Pomeranian

The Players

Clockwise passing will go down this list, while counterlockwise passing will go up.

Age II

Phase 4

Ephesus plays a Loom, gaining 1 cloth production.

Rome spends 1 gold for a Quarry, gaining 2 stone production.

Giza spends 1 gold for a Quarry, gaining 2 stone production.

Helicarnassus spends 2 ore to build the first stage of his wonder, gaining 2VP and playing a Guard Tower from the discard pile, gaining 1 shield.

Rhodes plays a Vineyard, gaining 8 gold.

Olympia spends 2 ore to build the third stage of his wonder, gaining 7VP.

Phase 5

Ephesus buys stone from Olympia for 2 gold, gaining 1 gold rebate from Hatshepsut, then spends 3 stone for Walls, gaining 2 shields.

Rome spends 1 cloth, 1 stone, and 1 brick to build the second stage of his wonder, gaining 3VP and spending 2 gold to play Archimedes.

Giza spends 1 stone to build the first stage of his wonder, gaining 3VP.

Helicarnassus buys glass from Rhodes for 1 gold, then spends 2 ore and 1 glass for a Dispensary.

Rhodes spends 1 gold for a Brickyard, gaining 2 brick production.

Olympia plays a Loom, gaining cloth production.

Phase 6

Ephesus discards a card for 3 gold.

Rome spends 2 stone and 1 papyrus to build the last stage of his wonder, gaining 3VP and spending 1 gold to play Aristotle.

Giza buys 1 ore from Helicarnassus for 1 gold and spends 1 brick, 1 lumber, and 1 ore for Stables, gaining 2 shields.

Helicarnassus buys 1 papyrus from Giza for 1 gold and spends 2 brick and 1 papyrus for a Laboratory.

Rhodes buys 1 stone from Olympia for 2 gold and 1 cloth from Helicarnassus for 1 gold and spends 2 stone and 1 cloth to build a Library.

Olympia spends 2 ore and 1 lumber to build a Statue, gaining 4VP.

Conflict

Ephesus has 5 shields, versus 4 for Rome and 2 for Olympia, winning both conflicts.

Rome has 4 shields, versus 5 for Ephesus and 4 for Giza. Loses versus Ephesus and ties versus Giza.

Giza has 4 shields, versus 4 for Rome and 2 for Helicannaus. Ties versus Rome and wins versus Helicarnassus.

Helicarnassus has 2 shields, versus 4 for Giza and 0 for Rhodes, loses versus Giza and wins versus Rhodes.

Rhodes has 0 shields, versus 2 for Helicarnassus and 2 for Olympia. Losing both conflicts.

Olympia has 2 shields, versus 0 for Rhodes and 5 for Ephesus. Wins versus Rhodes and loses versus Ephesus.

Age III

Recruitment Phase

Ephesus spends 2 gold each to buy 1 lumber from Rome and Olympia, gaining 2 gold from Hatshepsut, and builds the second stage of his wonder, gaining 9 gold.

Rome spends 3 gold for Euclid.

Giza spends 4 gold for Ptolemy.

Helicarnassus spends 3 gold for Alexander.

Rhodes spends 3 gold for Hiram.

Olympia spends 0 gold for Zenobia, gaining 3VP.

Phase 1

Ephesus pays 2 gold to Rome for glass and 2 gold to Olympia for wood, gaining 2 gold from Hatshepsut, then spends 1 stone, 1 wood, 1 glass, and 1 papyrus for a Diplomat's Guild.

Rome spends 1 wood, 1 papyrus, and 1 glass for a University.

Giza plays a Circus, which is free because of the Training Grounds.

Helicarnassos spends 3 clay to build the second stage of his wonder, gaining 1VP and playing an Archery Range from the discard pile, gaining 2 shields.

Rhodes play a University, which is free because of the Library.

Olympia uses the second stage of his wonder to build the Pantheon for free.

Phase 2

Ephesus plays Fortifications, which is free because of Walls, gaining 3 shields.

Rome buys 1 lumber from Giza and spends 2 lumber, 1 ore, and 1 cloth for an Arsenal, gaining 3 shields.

Giza buys 1 brick each from Rome and Helicarnassus and spends 3 brick to build the second stage of his wonder, gaining 5VP.

Helicarnassos plays a Lighthouse, which is free because of the Caravansery, and gains 3 gold.

Rhodes pays 1 stone, 1 brick, 1 lumber, and 1 ore for a Gamers' Guild.

Olympia spends 2 stone and 1 ore for an Arena, gaining 9 gold.

Phase 3

Ephesus pays Rome 2 gold for glass and Olympia 2 gold for lumber, gaining 2 gold from Hatshepsut, then spends 1 stone, 2 lumber, and 1 ore for a Senate, gaining 6VP.

Rome plays a Haven, which is free because of the Forum, and gains 4 gold.

Giza buys cloth from Helicarnassus and spends 1 glass, 1 cloth, and 1 papyrus for a Traders' Guild.

Helicarnassus plays a Pantheon, which is free because of the Temple.

Rhodes spends 2 ore, 1 brick, 1 stone, and 1 lumber for a Workers' Guild.

Olympia plays the Architects' Guild, which is free because of Ramses.

