Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation Board Game Review

Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation

WBG Score: 8

Player Count 2-4

You’ll like this if you like: An abstract deck builder mixed with area control.

Published by: Ares Games

Designed by: Paolo Mori, Ole Steiness

This is a free review copy of the game. See our review policy here

Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation was one of the big hits from Essen 2024. I did not get a chance to play it until more recently, but was intrigued due to the mix of mechanics within the game, and the mixed reviews from the Dice Tower. This is an asymmetric, area control deck-builder, loosely based around a civilisation theme, that scored five out of ten from Tom Vasel and eight out of ten from Chris Yi. That's quite a difference! Why is this game so polarising? Or was one of them just wrong? Let's get it to the table and find out.

How To Set Up Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation

First, place the main board down in the middle of the table along with the resources and coins. There is a handy storage tray in the main box for this, which holds them all, so simply take this out. You now need to set up the Action card display, the cards you can buy during the game. You need two cards of each type per player. Make sure you include the cards with the point value on the top if you are not using all the cards in a lower player count game, and place the highest value point cards on the top. Now set up the Achievement decks. You need one card of each type for the bronze and silver technology levels, and all cards in the gold Wonder level. Shuffle each deck and place them face down, drawing the top three cards face up into a starting display. Now place a level three conquest marker on all the white mountain areas, and a random level one or two marker on all other areas. Place a victory point marker on the three middle mountains.

Now, each player takes the cards and 15 settlement pieces in their chosen colour. Each colour has a slightly different asymmetric power. The green Elevenfolk prefer to generate food and culture. The red Firefolk favour warriors, battle, and conquest. The blue Smallfolk diversify and generate a multitude of different resources, whereas the yellow Earthfolk have two starting villages and a colonist to fill them quicker. Each player chooses one of the green farmland spaces on the board, removes the conquest marker there, returning it to the box, and places one of their settlements there. All players now shuffle their cards and draw a starting hand of five. Each player gains one random level three Wonder card, gives one player at random the starting token, and you are now ready to play.

How To Play Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation

Players now take turns using all five cards in their hand. Players are looking to conquer new lands, build up their deck of cards, and complete the three-tiered achievement cards. The game ends when either one player places their final settlement on the board, or one player has no settlements on the board anymore, which is far less likely. When either end game scenario is met, finish the current round so all players have equal turns, then move to final scoring. Points are awarded for all developed technologies and Wonders, action cards acquired during the game with points on them, each territory with at least one settlement on it, each captured settlement, and finally the conquest markers you gained during the game, totalled and divided by three.

As players take turns to play their hand of cards, cards can either be used to generate resources, build new settlements, store resources between rounds, or attack neighbouring areas. If you cannot store or use a resource, then you must discard it, or you can play the variant where you can exchange unused resources for money. Money can later be exchanged back for any good at a ratio of five coins to any good. Resources are mainly used to meet the requirements of Village cards, which require two Food in order to build a new settlement. When you build a new settlement, it must either be on the space where you have an existing settlement, or in a neighbouring space so long as the conquest marker has been previously removed.

You can remove conquest markers, just as you may attack a neighbouring player. Play Attack cards from your hand, and total the Attack symbols on them with the number of settlements in the area you are attacking from. This is your total attack value. If this exceeds the number shown on a neighbouring conquest token, you simply remove the token from the board and add it to your collection for end game points. Some conquest markers generate resources as you take them, so look out for symbols on the markers as you gain each one. When you fight another player, the same happens, except they now have the chance to fight back and play defence cards. The winner of the fight removes one settlement from their opposing player's area, and again, takes it into their play area for end game points. The defending player can draw back up to five cards if they played any cards. You can play cards without defence icons on, up to the amount of cards the attacking player used, simply to recycle through your hand quicker if you choose.

You can also use resources to buy new cards from the display of Action cards. Each has a cost shown on the top right. Simply discard the required resources and take any card you buy and add it into your discard pile. When your deck of cards runs out, which it will after your second turn, shuffle your discard pile and draw five new cards. This way, from turn three onwards, you have the chance to have and play new cards that you bought in either round one or two, added to your hand.

The final thing you can do on your turn is use resources you have generated that round, or previously stored, to develop Achievements or wonders. You need to do a level one Bronze achievement first, then you can try a Silver Achievement, and then, finally, a Gold. If you want to try a second Bronze, that is fine, but only if you have completed the first. The achievements generate extra powers that can be used during the game, either once or each round during your turn, or at the end of each turn. The wonders mainly generate end game scoring opportunities, but one gives you the chance to have another turn when it is completed. The achievements also allow you to build more settlements as an instant one-off power. To start an Achievement or Wonder, you simply need one of the required resources. Take the card and place the resource onto the card and you are off and away. When you place the final required resource on the card it is considered completed.

