Race for The Galaxy: Alien Artifacts

Family enjoys this new edition to the fold. Another reason for the family to get out a game and play.

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.

Makes the game more enjoyable. We like the new cards.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A fantastic addition to the game.

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.