Monumental
- Players
- 1-4
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 2 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 120 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 14+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 2.9 / 5
- Year
- 2020
About the game
Monumental is a civilization deck-building game where each player grows a 3x3 grid of city cards, activating them to gather Science, Military, Production, Culture, and Gold. Since you can't activate every card each turn, tough choices about which resources to prioritize drive the strategy. Gathered resources let you acquire increasingly powerful cards from a shared pool spanning classical, medieval, and industrial eras, while a modular board lets you conquer barbarian-held provinces for victory points. With asymmetric civilizations and a strong solo mode, it offers a meaty but approachable take on the civ-building genre.
Hobbli's Notes
Monumental delivers gorgeous production value and a satisfying engine-building puzzle; deciding which city cards to activate each turn feels meaningfully tense. The tableau and modular map give it real strategic depth without the marathon length of some 4X classics. It can suffer a touch of analysis paralysis in the higher player counts. Overall it's a strong pick for groups who like deckbuilding merged with area control.
What we like
- Rich engine-building puzzle with meaningful tough choices each turn.
- Strong solo mode alongside multiplayer.
- Asymmetric civilizations and modular board boost replayability.
- High production values and thematic card art.
Keep in mind
- Can suffer analysis paralysis, especially at higher player counts.
- Rules and card interactions take some time to learn.
- Area-control combat may feel light for dedicated wargamers.
Who it's for
Strategy gamers aged 12+ who enjoy civilization-building and deck/engine construction, playable solo or with up to 4 players in a two-hour session.
