Mesopotamia: Birth of Civilisation (2002)

About this game

Mesopotamia is a web-published game that is available free from: http://www.garrysgames.com 'Mesopotamia follows the rise and fall of twenty nations from the Sumerians to the Persians over two thousand years of history. It purloins freely from Civilization, History of the World (HOTW), and Ancient Conquests. The game is more historical than Civilization, but less world-encompassing than HOTW. The basic system is that of HOTW, but with one very significant difference: players continue to control peoples from previous epochs.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 5.
• Rules load. At 2.0/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.