Fantasy Flight Games dropped a bombshell for Civ fans recently, as they announced that the tabletop version of Sid Meiers’ Civilization strategy video game, Civilization A New Dawn, is set to get a new Expansion, Terra Incognita.

Sid Meier is a video game veteran and creator of the phenomenal Civilization series that started in 1991. Despite the game’s tumultuous history, with arguments who owned the rights, it has gone on to have 6 official releases at the hands of Meier, with several spinoffs such as Colonization in 1993 along the way. The turn-based strategy game has often been compared to a board game with some citing the 1980 non-related Civilization board game by Francis Tresham and published by Hartland Trefoil and Avalon Hill. Meier has stated that he had played the game but its influence was minimal when compared to computer games SimCity and Empire.

Civilization: A New Dawn was released in 2017 and was based upon the sixth iteration of the video game. and it was generally well-received. The new expansion, Terra Incognita, was announced on YouTube in an 18-minute video that showed off some of the new game mechanics and content take from Civilization VI that was not included in the original version.

In a similar fashion to other tabletop games, the expansion gives scope for an additional player to join in the fun, taking the tally up to 5. One of the new mechanics entices the players to explore the game, as they are now able to uncover the map one tile at a time. This is achieved by them drawing a random tile and placing it where they like, starting from their capital. Speaking of tiles, there are two new natural wonders tiles as well as two new city-states! Combat rules have been revised with players attacking now required to move their piece into that of the defender. Rules for cities have also been rewritten to allow industrial, campus, commercial, theatre, and encampment zones to be placed. This increases the strategic options giving rewards depending upon placement. Finally, more new leaders have been added from the video game.

This really is a bumper release and when fully combined almost feels like a second edition. Pricing of the new expansion points to this as well, with $40 discussed. There is no confirmed release date yet.

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Source: YouTube, Fantasy Flight Games - Civilization: A New Dawn