
2013 · Civilization
Innovation: Figures in the Sand
105 new cards add historical Figures who bring changing powers to the history of Innovation. Divided across ten Ages and five colors, these cards use Karma effects that alter actions, icon counts, scoring, demands, and other parts of play. Players can also pursue five Decrees, special achievements that opponents may steal. Only one Figure remains in play after each action; additional Figures Fade into the score pile. The expansion can be played with the base game or combined with Echoes of the Past.
- Players
- 2–6 best 2
- Playing time
- 30–75 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 3.1 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Publisher
Expansion for
See them in LudoyaWhere to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 12
- Plays logged
- 3
- Players
- 10
- In collections
- 3
- On wishlists
9.0/10
from 1 Ludoya review
Pahn9.0 Figures makes for a decent catch-up mechanism, but it would be nice to see these cards come out during gameplay a bit more often.
No plays logged
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
When do I draw a Figure card?
You draw a Figure instead of a share-bonus card after a Dogma action, and each other player draws one when someone claims a standard achievement using the Achieve action. Other draw effects don’t give you Figures unless they specifically say so (p. 4).
If an age has no Base cards left, can I still draw an expansion card from it?
No. An age is considered empty as soon as it has no Base cards, even if expansion cards remain, so skip it and draw from the next-highest non-empty age. If the needed expansion card isn’t available at the appropriate age, draw a Base card of that age instead (p. 4).
Do Figure karma effects keep working after I cover the Figure?
A “Each” karma effect is continuous only while that Figure is a top card. “When” effects resolve when the Figure is melded; “Would” effects interrupt the triggering effect, and if multiple Would karmas trigger at once, the current player chooses one (p. 6).
What happens if I have more than one Figure showing on top of my stacks?
At the end of any action, on any player’s turn, score your excess top Figures until you have only one. You choose which to score; a Figure covered by a card melded on top is no longer a top Figure (p. 8).
Can I take an Inspire action more than once, and do its effects get shared?
You may take an Inspire action only once per turn, and only if you have visible Inspire effects. Choose one color, resolve its effects from the bottom card up, then draw a card matching the value of that color’s top card; Inspire effects are not shared (p. 9).
When I claim a Decree, do I discard just the three Figures I need?
No. You must have three Figures of different values, then remove your entire hand—including non-Figures—from the game. You may claim or steal a Decree matching a discarded Figure’s color; claiming a Decree does not make other players draw Figures (pp. 10, 15).
Free, on web, Android and iOS
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.
