Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game Review - MY DREAM GAME IS OUT OF PRINT w/Expansions

Shelfside reviews a classic 4X, the Civilization Board Game! This time, with all the expansions! Might as well, given that this board game is unfortunately out of print at the time of this review. But that's not going to stop us from covering this epic 4x tabletop game night experience that incorporates euro and ameritrash gameplay into an incredibly unique blend. The combat has no dice, and instead has a deck of unit cards, there's resource management in the form of city upkeep, and there's 4 win conditions all without the use of victory points! Tons of tokens to play with, tons of strategies to go for, and all sorts of combos and effects to utilize when trying to negotiate, trade with, and outplay your opponents!
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Table of Contents:
Intro & Overview - (0:00)
How to Play - (2:24)
Pros - (7:27)
Cons - (25:04)
Tentative Score - (32:24)
Daniel's Personal Score - (36:35)
Ashton's Personal Score - (41:20)
Shelfside Social Media:
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Links to our other stuff:
Ashton's Channel: / ashtonwu
Daniel's Channel: / doyduh2
Stuff Used:
Age of Empires: Age of Kings Track 3
• Age of Empires 2: Age ...
Rome Total War Original Soundtrack - Soldier’s Chant - Jeff van Dyck
• Soldier's Chant - Rome...
#boardgames #tabletop #review

[@sheikahs]

Hey Shelfside, love your videos, and I absolutely love this game. I also own the original with both expansions, just had to mention that you explained a rule wrong when it comes to combat. You don't actually lose all your units (the cards) when you lose a battle, only the dead ones go away, the surviving units return to your standing forces whether you win or lose the combat. You do however lose all your figures (flags) if you lost the combat.

[@Shelfside]

oh that's very useful to know! Will point out that this system still has the loser of the fight getting punished. Pinned your comment :) -Ashton

[@abruwer08]

I'm glad you put out this video. There are some interesting game design here that should not be forgotten. I still really like how collecting resources work. This was one of our first big board game experiences years back. One of my friends pulled off an incredible economic victory once, without engaging in any of the wars going on around him. I don't recall any one ever pulling of the culture victory though. Interestingly you can still find first and second hand copies here in South Africa for pretty cheap if you know where to look.

[@imaan8298]

Thank you for reviewing this game! After all this years, this was the most epic Civ 2010 review as the game itself! Im glad u guys did it & love it. This game deserved a lot more love but the mechanics & all the swingy stuff going on was out dated campared to other game nowadays. Btw, I like how enthusiastic Daniel was giving his opinion, keep it up 🤣👍. Same as u guys, this is our go to game after TI4. Do checkout Clash of Cultures Monumental Edition that was released on November last year, it is also an epic Civ game 🙌

[@ScytheNoire]

Thomas Edison burn was awesome.

[@yesloow]

I’m a huge Civ fan and I had bought this game and the two expansions and then they have sat on my game shelf for years, still in shrink wrap because the game just looked too complicated and I had moved to a new town and didn’t know anybody to play games with. I pulled it off the shelf the other day and decided to just look up reviews and found yours. Now I really want to play it so need to find a group! Thanks for the review!

[@roelandpoukens7992]

Should you, for any reason, still not find the time or motivation to play... I'm looking to buy this game...

[@MichaelBomholt]

This game is soooo good, it needs more love.

[@hadiwinatakuo1884]

Thomas Edison snatching tech is so on point

[@RoyalRook]

I never thought about that point, it's brilliant.

[@Billchu13]

Ghandi is the devil of Civ. What an awesome bug!

[@KZsZs]

Never really cared about this board game, but that intro makes me want to try it RIGHT NOW! Thanks guys. You are awesome as always.

[@Shelfside]

ahaha cheers! Gonna be a hard game to try, best of luck in the hunt :) -Ashton

[@RoyalRook]

It's a beautiful game, I have been playing it for over 10 years and taught my son to it when he was only 7. And it's argubly his favorite game, thank you for the review! And yes Kelvin Wilson, thank you!!! P.S. I never thought about the Thomas Edison dig, good call. Like and subbed.

