For countless years, in an isolated region in the heart of a vast continent, four mysterious people have developed different cultures, fusing magic and technology in a delicate balance with nature and each other. Now they face a challenge: the arrival of new settlers, who bring with them more advanced crafts and technologies, new weapons and fighting techniques, and a completely different way of life.
As the leader of one of the original inhabitants of Altay, how will you react to this challenge? Will you be open to accepting the new settlers and merging with them, or will you focus on your ancient traditions? Will you expand your kingdom or develop new knowledge? Will you build monuments that will last forever or will you crush your enemies with your armies?
Altay: Dawn of Civilization is an original blend of deck building, civilization development, and area expansion. Players control one of four factions, each represented by a starting deck with unique cards and subtle differences in the number of "base" cards. Each turn, players use their cards to produce resources (stone, metal, wood, knowledge), build new settlements and expand on the board, attack or defend against enemies, or manipulate their decks or hand of cards.
The game board represents one of the regions where the four people are in conflict with each other, each area characterized by a different type of terrain and the presence of different resources. The card game and the board expansions are fully integrated, as many cards will have greater effects if you control the right territories. Using resources produced by their cards or collected from the board, players can acquire and add to their deck new cards, representing the new settlers and their activities.
Players can also spend resources to develop “achievements” – special cards that are permanently added to a faction, granting it additional abilities or providing points.
Victory is achieved through a combination of territorial expansion, technological development, and success in creating lasting memories of your civilization's achievements.