Antiquity (2004) Board Game

Antiquity is a board game that was released in 2004 and designed by Ynze Moedt. It falls under the categories of city building, civilization, economic, environmental, and medieval. The game is known for its strategic depth and challenging gameplay, where players must build and develop their civilizations while also managing limited resources and dealing with various environmental hazards.
## Game Components of Antiquity
– Game board composed of hexes representing different types of terrain
– City maps (7×7 grid) for each player
– Building tiles for city and countryside constructions
– Worker pieces
– Resource tokens (wood, fish, etc.)
– Exploration markers
– Pollution markers
– Graves
– Patron saint cards
– Various other game pieces for tracking and management.

## How To Setup Antiquity
Players start with a town on one edge of the map, a few houses, and six pieces of wood. Each player has a 7×7 grid off the board to construct buildings in their city. The game board is made up of hexes that represent different terrains. Players begin by placing their starting buildings and workers, and then they expand their city and countryside areas by building new structures and collecting resources.

## Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective
– **Engine Building**: Players construct buildings in their city and countryside to gain resources.
– **Area Control**: Players expand their zone of control to access more land and resources.
– **Resource Management**: Managing resources such as wood, fish, and food to sustain the city.
– **Pollution Management**: Dealing with pollution that results from exploiting land.
– **Famine Management**: Mitigating the effects of increasing famine levels.
– **Victory Conditions**: Players choose their victory condition during the game, such as building all 20 houses, constructing all available buildings, having 3 each of all food and luxury resource types, or spreading their zone of control to completely cover another player’s zone.

## Player Experience
**Antiquity** is a challenging game that simulates the growth and management of medieval cities. Players face increasing famine and pollution, which they must manage to survive and win. The game is known for its complex mechanics and multiple paths to victory, requiring players to plan ahead carefully. Despite its complexity, the game has relatively low downtime, as many actions can be performed simultaneously.

### Pros
– **Multiple Paths to Victory**: Players can choose from various victory conditions, offering replayability.
– **Simultaneous Play**: Many actions can be performed simultaneously, reducing downtime.
– **Strategic Depth**: The game offers a deep and challenging experience with engine building and resource management.
– **Replayability**: The game board and city maps are modular, providing different scenarios each time.

### Cons
– **Complexity**: The game has complex rules and many components to manage.
– **Length**: Games can be very long, often exceeding 3 hours.
– **No Catch-Up Mechanics**: If a player falls behind, it can be difficult to catch up.
– **Frustration from Pollution**: Players can suffer from pollution dumped by opponents, adding to the game’s challenge.

## Personal Thoughts on Antiquity
**Antiquity** is designed for experienced gamers who enjoy complex strategy and engine-building games. It is particularly suited for those who have played games like Civilization or other Splotter games. While it offers a rich and challenging experience, it may not be ideal for casual gamers due to its complexity and length. The game’s unique mechanics and multiple victory conditions make it a compelling choice for those looking for a deep and engaging board game experience.

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