Ancient Knowledge on Marta's BG Corner

Ancient Knowledge – Will Your Monuments Stand the Test of Time?

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

Today I am taking you on a journey through the ancient world with Ancient Knowledge, a game that will test your ability to build, plan, and let go, because time waits for no one.

Game Overview

Ancient Knowledge is a 2023 release for 2 to 4 players, ages 12+, with a playtime of 30 minutes per player. It was designed by Rémi Mathieu, illustrated by Emilien Rotival, Adrien Rives, and Pierre Ples, and published by Iello. I own and played the French edition, also published by Iello.

The Heritage expansion, released in 2024, adds a solo mode in two variants as well as new Builder and Technology cards that enrich the base game for all player counts.

Ancient Knowledge box

Ancient Knowledge: Heritage expansion box

Theme

You are the last heirs of a great ancient civilisation. Your role is to preserve the knowledge of your people and ensure it survives the passage of time. Monuments rise and fall: pyramids, megaliths, cities, all the great constructions of the ancient world appear on the cards, from the Sphinx of Giza to the temples of Tiwanaku. But nothing lasts forever. Everything you build will eventually slide into the past, and the knowledge attached to it will be lost unless you act in time.

How to Win

The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins. Points come from the monuments themselves, from certain card effects that score at the end, and from your Level II Technology cards. The game ends when one player accumulates 14 or more monuments in their Past, at which point the current round is completed and scores are counted. Lost knowledge tokens, those you failed to collect before a monument declined, subtract points from your final score.

Cards from the Ancient Knowledge collection

Gameplay

Each turn has three phases. In the Action Phase, you take two actions chosen from five options: Create (play a monument or artifact card), Learn (take a Technology card from the central display), Archive (discard cards from your hand to remove knowledge tokens from monuments in your Timeline), Excavate (rotate monuments in your Past to draw cards), or Search (draw a single card). You can take the same action twice.

The core mechanic is the Timeline. When you create a monument, you place it in one of the six spaces above your board, based on the position shown on the card. Each space holds up to two monuments. Knowledge tokens are placed on each monument when it is created, representing the knowledge you can potentially collect. Every monument also has effects: some trigger immediately on creation, some activate each Timeline Phase, some trigger when declining, and some score at the end of the game.

At the end of each turn, during the Decline Phase, all your monuments slide one space to the left. When a monument reaches the first space, it goes into your Past. Any knowledge tokens still on it at that moment become lost knowledge, which costs you points at the end of the game.

You can pay extra cards from your hand to place a monument on a different space than the one printed on the card, closer to or further from the Past. I noticed this rule early on, but it took me a while to truly understand its importance, and more on that in My Experience.

Technology cards represent famous historical figures and advances. Level I cards have immediate or ongoing effects; Level II cards provide end-game points. Collecting them based on your monument types is a key part of building a strong engine.

Technology cards on display

Setup & Components

Setup is straightforward. Each player takes a Builder board, draws a starting hand, and the Technology tiles are laid out in the centre of the table with cards on each level. The box comes with a well-designed insert that fits the Heritage expansion material and has room for sleeved cards if you want to protect them. The card stock is excellent quality. The knowledge tokens are good but feel a little small in the hand. The first player token is a nice thematic touch, though I have to say I wished it were a little sculpt rather than a 3D cardboard piece. A missed opportunity!

The back of the board, showing the artwork

Game setup ready to play

Solo Mode

The solo mode requires the Heritage expansion. It offers two variants: Challenge Mode and Heritage Mode.

In Challenge Mode, you pick one of ten predefined challenges, each with a specific combination of objective cards to fulfil. I only tested the first challenge, but there are no persistent consequences between games, making it a great option for a one-off session.

Heritage Mode is a campaign. The goal is to complete all 15 objective cards across a series of games. At the start of your first Heritage game, you shuffle all 15 chest cards and draw 5. You then choose how many of those to take as objectives for this game, between 1 and 5. The more objectives you commit to, the fewer artifact spaces you have available during the game, since objectives occupy those same spaces on your board.

