
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,472
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Archaeology: The Card Game
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2007

2016
Rules assistance for Archaeology: The New Expedition
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Archaeology: The New Expedition is a board game released in 2016 for 2–5 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Phil Walker-Harding and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Push Your Luck, and Open Drafting.
Archaeology: The New Expedition is a reimplementation of the popular Archaeology: The Card Game (with several changes). You are an archaeologist working the dig sites of the Egyptian desert. Search for the right pieces to complete torn parchments, broken pots, and other priceless artifacts. Explore an ancient pyramid in the hope of uncovering a huge stash of treasure! Trade shrewdly at the local marketplace to increase the value of your collection. Sell your treasures to the museum at just the right time for maximum profit. But beware, the desert also has its dangers! A devastating sandstorm can throw your expedition into disarray, and cunning thieves lurk around the dig site ready to steal your prize discovery! In Archaeology: The New Expedition, you want to find treasures and make the most money possible by selling them to the museum. Players start with four treasure cards in hand; one monument tile is chosen at random, then the chambers of the monument are loaded secretly with treasure cards. On a turn, a player digs for treasure by drawing from the deck. If they find treasure, they don't show anyone and keep it; if they find a thief, they steal a card at random from an opponent; and if they find a sandstorm, all players lose half of their cards in hand to the marketplace, which starts the game with five face-up cards. (Each player has a tent that they can discard to avoid the effects of one sandstorm.) After digging, a player can: Discard one or more maps to explore one chamber of the monument, looking at all the cards there and keeping some number of them. Trade at the marketplace by laying down one or more treasure cards and picking up cards with equal or lesser trading value. Sell to the museum by placing sets of treasure cards in front of them; in general, the more cards you have of a type, the more the set is worth. Players can explore only once, but they can do the other actions repeatedly, and they can take these actions in any order. Once the deck is empty, players keep taking actions until they all pass in turn, after which they sell treasures to the museum. Whoever ends up with the most money wins! According to the designer, Archaeology: The New Expedition differs from Archaeology: The Card Game through the inclusion of tent cards, the addition of new treasure types and additional cards to allow for five players, the adjustment of some treasure values, and the inclusion of six monuments instead of one to have more variety when exploring.
Archaeology: The New Expedition supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Archaeology: The New Expedition is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Archaeology: The New Expedition for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Archaeology: The New Expedition has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Archaeology: The New Expedition belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Push Your Luck, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Archaeology: The New Expedition are: Phil Walker-Harding. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Archaeology: The New Expedition as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.