Advanced
Civilization
This section is dedicated to Avalon Hill’s
Advanced Civilization boardgame.
Origins 2004 2005 2006, etc.
I
haven’t
updated this in awhile, primarily due to other things in life, such as football
pools, poker, work, and family (not necessarily in that order), taking up all
my time. But the 2004 and 2005 Origins Civ tournaments were as big a success as
the first two years. I am again planning on running this tourney at Origins
2006. You can register online in early 2006 at www.originsgames.com.
Origins
Tournament Information
Congratulations to this year's champion, Steve
Spisak!
Origins 2003 saw 51 players
participate in seven 1st-round games!
Next year we'll be making some format changes to the
tournament. All comments and ideas are welcome, but here's what I'm thinking
and why.
Only 10 people showed up for the semi-finals. Part of
the problem is that sending 40% of the first round players to the semis means
you have to go down pretty far on the standings list. Once you start getting
down to folks that finished 4th or 5th (or lower) in their game, they don't
bother showing up, because they don't think they have a chance to advance. So
essentially it becomes a case where anyone who played in the first round who
shows up at the semis, gets to play. Which sort of defeats the purpose of a
middle round.
And then so few players were in the semis, that all
but 3 would advance. Last year we had this issue, but to a lesser degree. One
thing that may have aggravated it this year was the later start time for the
final 1st round slot.
Here's what we'll likely do then. A two round
tournament, 4 heats for the first round, at
Each qualifier round will be limited to 16 players (2
games), for a maximum of 8 winners. In 8 first rounds over the past 2 years,
only 1 had more than 16 players show up, so I don’t think this will prevent
anyone from playing who wants to. It may even encourage more folks to
pre-register. We will keep the same scoring rating system in place, because
inevitably, there will be one or more winners who will not show up for the
final. Or a person might play and win two first round games, which would also
free up a slot for a non-winner.
Send
comments or questions to the Tournament
Director. Also, I’d be happy to put any reviews of Civilization or strategy
tips up on the web.
Origins is owned by GAMA, the Game Manufacturers
Association. Now in its 29th year, Origins is one of the largest national
gaming conventions, held each summer in
Civilization, or "Civ," as it is
more commonly known, is arguably one of the greatest multi-player strategy
boardgames ever created. Designed by Francis Tresham in 1980, Civ was licensed
for publication in the
This
is the boardgame that inspired the bestselling line of "Civilization"
computer games. While substantially different from its popular pc counterpart,
Civ shares some of the same basic fundamentals. Players begin with a single “settler,”
and strive to build a civilization, by learning various technologies and
skills, and expanding and trading with their neighboring players.
"Advanced"
Civilization was an expansion supplement released by Avalon Hill in 1991. The
term "Advanced" is somewhat of a misnomer, since the game mechanics
are really no more difficult than basic Civ. "Enhanced Civ" would
probably be a better term. The Advanced Civ game changes a few rules, and adds
a few, along with new technology and trade cards.
Advanced
Civ is not a complete game by itself- you must also purchase basic Civ to have
a playable game. Two other add-on's were published, a deck of extra trade
cards, and a western expansion map. The deck of trade cards is only compatible
with basic Civ, as Adv Civ contains its own extra trade cards. The expansion
map can be used with either Civ or Adv Civ.
While
basic Civ is still a fun game and played by some people, most prefer the
Advanced Civ version. The game mechanics of Civ, (either version) can be taught
in 15 minutes to a new player. However, the strategies and nuances of player
interaction can take years to master. One big disadvantage to Civ, in the eyes
of some, is the playing time, which can take up to 10 hours. An average game
can be completed in around 8.
Sadly,
with the acquisition of Avalon Hill by Hasbro a few years ago, many of AH's
classic boardgames, including Civ, are no longer in publication. The best place
to find a copy of Civ or Adv Civ is on Ebay or at a game auction at a
convention such as Origins or GenCon.
Note
that in October of 2002, Eagle Games released a new boardgame, called Sid Meier’s
Civilization, which is not in any way related to Avalon Hill’s game, other than
perhaps as a distant cousin. I have yet to play this new game so I cannot speak
further on it.
Update-
At Origins 2003, I me Glenn Drover, president and founder of Eagle Games! He
was very generous in giving me a copy of his Civilization the Boardgame. I will
put up some comments on it as soon as I get a chance to play it.