Each game lasts 16 turns, tracked by the Time card that slides through your Timeline and triggers the end of the game when it declines for the third time. A Technology Phase is added at the end of each turn: you roll the die, and the result removes one Technology card from the display, which adds real pressure to your planning.

If you fail to achieve all your chosen objectives, you lose and the campaign ends. If you succeed, the completed objective cards carry over to the next game, but flipped to show only their effect text. These unlocked events give you a one-time bonus during the following game, though any you do not use are discarded at the end.

Your score at the end of a winning game also shapes your next game. A high score means no penalty; a lower score means you start the next game with one or two fewer cards, or with the Time card placed closer to the edge, giving you fewer turns to accomplish your objectives.

End of game overview

My Experience

I have played Ancient Knowledge seven times solo, all using the Heritage expansion: my first five games in Challenge Mode and my last two in Heritage Mode.

My first few games were rough. I scored 38, then 41, lost twice without completing objectives, and at one point genuinely wondered if the game was for me. The rules are simple enough, but there are a lot of moving pieces, and the card interactions take time to absorb. Every time I came back after a break, I felt the same initial fog.

Then something clicked. I started to understand how to build combos: how to chain monument effects with the right Technology cards, how to time my Excavate actions to fuel my hand, how to balance immediate effects with end-game scoring. My scores started reflecting that: 48, then a best of 70, then 58 in my last Heritage session. I particularly enjoy the cards that let you draw more cards or remove knowledge tokens from monuments. They are powerful, and once you understand when to prioritise them, they make a real difference to your engine.

One specific thing that changed my game was learning to use the positional flexibility when creating monuments. You can discard extra cards from your hand to place a monument on a different space than the one printed on the card. For most of my early plays I knew this was possible but never used it intentionally. Once I started doing so, moving monuments closer or further based on what I needed, my planning improved dramatically.

The Heritage Mode added a new layer I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. The weight of the campaign, knowing that a bad game ends your run, makes every decision feel meaningful. I am currently four objectives in and still going. And despite the pressure of objectives, I still enjoy the pure puzzle of optimising my engine within each game.

I have not tested the multiplayer mode yet, so I cannot speak to how player interaction plays out in practice. Looking at the cards, there does not seem to be a huge amount of direct interaction, but perhaps just enough to keep things interesting.

My Rating

Note: 8/10

Ancient Knowledge won me over gradually and honestly. The first plays are hard, the learning curve is real, and you will probably feel lost before you feel competent. But the satisfaction of finally building a smooth, comboing engine is genuinely rewarding. The Heritage Mode elevated the game further for me: the campaign structure gives it long-term purpose, and the tension of managing objectives while optimising your score is exactly the kind of solo puzzle I enjoy. The component quality is excellent, the design is elegant, and there is always more to discover.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy engine-building card games and do not mind a learning curve, Ancient Knowledge is absolutely worth your time. Be patient with yourself in the first few games: it will feel slow and clunky before it feels smooth. Once it clicks, though, it really clicks. And if you play solo, do yourself a favour and pick up the Heritage expansion. It transforms the game from a series of individual puzzles into a proper campaign with stakes, and I think that is where Ancient Knowledge is at its best.

Your Turn

Ancient Knowledge is all about passing knowledge through time. How about you: have you played it? Are you working through the Heritage campaign, and how many objectives have you completed so far? Come share your thoughts on Mastodon and Facebook.

