Innovation: Artifacts of History
Innovation: Artifacts of History Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Expansion Setup
Each Innovation expansion has 105 cards that are split up into 10 ages, just like the base set. These cards are kept as separate supply piles. They can be stacked at a 90 degree angle underneath the base set supply piles, or placed next to them.
Artifacts of History includes an optional rule for Relics. If you are playing with Relics, follow the Relic setup rules in the Relics section below.
Playing with Expansions
For each expansion you include in a game of Innovation, increase the number of achievements required to win by 1, and the maximum player count by 1. It is recommended that only fully veteran groups play with 5+ players.
For 5+ player games, we recommend the following rule for distant players (those two or more seats away):
A distant player must have at least twice as many of the featured icon to share an effect. You must have more than twice as many of the featured icon to make a distant player vulnerable to demands.
Multiple events may trigger after you take a Meld action. If this happens, perform them in the following order:
- Execute a City icon's effect.
- Draw a City.
- Dig an Artifact, and place it on display.
- Promote a foreshadowed card.
- Execute a Figure's "When" karma effect.
Expansion Cards
Expansion cards in play behave just like any other Innovation card. They can be melded, scored, tucked, and so forth. If an expansion card is returned, place it on the bottom of its supply pile.
Since the backs of expansion cards are colored differently, the type of cards in your hand, score pile, and forecast are public knowledge, just as their values are.
The type of a card refers to which expansion it is from.
If there are no base cards left in the supply value for an age, that age is considered empty. When drawing expansion cards, skip empty ages even if there are expansion cards of that age available.
Example: You need to draw an age 2 Artifact card, and the base supply pile for age 2 is empty. You draw an age 3 Echoes card instead, even if there were age 2 Artifact cards remaining.
In the rare case that there are no expansion cards available of the type and age you tried to draw from, draw a base card of that age instead.
Drawing Artifacts: Dig
The way you acquire Artifact cards is different from all other sets. Instead of being drawn into your hand, they go on display, face-up on your reference card. A dig event occurs after your Meld Action if you:
- Covered up a card with a lower (or equal) card.
- Covered up a card with another card, and both cards have their hexagonal card image in the same location.
If either or both are true, dig up (draw) an Artifact card of value equal to the covered up card, and place it face up on your reference card. The artifact is now on display. If there is no Artifact card of that age to draw, or if you have a card on display already, ignore the Dig event.
Example: A melded card covering up a card with matching hexagonal card image location. A Mysticism (value 1) card is covered up by a Philosophy (value 2) card, and both cards have their hexagonal card image in the same location, so a dig event occurs.
Artifacts "On Display"
Once on display, there are three things you can do with an Artifact:
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At the start of your turn, you may take a free Dogma action targeting the card on display. Determine sharing and vulnerability, adding the icons from the card on display to your total. Execute all its effects (and before that, any echo effects on your board in its color). At the conclusion of the free Dogma action, return the displayed artifact. This free Dogma action does not count as one of your two actions per turn.
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At the start of your turn, you may return the displayed card. This is useful if you do not want the artifact.
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As a normal Meld action, you may treat the card on display as if it is in your hand, and meld it.
A card on display is not part of your board or hand, and cannot be affected at all by any effects. Its visible icons do not count as part of your board, except for determining sharing and vulnerability during its free Dogma action.
Example: placing an Artifact on display. The example shows a Dead Sea Scrolls card (value 2) placed on display, with the Forecast expansion draw rules card above it and an arrow marked "Place here". The Dead Sea Scrolls card text reads: "Draw an Artifact of value equal to the value of your highest top card."
Forecast: Expansion Draw Rules
The Forecast card lists the expansion draw rules, one per icon:
- Echoes: Any time you would draw a base card, instead draw an Echoes card of the same value if your hand has cards in it, and none of them are Echoes cards.
- Figures: Any time an opponent takes an Achieve action, draw a Figure. If you would draw a card as a sharing bonus after a Dogma action, draw a Figure. In either case, draw a card of value matching your highest top card.
- Cities: If you take a Meld action and add a new color to your board, draw a City. If you splay a color in a new direction, draw a City. In either case, draw a card of value matching your highest top card. Ignore these conditions entirely if you already have a City in your hand.
- Artifacts: If you take a Meld action and cover up a card with one of lower or equal value, or one with its hex icon in the same slot, dig up an Artifact of value equal to the covered up card, and place it on display. If you already have an Artifact on display, ignore these conditions entirely.
Compel Effects
Artifacts contain a special type of demand effect that starts with "I Compel." A player is vulnerable to compel effects only if they would be eligible to share your non-demand effects. Other than this difference, they behave exactly like demand effects. When it is time to execute a compel effect, you read it aloud to vulnerable opponents, and they each perform the instructions in clockwise order.
In many cases, an opponent will be forced to execute the instructions of a compel effect and then share in other non-demand effects on an Artifact card.
Remember that to obtain a free Draw action as a sharing bonus, a non-demand effect must be shared. Compel effects are considered to be demand effects for all purposes.
Relics
Five Relic cards are included with Artifacts of History, in place of special achievements. These are an optional addition to the Artifacts of History set. If you choose to use them, during setup place them face-up next to the supply piles matching their age. Each of the five Relics is a "lost card" from one of the five Innovation sets.
After you dig an artifact, you may seize a Relic of the same value as the Artifact card drawn. You may only do this if the Relic is next to its supply pile, or in any achievements pile (even your own!).
To seize a Relic, choose to either transfer it to your achievements, or your hand. If the Relic card is from an expansion not being used in this game, it must be transferred to your achievements.
If a Relic would be returned, place it face-up next to its matching supply pile. If a Relic is in your achievements pile for any reason, it should be face-up, so all players know it is available to be seized.