The Artifact Player's Guide

7/30/2019 The Artifact Player's Guide

1/24

the

ArtifactPlayer Guide

A Game by Platinumux Design


2/24

Contents

Synopsis 3

The Story So Far 4

Game Setup 6

Player Setup 7

How to Play 8

The Artifact & Artifact Markers 12

Card Types I 13

Card Types II 14

Card Types III 15

Location Cards 16

Movement 17

Combat 18The Race for the Artifact 20

Glossary 21

Afterword 23

2


3/24

Synopsis

The Artifact is a game for 2-5 players where betrayingyour friends and stealing from them is as important as

discovering resources and exploring the cosmos.

The Artifact uses an innovative map dynamic whichmeans every game is unique and different.Set in the far-future and featuring startling artwork, 8

Factions, over 100 cards, exotic locations and constantlyevolving play, The Artifact is a game like no other.

Win by strategy, tactics or blind luck!

3


4/24

Story so Far...

In the New Galactic Authority, things are not going

well.

With the Alien KeRel illegally colonising more of theOuter Arm planets, pirates disrupting interplanetaryshipping and an unknown plague placing more shipsunder quarantine, the situation is running grim indeed.

Then the singing started.

A single voice over the Hypercom, it started as a lonesignal picked up by a tramp freighter near the GalacticHub; it was immediately dismissed as signal failure or an

elaborate hoax. Increasing reports came in from otherregions until nally the ISS Penumbra docked on Triton,all hands on board reported hearing an alien choirsinging within their minds.

What did they sing? asked one investigator.

Find us. They replied.

Triangulating the Penumbras course, researchers foundthe telepathic signal and traced it to a small planet inOrions Spur near the Perseus Arm.

As the singing became almost unbearable, they found asmall stone marker in a cave on the planets surface.

4


5/24

When they picked it up, the singing abruptly stopped, tobe replaced by a single, quiet voice once more callingfrom the far side of the Galaxy.

The marker was just a chunk of silicon with a few esotericcarvings but obviously of hidden monumentalimportance. What was clear though was the marker wasincomplete; whoever left this wanted them found andcompleted.

Once word of the signals and the markers was leakedhowever, every owner-operator, merchantman andpirate set out across the cosmos hoping to nd themarkers and solve the mystery; what secret did themarkers lead to?

Clearly the markers pointed to something-

- something ancient, advanced and awakening...

5


6/24

Game Setup

1. Remove the Earth card from the Library.2. Shufe the Library.

3. Each player chooses their faction and piece.4. All players start with 20 fuel and full shields.5. Place the Earth card in the centre of the game

area.6. All players start from the Earth card.

7. Each player is then dealt 5 cards face downfrom the Game Deck.

6


7/24

Player Setup

1. Each player places 2 tokens on the SpecialAbilities slots of their chosen Faction Card.

2. Each player places tokens on the Shield slotsof their Faction card. (Some players may havemore shields than others.)

3. All players start with 20 fuel. Slide a tokenup or down the fuel gauge as fuel is used or

replenished during the game.4. Players add tokens to the Markers gauge as

they are gained.

Cover Special Abilities

and Shields with tokens.As they get used, removethem from the Player Card.

Place a fuel tokenon 20. Move thetoken up or downas directed bythe game.

Place Artifact Markershere as they are gained.

Faction Card

7


8/24

How to Play

Goal

The aim of game is to uncover 4 Artifact Markers, begin

the race for the Artifact and then conquer it to win.

Start

To begin, each player rolls a 1D6, the highest roll goesrst with turns continuing from that players left.

Turns

Each players turn consists of the following:

1. Consolidate.

2. Place a Location card.3 & 4. Move/Action.5. Resolve the turn.6. Draw card(s).

Consolidate

Sometimes, at the start of a players turn, some effectsmust be concluded before they can move, place a cardor perform an action. These effects must be completedor resolved before continuing.

8


9/24

Location Cards

Location cards are played to open up the game map andto allow exploration. Players must play Location Cardsnext to each other with at least one connecting line of

travel. (See pages 16 & 17.)All Players MUST play a Location card on their turn if

they have one and it is legal to play.

(The exception to this is The Artifact and The Dog Star.)

Players may place non-Location cards down but this isperformed as an Action.

Actions

A player may move and then perform an action or

perform an action then move.

Some examples of Actions are:

i. Refuel.ii. Attack another player. (See page 18.)

iii. Search for an Artifact Marker.iv. Play a card.v. Repair.

Players may not perform 2 Actions or 2 Movements in their

turn unless a card specically states that they may do so.

9


10/24

Movement

All Movement is decided by a 6-sided dice.Players can move through a straight line or up, down, leftand right as they wish. (As long as the cards allows

movement through that direction).

A player rolls a 1D6 and moves as per the dice roll. Aplayer does not have to use their entire movement rollhowever, for example, if a player rolls a 4, they canchoose to use only 1, 2, 3 or all 4 moves.

