- BGG rating
- 8.6
Rules assistance for Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 60–90 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.0/5
Rules assistant for Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors is an expansion for Aristeia! released in 2018 for 2 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by David Rosillo, Jesús Fuster, and Alberto Abal and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Dice Rolling.
About the game
Smoke & Mirrors (SnM) Expansion reminds us that Aristeia! is pure spectacle, a Show for Maya where everything is crafted and treated for the audience’s consumption. A Father-Inquisitor set to burn heretics, an Eastern Warlock that tortures his enemies with their worst nightmares, a bloodthirsty half-breed Wulver and a smoke throwing robot. Fantastic Characters that will rise the audience levels. Murtair, Close combat fighter that can use Damage he’s suffered to his own benefit. Offensive profile, given that his Defense is low, and he has no easy way to Disengage (his bloodthirstiness keeps him from leaving the combat). Kozmo, Support-scorer that protects her team by blocking Line of Sight with her Smoke. Even though she has a very good Defense, she is not a tank. Padre Inquisidor Mendoza, The Automatic Skill Sanatur a Deo, couple with his Damage capabilities, turn him into an off-tank. If the rival Team has no appropriate counter, he can also work as a tank, because is hard to send him to the Infirmary. Táowù, Control Support, very aggressive that works mainly with the enemy’s card pool. In addition to that, he is always threating to impose the Immobilized State very easily. A new type of token that affects the Hexadome Spaces is added: Smoke. Smoke affects Space visibility, blocking Line of Sight without hindering movement. A new State is added: Burning. While the blue side of a burning token is up, the player rolls an Orange Dice. For every success, The Character receives a 1 Damage, while for each Special the Character receives a new Burning token. Smoke and Mirrors is not a full game. Need a copy of Aristeia! to play.
Questions and answers
Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors is 60–90 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 Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors for ages 14 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.
Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors belongs to these categories: Fighting, Miniatures, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Dice Rolling. 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 Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors are: David Rosillo, Jesús Fuster, and Alberto Abal. 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 Aristeia!: Smoke and Mirrors as an expansion for Aristeia!. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Aristeia! to use it. Check that your edition of Aristeia! is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.