/pic986758.jpg)
Game Info
Year
2008
Collection
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
How this game feels to play
Description
In Roll Through the Ages, players roll dice to obtain commodities and workers to build up their civilizations. Dice can be rerolled twice unless they come up as a hazard. Players use their workers to build infrastructure to support additional works or to build monuments that are worth points. At the same time, commodities are gathered that allow your civilization to develop. Once all monuments or five developments are achieved by a player, the game ends at the end of the round, points are counted, and a victor is declared.
The game takes its name from Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization, although the two games have different styles and designers.
Featured Videos
Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 9
This page: 9
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–9 of 9
Video ijwmVjlhipA
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:27 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 63818 · mention_pk 157329
Click to watch at 0:27 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- civilizations competing to gain culture
- antiquity to the modern age
- instructional
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action points — actions are taken using white and red cubes; end of turn returns all action points; various actions include taking cards, playing cards, developing tech, upgrading, building, etc.
- actions and action economy — actions are taken using white and red cubes; end of turn returns all action points; various actions include taking cards, playing cards, developing tech, upgrading, building, etc.
- age progression and deck aging — the game has four ages; decks scale with age; aging affects available cards and endgame conditions.
- Auction / Bidding — events appear in piles; territory bidding auctions can grant permanent benefits.
- buildings and urban buildings — farm/mines (brown) and urban buildings (gray); require white cubes and resources; buildings yield benefits and can be upgraded or destroyed.
- card row and deck — 13 civil cards in the display; military card deck interacts with actions and events.
- Combat: Deck/Hand — 13 civil cards in the display; military card deck interacts with actions and events.
- Cube tower — military units use red cubes; tactics cards can increase strength and are activated for a full round.
- culture and scores — culture tracked on boards; culture contributes to victory points.
- events and territory auctions — events appear in piles; territory bidding auctions can grant permanent benefits.
- leaders, wonders, and orange governments — leaders replace existing ones; wonders are built in stages and become active once complete; government changes via peaceful or revolution methods.
- military units and tactics — military units use red cubes; tactics cards can increase strength and are activated for a full round.
- Multi-use cards — technology cards provide production of science per round; can be spent for actions or to advance tableau.
- population tracking — yellow cubes represent population; used to track and pay for actions and development.
- production and feeding — production phase yields science and culture; feeding of population uses resources; shortfalls reduce culture; farms produce blue cubes.
- resources and cubes — yellow cubes for population, white cubes for civil action costs, red cubes for military actions, blue cubes for produced resources.
- technology cards and science — technology cards provide production of science per round; can be spent for actions or to advance tableau.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- In Through the Ages, players are civilizations competing to gain the most culture.
- The game plays in four ages, each with a civil and military deck.
- Your turn resolves in four phases: start of turn, politics, actions, and end of turn.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QxNz2ttP_U8
Rolls in the Family Top List at 24:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 63750 · mention_pk 157265
Click to watch at 24:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine building — players develop civilizations through actions that improve their capabilities over the long game.
- engine-building — players develop civilizations through actions that improve their capabilities over the long game.
- long, strategic planning — games extend over many turns, with wars/raids and strategic tension.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's like building a Lego set and I'm and then watch your brother come in and just smash it.
- watch as your pieces get just like pinned down
- you're surrounded by the queen bee
- it's a tug-of-war
- the bluffing style of games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video eqXw88jblzc
Getting Games Review at 0:03 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 63666 · mention_pk 157164
Click to watch at 0:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- incredibly satisfying turns
- great engine-building options and depth
- tension between greed and military
- epic scope and long play integrating multiple strategies
- varied card drafting and action economy creates rich decision space
Cons
- late-game militarization can dominate and crush others
- downtime and analysis paralysis in longer games
- endings can be unsatisfying if a player is significantly outpaced
Thematic elements
- abstract engine-building civilization
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- aggressions and wars — aggressions and wars let players attack others; defenses can be built with defense cards or sacrifices; war effects can destroy buildings or units
- Building and upgrading — build new buildings using civil actions; upgrade existing buildings by spending resources to improve efficiency
- card drafting — draft cards from a card row; costs vary by card and the act of drafting consumes civil actions; hand size is limited by civil actions
- Civil actions — white actions used to perform civil actions such as drafting cards, building, upgrading, and population management
- drafting cards — draft cards from a card row; costs vary by card and the act of drafting consumes civil actions; hand size is limited by civil actions
- end of age progression — the game progresses through three ages (H2, H3), after which the complete game ends and points are tallied
- Military actions — red actions used to build military strength and to perform aggressions/war actions against other players
- Population and workers — yellow cubes represent potential population; they become workers/buildings when placed on cards; production converts population into resources
- production — production phase converts yellow cubes to blue cubes which yield resources; resources include food and ore
- resources and tracks — resources are food and ore; science, culture, and military are tracked on dedicated tracks; culture yields victory points