[@pubbles3229]

So glad this (base)game is not really rare on the secondary market in germany. Expansions are a little bit more tricky. It really looks a little bit like Twilight Imperium without space! Looking forward to play it with my TI group!

[@Shelfside]

definitely has a bit of that vibe! Great for 4p negotiation as Daniel was saying, best of l uck! -Ashton

[@dinklebutt1003]

Man I really wish I could buy this. I’d love to hear your take on Clash of Cultures after watching this review.

[@hamzad5061]

+1

[@R0land1199]

Such a great game. I got the base plus both expansions for $20 because the box was taped up. Who cares? Wonderful game.

[@TheVisualante]

Wow that’s a steal

[@spatialfellow]

Awesome! One of my favourite boardgames ever. Thank you for this review!

[@ScytheNoire]

If you love the Civilization PC game series, check out the board game Clash of Cultures: Monumental Edition. It is basically Civilization in a board game format, and may do Civ better than the official version of the board game.

[@Hudsonbba]

Having recently played CoC Monumental, while good it definitely feels much more generic in comparison and though many love it, to most Civ vets sadly it lacks much in comparison and the tech trees start to have a linear path feel over time. I do understand it’s fan base but it mostly comes from a streamlined set of rules making it more intuitive which in turn brings a lack of Epic moments of things you can do in comparison to the other Civ.

[@Shelfside]

still have yet to take a look! More 4x reviews in the future potentially -Ashton

[@HarrySahneClips]

This is literally the best tabletop strategy game ever.

[@DeyaViews]

awwww yeaaahhh! I've been waiting to see y'all review a true, full 4x board game! It's a genre I really enjoy in video games (though not as much as genres that simply cannot be translated to tabletop games), so I've been very curious to learn more about this one. Hail Sid Meier!

[@Shelfside]

ahaha awesome! Here's to more 4x vids in the future! -Ashton

[@maksa9436]

Love your videos! This is also my favourite game. Though I got on the expansion train too late and am currently in the process of making paste-up english copy out of an Italian version.

[@Shelfside]

awesome! Yeah got really lucky in the bold decision to buy the expansions before everything in this game went out of stock. Cheers! -Ashton

[@sebastienvivas9319]

Lord Daniel grants this game a 10 out of 10. We must all go out and purchase this immediately to further shape this world of ours into his ultimate vision. Danieltopia will come into existence within our generation!

[@pvtpizao]

U deserve a thumbs up just for putting Age of Empires II references in this video, man!

[@derek_davidson]

For how much Age of Empires sound effects you got...I expect you to review the Age of Empires board game

[@ironxYT]

the second I heard the intro to the AoE music I smiled.

[@TornadoeJoe]

This is one of my favorite boardgames.

[@MyParedrus]

Great review of my favorite game! Keep up the good work guys!

[@Shelfside]

cheers! Civ civ civ! -Ashton

[@rown2k4]

This game got me into modern boardgames and I'm glad it got this much love from you. Only got the base game that survived the years of moving into different houses and game nights. I'm kind of in a dilemma with the expansions though: I (think) I can buy Fame and Fortune close to its original retail price. However, the balance issues of the civilizations in FF that I've read about in forums conditioned me to ignore any impulse to buy it (even if it's on sale). As for WW, one of my OG board game buddies has a base game + Wisdom and Warfare but wouldn't let go of just the expansion. *sadge* Anyway, about your nitpick of tracking production and trade of cities: I dumped some d20s and/or spindowns in my copy so that players can place dice on their cities or mats to remember this information. It's still fiddly when adjusting their values but it beats counting symbols every round.

