Overview

Artifact is a board game set in the early 20th century where the great museums of Europe and America compete for artifacts from around the world to fill their museums with the most prestigious exhibitions. Players research sites around the globe, search for artifacts, ship them to their museums, and organize exhibitions to score points.

Components

• Game board (world map with excavation sites)
• 108 Artifact cards (27 in each of 4 site colors)
• 25 Exhibition tiles
• 60 Wooden action markers (museums, ships, workers)
• 5 Player mats
• 5 Action/pass tiles
• 50 Worker huts
• 35 Wooden markers
• 1 Start player marker
• 1 Year marker
• Rules booklets (base game and expansions)

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center.
2. Shuffle artifact cards by color and place them at their sites.
3. Deal exhibition tiles.
4. Each player takes a player mat, action markers, and worker huts.
5. Place the year marker on the first year.

Turn Structure

The game plays over several years. Each year:

1. Action Phase: Players take turns performing actions using their action markers.
2. Exhibition Phase: Players organize exhibitions from collected artifacts.
3. Year End: Advance the year marker and prepare for the next year.

Actions

• Research: Send workers to excavation sites.
• Excavate: Draw artifact cards from sites where you have workers.
• Ship artifacts: Transport artifacts from excavation sites to your museum.
• Organize exhibition: Arrange collected artifacts into themed exhibitions for points.
• Pass: Stop taking actions for the current round.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Points are scored by organizing exhibitions. More valuable and thematically complete exhibitions score higher points. The player with the most exhibition points at the end of the game wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Site colors: The 4 excavation sites correspond to different world regions, each with unique artifacts.
• Shipping logistics: Artifacts must be transported before they can be displayed, adding a logistic challenge.
• Base game + expansions: Rules are separated into base game and expansion rules for easier learning.
• Worker placement: Workers at sites compete for limited artifact discoveries.

Player Reference

Core mechanics: Worker placement, set collection, logistics

Scoring: Exhibition value based on artifact combinations

Win condition: Most exhibition points at game end