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Rules assistance for Last Frontier: The Artifact
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–8 players
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.6/5
Rules assistant for Last Frontier: The Artifact
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Last Frontier: The Artifact is an expansion for Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident released in 2001 for 3–8 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Phil Eklund and Matt Eklund and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Square Grid.
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About the game
Description from the publisher: THE ARTIFACT is a space opera using the Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident game system (published by Fat Messiah Games). Three to eight players take over such roles as the Mad Scientist, the Space Pirate Captain, the Phone Company, or a mystery Alien. Because the format is four way blind, and the players are uncertain of each other's motives, the fog of war is a formidable obstacle in this new gaming genre. The action takes place on a space warehouse at the edge of an un-navigable region of the Galaxy known as the Coal Sack. The mad scientist in charge of the facility is trying to sell the Artifact, an alien navigational buoy, to space pirates. The scientist wins if he completes the deal while keeping his illegal activities secret from the Phone Company, who has a couple of agents on board the station somewhere. Victory for the Phone Company depends upon who their secret employers are. His agents may be just innocent employees here to fix the phone lines, they may be working for a rival Museum, or they may work for the Government or private agencies. The Pirate Captain's motives are more transparent; he needs to get the Artifact by trade, artifice, or force. Even with his overwhelming firepower, this is not easy. One of his men may be a government informant. The Artifact may not be all it seems. Loss of contact with his men may mean they have turned against him, or alien bugs have laid eggs on their disemboweled remains. A clank outside may signal imminent explosive decompression, or just a sailmaker robot on the outside hull doing its job. Aliens may or may not be on board; their nature is unknown. The ship's computer may or may not be a sentient character working with its own victory conditions. One's partner may be a trusted companion or a shapeshifting fiend in disguise. The ship's security system, robots, and self-destruct countdown may be puppets for unknown agencies. The Artifact is a gripping drama, full of surprises and mayhem. No two games are alike, full of sabotage, sneak suits, bluster, kamikaze aliens, EMP and plasma guns, booby traps, hacking, and the prospect of the space station being blown up bit by bit by pirate cannon. The action never falters until the last lifeboat is away, the final alias revealed, and the last storeroom explored.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Sierra Madre Games
- Print & Play Productions
Questions and answers
Last Frontier: The Artifact supports 3–8 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 Last Frontier: The Artifact is 120 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 Last Frontier: The Artifact 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.
Last Frontier: The Artifact has a complexity rating of 3.6 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.
Last Frontier: The Artifact belongs to these categories: Wargame, Deduction, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Square Grid. 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 Last Frontier: The Artifact are: Phil Eklund and Matt Eklund. 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 Last Frontier: The Artifact as an expansion for Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident to use it. Check that your edition of Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.