[@Shelfside]

The Fame and fortune factions definitely aren't balance ahaha, but do open up your pool of factions to pit against each other. Wisdom and warfare is pretty much must have. Funny that you bring up that productoin stuff, Daniel always plays this game with dice for accounting nowadays! Cheers! -Ashton

[@paintingwithmartin]

Great video! Amazing and underrated game. Just in combat you only lose 1 army figure per two units lost and can never lose the last army figure if attacked or attacking with more than 1 figure. Page 25-26 original rulebook. The expansion doesn't change that. So if your army units take wounds but aren't destroyed, they will live to fight another day.

[@psyience3213]

that seems pretty awesome. i love physical stuff

[@justacynic]

Holy crap. Your review gives me multiple nerdgasms!!! 🤯🤯😵🤗

[@Lapeno456]

What are your opinions on the 2017 civ board game?

[@Shelfside]

it has just arrived at our place, along with the expansion! Will see what's up :) -Ashton

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

The Civilization PC game is one of the most addictive games I've ever played. I bought and enjoyed Sid Meiers's Civilization - The Board Game (2nd Edition). I'm sure this version must be better. I'll have to try it someday.

[@TheActivetrin]

What do you guys think about civilization a new Dawn from fantasy flight?

[@kazetokumo]

I want to see you guys review a new dawn too

[@Shelfside]

(adds to cart)

[@TheActivetrin]

@@Shelfside don’t forget the expansion. It’s desperately need for this game.

[@Shelfside]

@@TheActivetrin (adds to cart :3)

[@ncc1701jv]

@@Shelfside came here to ask about New Dawn since it's more available.

[@svachalek]

A friend recently found this at a yard sale and we played it once. We liked it although I think 2 players is definitely not the game at its best. I think Through the Ages is still my favorite game with this theme but this one does a good job of getting the feel of the computer game onto a table.

[@TheVisualante]

You have to get the expansions they change the game and 4 players is just an epic experience

[@rochedl]

As others have asked what is your view on Civ New Dawn? it seems to be a shorter to play version of this game. and like this game you NEED the expantion to make it playable.

[@Shelfside]

looks like we'll have to see :) -Ashton

[@adam551982]

What's the difference between the 1st and 2nd edition of Civilization?

[@Marky_X]

I remember buying this game back when it was released. I loved the idea but the game tried way too much to be like the computer game. So many small rules, texts, and calculations that I didn't bother getting the expansion when I sold it. Board games are great, but they have their limitations, and this game was pushing those limits a bit too far. Few years later, Civ A New Dawn comes out, and I liked it, but felt it was missing quite a few things. Expansion comes out for Dawn, and now it's my go to game for something crunchy while not overstaying its welcome.

[@Shelfside]

cheers mark! Actually enjoyed your write up on the new civ, helped inform my decision to grab it and the expansion. Excited to see what's up! -Ashton

[@TheVisualante]

Probably the most underrated game in the community

[@Shelfside]

This has been slowly rising up in my top 10 :) -Ashton

[@adam551982]

Just bought it from Noble Knight games for 35$, it was in 11 other peoples carts too. SUCKERS! On a different note, picking up those expansions seems like it will be tough.

[@federicodecesco1926]

Gorgeous review as usual. But I have a different view of this game. While I greatly appreciate its depth and mechanics, I consider it excessive for the type of incarnation (board game). I believe that board games in general are superior to videogames precisely because of that kind of interaction so more intimate and direct that they can give and I believe that a great board game, to be really great, must know where to stop so as not to get in the middle of that interaction. Too many rules and too many mechanics create separation of time and space between players and make the situation less intelligible and therefore also less possible for the average player to interact effectively and consciously. (thus excluding hardcore gamers) This does not mean that we must give up epic games, but only that we should not exceed the limits imposed by the medium (the board game) which cannot rely, if not marginally through apps, on automation and accounting. A pertinent comparison with this review is clash of cultures which has a similar scope but plays it very differently which is why, for me,is the much better game of the two. In clash of cultures almost all technologies are shared, accessible to all and, above all, knowable by all (each player board has printed them on and, when one chooses to search for it, he puts his own cube on it, easily visible to others who can then quickly double-check the text on their board), and the variation derives from how, when and if they will unlock them, as well as, from a few, very thematic, specific technologies for each culture (whose small number makes them easily remembered by other players), while in civs the trees are completely different and therefore difficult to understand by others. This makes it much more hard to plan and react based on others. Furthermore, the excessive time that the battles in civs needs (which in clash are instead very simplified) makes this aspect unbalanced compared to the others, not in the final importance, from what I know the various objectives are quite balanced with each other, but for the time spent on their individual actions. A cultural or economic action takes infinitely less time than a military one and therefore you tend to feel less of their impact during the game. And for a 4x game in my opinion it's wrong. There are many fighting games and I therefore prefer that in this genre the combat is much more agile, fast and abstract so as not to overwhelm the other aspects. But i really admire the ambition of this game even if is not for me!. I am sorry for my English (not my first language) and for the very long post, but your reviews always create a lot of interesting discussion points.!

