Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization Review
If you have ever played Sid Meier’s Civilization, you understand the thrill of guiding bronze-age peasants through history until they are launching uranium at Gandhi. Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization, designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition, attempts to condense that exact timeline onto a purely cardboard format.
And to achieve this impossible task, they essentially removed all the actual maps and miniatures, replacing them entirely with a row of shifting cards and cubes. It is an act of pure, unadulterated madness. It’s like trying to rebuild the entire Roman Empire using only a few decks of cards and a very well-organized spreadsheet.
The Engine of History
You are managing agriculture, science, military, and political corruption. The volume of interlocking resources is agonizing. If you increase food production, you suddenly find yourself short on materials for a theatre. If you ignore the theatre, your citizens riot! It is the tightest, most unforgiving engine-building puzzle in existence.
The entire game is driven by a card row where you draft leaders and technologies. The military track is terrifying. Even with no physical map, the threat of aggression is constant. If you ignore your military to focus on poetry, your neighbor will draft a brutal aggression card and steal your iron. It forces a deeply tense, Cold War-style arms race throughout the entire game.
Suitability: Family vs. Friends
Family Sessions
Do not even consider playing this with a normal family. To successfully play Through the Ages, you must effectively dedicate a minimum of five grueling hours and possess the patience of a saint. Tracking corruption and science manually using tiny plastic cubes borders on tedious. It’s about as suitable for a family evening as a five-hour lecture on macroeconomic theory during a power cut.
Hardcore Gamers
This is exclusively for hardcore gamers who relish the opportunity to drain their mental faculties over a long weekend. Every single game feels like a totally distinct, sprawling narrative. But honestly, strongly consider the digital app. The board game is an undisputed masterpiece, but the automated digital version calculates the bookkeeping instantly, saving you from a significant headache. It’s an essential bucket-list activity for any serious gamer.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Truly epic feeling of progression from bronze age to modern era. | Playtime is punishingly long; easily five hours for 4 players. |
Tension between culture, resources, and military is flawless. | Physical cube pushing and tracking is extremely fiddly. |
Every game feels like a totally distinct, sprawling narrative. | Falling behind in early military strength locks you in misery. |
Final Thoughts
Through the Ages is a monumental achievement in game design. It is deep, complex, and utterly rewarding for those willing to put in the time. It is a masterpiece that rewards mastery and provides a strategic experience like no other.
Final Verdict: Buy it yourself... but honestly, strongly consider just downloading the digital app instead. The physical board game is a brilliant, undisputed masterpiece of design, but the automated digital version calculates the crushing bookkeeping instantly, saving you from a significant headache.
