• Game Board1
• Age I Cards23
• Age II Cards23
• Age III Cards20
• Guild Cards7
• Wonder Cards12
• Military Tokens4
• Progress Tokens10
• Conflict Pawn1
• Coins31 (1, 3 and 6)

Also a scorebook and a helpsheet.

1. 1
   Board. Place it between the two players, to one side of the play area.
   
2. 2
   Conflict pawn. On the neutral space in the middle of the board.
   
3. 3
   Military tokens. All 4, face up, on their spaces.
   
4. 4
   Progress tokens. Shuffle them and place 5 at random, face up, on the board. Return the rest to the box unseen.
   
5. 5
   Coins. Each player takes 7 coins from the bank.
   

1. 1
   First player. Choose who goes first.
2. 2
   Four Wonders. Shuffle the 12 Wonders and lay 4 face up between you.
   
3. 3
   Pick 1 · 2 · 1. The first player takes 1, the second player takes 2, and the first player takes the last one.
4. 4
   Four more. Lay out 4 more and pick again, but this time the second player picks first (1 · 2 · 1).
5. 5
   Your Wonders. You each now have 4 Wonders. Place them in a column to the left of your play area.
   

1. 1
   Remove 3. From each Age deck, return 3 cards to the box without looking at them.
   
2. 2
   Add 3 Guilds. Draw 3 Guild cards at random and shuffle them into the Age III deck unseen. Return the other Guilds to the box.
   
3. 3
   Lay out Age I. Shuffle the Age I deck and lay out its 20 cards in the Age I shape below. Some go face up, some face down.
   

Each Age is laid out in its own shape. Start at the arrow. White cards go face up, coloured ones face down.

• 

  Age I

  A pyramid, point up: 2 cards at the top, 6 along the bottom.

• 

  Age II

  Upside down: 6 across the top, narrowing to 2 at the bottom.

• 

  Age III

  A tall shape with a gap in the middle row.

• 

  Face up / face down

  Outlined cards are face up; filled cards face down.