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7 Wonders Duel
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The Sands of Time
2018
Rules assistance for The Sands of Time
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 120–180 min
- 12+
- Complexity 4.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Sands of Time
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Sands of Time is a board game released in 2018 for 2–5 players, 120–180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jeff Warrender and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Income, and Dice Rolling.
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About the game
The sands of time sweep across the ages, burying the cities and monuments of civilizations, leaving only whispers of the glory of ancient societies. The Sands of Time is a civilization-building game set loosely in classical antiquity, on a board inspired by a Roman-era map. Each player rules over a civilization in the ancient world, attempting exploits that will be remembered long after the civilization has withered. Each turn, players will select two action cards, which represent edicts delivered by the player to his populace, announcing what aspects of the empire he/she wishes to address: building structures, implementing advances, migrating population, initiating combat, annexing new territories, instituting reforms to manage the empire’s unrest, building trade routes, demanding tribute, and -- crucially –- recording Chronicles about his/her reign. The central element of the game's scoring system, Chronicle cards represent claims of great accomplishments. To score a chronicle, the player must have a "heritage" level commensurate with the claim he/she is making: claims of great works will only be believed and perpetuated if the player's civilization has established a reputation in the relevant civilization category (cultural, civil, or political). Actions generally require the payment of resources (crops or gold), and action costs correlate either to the player's empire size or the player's Unrest level. Unrest increases when a player's territories become too crowded, or when a player re-uses an action card, or when a player voluntarily presses on his populace to squeeze additional productivity out of them. Managing Unrest is a central concern for the player throughout the game. Players must strike the right balance between competition and peaceful interaction with their neighbors, to propel their civilizations from insignificant, forgettable kingdoms into empires worthy of the attention of historians!
Questions and answers
The Sands of Time supports 2–5 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 The Sands of Time is 120–180 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 The Sands of Time for ages 12 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.
The Sands of Time has a complexity rating of 4.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy 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.
The Sands of Time belongs to these categories: Ancient and Civilization. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Income, and Dice Rolling. 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 The Sands of Time are: Jeff Warrender. 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 The Sands of Time 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.