In three or two-player games, the game board is reduced in size. Nothing is done to mark this, but you won't place as many conquest tokens out at the start of the game, and your eye will quickly adjust to the reduced playing area. This is done to keep the game tight and encourage more player interaction via fighting. However, this will simply not happen as much in reduced player counts, and in three-player games without the red Firefolk involved.

There is a small expansion that allows you to use the islands in the game. You can now travel over the sea and battle for and own the islands. Some people have complained that the absence of this in some versions of the game causes problems and reduces the ability to experience the full board. I can see this being an issue in higher player counts. It would be frustrating not to have that. But in some two-player games I have played, we did not make it over there. The game ended before we could. But, I would encourage you to look out for this mini expansion if you want the base game. There is also a new larger expansion coming out in 2026 that will utilise the sea areas more.

Is It Fun? How To Set Up Altay: Dawn Of Civilisation Board Game Review

Altay: Dawn of Civilisation is at its best when it’s a bustling table of four players, each pushing their asymmetric power to the limit. The game throws together area control, deck building, and a dash of civilisation-building in a way that feels simple and easy to master, but interesting and rewarding. Conquering lands while balancing resources and your development of the technologies is satisfying, especially when your deck finally starts humming and you feel like a strategist pulling multiple levers at once. If you like games where you grow stronger, faster, and cleverer each round, like most deck-builders, this one will keep you leaning forward in your chair. Eager for your next turn. "Watch this..."

Of course, Altay is not for everyone. If you don’t like conflict, brace yourself, because fights will happen, and losing a settlement can sting. However, it doesn't hurt you like other area control games. And you can always win a fight that comes upon you, not just the ones you initiate. But the game is a much lighter rules teach than its civilization veneer might suggest. Some players will feel it does not offer the depth a civilization game should. Or indeed, does not feel like a civ game at all. Often, you will be completing cards, playing cards, finishing achievements, and not even noticing what it was you did. You don't check the name or look at the art. Just focus on the benefit. The game feels way more abstract that the box art suggests. The theme does melt away somewhat.

Where Altay shines, though, is in its polarizing nature of tactics. It’s a game designed for those who want to fight as much as they want to build their deck. If you enjoy big turns from a quick deck build, with minor asymmetric powers, and aren’t afraid of a game that rewards boldness over caution, then this is worth a try. But if you prefer a calm puzzle where you quietly optimize in your corner, Altay may feel more like a neighbour knocking down your fence than a friendly trade partner. That said, in a two-player game, or a three-player game without the red Firefolk, games can tend to be a little more isolated with only a few fights breaking out. I had one two-player game with only one fight, and that was right at the end when we finally got close to each other. So, for two, this is a little more relaxing and multiplayer solitaire. But you can manipulate this however you best want with the asymmetric powers of the four factions in the game, and which ones you choose to use. And of course, during the game, if you want to avoid or reduce conflict, buy a few fighting cards to ward off the other players. Everyone can see what you buy. Your purchases are not just for your use, but also for posturing!

Pros

• Minor asymmetric factions that encourage varied playstyles

• Satisfying mix of deck building and area control

• Bold interaction keeps players engaged and invested

• Achievement and wonder system adds depth and long-term planning

Cons

• Player conflict can feel annoying when you don't have the deck to fight back

• Civilisation theme becomes more abstract

• Very dependent on the right player mix for best experience

• This is a light weight game. Can be disappointing if you want something more heavy.

  
  

Altay: Dawn of Civilisation is one of those games that makes you sit up and pay attention, whether you’re having the time of your life or quietly wishing you’d played something else. It thrives on table presence, conflict, and asymmetric cleverness. If you want a game that sparks stories and heated discussions long after the box is packed away, this could be a hit. But know what you’re walking into. Altay is more abstract than you think; it's a lot lighter than the box art and size, mechanics, and theme all suggest. This can be a very different game based on the player count and factions used in the game. I can see why the Dice Tower reviewers clashed on this so much. It is a polarising game for sure. But when I want something quick, simple, light but fun, this is going to stay in my collection alongside games like Splendor, Century Road, and Azul. I can see myself playing it in a two-player mode more than anything else and seeing this more as a race game than an area control game. Who can get their settlements out quickest and most efficiently? That version of this game is an 8. The area control battling abstract game that Tom Vasel didn’t like is out there. You just need to decide why you want this game.