What is Game of the Month on CivFanatics.com?

Updated

Game of the Month (GOTM) at gotm.civfanatics.net is a long-running, regularly scheduled competition for Civilization III and Civilization IV players. Each month, a specific game is set up with a fixed civilization, difficulty level, and deadline, and players compete by playing that same scenario and submitting their results. It is aimed at Civ players who want a shared, comparable challenge rather than a one-off single-player game.

What the site actually hosts

The site is the hub for the competition. Its main functions are:

  • Current games — the active monthly competition, listing the civilization, difficulty, and submission deadline. At the time of the source material, the current games were Classic GOTM 203 Russia, Emperor and C3C COTM 176 India, Demigod, both with a submit-by date of Sep 30.
  • Completed games — an archive of past results, spanning a long history of both Classic and Conquests (C3C) games, with numbered entries going back through many years.
  • Submission of results — a dedicated page for players to submit their finished games.
  • Pantheon of Heroes — a record of top performers and results.

Resources for players

Beyond the games themselves, the site provides supporting material for participants:

Resource Purpose
Newbie's Guide to GOTM Introduces new players to how the competition works
Code of Conduct Sets the rules and expectations for fair play
FAQ Answers common questions about the competition
Map Gallery Shows maps associated with games
Discussion Forum Community discussion for Civ3 and Civ3 S-GOTM
Civ3 RSS Feed Feed for updates

How the competition works

The structure is straightforward:

  1. A game is announced with a set civilization and difficulty (for example, Russia on Emperor, or India on Demigod).
  2. Players play that game within the competition period.
  3. Results are submitted by the stated deadline.
  4. Completed games and top results are recorded in the archive and Pantheon of Heroes.

Because everyone plays the same setup, results are directly comparable across players — which is the core appeal of the format.

Who it is for

This site is for Civilization III and Civilization IV players who want a recurring, structured challenge with a global community, rather than isolated single-player sessions. If you play Civ3 or Civ4 and enjoy comparing your performance against others under identical conditions, the Games of the Month are built exactly for that.

The source material does not state pricing or login requirements, so those details are not confirmed here.