Guest article by Anton Torres of Pegasus Spiele North America
Civolution is a magnificent opus in the genre of civilization games, one of my favorite categories, yet Civolution stands alone. Unlike every other civilization title in my game library, Civolution breaks free from earth’s past. You will not find direct references to familiar events, locations, or pivotal historical figures.
Instead, all of the game’s systems and design elements combine in novel ways to invite players to invent entirely new approaches to lifeforms and cultures. It boldly asks “What if?” and, for me, is one of the most creatively-energizing, sandbox eurogames I have ever played. After each game I find myself imagining what I would do differently next time (much like the familiar mantra of video game players who know the phrase, “just one more turn”).
To quickly recap, we have already learned how players (as cosmic beings studying at the Technical Academy of Creation) must use their console expertly to interact with the terrestrial simulation that has spawned at the center of the table, aka. the continent. This randomly arranged collection of tiles offers 7 different types of landscape and is peppered with 24 face-down sites—locations to be discovered while one’s tribes migrate across the land.
Returning to the console, the primary interface for a player in a game of Civolution, we find that the left side of the console tracks 18 natural resources, food, money, and structures to build. On the right side: 15 main modules upgradable from level 1-3 serve as a menu of primary actions, 6 feature modules represent biological aspects of the beings that worship you, and the ever-present Sleep module grants you focus and ideas that expand your options beyond the values of your available dice.
The top section of your console, the stage partition, sits empty at the start of the game but will drive the most diverse evolution of each civilization, depending on which chips and research cards a player chooses to install.
Remember when I said that Civolution does not relate to our own history? That isn’t exactly true. Instead, the familiar facets of our world have been baked into 150 unique research cards stacked alongside the board. Once acquired, a player can choose to install the research card into their console’s stage partition, which will frequently provide immediate benefits and possibly new actions or abilities. Since each research card is unique, fresh and exciting strategies will reveal themselves every game, depending on which cards happen to appear.
Research cards span five categories: Inventions, Mutations, Insights, Buildings, and Achievements. Within these decks you will find familiar topics such as Theocracy, the Wheel, Agriculture, and the Marketplace. However, in the Mutations deck, you might come across Compound Eyes, Pincer, Night Vision, or Gills. The beings that flourish under your inspiring guidance may not even be humanoid!
This liberating approach injects both narrative and related mechanisms to every game. During a recent play, my burgeoning tribe evolved Humps (like those of a camel) and Sweat Glands. This freed all tribe members in Desert territories from needing to be fed, while providing a number of benefits to my tribe whenever the weather was hot.
I couldn’t help but imagine what my tribe looked like as they lumbered through the sand and blistering heat, comfortable as can be under their giant humps, scanning the horizon for a new location on which to build a new settlement. All the while, I knew that I would carefully guide their development over generations, likely altering their physical makeup, as well as their capabilities and preferences. Each game has been a remarkable adventure unlike any I’ve had playing a civilization game. This will not be for all players, but for me, it’s an absolutely glorious design.
Since Civolution is literally the final exam for a group of students, players will not be graded (scored) on how well they wage war against other tribes. Instead, Civolution is a low-conflict complex eurogame that presents a vast creative platform to explore within a gigantic sandbox of ideas that reflect the world around us. Every game will lead players down new and exciting paths, continually revealing surprises even after countless plays.
We cannot wait for Civolution to arrive on your table and hope you enjoy experiencing all that it offers!