Is Olympia wonder ability void for first age?

Question

On the Olympia wonder board, the first Wonder to build provides the alpha effect: it is explained that it enables us to build for free the first age card of each age.

I am French and I have the second French edition of the game. Here is a link to the French effect of the cards.

Here is my question: during the first age, this effect cannot be applied? Because to get it, I need to play one card (and this card is then the first card)...but the effect just applies for the first card...the effect is void for the first age...am I correct?

Answer 1

This question is answered in the FAQ on the 7wonders.net website : Source : 7 Wonders FAQ

The fact that you are referring to the «alpha effect» implies that you are discussing the 2nd edition (2020), not the first ediiton.

After constructing stage 2 of the Olympia Wonder (Day side), can I construct the first card in each color for free in each Age?

No. Only the first Age card in each color that you don’t already have in your City is constructed for free, regardless of the current Age. If you have already constructed a Blue card in your City, you cannot use this effect to construct a Blue card.

The point is that the alpha effect targets not the first card that you use to build, but the first building, if you have not yet built one of that colour.

Also, you are allowed to activate both the 1st and 2nd stages of the Wonder in the first age. That way you can get the benefits of both stages in all 3 ages.

Answer 2

Just to clarify, this is the 2020 version of 7 wonders, in which some of the wonders are a bit changed compared to the original version. Olympia is one that's heavily changed.
Here is a nice video explaining the differences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXZND4aG1Lk.
Now to answer you question.

This is not an official answer, as I have none. But I am curious and as soon as I find out I will come back and post a link here.
But this is how I interpret it and how I play it.
I have the Romanian version, so not sure if stuff got lost in translation.
This is what my rule book says about the alpha symbol (translated by me).

"After this symbol comes into play, you can build the first era card for free in every era."

Is Olympia wonder ability void for first age?

No.
There are cases in which you can benefit from it.

• you build the wonder stage with the first card in era 1. This means the second card you "play" is the first card you build. So it's free. I still have doubts that I'm right here. Anyway, this cannot happen with only the regular game because it would mean that both your neighbors have to produce stone on their wonder. And there is only one wonder that produces stone in the regular game (Gizah) and you would need 4 coins to pay for them but you start with 3. But it is possible if you play with the wonder pack extension or with the community extensions and extensions that give you extra money when you start.
• you play with the leaders extension and you build the first stage of your wonder using the leader you should play before stage one. Since a leader is not an "era card", the first card you play in the first era is free. This is more plausible but still highly improbable for the same reasons as above (you need 2 stones around you from the beginning). If you play with the leaders extension you start with 6 coins, that's why it's theoretically possible.

Answer 3

The FAQ of the game states:

Can I use the effect of stage 1 of the Olympia Wonder (Night side) during Age I?
You can never use this effect during Age I, except in an extremely rare scenario. If you are playing with the Leaders expansion, and each of your neighbors have an Ore for their starting resource, you can build stage 1 of your Wonder with your first Leader. Then you can use the effect of this Wonder stage starting in Age I.

Which “first” card can I construct for free using stage 1 of the Olympia Wonder (Night side)?
This is referring to the very first card you choose at the start of an Age (from your initial hand of cards). During each Age, you do not need to own or buy any resources to construct this card. If you manage to construct this Wonder stage during Age I, you can therefore construct 2 cards for free: the 1st card in Age II, and the 1st card in Age III. If you choose to construct a Wonder stage or to sell the card instead of constructing it, you lose the effect for the current Age.

After constructing stage 2 of the Olympia Wonder (Day side), can I construct the first card in each color for free in each Age?
No. Only the first Age card in each color that you don’t already have in your City is constructed for free, regardless of the current Age. If you have already constructed a Blue card in your City, you cannot use this effect to construct a Blue card.