7 Wonders (Second Edition): Armada — How to Play

Goal of the Game

In 7 Wonders: Armada, players take on the roles of leaders of ancient civilizations, seeking to expand their power and influence through the construction of wonders and the conquest of the oceans. The goal is to accumulate the highest number of Victory Points at the end of the game, which ends after Era III. Victory is determined by the sum of points obtained through cards, wonders, military and naval conflicts, as well as other specific effects from the expansion.

Setup

To prepare the game, follow these steps:

• Separate the expansion's Era cards into three decks (Era I, Era II, and Era III) and shuffle them separately. In 3-player games, remove the 5 Armada Era cards with the 4+4+ symbol.
• Add the Armada cards to the base game Era decks and shuffle each one.
• Separate the Island cards by level and shuffle each deck, placing them face down in the center of the table.
• Each player receives a Shipyard board and places it vertically to the right of their Wonder board.
• Each player takes one Fleet miniature of each color and places them in the corresponding starting space on the Shipyard board.
• Place the Naval Conflict and Raid tokens in the center of the table.
• Add the extra Coins and Military Conflict tokens to their respective base game supplies.

Gameplay Flow

The game follows the same flow as 7 Wonders, with some additions from the Armada expansion:

• Each Era begins with players receiving 8 cards (instead of 7), allowing for one extra turn per Era.
• During the game, players can perform Naval Construction, resolve Naval Conflicts, activate Raids, and explore Island cards.
• At the end of each Era, after resolving Military Conflicts, players resolve Naval Conflicts.

Actions and How to Play

The main actions of the Armada expansion are:

• Naval Construction: When building a Red, Yellow, Blue, or Green Era card, or a Wonder stage, you may perform a Naval Construction, advancing the corresponding Fleet on the Shipyard board.
• Resolving Naval Conflicts: At the end of each Era, compare your naval power with other players and distribute Naval Conflict tokens according to each player's position.
• Raid: Certain Red cards activate Raids, which trigger a third Military Conflict at the end of the Era.
• Sell: When selling a card, you can gain 3 Coins or advance your Yellow Fleet one space without paying the Naval Construction cost.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends at the end of Era III, after the resolution of Military and Naval Conflicts. Victory Points are counted according to the base game rules, with specific additions from the Armada expansion:

• Points granted by the Blue Fleet on the Shipyard board.
• Points obtained through Island cards.
• Victory and Naval Defeat points distributed during Naval Conflicts.

The player with the highest total score wins the game. In the event of a tie, the total Treasury is used as a tiebreaker.

Tips for Winning

Here are some tips to improve your chances of victory:

• Prioritize building cards that allow Naval Construction, especially those that advance your Blue Fleet to gain extra Victory Points.
• Pay attention to your naval power during the Eras, as it can secure valuable Naval Victory tokens during Naval Conflicts.
• Explore Island cards whenever possible, as they offer unique effects that can strengthen your strategy.