- BGG rank
- BGG #2,446
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Bootleggers
- 3–6 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2004
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,578
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Artificium
2014
Rules assistance for Artificium
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 20–50 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Artificium
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Artificium is a board game released in 2014 for 2–6 players, 20–50 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Timofey Shargorodskiy and its main mechanics are Trading, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Open Drafting.
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About the game
As a medieval ruler your aim is to develop crafts, build efficient production chains, and make your city thrive. Produce, transform, gather resources, and don't forget to hinder your opponents! Artificium is a card-driven development game. Some cards produce resources or transform one type of resources into another and award victory points, while others let you perform actions. Carefully planning the chain of cards that you will play during the game turn is the key to success. Artificium lasts four turns. At the start of each turn, players have five cards in hand, with six cards being face-up on the table as a card market. During the turn, players first have a chance to exchange some cards from their hands with those in the market, then they play and resolve their cards step by step, performing actions, trading and gathering resources, and most importantly, refining certain resources into other resources to earn victory points. Crystals on the players' individual resource boards keep track of their resources as they are bought and sold. Crystals placed beside the board represent player's coins. The final score is determined after the fourth turn, with players selling any remaining resources to score additional victory points (one point per four coins). The player with the most victory points is considered to be the wisest medieval ruler and is declared the winner.
Designers
Publishers
- asmodee
- Lifestyle Boardgames Ltd
Questions and answers
Artificium supports 2–6 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 Artificium is 20–50 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 Artificium for ages 8 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.
Artificium has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Artificium belongs to these categories: Card Game, Medieval, and Industry / Manufacturing. Its main mechanics are Trading, Simultaneous Action Selection, 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 Artificium are: Timofey Shargorodskiy. 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 Artificium 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.