The Builders: Antiquity

Hire workers and match their skills to ancient buildings to finish the monuments first.

Designer: Frédéric Henry
Published by: Bombyx
Editions by: asmodee, Rebel Sp. z o.o., Gém Klub Kft.

From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Pyramids of Egypt and the Greek Parthenon, The Builders: Antiquity asks you to put on your foreman's hat. It is a standalone 2015 card game based on The Builders: Middle Ages. You hire workers, buy slaves or tools, take out loans and finish buildings to score points and earn money. Every building has four skills, carpentry, masonry, architecture and painting, rated from 0 to 5, and workers have the same ratings, so you have to put together a team whose numbers cover the job. Two to four players, about 30 minutes, from age 10.

Workers with four skills eachLoans, tools and slavesHanging Gardens, Pyramids, Parthenon

Who it's for

You like clever, mid-length card games about efficiency, with a sprinkle of ancient history.

Not for you if…

You want direct conflict or a big, sprawling game. This is a quiet builder.

Vibe's take

Calm and calculating. You compare numbers, juggle money and loans and try to fit the right worker onto the right job before somebody else grabs the same building.