Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
Build a civilization through card drafting, technology, population, resources, government, military pressure and culture across three historical ages.
Draft civil and military cards across three Ages to develop technology, leaders, wonders, government and population.
A civilization must produce enough food and resources to grow while also generating science, military strength and culture without creating instability.
Why We Love It
Through the Ages makes civilization growth an economic balancing act. Population, food, resources, science, military and culture all compete for the same limited actions and workers.
About Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
Draft civil and military cards across three Ages to develop technology, leaders, wonders, government and population.
A civilization must produce enough food and resources to grow while also generating science, military strength and culture without creating instability.
Game at a Glance
Draft Progress
Take technologies, leaders, wonders and other civilization cards.
Build the Economy
Balance farms, mines, population and resource production.
Develop Institutions
Government, science and military shape what the civilization can support.
Generate Culture
Convert a stable engine into the culture points that decide the game.
What is Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization?
Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization is Vlaada Chvátil’s 2015 civilization strategy game for 2–4 players. Czech Games Edition lists a 120+ minute play time and age 14+.
Players develop farms, mines, technologies, governments, leaders, wonders and military strength across three ages while culture serves as the main scoring measure.
How the game works
A central card row creates timing pressure around which technologies, leaders and wonders are available. Players convert population and resources into buildings and improvements while science unlocks stronger cards.
Military is abstract rather than map-based, but falling behind can expose a civilization to aggression and political pressure, so economic growth cannot be planned in isolation.
The decisions that define it
Most gains have an opportunity cost in population, actions, science or resources. A strong engine therefore depends on sequencing upgrades so that each new capacity pays back before the game ends.
Military strength is often defensive leverage: investing too little creates vulnerability, while investing too much can slow culture and infrastructure.
Who is it for?
Choose Through the Ages if you want a long, card-driven civilization game with heavy engine management and no territorial map.
Choose 7 Wonders for a much faster drafting game or Ark Nova for a modern tableau engine with different interaction.
Learn Through the Ages in depth
Publisher sources & scope
Checked September 16, 2026. This hub covers Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization, not the older A Story of Civilization edition or the digital app.