[@Shelfside]

Hey thanks for this! Enjoyed reading, definitely agree how the technologies are a HUGE part of what drags the accessibility down. Will have to try clash of cultures bahaha. Here though, we actually really did enjoy how the complexity ties with negotiation, but again, definitely is barring on the higher side for me personally, hence why the reservation on having it higher than 9/10. Cheers! -Ashton

[@VeeeeryyyFaaaastSlooooth]

Can anyone recommend a good modern alternative to this? Ideally if it also works in 2 player count and is a bit less heavy.

[@nikitariznyk3779]

im looking for the exact same. some people are recommending this - Clash of Cultures Monumental Edition

[@CyberSpider35]

I like how this video is about Civilization, but all the sounds are from Age of Empires. :) Still I really enjoy both games.

[@Shelfside]

ahaha its SFX are just too good! Both great digital experiences -Ashton

[@user-do8rb6gw5j]

@shelfside Have you tried out Mosaic: A Story of Civilization (2022) by Glenn Drover yet? I trust your reviews (especially with CIV game versions re: New Dawn probs etc) and would love to know your take.

[@Shelfside]

Haven't tried that one! Will note. Cheers! -Ashton

[@andreidinu4438]

I was waiting for this one!

[@slowmodeproductions]

This is the board game you 100% don't need when the video game is way more convenient and better.

[@Shelfside]

video game is miles more convenient than this. If you like the in person negotiation a lot though on a table, this does offer a cool experience! -Ashton

[@Gyftomancer]

why only some of the cards are sleeved? I don't have the game, but I'll get it soon. I would like to know because the basic game has so many cards..

[@Shelfside]

will sleeve all of them in time! Just so many sleeves and different cards laying around ahaha -Ashton

[@Llanawan]

Really good games. We play our balancing rule: Exlusion of policies and French nation at all because Military tradition is way too strong and push players towards military win condition. And it's less Analysis/Paralisis 🙂

[@Tollbi]

Would you say base is worth it without the two expansions? I'm 'afraid' for the disappointment once I really get into this game that I can't experience the full thing cause the expansions are just so hard to get :/ And throughout the review you guys kinda allude to the game really thriving w/ the expansions.

[@Shelfside]

The expansions are really hard to get for sure. How much are you paying for base? The expansions really help with balance and cleaning up the combat, but aren't absolutely mandatory, especially if you play in a big group to self-balance -Ashton

[@Tollbi]

@@Shelfside Hi Ashton. Base has actually very reasonable pricing rn, I'm currently eying a 2nd hand for 25 bucks. Fame & Fortune seems to go for 40-60, whereas Wisdom & Warfare for 80 up to even 150+ (the latter seems much scarcer and pricier for some reason). I might just go for the manual route and cherry-pick some of the expansion rules and homebrew them into base. The consensus seems that the fixes to combat and the government cards were the most important, which shouldn't be too difficult to port over. AFAIK W&W simply added health values to the 3 respective strength value combat cards. And the new government cards I could maybe print and sleeve over the old ones. That way I might not experience the full thing, but rather a base game 'enhanced edition' :')

