Race for The Galaxy: Alien Artifacts

I bought this deck just for the expansion deck cards. I dont usually play with the mini game.

My son loved it.

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.

My family plays this game over and over. Because of all the variables, each game feels unique.

I was really excited to try this expansion, as Race for the Galaxy is one of my husbands and my favorite games to play together. We play the game a lot, so I was excited that this would be a bit of a refresh for us, jettisoning the other expansions weve accumulated so far and injecting some new elements of gameplay. Unfortunately, we found the new elements to be confusing/overly complicated, and more importantly, unnecessary for winning the game. It was easy to ignore the new elements and play the game as if it were still just the base set. Im sure some players have gotten this expansion really figured out and can do cool things with it, but adding it in has made us less likely to play the game. I definitely prefer The Gathering Storm expansion to this one.

Nice

Alien Artifacts is a decent expansion, but apparently doesnt play well with the other expansions for the game. If you are just looking for more cards for your RftG deck, this might be what you are looking for with 46 new cards. Added to this expansion is another mini-game that can go along with the main game. You will have meeples exploring an Alien Orb. What they find will add to your score and abilities in the main game. Many dont like this however as it lengthens the game and can tip the balance out of whack. If you explore the most, you will usually win the game. It takes away from the quick paced card game and adds a layer many dont like. But ...its optional, so having it isnt a game breaker. The cards for the main game are good, with a couple that might be a little over powered. But without the Orb game Alien Artifacts adds the most cards without adding more mechanics to the game like some of the other expansions.

A fantastic addition to the game.

We decided to go with this as our first expansion, since I heard you get more cards, and it makes the game more balanced. We havent tried the alien orb game yet, but we have used the new cards quite extensively. They are great! A lot more strategies are now viable, and the game is much more balanced. (Produce/consume is no longer the dominant strategy.) And the new cards arent really more complicated. We didnt need to read any additional rules to be able to play with them right away. (I think the only rule change is now you get two start worlds, and pick one to keep.) Ultimately, the game is more fun with the additional cards in this expansion, without being any more complicated! Awesome!