They made Advanced Civ even bigger?

A friend of mine from back in the Midwest just picked up Mega Civilization. I didn't even know it existed until he told me about it.

So I looked it up. Five to eighteen players? Up to twelve hours playing time? The number of advances in the tech tree is more than doubled? The box weighs twenty-five pounds? Funagain games is charging $250 for it? 

Holy cow, they weren't kidding when they put the mega in the name!

To be brutally honest, I can't see myself ever buying Mega Civilization. Heck, even back in my days of compulsive game buying, I am pretty sure the price tag would have been too high. 

Frankly, between playing time and storage space and price tag, this is a game for a niche audience. I don't even know if I'll ever even play the game, although having a good friend own a copy means it's at least possible.

However, there was a time in my life when I did try to get a game of Advanced Civilization in once a year. (The same friend owns that too) By the way, playing it only once a year is not nearly enough to get good at it.

That said, while the game play in Advanced Civilization is deep and complex, the actual mechanics are remarkably simple. The most complex part is the trading and that's just a refined form of Pit. (And I don't mean that in a bad way. Pit is a ton of fun and Advanced Civilization and Civilization really elevate it) 

Civilization, along with Advanced Civilization, define so many of the key points of a civilization building game. Epic scope in both time and geography. Some kind of technology tree with advances that give advantages. Trade and economic development. Warfare.

Even playing badly, I'm glad it has been a part of my board gaming experience.

I also learned that Mega Civilization has rules for shorter games, including a beginner game and six-to-eight hour variant. I still don't know if I will ever play it but that does increase the odds.

A shorter Civilization game has long been a goal for designers. I'm surprised to see a _longer_ one come out but I can see how folks who regularly play Civilization or Advanced Civilization can really appreciate that. 

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184424/mega-civilization