[@Shelfside]

@@Tollbi Heyo! Yeah you're correct that the fixes to combat and government cards help. I believe you can just ignore parts of the base combat cards and you will be fine. As for pricing, base for $25 is a really good deal, of course assuming the condition is fine. fame & fortune by itself is kind of a whatever purchase if you're unsure about the game. WW is definitely where its at, that's why the price is high :) Honestly, if you've never played the game before and have a willing group, you can just play base rules 100% for your first game and see what happens. Then tweak from there. Cheers! -Ashton

[@hawk992]

I loved this game in the early 2010s. But it has a serious weekness in my opinion. ANALYSIS PARALISIS! I never have spent so much calculating stuff than in Civ. Then ever changing turn order is also not helpful. But all in all I enjoyed it a lot. ❤

[@Shelfside]

haha, it definitely does encourage some AP. And component fiddiliness is real! Still love the game though -Ashton

[@miya7430]

Are yall planning to realease a review on the new civ game (a new dawn)? Id be intrested to hear the ideas of someone who loves civ 2010

[@Shelfside]

yep, we are planning to do a review someday! We ordered it with the expansion after seeing all of your guys' comments! Excited to see what the conclusion is -Ashton

[@elqord.1118]

I really would love to hear what you think about New Dawn + Terra Incognita

[@Shelfside]

both have arrived at our place! Excited to see what's up and how it compares to this behmoth og civ -Ashton

[@elqord.1118]

@@Shelfside Wohoooo

[@ajeba98]

Your video does a great job of helping me understand this game is fun. BUT recommending a "rules-heavy-sweaty-sometimes-swingy" 3-4 hour 2010 board game that is currently out of print and can run anywhere from $200-$450 (including expansions) is an incredibly large pill to swallow. No thanks, I'll wait for a 2.0.

[@Shelfside]

for sure! This was kind of a weird video to make because of all your reasons, but people have requested it! Onwards to other civ games to review here! -Ashton

[@nathanielkoehler5989]

Using aoe music for a civ video 🤔 lol

[@Macgki]

Also 'triggered' me a bit 😅

[@nathanielkoehler5989]

Good thing I love both series

[@Shelfside]

ahaha I love aoe so much, love splashing its stuff everywhere -Ashton

[@artais2838]

lol AoE sound effects and music.

[@X4-Commander]

Very very nice 👍

[@MYfriendsknow]

Thank you

[@daem0nfaust]

I'm watching this to hurt myself more for selling my copy of this game off.

[@boardgametrucker9376]

This game would blow up on KS

[@Lapeno456]

If you are going to play Civ 4 on pc, *PLEASE* do play the rhye's and fall dawn of civilization mod afterwards, it lets you play the actual history of the whole humanity and shape it at will, havent found anything like this in gaming since then.

[@Shelfside]

wow that is awesome, noted! -Ashton

[@-Ambos-]

I really would Like to See an update in how you enjoy Root since it seems to be a game people enjoy more after they played it a lot

[@Shelfside]

I don't have a big incentive to play again, but Daniel really loves it! Perhaps a video in the future -Ashton

[@Shelfside]

Also everyone in our friend group loves it too plz join the club Ashton -Daniel

[@daniel.v9400]

Is this the expansion or base game

[@MichaelBomholt]

this game is so good

[@thomasb7237]

This looks like a great game that deserves to be updated with hex tiles and streamlining to reduce the downtime.

[@Shelfside]

Agreed! Not sure if hex play would really help rather than just completely change the game. But needs a lot of component streamlining and putting the expansion combat patches into the base box -Ashton

[@justind8586]

Only creators to rival shut up and sit down in quality.

[@Shelfside]

thank you! More stuff coming :) -Ashton

[@joshmartin5575]

I love that the intro music is all age of empires 😂

[@Arijhan]

The intro music is from Rome Total War...

[@frankbarbera3241]

Damn I used to have this…I need to look in storage.

