the weekend comes around everyone is excited and ready to simply sit, cuddle, and watch a movie. On movie nights our children gather the nuggets and lay them out into a massive pallet in front of the couch. Then they get every pillow and blanket they can find and pile them on. Once the couch is made up we all pile on, usually with Christy and me in the center and the kids on and around us.
Our movie selection can vary from the newest Disney film, like Onward, or a classic like Singing in the Rain! Whatever your taste is in movies try to make it enjoyable for all while remembering that children can enjoy many different types of film. We are currently working our way through Musicals. You don’t always have to choose an animated film, extend their minds with other genres of films as well. This may take a while for them to enjoy, but start with more recent films and work your way back into the classics. There is a good post over on SilverScenes about this exact topic, go check them out for some good film suggestions.
3. Board Game Family Night
When it comes to board game night a lot of families stick with the classics like Monopoly or Trouble. And though those games have a rightful place in the pantheon of games, they are pretty low on our personal list. Instead, when we play games with the kids we are playing more modern strategy games. We started the kids on games like King Domino and King of Tokyo and have slowly moved them into more complicated games like Rise of Tribes and Dominion. Our all-time favorite being 7 Wonders and its myriad of expansions. Whatever your game preference, make sure you do the following to make it fun for the whole family and easy on you. When we have had a couple of babies or toddlers they have had something fun to play with besides the game-playing family members. Possibly extra game pieces, a pile of blocks or Legos, a special coloring book, or Play-Doh. The littlest ones move from their special project to team-playing to having their own place in the game as they show aptitude and desire. This happens quicker than you would think! A couple of years of watching and observing make for some mighty opponents in your five, six, and seven-year-olds!
Make sure you know the rules before playing
Have the kids set up the game so they are mentally preparing and getting excited
Have simple snacks like popcorn, chips, or healthier alternatives
Don’t start too late
Don’t drag the game out
For younger children make sure the game is age-appropriate
For older children make sure the game is challenging
Do your best to complete the game-make sure all who start finish!
4. Video Game Family Night
This one may not be for every family. For those of us who grew up playing video games, this is a great family night. The only complication being that most games only support two players or a maximum of four. So it can be hard to find a game to play. There are options that exist, especially on the Nintendo Switch. Games like Super Mario Party or Super Smash Brothers are good fun competitive games that families can take turns playing.
The key to a fun video game night is figuring out the game ahead of time (Don’t let the kids argue over what’s going to be played) and not forcing anyone to play. Maybe not everyone in the family enjoys playing. So make them the cheerleader, snack coordinator, or get them a fun book to read beside the group.
5. Reading Family Night
This is my wife’s favorite family night. Where the others are focused on interaction and laughter and fun, this Family Night emphasizes silence, close proximity, and relaxation. For us, these nights happen mostly in winter and in front of a blazing fire. No tricks to this one. Just have everyone find their favorite book, a blanket, and a cup of tea then find a place to sit, cuddle and enjoy a great read. Sometimes my wife starts out with one of the Read-Alouds in her rotation and then we move to individual books as the night goes on. Often these nights end in a lively discussion on one or more of the books being read. Occasionally, we even put on an audiobook for the whole family and just cuddle while drinking hot tea or chocolate.
6. No-Media Night
This Family Night is one of our favorites and it’s simple enough but often harder to execute than you would think. The emphasis is on no electronics, media, or screens, for the whole family. This means parents putting away their phones, turning off the TV, and focusing on conversations. I remember growing up and even after becoming an adult how often my family would sit around and talk. Now for us, we lived in Colorado and so settling in front of the fireplace to talk was natural during the winter. Now that technology is increasing we have found how important it is to make time to talk. The hard part is starting the conversation without being awkward. Hence why you need some really simple ice breakers. As an example try…
Where would you fly if you had wings?
If you could eat one food right now what would it be?
How would you describe your mom in three words?
How would you describe your dad in three words?
What book are you reading (Why?)
If you could speak any language, what would it be?
Name one quality you love about each family member etc…
We discovered that we really like the nights where we focus on connecting with the kids. We want them to grow and become people who can engage with others easily in conversations. If you have never done this we would highly suggest you try as soon as possible. You will be surprised how much your children and spouse have to say when you turn off the cell phones and other distracting technology,
Outdoor Opportunities
We really enjoy family night, but we know how important it is to get your family outside and exploring the world around them. If you would like to read about an incredible way to Discover Curiosity in your own backyard I encourage you to check out the article below by the Social Clownfish.
Discover Your Curiosity
Family Night Wrap Up
What are some things you do on your family nights? What ideas can you share with us that we can try?
Affiliate Disclosure
We only recommend products, people, and companies, we would use ourselves. All opinions expressed here are our own. Posts within our site may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may earn us a small commission. See the full disclosure here.
Welcome to A Family Perspective a place for families by families. My name is Jarrod and with my wife, sister, and brothers we are developing a site to help people. Above all we want to see families grow and excel. You can discover more about each one of us on the “About Us” page.
Why We Started A Family Perspective
My family decided to begin working on this site in late 2019 and have only now developed it to a point where we are willing to share it with the world. However, we are not professional web developers and we have never done anything like this before. Therefore, we would appreciate your patience and input!
We began this journey from a desire to help families have better access to information that can improve their lives, create memories, and explore the world around them. However, not by telling families what to be, instead by showing them what our home does and similarly, by exploring what other families do. We are not the perfect family. Nor does one exist. Instead we are families who live life differently. We all have ideas… good and bad ideas. We want to take these experiences and differences and learn how to help one another by creating a community that isn’t critical of one another, but instead encouraging and helpful.
Exploring as a Family
We want to explore and learn with other families. We want to talk about the places that we have gone, the things we have done, and the people and products that have helped us along the way. For instance, here are some of the things we will be doing:
Writing Articles on being a family.
Creating Articles on parenting.
Interviewing other families from different areas around the world. Exploring how families think, eat, and live.
Write reviews on toys, house accessories, and entertainment with a logical system of points.
Discover new locations on solo, couple, and most of all family travel.
This is a special interest for us because we love exploring new places. From major trips overseas to State and National Parks we love seeing and exploring with our loved ones.
Creating Travel companions for areas that you can visit. These are focused mostly towards children and contain:
Coloring Pages
Questions aimed towards multiple age groups
Local area recipes
Short (5-10 Minute) biography on local historic or famous people
Photography and family photography (Hadassah is a photographer).
Conclusion
The family is a critical cornerstone of society and humanity. Have you been purposeful in your home? Developed a family plan? Set up goals? Have you inspired fellow members with dreams? If not… why not? Why not invest as much time into the family as hobbies and work? Why not start today?
Tell us about yourself and what we could do to help you in the comments below.
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