General Strategy for 7 Wonders
Essentially this game breaks down to 18 turns, that is important to keep in mind, a lot of players that first play this feel like the games just gets going, and it ends.
Try to maximize your wonder. Strategy by wonder
Military approach is not enough to win the game. Avoid getting into an arms race. If you are going to score military, make sure you are balancing it with other strategies. If you are going to try and score military, you have to make sure you have enough to score points every turn.
If you notice your neighbors are buying science, try to pick up the correct ones that block them from a big score.
Try to pick up resources your neighbors will need so that they are paying you to get them.
If all else fails, buy blue cards.
The nature of the game changes based on the number of players, a four player game has more resources available than a seven player game.
Science, guilds and military depend on you getting the right cards and can be blocked by other players.
If you are going to go for science, go for it early.
If you can’t get the resources, then get the markets to make it easier to acquire them.
Your goal should be to score 3 points with every play in era 1, 4 points in era 2, and 7 points in era 3.
Guilds are random but can turn the game.
Era 1: get access to 1 loom, 1 stone, 1 ore, 2 clay, 2 lumber, build a marketplace or trading post, build alter, baths, theater.
Era 2: build a forum or caravansey (hopefully for free), build any free act 2 blue structures specifically statue and temple.
Era 3: build as many blue structures as you can otherwise anything that gets points.
Win with Science
Era 1: workshops x2 (cog), apothecary x2 (compass), scriptorum x2 (tablet)
Era 2: laboratory x2 (cog), dispensary x2 (compass), library x2 (tablet), school x2 (tablet)
Era 3: study x2 (cog), observatory x2 (cog), academy x2 (compass), Lodge x2 (compass), university X2 (tablet)
Don’t wait for era 2 to get the tablet since this will be in short supply.
Utilize free buildings when possible.
Use a papyrus to build a scriporiums era 1, use the scriptorium to build the library era 2, and the library to build university era 3
Manufacture glass builds the workshop, use the workshop to build the laboratory, laboratory to build the observatory.
Lines to build apothecary, apothecary to build dispensary, dispensary to build lodge.
In the 2nd era you can use wood and papyrus to build school, school builds academy and studin in era 3
To get the max points of science you need to collect 12 of your 18 cards as science. It will require 4 resource cards or 10 gold.
Era 1: loom, glass, lumber, apothecary, scriptorium, workshop
Era 2: build era 2 science buildings dispensary, laboratory. library, school.
Era 3: build science structures hopefully for free, build science guild if it comes your way.
Civilian Blue Strategy
Era 1: Altar X2, Theatre X2, Baths X2, Pawnshop X2
Era 2: Temple X2, Courthouse X2, Stature X2, Aqueduct X2
Era 3: Gardens X2, Senate X2, Twon Hall X3, Pantheon X2, Palace X2
Blue cards by victory points
Alter =2
Theatre = 2
Baths = 3
Pawnshop = 3
Temple = 3
Courthouse = 4
Statue = 4
Aqueduct = 5
Gardens = 5
Senate = 6
Town Hall = 6
Pantheon = 7
Palace = 7
You can only have one of each title
Tech path scriptorum builds courthouse and library, library builds university and senate
Alter builds temple, temple builds pantheon
Baths build aqueduct
Theatre builds statue, statue builds gardens
You could max out with 61 points with all the blue structures.