The Great Pyramids of Giza

No tricks, no gimmicks — just three stages of pure, reliable victory points.

Easy

Background

The Pyramids of Giza are the oldest of the Seven Wonders and the only one still standing. Built as eternal tombs for the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure over roughly a century during the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt, they represent one of humanity's most enduring engineering achievements — raised from millions of limestone blocks quarried, transported, and placed with extraordinary precision.

In 7 Wonders, Giza begins with a Stone production, the primary raw material of the Pyramids themselves, and its Wonder board is the straightest path in the game: pure victory points, every stage.

How you win

Giza's stages deliver 3 VP (Stage 1), 5 VP (Stage 2), and 7 VP (Stage 3) — a total of 15 direct victory points from the Wonder alone. No other base-game board awards as many raw VP from its stages.

That 15-point foundation is your entire identity. You want to supplement it with Blue civilian buildings (which score directly), a decent military showing (to avoid negative conflict tokens), and a few coin-efficient cards wherever the draft allows. Giza wins by accumulating a mountain of points from multiple sources, anchored by the Wonder's straightforward point total.

How they play

Giza is the most beginner-friendly of the seven Wonders. There are no special abilities to time, no resources to choose, no cards to grab from the discard pile. You draft cards, build Wonder stages, score points — and repeat.

Typical arc:

Age I — focus on Brown resource production. Your starting Stone is one of four raw materials you'll need across your Wonder stages, and the stages have fairly demanding costs. Also draft cheap Blue buildings for early VP.
Age II — build Stage 1 (3 VP) and continue to develop your production. The middle stage is worth 5 VP — try to complete it before Age III so Stage 3 can follow quickly.
Age III — complete the Wonder with Stage 3 (7 VP) and use remaining card picks on expensive Blue civilian buildings, which pile onto your already-large VP base.

Giza's main decision each turn is simply: draft the card that scores the most VP or enables the most future VP. Without a clever special ability to plan around, you're rewarded for being consistent rather than clever.

Strengths

✓
At 15 total VP, Giza's Wonder stages award more direct points than any other base-game board. That's a 5-point lead over most of your rivals before you've counted a single card — and it gives you a lot of margin for error elsewhere.
✓
No special abilities means no timing puzzles, no reading the discard pile, no choosing resources mid-game. You can focus entirely on drafting good cards and building your Wonder, which makes Giza the most accessible board for new players.

Weaknesses

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Every other Wonder in the base game does something beyond awarding points. Giza does not. Experienced opponents can play around your predictability — they know you're chasing VP from stages and cards, and they can draft accordingly without worrying about an unexpected ability.
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Completing all three stages of Giza demands a substantial quantity of Brown resources — Stone especially, plus Clay, Ore, and Wood in significant amounts. You'll need to draft resource cards or trade frequently, and those resource investments can crowd out card slots you'd rather spend on scoring.

Tips & tricks

Tip
Blue civilian buildings are your best friends. On top of your 15-point Wonder base, a well-drafted set of Baths, Theatres, Aqueducts, and Palaces can easily add another 20+ VP. Draft Blue early and often — they're the engine behind Giza's winning scores.
Tip
Giza is so focused on VP that players sometimes forget military entirely. Each negative conflict token (for losing a military round) costs 1 VP — small, but three losses over three ages is 3 VP gone. One or two Red military cards per age is usually enough to stay neutral or positive.
Tip
It may sound obvious, but Giza must complete all three Wonder stages to realise its full value. An incomplete Stage 3 — worth 7 VP — is a massive swing in the final score. Prioritise building stages over almost any other decision, especially as Age III cards thin out.

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