PC strategy game Sid Meier’s Civilization gets A New Dawn on the tabletop

As the continuing cycle of things rolls ever on, Sid Meier’s Civilization – the long-running PC strategy series inspired by the 1980s board game of the same name that later spawned its own board game adaptation – is getting a new tabletop iteration.

Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn is once again based on the PC game, with the artwork bringing to mind last year’s instalment Civilization VI specifically.

As in Civ (and the original Civ), players take on the role of one of the most famous leaders in history and try to bring their nation to global prominence, whether through trade, technological advancement, military might or another route.

The roster of potential leaders this time around includes Teddy Roosevelt, Roman emperor Trajan, Montezuma, Cleopatra and Catherine de Medici of France, each of whom has unique talents and will be racing to complete a shifting set of goals drawn randomly at the start of each match.

There’s a similar importance to developing technologies and advancements as in the PC game, with a series of ‘focus cards’ dictating what each civilisation will discover as they advance over time.

As in the games, players will be able to engage in diplomacy with their neighbours, trading with allies using caravan routes or threatening those that stand in their way.

A New Dawn will play with two to four people and, interestingly, claims to play in a rather pacey two hours or less – around half the time of the previous adaptation of the series from Fantasy Flight.

That said, there’s mention of a so-called ‘epic game’ rule that extends the play time by adding an extra victory card into the mix, meaning those who miss watching humanity develop in near-real-time can get closer to the older style of play.

Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn will be out during the last quarter of 2017, and is surprisingly easy on the wallet for a Fantasy Flight game, coming in at $50 (£39).