Phase 4

Ephesus pays Rome 2 gold for glass and Olympia 4 gold for lumber and stone, gains 2 gold from Hatshepsut, then pays 1 stone, 1 lumber, 1 brick, 1 ore, 1 glass, 1 cloth, and 1 papyrus for a Palace, gaining 8VP.

Rome spends 1 ore, 1 glass, and 1 cloth for an Observatory.

Giza pays Rome 1 gold for a stone and spends 3 stone to build the third stage of his wonder, gaining 7VP.

Helicarnassus pays Giza 2 gold for a lumber then spends 3 bricks and 1 lumber for a Siege Workshop, gaining 3 shields.

Rhodes spends 3 brick to build the second stage of his wonder, gaining 2 shields.

Olympia spends 1 lumber, 1 ore, and 1 cloth for a Haven, gaining 3 gold.

Phase 5

Ephesus spends 2 papyrus to build the third stage of his wonder, gaining 7VP.

Rome pays 2 gold to Giza for lumber and spends 2 lumber, 1 stone, and 1 ore for a Senate, gaining 6VP.

Giza discards a card for 3 gold.

Helicarnassus pays 2 gold to Giza for a stone and spends 2 ore, 1 stone, and 1 cloth for a Stategests' Guild.

Rhodes spends 4 ore to build the thirds stage of his wonder, gaining 7VP.

Olympia discards a card for 3 gold.

Phase 6

Ephesus discards a card for 3 gold.

Rome pays 2 gold to Giza for brick and spends 2 brick and Papyrus for a Chamber of Commerce, gaining 2 gold.

Giza spends 1 stone and 1 glass for a Lighthouse, gaining 4 gold.

Helicarnassus pays Giza 1 gold for papyrus and 1 gold to Rhodes for glass and spends 1 cloth, 1 papyrus, and 1 glass to build the third stage of his wonder playing a Town Hall out of the discard pile for 6VP.

Rhodes spends 2 brick and 1 lumber for Gardens, gaining 5VP.

Olympia builds Gardens for free because of the Statue, gaining 5VP.

Conflict

Ephesus has 8 shields versus Rome with 7 and Olympia with 2, winning both conflicts.

Rome has 7 shields versus Ephesus with 8 and Giza with 7, losing against Ephesus and tying versus Giza.

Giza has 7 shields versus 7 for Rome and 7 for Helicarnassus, tying versus Rome and tying with Helicarnassus.

Helicarnassus has 7 shields versus 7 for Giza and 2 for Rhodes, tying with Giza and winning versus Rhodes.

Rhodes has 2 shields versus X for Helicarnassus and 2 for Olympia, losing versus Helicarnassus and tying with Olympia.

Olympia has 2 shields versus 2 for Rhodes and 8 for Ephesus, tying with Rhodes and losing versus Ephesus.

Victory Points

Congratulations to Dave on his very close victory!

End of Game Statements

Chris Geggus (Rhodes): Well done Dave and well done Chris. Always enjoy the game, but just can't seem to get an engine going. Ignoring military did me no favours this time round, so might need to rethink that. On to the next one.

Kevin Wilson (Helicarnassus): Once again you get to be guinea pigs as once again I played a game for the first time. I’ve long wanted a copy and to play 7 Wonders but just hadn’t done so. I picked up a copy in a recent trade then grabbed a couple of the extensions on the cheap so I could play in SOB. I think I’ll like the game. This first play was mostly focused on mechanics and process and less on strategy. The fact I didn’t finish last is totally, I think, due to the luck of drawing Halicarnassus which allowed me to grab some decent cards for free as I built my monument, mostly my warfare cards and some late VP. I’ve got a better grip on process now so just need to focus more on building the engine and thinking further down the road about which cards I’ve seen so I’ll have a better idea of which cards I won’t see in later turns of an age. This time I mainly just reacted and got lucky.

As usual, thanks to Chris for running the game and to the rest for playing. It was fun and I look forward to trying again and being even more of a challenge to those of you who are more experienced with the game.

Christopher Hunt (Giza): An enjoyable game. As always many thanks to Chris for telling me the rules and running the show.

Congratulations to Dave and Chris. Much liked the leaders.

Bill Scharf (Olympia): Good game Chris thanks for running it. Odd as it may sound I felt a little handicapped playing with only the leaders expansion....which is a must in my opinion because of what it adds to the game. I can’t remember the last time I played with just the one expansion.....no I can’t remember. I used to play this game a lot, although it’s been bumped recently by terraforming mars. It’s still a challenge though, and fun to boot. Great gaming guys!

Kevin Wilson (Helicarnassus): Which combination of expansions did you play most often before? Being new to the game I have no idea how much Leaders actually added since I’ve not played without but would love to hear your thoughts.

Chris Hassler (GM): At our monthly game nights, which Bill attends, we typically use the Wonder Pack, Leaders, and Cities. With all of those, there are enough wonders to deal at least 2 to each player so that you have some choice.

Dave Hooton (Ephesus): All you need to do, Chris G., is to find a way to roll some dice. :-)

Thanks to Chris H. for running the game, and an honorable mention to Bill who almost won. My Ephesus always faced a money shortage, much of it due to nobody buying any resources from it, ever. Ephesus even had to use a leader to build a wonder level. Fortunately, it did get a few breaks, such as getting Diplomat Corps while being next to Rome, staying one shield ahead of Rome, and having Hatshepsut to mitigate the money outflow.