Innovation

Objective and edition: Players develop a civilization with cards and win through achievements or other rule-defined endings. This entry uses Asmadi Games’ 2025 fourth-edition base rules, which add Age 11, Prudence. Innovation Ultimate and its five expansion decks and modules are not part of this summary.

Setup: Shuffle the Age 1–11 decks separately. Draw one card from each Age 1–10 deck and place it face down in the achievement area as a standard achievement. Set out the five special achievements and the Junk reference card. Each player draws two Age 1 cards, chooses one to meld face up as the first innovation on their board, and keeps the other as a starting card in hand. The alphabetically earliest title sets the first player; the first player, and the second player in a game of four or more, takes one action on the opening turn.

Turn actions: Except for the stated opening turns, a player takes two actions on each turn. They may repeat the same action or choose different ones. The four action types are Draw, Meld, Dogma, and Achieve. The order is up to the active player, but each card effect still follows its printed instructions and restrictions. A free Draw gained by sharing a Dogma does not use one of the two regular actions.

Draw and Meld: Draw from the deck matching the age of the highest top card on your board. If that deck is empty, draw from the next higher age deck that still has cards. Meld a card from your hand face up onto the stack of its color; if that stack is splayed, continue its existing direction. Covered innovations remain part of your board and can still contribute icons or meet card conditions.

Dogma: Choose a fully visible top card from one of your five color stacks and resolve all of its effects in order. The most frequent icon on the card is its featured icon. Opponents with at least as many visible icons may share non-demand effects; opponents with fewer may be vulnerable to I Demand effects. Resolve eligible players clockwise as directed. If a shared non-demand effect causes a card to change, the active player receives one free Draw after the Dogma action finishes.

Achieve: A standard achievement must still be available. To claim one with an Achieve action, your score must be at least five times the achievement’s age, and a top card on your board must be of equal or higher age. Points are an eligibility threshold and are not spent. Special achievements have individual conditions; some can be claimed as soon as their condition is met, even during another player’s turn. A claimed achievement is no longer available to other players.

Ways to win: The base rules list victory by achievements, score, card effect, or elimination. A two-player game requires six achievements; subtract one from that threshold for every additional player. Check achievement victory after actions and special-achievement checks. If a player would draw a card higher than Age 11, the game ends immediately and the highest score wins. Card effects can also grant an immediate win or eliminate a player.

Large-player and team rules: The fourth-edition base rulebook includes Parley for non-team games with four or more players. A player can return a card from hand to affect a distant player’s Dogma choice, confirm eligibility to share, or become immune to a demand; each applicable use has its own card cost. Team play is also in the base rulebook, with its own treatment of achievements and teammates. Do not add Innovation Ultimate expansion cards or their effects to the base game.