[@closedchill5243]

I liked this, but my favorite "Civilization" game is the first one by Eagle Games. This one I never liked the combat system, and the races felt unbalanced. Also managing your tech tree was a hassle. Curious what your take on the latest and in print version "Civilization: A New Dawn" is. Its hexagon based instead of square based.

[@Shelfside]

Cheers! Yeah have never played the eagle games version. The tech tree is a hassle for sure, and the classes need a lot of work on balance. Looks like need to take a look at the new civ game! -Ashton

[@closedchill5243]

@@Shelfside The Eagle Games version lasted about 12 hours for us. But it was amazing. This grid based Civ game had better exploration and city building though. Better art too and more elegant way of tracking resources. It's open world like the PC game which is cool.

[@Shelfside]

@@closedchill5243 holy cow 12 hours!!? May be a little much for me, but man am I interested in exploration and city building. -Ashton

[@moniqueheubel8970]

⁠@@closedchill5243I would like to play the eagle game version, but we can’t find any tutorials for it. The instructions ARE 5:35 SO LONG AND CUMBERSOME. Maybe SHELFSIDE, could do this for us?

[@kosterix123]

We played a bunch of these Civ games but while the begin phase is always nice they all end in a bummer and take forever. Try Patchistory and A new Dawn, these are the better ones.

[@Shelfside]

getting to a new dawn very soon! -Ashton

[@bernardorippe7024]

Asthon and Daniel, check Clash of cultures monumental edition

[@Shelfside]

its on the chopping block, not sure if it'll get a full review though -Ashton

[@Warrior_Whitten]

I like how at 3:53 you show America’s tile when devoting to the arts, but then at 3:56 you move Spain up the culture track. America isn’t even represented on the board 🤣

[@Warrior_Whitten]

30:52, you mean like the dial on the player sheets?

[@Warrior_Whitten]

32:05 for 3 players, try 3 tiles on the top centered under 2 rows of 4. 3rd played in the middle of the top row.

[@Royallionbar]

sqare tiling ...have you not learned that hexagon are the bestagon?

[@mathieuanglehart2671]

what about clash of cultures?

[@Shelfside]

have yet to play it, but we're getting a review out of the new civ sometime! -Ashton

[@ronaldg7522]

👍 great game Does not get enough credit.

[@Castorshells]

This is available to buy used at my local game store but I don't know if I should....I do have Civ A New Dawn....so....🤷‍♂️

[@Shelfside]

civ a new dawn review dropping hopefully tomorrow :) The games are drastically different, where A New Dawn is more of a Euro, this 2010 version is a 4x -Ashton

[@Esauofisaac]

"Don't buy games you won't play right away, it's not worth it." --That stupid part of your brain that is totally wrong when you decide to buy the bundle after it's come out for ~$150 and now it's worth 4 times as much when you can even find it. Easily one of my favorite purchases. I love this game, and the tech pyramid is the BEST tech tree in any boardgame I have played so far. The only gripe I have with it is that the map is just plain ugly and does not mesh well. There's really not a good way to have made it work in square format I think. The same mechanics but adapted to Civilization A New Dawn would be awesome, but we're not going to be seeing something like that for another 5 years when Civ VII comes out.

[@KiwiOuiOui22]

Dang I wish I had this. Sucks that it's out of print.

[@Shelfside]

a shame, hopefully something like it gets reprinted, have yet to play any civ themed game this epic! -Ashton

[@TheBrunov2]

Nuclear Gandhi ! hahahah

[@paulstaker8861]

and then the man discovers... C L A S H O F C U L T U R E S

[@Shelfside]

WE WILL SEE!! Also Civ a new dawn has just arrived at our place -Ashton

[@AdamJorgensen]

Hmmmmmmmmmm, the way you can just have totally misaligned tiles in terms of art is triggering me hard! :-)

[@Shelfside]

bahahaha it was just so much to align that I gave up at some point. was a monster to film, just wanted to get it out for you guys -Ashton

[@plungy]

Europa Universalis price of power did it much better!