Videos

Ancient knowledge in about 3 minutes - Game presentation by 3 Minute Board Games
Ancient Knowledge: Heritage - Straight Up Solo with John LaRuffa - Solo playthrough by John LaRuffa

April 2026 Plays

Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

What a month April was! I played a lot, I laughed a lot, and I discovered some real gems along the way. 32 plays over 17 different games, more than double my March count of 15. That says it all, really. 😊

April 2026 stats

All games played in April 2026

April 2026 by the Numbers

32 plays (vs. 15 in March, more than double!)
17 different games
10 new-to-me games
Most played: Onirim (6 plays)

Onirim

Onirim is not new to me. I’ve owned it for a few years now and I keep coming back to it. It’s part of the Oniverse, a collection of small-box games designed for solo or two players, all set in the same dream world. Eight games in the series so far, and while they all share the same universe, each one feels genuinely different from the others. Onirim was my entry point into the Oniverse and it holds a special place in my heart. It reminds me of the solitaire card games I used to play as a kid. The goal is to escape the labyrinth by finding the eight exit doors, using only cards, but be careful not to cross paths with a nightmare! It’s quick, tense in the best possible way, and an absolute must-have for solo players. I’ll dedicate a full review to it one day. It deserves one.

Onirim: escaping the labyrinth one card at a time

Red Rising

Red Rising was technically already in my collection, but this month was the first time I actually sat down to play it, and it won me over quickly. I lost only once out of four plays, but the win/loss count almost misses the point: what kept me coming back was how differently each game played out. The combo mechanics between the different castes are the heart of this game, and there are so many ways to build a hand that each play genuinely felt like a different puzzle to solve. The solo mode is quick to set up and easy to run, but don’t let that fool you. It’s genuinely hard to beat. I already have a full review written and ready to post, so I won’t say too much more here. Keep an eye out. It deserves its own spotlight!

Red Rising: so many strategies to explore

It’s a Wonderful World

I honestly can’t fully explain the pull this game has on me. With more than 25 plays under my belt, solo and at two players, you’d think the magic would wear off. It hasn’t. This month I came back to it in solo mode and, well, I lost. But even losing felt satisfying.

The balance between building an efficient production engine and building a scoring engine is just perfect. You can have a smooth game where resources flow freely and cards go down easily, and still lose because none of them actually scored you points. It’s that tension that keeps me coming back. The theme doesn’t hit you over the head, but the artwork is lovely. More plays incoming for sure.

It’s a Wonderful World: the engine runs beautifully, winning is another matter

Last Will

Last Will is a game I really love, but since it’s a multiplayer-only experience, I hadn’t had the chance to play it in a while. That changed this month, thanks to a wonderful new development: I’ve started joining the monthly and weekly meetings of Legiao dos Jogos. What an amazing group of people! It’s been such a joy to bring some of my favourite games to the table, and to discover new ones alongside them.

So, Last Will finally hit the table again, and at four players no less. The premise is wonderfully absurd: instead of trying to become the richest player, you have to spend all your money. Sounds easy? It really isn’t. The game is beautifully designed for its theme, the artwork is spot on, and playing it at four created exactly the kind of chaos and laughter I was hoping for. If spending money is your thing, this game is absolutely for you. 😄

Other Notable Games

Multiplayer discoveries with Legião dos Jogos

Being part of the group also meant discovering, or rediscovering, some great lighter games. I got to play The Gang, The Game, Codenames, Take 5, and Escape: The Curse of the Temple, and they all delivered fun in their own way.

Escape: The Curse of the Temple was my favourite of the bunch. At four players it’s pure glorious chaos: everyone rolling dice at the same time, shouting across the table to coordinate. It’s genuinely one of those experiences where you’re nearly screaming just to be heard, and somehow that makes it even better. If you enjoy real-time games where the table turns into beautiful pandemonium, this one is for you.

Escape: The Curse of the Temple: beautiful pandemonium at four players

Codenames we played at eight, which in my opinion was a bit too many. I’ve played Codenames Harry Potter at two players before, and I think the sweet spot is around six. That gives you two people giving clues, one per team, and two players on each team discussing the hints and making guesses together. At three per team, some people inevitably get less involved, maybe out of shyness or just because the discussion gets harder to follow. At eight it felt a little crowded for me. Fun either way, but six feels like the right balance.

Solo new-to-me games

On the solo front, I explored five new games this month: Era of Kingdoms, Outlive, Side Quest: 7th Sea, Fromage, and Paper Tales.

