Civolution

Civolution at a glance

Civolution is a civilization-building board game designed by Stefan Feld and published by Deep Print Games. Over four eras, each player develops a civilization by combining dice values on a personal action console.

Take the ultimate civilization-design exam by rolling dice and combining them to activate modules for migration, building, research, reproduction, hunting and other development actions.

Why it stands out: the console offers a huge action space, but dice constrain what can be activated each turn. Players must adapt a broad civilization plan to tactical rolls.

Best for: players who enjoy demanding strategy games with extensive planning and many interconnected systems. The game is not a short or lightweight introduction to modern board games.

Players, play time and edition

Designer: Stefan Feld. Core mechanisms: dice activation, modular actions, civilization building and goal scoring.

Edition scope: this guide covers the base game; the Acceptance Letter material is not included.

How the rules work

Civolution lasts four eras. Dice are assigned in combinations to module coordinates on each player’s console to activate actions. Players expand across continents, gain resources, improve modules, install research cards and work toward changing goals.

The action console

Your available dice values determine which module actions you can use. Strong combinations can create opportunities, while less useful rolls require adapting your plan.

Develop the civilization

Exploration, migration, construction, research, reproduction and upgrades offer different routes for progression. They compete for the dice and resources you have available.

For setup, turns, console activation and the full four-era sequence, use the step-by-step How to Play Civolution guide.

Important strategic decisions

Editorial analysis: the console rewards specialization, but overcommitting can make poor dice combinations difficult to use. Upgrades should strengthen your plan while preserving enough flexibility to exploit unexpected rolls.

• Choose modules that fit both your economy and the dice combinations you can frequently activate.
• Maintain alternative productive actions instead of depending on a single combination.
• Match exploration and population expansion to goals that already reward your long-term development.
• Shift from investing in upgrades to converting actions into points as the final era approaches.

See the dedicated Civolution strategy guide for the reasoning behind those decisions.

Four eras and final scoring

Each era introduces scoring incentives and priorities. Development that advances the current scoring goal while supporting your civilization can pay off twice: during that era and again at the end.

The endgame scores the civilization across multiple development categories, along with relevant console and research bonuses. The scoring system deserves its own reference rather than a simplified checklist.

Our Civolution era and final scoring guide explains the nine categories, Prosperity diamonds, era multipliers and worked examples.

Explore all Civolution guides

Use these connected articles for different questions. They are written to complement rather than duplicate one another.

Related heavy strategy games

• The Castles of Burgundy
• Terra Mystica
• Gaia Project

Official sources and corrections

Publisher reference: Deep Print Games — Civolution.

The source record for this game was checked on 17 September 2026. This guide addresses the 2024 base game, excluding Acceptance Letter material.

For editorial methodology or corrections, see the editorial policy and contact page.