
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,305
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Haven
- 2 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2018

Expansion for Fantastiqa: The Rucksack Edition
2014
Rules assistance for Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion is an expansion for Fantastiqa: The Rucksack Edition released in 2014 for 2–4 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Alf Seegert and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Point to Point Movement.
Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion Note: this new expansion set is compatible with both the original Enchanted Edition of Fantastiqa AND the new Rucksack Edition. You must have one of these editions in order to use this expansion. CURIOUS COMPANIONS Tucked away inside the Beast Bazaar is a Cantina crammed with Curious Companions. They will happily aid you on your Adventure -- for a price! Curious Companions have two ability symbols displayed in the upper-left corner of the card, of two different types. When Adventuring and Completing Quests, you may use either or both symbols shown on the card. RAREST RELICS Hidden in the attic of the Artifact Tower is a secret stash of arcane lore -- and it’s now for sale! Rarest Relics work exactly like regular Artifacts, but with more powerful effects -- and greater expense. Play a Rarest Relics card from your hand as a Free Action. Rarest Relic cards (7 total) The purchase price for each Rarest Relic card is 5 Gems. • Bionic Bard: You may commit this card to any Personal Quest. Receive a +1 Point Bonus Token when this Quest is completed. Discard after each use. • Enchanting Automaton: Play this card in front of you. Draw or release one extra card whenever you visit a Statue. This card stays in play for the rest of the game. You must draw or release cards as your Turn Action to perform this Free Action. • Gem Golem: Draw two Gems from the supply. • Mechanical Mule: Play this card in front of you. You may store one card, face-up, at a time on it; discard or play it at will. The Mechanical Mule stays in play for the rest of the game. (It is okay to make the Mechanical Mule carry a Peaceful Dragon!) • Rod of Raven-Prodding: Play this card in front of you. If this card is in play when the Mischievous Raven attempts to steal your Gems, he ignores you and steals from another player if he can. Discard this card after each use. • Sceptre of Summoning: Name any card ability symbol from the Circle of Subduing. Draw from your deck, one card at a time, until you find a card with that symbol and add it to your hand. Discard the other cards. If you run out of cards to draw, claim none of them. • Steam-Powered Scout with a Luminous Snout: Travel up to two Regions away. Components • 18 Curious Companion cards and 1 Curious Companion token • 7 Rarest Relic cards and 1 Rarest Relic token Setup • Shuffle all the Curious Companion cards and set them face down in a single deck, directly next to the Beast Bazaar cards. Put the Curious Companions token next to this deck to identify it. • Shuffle all the Rarest Relic cards and set them face down in a single deck, directly next to the Artifact Tower cards. Put the Rarest Relics token next to this deck to identify it. Rules • If you occupy a Region with a Beast Bazaar, you may draw three cards from either the Beast Bazaar OR the Curious Companion deck (not both). You may claim as many as you can afford. • If you occupy a Region with an Artifact Tower on your turn, you may draw three cards from either the Artifact Tower OR the Rarest Relic deck (not both). You may claim as many as you can afford. • “+S” Special Powers work as usual to let you draw additional cards from either of these new decks. • Claimed cards go in your discard pile as usual. Discard unclaimed cards face up beneath the source deck. Reshuffle this deck if you ever run out of face-down cards.
Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion supports 2–4 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 Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion is 60 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 Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion 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.
Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion 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.
Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Adventure, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Point to Point Movement. 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 Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion are: Alf Seegert. 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 Fantastiqa: Curious Companions and Rarest Relics Expansion as an expansion for Fantastiqa: The Rucksack Edition. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Fantastiqa: The Rucksack Edition to use it. Check that your edition of Fantastiqa: The Rucksack Edition is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.