The cost of any move is 1 fuel per move, e.g. a roll of 3 on a6-sided dice where a player decides to move 3 spacescosts 3 fuel.

A player may also choose not to move on their turn andremain where they are. (As long as it is legal for them todo so.) This does not cost any fuel.

During the Move/Action phase, another player may playa card to help or hinder the player. If this happens, the

effect of the new card is ALWAYS resolved rst.

Resolve Turn

When a player has completed their Move and Actionphase, they may have to conclude the results depending

on where they land or the effects of another card. Allplayers MUST resolve these effects at the end of their turnunless directed to do so by another card.

10


11/24

Draw Card(s)

At the end of the turn, players draw 1 card from thelibrary.A players hand cannot exceed ve cards, unless another

card specically states that they may do so.

Some Item cards are required to be played in front of aplayer. These cards do not count towards hand size andplayers may use as many as they wish. Any Item cards

that a player uses must be played face-up in front ofthem.

11


12/24

The Artifact and Artifact Markers

Artifact Markers are achieved through exploration,conquest and downright underhanded dirty-dealing!

Artifact Markers are uncovered during the course of thegame, stolen from other players and can be won frommany locations.Once a player has gained 4 Artifact Markers and theArtifact is in play, the Race for the Artifact begins.

(See page 20.)

The Artifact

The Artifact can be played on its own or any location,except Nebulas and Planets. A player may play the

Artifact at any time but if a player plays The Dog Starwhile another player holds the Artifact, then the ArtifactMUST be played on it.

12


13/24

Planetary Location Card.

! Planetary Event Card.

! Universal Event Card.

Space Location Card.

! Space Event Card.

Card Types I

There are a variety of different card types withdifferent effects.

Generally, playing Planetary Events,Universal Events and Space Events is not an

Action. The cards will specically state howthey are to be used.

Transit Card.

Item Card.

13


14/24

!

!

!

Card Types II

Below is the breakdown of each card type.

Planetary Location Cards - This is a standard location card andcan be played next to any other location as long it containsconnecting lines of travel.

Planetary Event Cards - Planetary Events can only be played onplanet location. Sometimes these cards may only be played as anAction. In many cases these cards replace the planet location andneed to resolved before the planet can be Landed on again.

Universal Event Cards - Universal Events are cards that can affectall players. They are rarely required to be played on a location.

Space Location Cards - Space locations are another type oflocation card. They can be anything from derelict ships andnebulae to space-ports and normal space.

Space Event Cards - Space Events can only be played onspace locations. Sometimes these cards may only be played as anAction. In many cases these cards replace the space location andneed to resolved before the location can be used or moved through.

Transit Cards - Transit cards are another type of location card.Transit cards, such as Black-Holes and Wormholes can be movedacross for normal Fuel costs. Moving through Transit cards; fromone Wormhole to another for example, costs zero Fuel.

Item Cards - Item cards range from the exotic to the bizarre.When Item cards are played, they remain face up in front of theplayer who used them.

14


15/24

Card Types III

Card Breakdown

All cards have similar details.

Conditions to Land,Artifact Markers andCombat Conditions.

23

OR

The cost in Fuel to Land and search for a Marker.

This does not apply for Fuel cost for Movement.

The amount of Markers available on a planet

when rst played.

This indicates a Sanctuary Planet. No combat

may be initiated here under any circumstance.

This indicates a Combat Planet. Combat may beinitiated freely between players.

When there is no symbol, Combat may only be

initiated through cards or abilities.

Card Name.

Transit Lines.

Card Details.

Current Edition Number.

Card Type.

15


16/24

Location Cards

Location cards always have lines of travel on them.Some contain lines across all four cardinal points

whereas some have less.Players can travel in any direction as long as the linesof travel connect.

This card contains all 4cardinal lines of travel.

A player landing on this cardmay move off in any direction.

This card contains only 2 cardinallines of travel. A player landingor leaving from this card may only

do so from East or West.

16


17/24

Movement

Movement between cards can be seen at a glance.

This card has no lines oftravel connected from

neighbouring cards.Movement to this card ispresently not possible.

With this card, players mayonly travel from East to West.They may NOT travel fromWest to East.

X

X

X

X - No Entrance or Exit

- Legal lines of travel

This card has lines of travelconnected from neighbouringcards but as the card below

it does not connect, movementto the South from this card isnot possible.

17


18/24

Combat

Combat between players can only be instigated

under the following conditions.

1. A player is attempting to gain The Artifact andhas 4 Artifact Markers. Any players on the samelocation may freely attack each other.

2. Two or more players are at a location wherefree combat is permitted.

3. A player uses the Under Attack card or ability.

Combat in DetailCombat is always an Action.

The Attacker

A player instigating combat must declare their intention

to the defending player.The attacking player may sacrice up to 5 Fuel to theirAttack Roll. How much Fuel they choose to use is hiddenfrom the other players.The Attacker rolls a 1 D6 (all players see this roll) andadd their sacriced Fuel to the roll. The total is the

Attack Roll.They then declare that they are ready.