Era of Kingdoms was a genuine surprise. I had never heard of it before, and it turned out to be a really enjoyable tableau building, deck building, and hand management game. The atmosphere is a bit dark, which suits the theme well. My only small complaint is that some of the symbols could be a bit bigger. For a game that came completely out of nowhere for me, I would absolutely recommend it.

Era of Kingdoms: a very pleasant surprise

Outlive was a game I had been wanting to play for a long time. I almost got to it last year, but then I realised I needed the Underwater expansion to unlock the solo mode, so the experience had to wait. It was worth it. I love the survival theme, and the worker placement twist is clever: you never retrieve your workers from the board, you can only move them. It forces you to think carefully about placement at every step. The automa is pleasant to manage, and as a collector’s edition owner, I can confirm the components are just stunning.

Outlive: worth the wait

SideQuest: 7th Sea is an escape room game from the SideQuest series by Board & Dice. The puzzles in the first part of the game were well-balanced and satisfying. The second part was trickier. I struggled at times to figure out what I was supposed to do. I own two more games from the series, so it’ll be interesting to see if that difficulty curve feels the same across them.

Side Quest: 7th Sea: smooth start, trickier finish

Fromage immediately charmed me. The theme is exactly what it sounds like: you’re making cheese. The worker placement mechanic is wonderfully on theme too. The more elaborate the cheese you’re making, the longer your workers are tied up in the affinage process. It’s clever, it’s thematic, and the components are just delightful, including that cheese board-shaped board! I only played solo this time, but I’m already curious to try it at two or three players.

Fromage: the most thematic worker placement you’ll find

Paper Tales left me with mixed feelings, though I suspect that’s partly on me. I think I made some resource management mistakes on my first play. The core idea is interesting: you have limited tableau space, and you’ll place your workers and fighters to defeat the solo king. What I found particularly charming is the ageing mechanic. Your characters grow old and eventually die, which adds a lovely layer of bittersweet planning. I need a few more plays before I can say anything definitive, but the concept is good and I want to give it a fair chance.

Paper Tales: mixed first impressions, but the concept is good

Games I Keep Coming Back To

Dice Throne Adventure

I’ve mentioned this one in previous monthly reviews, and here I am again. I’m still working my way through the campaign in solo, and I’m now into the fourth scenario. The pattern has become something of a ritual: I almost always lose the first attempt at each new scenario, except for the third one, which I beat on my very first try. Very proud of that! The fourth scenario has already beaten me once, so I’ll be going back in for another try. The campaign is funny, addictive, and just the right amount of punishing.

Dice Throne Adventure: scenario 3, the one I actually won first try!

Dice Throne Adventure: scenario 4, the campaign continues

Ancient Knowledge

Ancient Knowledge is another game that requires the expansion to play solo, in this case the Heritage expansion. I’ve played it before but April reminded me that I still haven’t cracked the winning formula. I lost again, and I have a feeling I’m simply forgetting the recipe between plays! Fair warning: the cards carry a lot of text, so if that puts you off, this one probably isn’t for you. I do like the game though, and one of these days I’ll figure out how to actually win it. 😅

Ancient Knowledge: still searching for that winning recipe

Viticulture

Have I mentioned that I love Viticulture? Because I really love Viticulture. Solo, every single point counts. One wrong decision and the win slips away. I’m genuinely curious to explore the Tuscany and Bordeaux expansions at some point. Something to look forward to.

Viticulture: every point counts

Looking Ahead

May is looking exciting! My main goal is to finally finish the Dice Throne Adventure campaign. The fifth scenario still owes me a win. Beyond that, I’m feeling the pull of Minos, Unconscious Mind, and Luthier. I don’t know which one will make it to the table first, but I have a feeling at least one of them won’t wait much longer.

What About You?

What a month it’s been! New groups, new games, old favourites. April had it all. Are any of these games on your radar? Have you played any of them? Come share your thoughts on Mastodon.