Board game titled "Tower of Babel" by Reiner Knizia displayed on a wooden background. The cover features an illustration of the Tower of Babel among various other wonders of the world, like the Pyramids of Giza and the Colossus of Rhodes.

Tower of Babel

Tower of Babel

Tower of Babel is a board game where players use cards to try to build the eight wonders of the ancient world. The number they build varies, but can’t be more than seven. The game was designed by Reiner Knizia and published by Hans im Glück in 2005. The game is named after the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which appears in Genesis 11:1–9. The story is an attempt to explain the existence of diverse human languages.

Why is Tower of Babel Popular?

Tower of Babel is a popular game because it is easy to learn, but has a lot of depth and strategy. The game has won several awards, including the 2005 Spiel des Jahres award. The game is significant because it is a good example of a modern board game that combines luck and strategy in a unique way.

Game Components of Tower of Babel

110 cards8 wonder tiles1 start player tile1 rulebook

Game Setup of Tower of Babel

Shuffle the cards and deal 10 to each player.Place the wonder tiles in the center of the table.Choose a start player.

Gameplay Mechanics of Tower of Babel

Each turn, players choose a card from their hand and play it face down in front of them.Once all players have played a card, they reveal them simultaneously.The player who played the highest card gets to choose a wonder tile and add it to their collection.The player who played the second-highest card gets to choose a wonder tile and add it to their collection, but they must pay one card to the bank.The player who played the lowest card must give one card to the player who played the highest card.Players then draw back up to 10 cards.

Game Objective of Tower of Babel

The objective of the game is to collect the most wonder tiles by the end of the game.

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