- technology, leaders, wonders, governments — play technology cards; leaders and wonders have special effects; governments can be acquired via revolution to gain more civil/military actions
- worker placement — yellow cubes represent potential population; they become workers/buildings when placed on cards; production converts population into resources
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "incredibly satisfying each individual turn"
- "I love this game"
- "late game high over militarization is a dominant strategy"
- "end to be satisfying even if you lose and it is not satisfying to get bombed back into the stone age"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video OtFgfgzz6Ds
Getting Games Discussion at 20:46 sentiment: positive
video_pk 63356 · mention_pk 156725
Click to watch at 20:46 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's been a few months since we played it and i still love that game it is so good
- arc nova is a game that i really like it's it's honestly one of the best games to come out last year
- spoiler alert i loved space station phoenix i can't wait to play that game more
- i was pretty frustrated playing unfathomable
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NkA-nQahWwQ
Board Games for One Top List at 24:32 sentiment: positive
video_pk 31797 · mention_pk 93695
Click to watch at 24:32 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- accessible entry into a heavier euros/dice-driven engine
- good bridge between lighter euros and heavier strategy
- solo mode variance through the campaign structure
Cons
- thematic abstraction can feel dry to some players
Thematic elements
- civilization development, resource management, and societal advancement
- ancient civilizations during the Bronze Age
- historical progression with dice and event-driven dynamics
Comparison games
- Catan
- Expedition to Newdale
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- civilization_development — advance civilizations by building, developing, and expanding
- Dice rolling — roll dice to determine resources and events each turn
- dice_rolling — roll dice to determine resources and events each turn
- disasters_and_tribute — face disasters or demand tribute based on dice results
- income — produce goods/resources to advance in multiple tracks
- production_and_income — produce goods/resources to advance in multiple tracks
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- tagline says it all what do we got here collect and trade resources to build up the island of Katan it's all you do
- you can trade with another player it can be even uneven doesn't matter or you can trade with the bank at quite a loss or you can trade with a port if you've got a settlement on a port for a better deal
- the goal of the game is to have the most points you gain points by having the most built City
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video t5Tv1XSteGA
Board Game Hangover Top List at 0:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12294 · mention_pk 140810
Click to watch at 0:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Comprehensive civilization simulation
- Multiple upgrade paths
Cons
- Long play time
Thematic elements
- Civilization building
- Civilization development
- Progression through ages
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card upgrading — Upgrading civilization through card acquisition
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we put in the time and effort to play the best Euro AKA Resource Management games
- each game will feel completely because you will have completely different cards
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Z-uHqMQUbEc
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 5:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8710 · mention_pk 145447
Click to watch at 5:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- epic scope and learning curve rewards
- historical arc from ancient to modern times
Cons
- very heavy and long melt sessions
- iconic but occasionally opaque rule interpretations
Thematic elements
- civilization development and resource management
- ancient to modern civilizations
- long-form, civilization-scale strategy
Comparison games
- Root
- Tapestry
- Civilization
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven action selection — Card play drives the core actions and civilization development.
- Resource management — Managing food, culture, science, and military resources shapes progress.
- tech tree / advancement — Advancing cards and technologies unlock powerful effects.
- Tech trees — Advancing cards and technologies unlock powerful effects.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's gotta be root it has to be root that's my guess
- i didn't want to pick root because i knew that you would probably just assume i'd pick root
- why eat all the flowers
- eight days cat pistachio cheese pizza
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QFwa6limKSc
Rolls in the Family Discussion at 8:49 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7789 · mention_pk 147936
Click to watch at 8:49 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Rich strategic depth
- High replayability
Cons
- Can be long and heavy
Thematic elements
- Civilization-building
- Ancient civilizations
- Historical, strategic
Comparison games
- Terraforming Mars
- Gaia Project
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — Select cards to shape civilization growth
- Resource management — Balance production and consumption over ages
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think it might just be the most underrated feature on Board Game Geek.
- I found it to be very very helpful for myself.
- the analyze feature is actually built into every game page.
- Lisboa might be one that I want to check out.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0o0TZ4IoIrE
Shelfies Top 10 List at 6:53 sentiment: positive
video_pk 824 · mention_pk 162353
Click to watch at 6:53 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- deep strategic decisions
- great solo/face-to-face play
Cons
- rules heavy
- long playtimes
Thematic elements
- Economic and technological progression
- Civilization development through ages
Comparison games
- Terraforming Mars
- Earth
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — Draft cards to build your civilization and resources.
- Resource management — Balance growth against maintenance and development.
- Resource management / engine-building — Balance growth against maintenance and development.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we're gonna rank them and we're also gonna suggest a game that you could add to that collection
- If you become our patreon and send us a selfie or better yet posted in our Discord Channel which is another perk that you get access to you will always be featured in our videos
- this shelf is a quality over quantity eclipse is pretty popular here
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–9 of 9