The 7th Continent is a NOT a classic legacy game but it plays very much like a legacy game, because the world changes based upon the choices you make and this can affect you for multiple plays. A legacy game is defined as a game that permanently changes and the 7th Continent has a system where the world changes but only for that particular playthrough.
So, even though the world only changes for that one playthrough, why do I say it plays like a legacy game? Because one playthrough can last up to 20ish hours, especially when you are new to the game and playing the first curse – The Voracious Goddess.
This means that even though the 7th Continent isn’t technically a legacy game, it plays like one. Gloomhaven is a legacy game as well so go ahead and check out this article on how its legacy components work so you have a good understanding of the difference between them! Your decisions impact how the game plays and means that, even at the same geographic location, you could have the option to play differently based upon what choices you have made, what items you have or even what ideas or skills are currently in your hand.
Let’s go through how certain mechanics of the 7th Continent make it very similar in feel to a classic legacy style game.
Destruction of Components
One of the hallmarks of a legacy game is that the game permanently changes. Sometimes this can involve destruction of components but I think that most people who own board games try to avoid this unpleasant part of a legacy game because it just seems completely unnecessary. In the 7th Continent, you never destroy any components but the world does change over the course of each individual playthrough.
The Card System
The 7th Continent uses a card system to allow you to explore the wonders of the continent. Almost everything revolves around this mechanic and it’s the main reason why I consider the 7th Continent to be a legacy game in feel, even if it doesn’t technically meet the legacy requirements.
Cards each have a number, and in some cases 10+ cards will share the same number. Even though cards can share a number they can have very different effects and text. As you traverse the continent you will be instructed to pull numbered cards via various methods and you will then follow the instructions on those numbered cards.
Banishing Cards
At various times in the 7th Continent you will be asked to banish a card. When you banish a card it is taken and it is slotted into the banish section in the game box. Unlike other mechanics like discard, or return, banishing a card means that card cannot be used for that playthrough. Period. This is a great mechanic; it stops players from abusing certain situations that would come up over and over again.
For example, let’s say there is a certain monster in the area. You fight the monster and kill it, thereby reaping the rewards; which could be items, resources, food, etc. Now you would take that monster card and banish it so that the next time you traverse that area the monsters is no longer there. If you didn’t banish the card a player could theoretically keep coming back to that area to farm the monster for resources, over and over again.
Banishing cards also changes how the game plays during that playthrough and it makes going through a particular area multiple times more interesting because the area, or event, can change. Stuck your hand into a hole in a cave wall last time and found yourself some grubs? Well, next time the grubs won’t be there but something else might!
Action Deck
The action deck is made up of skill cards and also represents your life force. This combines two mechanics together – your life and your abilities and it’s a really neat little system that has a lot of possibilities. The action deck has some legacy feel to it as well as you can add cards to it over the course of a playthrough which means that you will be able to increase your skill set and also your lifeforce, actually making you tougher.
Terrain Cards
Terrain Cards are detailed illustrations depicting the exact area of the continent you are currently on. They are very detailed and by examining them closely you can pick out a lot of detail about where you are. As you play the game you will be able to discover information about the flora and fauna and this will change what you can do on a particular terrain card.
For example, during the course of your journey you may learn about properties of a certain plant. Earlier on you saw that plant many times but you didn’t know what it was for. Now that you know what the plant does you can potentially use it each time you are on a terrain card that contains it.
Curses
Curses are the driving force behind why you are exploring the 7th Continent. Each time you are going back to the continent, trying to lift a curse that you acquired the first time you explored there.
Each curse takes a different amount of time to complete but during that curse(or multiple curses at once, if you so choose) the world state continues to evolve.
The first curse is the Voracious Goddess and can take sometimes 20 hours to complete as you learn the game and fumble around the continent. During that time the 7th Continent plays just like a legacy game. You make choices and they permanently affect the world. You kill a monster and it doesn’t come back. You hunt for food and the area now has less animals there for you to hunt. The game changes and evolves based upon your choices!
It is an ingenious system and so even though the 7th Continent, by definition, is not a legacy game it plays very much like one. If you like the legacy board game style the 7th Continent will definitely right up your alley and you won’t even have to destroy any components!
Is the 7th Continent a Campaign Game?
The 7th Continent is a campaign game, which resets every time you finish a curse and start a new one. The first curse, The Voracious Goddess will take up to 20 hours to complete and that will take up to 10-15 play sessions essentially making it a modified campaign game!
What Kind of Game is the 7th Continent?
The 7th Continent is an adventure game, similar to a choose your own adventure like the Fighting Fantasy game books. It has campaign elements and legacy elements coupled with a continent spanning adventure where you fight to survive and lift one of the curses you previously acquired.
How Many Curses are in the 7th Continent
There are 12 curses currently in the 7th Continent.
Base Box Curses
- The Bloody Hunt
- The Voracious Goddess
- An Offering to the Guardians
- The Dark Chest of the Damned
What Goes Up Must Come Down
- A Prison of Clouds
- The Veins of The Earth
- A Beacon in the Night
- A Crystal’s Song
- Armageddon
2015 Kickstarter Expansion Pack Curses
- The Icy Maze
- The Swamps of Madness
- The Forbidden Sanctuary
