Race for The Galaxy: Alien Artifacts

I only use the cards from this game, not the orb subgame. I love Race for the Galaxy--perhaps my favorite of the 150+ games in my collection. I wanted something to add to it and these cards are pretty good. They arent overpowered, which is nice, and they blend reasonably well with the base game. They tilt things toward aliens and significantly towards military strategies. Im not sure how frequently I will use these cards...the base game is more balanced in the sense that military is a good but not dominant strategy. Still, these add an interesting little flavor that changes the game a little and gives you some variety if you have played the base game a lot.

Im not impressed with the Alien Maze component but if you ignore that part you can use the additional cards with the base set and any of the other expansions.

The orb expansion can be amusing, but it makes it feel like youre playing two different games at the same time. There can be a lot of possibilities to consider in the placement of the orb cards, and this really slows the pace of the game. The orb does add another significant dimension of strategy (and luck, for that matter) to the game. The extra start worlds and other new cards are a nice addition to the standard game, even without using the orb.

This and the base set of Race for the Galaxy is an incredible game. It will provide you hours of enjoyment. You will become addicted. Fantastic 2 player game. My wife and I love it. No smashing the other player. Interesting and tactical.

This expansion is great! You dont have to play with the orb if you dont want to. Why is everyone bashing this so much just because it comes with a game play mode you DONT HAVE TO PLAY? The cards that come with Alien Artifacts are great! The expansion is a good buy just to get the new cards and have them to play with. I honestly cant understand how anyone give this one star if they new anything about the game because the cards are good enough by themselves... In fact I think three star reviews are already showing a jaded bias. The expansion deserves at least four stars. I am giving it five to offset the ninny who rated it one star and because I LOVE the cards included. Sure I am not going to use the orb, but hell I dont use half the stuff in the other expansions either.

Only buy this expansion if you want more cards!! On cards alone, this would be a 5-star addition to Race For The Galaxy. BUT, the Alien Artifacts mechanic is TERRIBLE! Minus 2 stars! Ugh!

My three oldest children, aged 12.5, almost 10, and 8 as of 06/2014 love Race for the Galaxy (as well as other nerd games). In this age of iPads, games on phones, and overall inundation with electronic devices, I insist on myelinating their neurons with games that are hard to learn and harder to master - theyve done a fine job, and Race for the Galaxy is definitely in my Top 10 of hard games that make one think. This expansion does the game justice, and adds even more difficulty and interest to an already solid game.

As with all the expansions to the base game that have added unnecessary complexity to an already complex but well built game I only used the cards from this expansion. I suppose some day I might learn the exploring the Alien sphere part of the game that adds wooden bits to a card game but Im content with the new start worlds and the added cards. To those who say its not compatible with the first three expansions I say phooey. Sure its illogical that they labeled the new start worlds with numbers they already used in previous expansions but that hasnt stopped me from adding them into the mix. Its not that hard to remove select cards that either score or interact with the orb. Just as ive done in other expansion to remove elements of the game that were added that didnt interest me.

My son loved it.

This expansion can only be used with the base game. It is not compatable with expansions 1, 2, & 3. There is also a secondary board/card game in this expansion that bogs down the quick game-play of the normal game flow otherwise. As a stand alone expansion with the base game it is fine and should be added to the collection.