Well I had a game for the first time with the artifacts in play, they are a fun thing in the start of the game when people are trying to get them, but then they loose their flair.

So my group and I talked about making the artifacts more important, by giving them some abilities. We didn't talk about what they should be but here are some of my thoughts, just to make them stronger targets.

Precursor fossil: You can buy shock troops instead of normal ground forces.

Ancient Shipyard: The planet functions as a spacedock, you just don't have to place a spacedock unit on the planet, but is subject to all other rules. Except the possibility to destroy it with an action card.

Datacash: You gain a free tech, and all techs cost two resources less.

Ancient armoury: +1 on all combat rolls.

Just an idea to make them more attractive to get a hold off.

Those aren't bad ideas. I know one common variant for increasing their importance is to count them as a VP *AND* a "tech credit" for their color. Also, some people say that the "blank" artifacts give the finder a few TGs as a consolation prize.

Something else I've seen is where each Artifact has a specific tech card associated with it (a high-level one). If you claim the Artifact, you get the tech, regardless of your prerequisites. If you lose the artifact, you lose the tech UNLESS you have claimed all the pre-reqs by then.

Artifacts definitely have a lot of potential for game tweaks.

I have also seen them used to give DNs a boost.

Fossil -- DNs may carry 1 GF (2 GF if you have Stasis Capsules)

Shipwreck -- DN cost reduced by 1 (not usable by L1z1x)

Datacache -- DNs gain +1 movement (+2 with Type IV Drives)

Armory -- DNs gain +1 combat die

I think the initial ideas make the artifacts too strong. If you play with these rules, you should also rule that artifacts need to be placed as near to the centre of the map as possible, so they are not easily to defend. I like Beren's idea, personally, we play with the "2 TG if it's a dud" and "they count as tech discount" idea.

Well some of the special powers they give might be a little powerful. But they would still give the game a more active play, like people would kill for the artifacts and could turn the tide in the game. I like the idea of just saying they count as an tech colour discount.

As for duds giving trade goods... hmm I don't know about that, if you spend ten years digging in egypt, and don't find anything, I don't think you get squat.

Maruk the Nomad said:

True, but chances are, if you have an inkling there's something there (ala, the tokens), you may not find anything of major technological signifcance, but may find some relics and such that coudl fetch a pretty penny

Similar to Sigmazero13, my thought was that you'd get tech credit for the artifact. Owning the holder of an artifact gets +1 Resource for tech purchase of that color than can be added to the +1 you get for holding another planet with the same color of tech, leading to possble +2.

I'm toying with with tech idea. What if instead of a preset tech you went with whatever the next tech up the tree of that color is?

Duds are duds makes sense to me.

The main reason people use the "duds = TGs" is to reduce the complete random factor; it can really suck if a player checks 3 artifacts and gets 3 duds with no compensation, whereas another player gets 2 VPs just by luck of the draw. Having TGs as compensation can mke the differential not quite as extreme.

I usually give a tech credit for the color of the Artifact in addition to the VP.

also I have added new fronts to many of the duds so that they actually do give bonuses to those who find them with one exception of one Artifact that has a Biohazard symbol. (represents the defense of some ancient crypts to keep unwanted thieves out.)

when we play with artifacts we add these rules:
you can place an artifact in an empty system and if it is a dud you get 2 TG's
If its on a planet and its a dud you just get the planet (The idea behind this is that you discarded a Distant sun (If you play with them ) to put the artifact on that planet so you could be getting something much worse )
The artifacts you have are a discount to that colour of technology

I dont think artifacts are ment to be all that important throughout a game...i even find that noone makes a huge effort to get to a planet soley because it has an artifact on it. People will go to that planet or system because they placed the artifact on a good planet (Everyone picks an artifact and places it on the boards is how we play) towards the end of the game is where artifacts get more important as people go on VP runs ... but I find that the artifacts dont even make a huge difference because they can be so easily stolen from you .... Either way, I dont think artifacts need importance ... there just alittle spice added to the game

We also play with some weird other rules like the amount of VP you have counts as points towards your racial tech ... so if you have 3 VP and your racial tech costs 5 .. itll cost you 2 plus w.e it is to get a tech (nothing with the tech SC) we also changed a bunch of the tech's that are higher up on the tech tree... which I find are really pointless otherwise...You have no insentive to go anywhere past warsuns or XRD or ect ect ...when the higher techs are things like fleet legistics So we changed them so they are really good now ... like they should be, because it is hard to get some of those higher techs ... this way tech stays more important throughout the whole game, not just the begining

I <3 Twilight

3 rules from Psicoma's Shattered Ascension ruleset have made artifacts more interesting in our games:

1. You get your racial tech free in the status phase as soon as you have as many VPs as is the extra cost of the racial tech. This means most of the time I push to get at least 1 artifact in the early game so I can get my RT as early as possible. Of course this is dependent on the race I'm playing.
2. Artifacts give a tech discount of its color - the added bonus is that it is never exhausted, which makes it better than discounts on planets.
3. VPs for artifacts are scored in the status phase and not mid-round. That means that you have to be able to hold you artifact until the end of the round, rather than winning mid-round with artifact grabbing.

With these rules I see no more need to boost artifacts, but many of the ideas here are really cool. I particularly like the DN boost idea - the worst ship would become more interesting, definitely.

magicoctopus said:

Shattered Ascension has a good DN booster. I'm not a big houseruler, but that's one that I've really come to like.

A slightly contrary view - in our 3 player FTF games we find the Artifacts are very important, RAW. At the end of the game the Artifacts become hotly contested, as taking an Artifact away from a player results in a 2 VP swing, which is huge! That can become especially important if one player is on the edge of victory (and say has drawn Bureaucracy) - then the opposition can go for the leader's Artifact planet(s) early on in the Round.

Having said that, we also use some of the variants mentioned above, including 1 TG for duds, and buying the Racial Tech based on VPs. That is another reason which makes taking Artifacts early on quite useful (if they are not duds!). I also like the sound of tech credits and DN buffs - may have to try them. If we did go that route, we would also increase the dud value to 2 TGs, like some of the posters already do.

Great ideas!

If you end up using TGs for duds, I would suggest this.

A dud artifact gives the holder 1 TG in each Status Phase.

This makes it useful through out the whole game and also adds some interesting deal making aspects.

I have changed all my duds and after printing out new fronts they all now do something.

There are the 4 normal VP Artifacts.

1 - 2TG

1 - 4TG

4 - Gain 1 Tech Counter of each color

1 - Biohazard

1 - 3 Hostile Locals

1 - Gain a Cruiser

I added in others from my multiple sets so now all planets near MR and the far parts of the Galaxy have them. As I use an alternative set up this works. No Artifacts are placed within 1 reach movement of the HS