7 Wonders: The Conundrum of Solo in a Multiplayer Game
Build a thriving civilization through the ages with the help of technology, resource production, and military in 7 Wonders.
As 2022 started, I decided that it was time to get some more unplayed games to my table! To provide some options but stay on course, I chose a sort of alphabetical unplayed games challenge. Naturally, I started where the alphabet doesn’t even begin… Numbers! 7 Wonders seemed like a good place to begin with an unofficial solo variant to try out!
Game Overview
Game Name: 7 Wonders
Publication Year: 2010
Designer: Antoine Bauza
Artists: D. Chappuis, M. Coimbra, E. Hebinger & C. Nouvel
Publisher: Repos Production
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Through a card draft, each civilization slowly grows through the ages. Wonders may also be worked on in a trio of stages, providing additional benefits over time. Conflicts with neighbors provide ways to advance with military power, while new technologies provide bonuses.
First Play
January 2, 2022
Complexity
2
Latest Play
January 2, 2022
Expansions
1
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
47
Game Area
24" x 20"
Low Score
40
A Beacon in the Dark
To stay on theme with this alphabet challenge, I chose my civilization… A for Alexandria! With a lighthouse to shine through the storms, all looked pretty bright.
I had my concerns about turning this into a solo experience, mainly in terms of altering the card draft.
Opponents play a huge role, often coming up with unexpected strategies or suddenly switching their core strengths partway through. Always a challenge!
7 Wonders Duel might have been a better place to start, but I was invested in Alexandria. Onto the first age!
Military-Minded
This solo variant was interesting, although it removed the concept of neighbors… I followed a small recommendation to at least simulate military strength to the left and right.
Maybe I went a little overboard with my military? Ha! It helped out a lot and bolstered my other decisions.
The experience felt very light and was missing something, though. At the same time, I didn’t want to suddenly manage solo opponents and all of the extra maintenance.
I had some fond memories rekindled, though, including a scoresheet from when my husband and I played years ago!
Appropriate Artwork
Without any hesitation, I made sure to add the lighthouse to Alexandria’s civilization! It was all for the thematic tie-in, of course, although I earned some extra victory points.
Alas, it looked like there wasn’t an ideal way to play this solo that would work for me. The options all seemed too light or too heavy, lacking the sort of challenge I wanted.
Some board games are designed to play with others, and it looked like this one wouldn’t work out solo. No problem!
I still enjoyed trying it out, and even had a chance to remember why I enjoyed it multiplayer. Memories!
Civilization at Its Peak
Perhaps even more impressive was how I organized the box… It went from a giant mess of tokens to neatly bagged components all neatly sorted. And I even found a promo!
The finale of my next play solidified the fact that I didn’t connect with this as a solo game. I missed the opponents!
Granted, there are several unofficial solo variants to play with solo opponents. Yet I know that would feel like too much upkeep for me with such a light game.
I did enjoy some of the tableau features, but the core theme and mechanics felt like they were missing.
Appreciating Multiplayer Game Design
The lack of an official solo mode for a board game can mean many things, yet it’s not easy to make a game solo-friendly! Some tacked-on solo experiences are easy to spot. I’ve often looked at any game that doesn’t offer a solo mode as unfinished, except in very rare cases. But what about the whole multiplayer design process? Isn’t that something?
To digress for a moment on a relevant tangent, I used to think that every lightweight solo game wasn’t worth the time. If it played in 5-10 minutes, it wasn’t a true game and I couldn’t imagine what sort of enjoyment it could offer. Then, life got busy and I tried one of these quick games. There were strategies and decisions, all in a short play time. Wow!
I’ve made wrong assumptions over the years, and learned my lesson with lightweight games. In this case, I ended up with a disappointing opinion of the solo mode. But that’s not what stuck. The design choices to make this a very interactive sort of multiplayer game were much more interesting. This was about evaluating neighboring opponents.
Although I know this isn’t the sort of game I would pursue as a solo experience, that’s not what it was designed to provide. Maybe the right solo mode might come along one day. And maybe not. I may not ever play this solo, yet it features a lot of excellent multiplayer design choices that still hold up today. It’s a… Wonder? Ha ha!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Outcome: 47 Points and 40 Points (2 Losses)
I fell a little shy of my target goal of 50 points, often owing to my attempts at exploring new strategies. Definitely a great game, but one I don’t expect to play solo. This was a nice way to try out different card combinations, though, so perhaps I could always give it a whirl to warm up for playing multiplayer! I still enjoyed a bit of nostalgia and the older artwork that brought back some memories. Who knows? Maybe this solo variant is perfect for someone!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
5
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
2
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- There are many different civilizations to try out with unique abilities on double-sided player boards.
- Almost all of the iconography is easy to interpret, while a reference guide provides clarifications for every icon.
- Multiple paths to victory points are open and evolve over the course of play based on the chosen cards.
- The box insert includes spaces for every card in each age to keep them separated, plus a spot for the tokens.
- Resource production is very simple and utilizes the cards themselves to cut down on the need for components.
- Deciding to build each part of a wonder requires a card to be forfeited, which introduces interesting decisions.
– Cons (Negatives)
- As a multiplayer experience, the game isn’t well-suited to solo and may feel either too light or too heavy.
- Without solo opponents, military can be a little less important while the tableau-building is very one-sided.
- Sorting the cards based on player count can be a bit frustrating and time-consuming during setup and cleanup.
- Despite the ages progressing, the cards themselves don’t necessarily tie into the idea of advancing a civilization.
Victory Conditions
Score 50+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 40 points.
Score at least 50 points.
Continue the Conversation
Have you tried to play 7 Wonders solo? Are there any other multiplayer games with designs you like? Although not everything can be enjoyed solo, it’s still nice to try! I appreciate those who have created a number of unofficial solo variants for this one. At least there are a lot of other solo game options out there, and I’ll be exploring more very soon!
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