Tabletop publisher Fantasy Flight Games has announced a new title that will be hitting store shelves very soon: Sid Meier's Civilization: A New Dawn.
Sid Meier's Civilization: A New Dawn is a strategy tabletop game based on the Sid Meier's Civilization series of 4X PC games. Tabletop gamers will take on the role of a distinctive culture from world history and attempt to conquer the world through one of five different avenues: culture, economy, industry, military, or science. Much like the PC games, you won't be able to purely commit to one of these paths without investing a little bit in associated areas. For example, the strongest economy in the world would be very easily undone by Barbarians or other enemies if it didn't have a sufficiently strong military to defend itself.
The game can accommodate 2-4 players in their quest to take over a newly-discovered country represented by a classic hex-based map that CIvilization fans are all too familiar with. Initial board setup will populate the map with barbarians, natural resources, and city states. Each player will pick one of a number of civilizations, each with its own unique special abilities. Ultimately, you're seeking to complete one Agenda on each of the three Victory cards drawn at the outset of the game.
The progress of technology is represented by five focus cards which represent how an empire is allocating its resources towards the five distinct approaches to victory. In addition to progressing through the game's technological tree, players can trade with one another using caravans, fend off Barbarian attacks, and negotiate with city states for various benefits. It wouldn't be a Civilization game without the chance to make it run into the wee hours of the night and Fantasy Flight Games delivers such an option for the players with more time on their hands: the "Epic Game" rule allows for a fourth Victory card to be drawn to make your game of Sid Meier's Civilization: A New Dawn last just a little bit longer.
Sid Meier's Civilization: A New Dawn will be on store shelves in Q4 2017 for $49.95. You can pre-order a copy from your local retailer or from Fantasy Flight Games on the game's product page.
What do you think of Sid Meier's Civilization being adapted into a board game? Do you think the broad strokes of what makes the Civilization series so compelling can be captured in a tabletop environment? Will you be picking up SId Meier's Civilization: A New Dawn for yourself? Let us know in the comments below!