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Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea
2019
Rules assistance for Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 120–300 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.5/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea is a board game released in 2019 for 1–6 players, 120–300 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Mark McLaughlin and Chris Vorder Bruegge and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Take That.
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About the game
Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea allows you to create or conquer the great civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean in a single night, alone or with up to five other players - and without having to roll a single die! Build great Wonders to glorify a peaceful, thriving, commercial empire - or sack cities and conquer new lands as you spread your domain across the waters and around the shores of the Inner Sea. Start from humble beginnings in isolated settlements at the dawn of the Bronze Age or leap ahead to scenarios that put you in charge of the mighty civilizations of Troy, Egypt, Carthage, Mycenae, Minos, Phoenicia, Rome, Mauretania, Celt-Iberia and the Gauls as they contend for supremacy and survival in numerous historical environments. Solitaire rules challenge the player to save Egypt from invaders, defend Rome from the barbarians or march as the Greeks against Persia in exciting solitaire scenarios from the desperate days at Marathon to the conquests of Alexander. The game’s 110 Event Cards grant civilizations great generals, prophets and architects, along with military and commercial advantages ranging from chariots to triremes and from caravans to traders. There are also Events which can inflict plagues and famines, foment civil wars, incur barbarian invasions from all directions of the compass and unleash volcanoes, floods and earthquakes of apocalyptical proportions. With a very short rule book that lets players get into the game quickly, Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea is an exciting, fast-playing, easy-to-learn, easy-to-play but challenging to master and always different abstract game in which player's guide the legendary civilizations that surged and receded around the shores of the Mediterranean: which the Romans aptly called the Mare Internum, or Inner Sea. Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea is not just one game but many games. From one to six players will each take the role of one, two or even three of these civilizations as they compete across up to four epochs, each Epoch taking up to four turns, on land and sea, each seeking to make their indelible mark on history. The scenarios are of much shorter duration of only a few turns each (depending on which is selected). —description from the publisher
Questions and answers
Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea is 120–300 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea belongs to these categories: Wargame, Ancient, and Civilization. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Take That. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea are: Mark McLaughlin and Chris Vorder Bruegge. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.