18


19/24

The Defender

The defending player may sacrice up to 3 Fuel to theirDefence Roll. They declare this to the other players.The Defender rolls a 1 D6 (all players see this roll) and

add their sacriced Fuel to the roll.The total is the Defence Roll. They then declare thatthey are ready.

Combat Resolution

The attacker reveals how much Fuel they sacriced and

their Attack total. The total Defence Roll is subtractedfrom the total Attack Roll. If the Attack Roll is greaterthan the Defence Roll, the defender loses 1 Shield andan Artifact Marker (if they have one). The Marker thengoes to the attacking player.

If the Attack Roll is lower or equal to the Defence Roll,the attack has failed. The defender may use cards orabilities before combat resolution such as Raise Shieldsor Slip-Sideways.

If the defending player wishes to use cards or abilitiesthey must do so after the attacking player hascommitted their Fuel for their Attack Roll.

If a player loses all their Shields, they must start again

from Earth. They lose all Artifact Markers in theirpossession although they may attempt to gain ArtifactMarkers from locations they previously won them from.

19


20/24

The Race for the Artifact

Once the Artifact is in play and a player has won 4Artifact Markers, the game changes.

The changes are set out below:

1. All players may now engage in combat with any other.

2. Movement is now restricted to 1,2 or 3 moves for anyplayer with 4 Artifact Markers. They do not have to rollthe dice. The cost of any number of these moves isreduced to 1 fuel. All other players move normally

3. Any player with all 4 Artifact Markers MUST refuel at a

Nebula before landing on the Artifact.

4. If a player with 4 Artifact Markers is successfullyattacked by another player, the attacker gains control ofan Artifact Marker. If this means that the attackingplayer has gained 4 Artifact Markers, that player maystart the Race for the Artifact. The loser must now gain afourth Artifact Marker again.

5. If a player has all 4 Artifact Markers and has refueled,

that player may move toward the Artifact.

6. If a player lands on the Artifact with all conditions met,that player must roll 5 or above on a 1D6 to win theArtifact and the game.

20


21/24

Glossary

Actions - There are a number of Actions and playerscan choose to perform one on their turn. Players mayRefuel, Repair, play a card, search for an ArtifactMarker or initiate combat.

The Artifact - The goal of the game. The Artifact canonly be gained if a player has 4 Artifact Markers and

has Refueled at a Nebula.

Artifact Markers - Artifact Markers are gained throughlocations, cards and events in the game.

Combat Planet - On a Combat Planet, any player mayattack another as long as both players are currently onthe same planet.

Fuel - Fuel is a resource in the game that is used formovement and combat as well as other purposes.

Landing - A player is considered Landed on a Locationif they perform an Action specic to that location such assearching for an Artifact Marker on a Planet.Some locations contain an additional Fuel cost if aplayer chooses to Land.

Moving through or ending a Movement at these locationswithout performing an Action specic to that locationdoes not incur the Landing cost.

21


22/24

Movement - There are two types of Movement; Normalor Race. With Normal Movement, a player rolls 1 D6and moves according to their roll. They may choose touse their entire roll result, part of it or none at all. Fuel

is consumed on a 1:1 basis. i.e a player moving 2spaces uses 2 Fuel. With Race Movement, a playermay move 1, 2 or 3 spaces. There is no dice roll. TheFuel cost is always 1 Fuel regardless of how manyspaces moved. Race Movement is only used if a playeris making a Race for the Artifact.

Refuel - Refuelling is achieved at Nebulae and somelocations. Refuelling is always an Action and willcompletely rell a players Fuel.

Repair - Repairing is an Action that can only beperformed at a Sanctuary Planet. Repairing will rell 1Shield at a cost of 5 Fuel.

Sanctuary Planet - A Sanctuary Planet does not allowplayers to initiate combat under any circumstances.

Players may also Repair at a Sanctuary Planet.

Shields - Shields are used to protect a player incombat. Shields can be repaired at a cost of 5 Fuelper Shield at any Sanctuary Planet.

22


23/24

Afterword

The Artifact has been an enjoyable labour of love for severalyears now. From its humble origin as a college project to its

present, nished incarnation, every step has been journey ofdiscovery, learning and experimentation.Thousands of hours of play testing, design and frustrationnally developed into a unique game we could be proud of.

As we write this, we know that no-one in the world has spent

more time playing The Artifact than us but one thing stillsurprises us - every time we play, even now, something newhappens; some freak map dynamic or strategy that suddenlyleaps out from the game, an odd counter that yieldssurprising results or a hilarious defeat snatched from the jawsof victory - it is this ever-changing uniqueness that makes

each game an adventure.

But we could only take it so far.

Without you, all we would have is a great game only wecould play. Thanks to you, The Artifact is now a polished

gem with all the shine and sparkle we wanted for it.

It is our hope that you gain as much fun and enjoyment fromplaying The Artifact as we did making it!

The Artifact Project2013

23


24/24

Date post:	14-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	tony-murphy
View:	249 times
Download:	0 times

The Artifact Player's Guide

Documents