Teacher appreciation boardgame:
CIVILIZATION

Finally, a boardgame version of this award-winning PC strategy game. Create a civilization to stand the test of time! The game begins in 4000 BC where the players found the first small settlements of a fledgling people. As a warning, "Civilization" goes well beyond the simple, après-dinner board game. Knowledge and commitment are both required as players track the development of civilization, from the farthest reaches of the past to modern times. It's a complicated journey (especially on a one-dimensional playing board) but those who know what they're getting into will love it (the PC version, just as detailed, has a dedicated fan base). The game revolves around the acquisition of resources (metals, spices, fuels, media, technology) all of which spur more innovation in some way. Of course, the game has its own revisionist twist on how certain regions progressed, but that doesn't distract. Players know there is as much fantasy involved as fact. Included are "exploration" markers, faux currency, playing cards, and molded props like soldiers, settlers, and property. The 36 by 46-inch playing-board map, moreover, is based on a pre-continental world, divided into vast regions rather than countries. Hints of the creator's own philosophies are evident in the historical "add-ons" found in the cartography.

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