A New Dawn is a strategy board game for two to four players, who act as some of history’s most memorable rulers. From Teddy Roosevelt to Montezuma, players must construct and populate the map with barbarians, natural resources, and city-states. Each leader comes with a unique ability to help shape the world in line with certain ideologies. While everyone starts off in similar ways, each person’s exact goals change with every game. These agendas are detailed on victory cards. Players draw three and then race to complete one agenda on each of their cards.
Throughout the game, players travel through time, from ancient history to the modern day. As leaders expand their cities into empires, their nation develops through accomplishments such as scientific advances, cultural developments, and military production. At the same time, leaders must also deal with world events such as barbarian attacks. These can wreck a nation’s economy or crumble it to dust if players are not prepared.
True to the nature of the franchise, the Civilization board game challenges players with tactical decisions and with the need to make their empire less insular. By sending caravans to city-states and rival cities, players earn trade tokens that can be spent to increase the effects of focus cards. More information about the game structure can be found at Fantasy Flight Games.
This Civilization board game isn’t the first video game to be adapted by Fantasy Flight Games. Another strategy game, XCOM: The Board Game is a take on the popular turn-based game. The Fallout board game is another option for those looking for some exploration and role-playing. For a big departure, Doom: The Board Game takes away the frantic pace of this first-person shooter and slows it down into a tactical fight.
Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn is available for pre-order directly from Fantasy Flight Games or from game shops for $50. Expect the game to hit shelves in the fourth quarter of 2017.
