Tips inventors

3+ players part:

What rewards to take

In the early rounds, focus on taking the number tokens to increase your knowledge, especially on your inventors with the big (6 and 9) point bonuses. You want to do this as much as possible in the first age especially because as you add knowledge to build toward those big bonuses, you also get to play extra cubes when using those inventors. The earlier you add that knowledge, the more you will get to use those extra cubes.

Plan your contributions to inventions based on which tokens you need for the first two ages. These should be dedicated to finishing the inventors with the big bonuses and snatching up an occasional 2 or 3 point ribbon. In the third age, you want to focus on taking inventions because the inventions make you gain a number of points equal to the age.

Usually try to not use the effect of your tokens, and not use a star. If you can use them as a '1' and not have anything leftover at the end of the game, you would be on a good spot to win.

Refreshing inventors

A lot of new players are afraid to refresh inventors before using all four. Don't be. Refreshing inventors with one or even two left can serve several strategic purposes:

1) It allows you to more frequently use inventors with 4/5/6 units of knowledge instead of doing the best you can with the inventors with only 2

2) It can allow you to play consecutive/nearly consecutive turns when other players need to refresh their inventors at the same time.

3) Especially at the end of the second age and later on, refreshing your inventors can save the most knowledgeable inventors for when they can be most beneficially used. Ideally, you want your most helpful inventors available at the beginning of the third age, when they will be most efficiently used.

Using knowledge effectively

1) If you want a specific reward, you can try to incite the player after you to play on it too: -Either by making it the only player which can play on it (on this case, pay attention if he could play somewhere else and make that invention the last one of the age) -Or either if the second reward is still fine, if your next player got nothing else to do, he would want to goes on it.

Always keep in mind that second player can play on it twice and lose one turn to get the reward he want (usually the case with tokens 2/few useful, but I personnally don't advise it in most cases).

2) At age 2, cards aren't bad. They are not the best reward, but do not hesitate to take lot of them if you have the opportunity too (more infos in the 2 players part)

3) At age 3, if you are missing one number left, see which players absolutely need it too, which players can be fine with it, and which player don't want it at all. Once it's done, if it seem you will get one of them easily, do not play on this invention first, but play on other ones. Usually you will only need the second reward on this invention to take this number (and in worst case, you still get a card then).

2 player part:

Count his points

Often, you can finish your game and not know why you lose or win. Here is how you can calculate the difference of points between both players:

• -1 point per card taken at age 2 (-2 per card taken at age 1, you should never do that)
• +X points par the series of cards (-3 if you use one star, -6 with two stars)
• +3 per invention finished alone
• -3 if you have finish 3 inventors, +3 if you have finish 1 (-6 for 4 inventors | +6 for 0)
• -3 per token used/keep at the end of the game/use 'for nothing' on a inventor
• -1 per token '2vp' keeped, -2 per token '1vp' keeped

And you get the difference of points between both players. Note it's better to take -1 by taking a card during age 2, instead of taking -3 by having an usueless token at the end. And a card taken during age 2 which is part of a serie at the end of the game will make you lose no point overall.

Finish an invention alone

It's the goal at 2 players. Doing that without the opponent be able to do the same will make you gain +3 (while if you take a 3vp token you will gain 3vp, but the opponent will get a reward which usually value at least 2vp). Always keep an eye on the invention the other player can finish in 2 (or 3) inventors for being able to not let him do it.

[With top players, the goal is to put pressure on inventions. Per example, on an invention 1/3/0/1, if with the green against the purple, you put a 0/2/0/0 on it, there will be a 1/1/0/1 left on this invention. Since your opponent play purple, he got no inventor to put two cube on it. Furthermore, since you are playing green, you can be able to play a 1/1/0/0 or a 1/0/0/1 on it, the first one force that purple player to keep an inventor which can play in maths (0/0/0/1), the second one force that purple player to keep an inventor which can play in chimie (0/1/0/0). Which means, he has two inventors locked: he can either play one his 'not locked' inventors, OR use one inventor on your invention (and lose the initiative)(remember he only put one cube on it) to unlock his second inventor OR try to put pressure too on trying to finish an invention alone if the green do this (which is impossible if it's second turn of the game and green started). So with that single move, there is a good chance green will get two inventions he want in age 1. Which is how you can regulary use the strength of green and yellow color against blue and purple.]

Using the tokens effects

Contrary to 3+ players, you can use them a lot. To do that, you need to finish an invention alone with it. You will lose the initiative on most inventions, but be able to remove one useless token from your bank. Instead of doing it, you can use it as a '1', which is identical. You can use it as a place 'not much useful' too (like a 2 on Einstein). If you finally do Einstein, you will gain +3 extra. If you finally don't do it, it will be neutral.

Which invention to play on?

In the early of each age, the goal is to play:

• on an invention where both players want the same reward (at age 1, usually a 2 (or a 3) or a 3vp token) ;
• on an invention where one player want a specific reward (at age 1, sometimes a 4)
• on an invention where a reward is slightly better than another for both players (at age 1, where there is a 2vp token and a 3vp token one)

During age 3, again, do not commit on a number token the opponent absolutely need without thinking. If you let him take this token (and play one cube on it), you will be able to get a card from free. If you get two others majority, you will get 3 cards and one token which are usually enough to win. If you take that majority, be ready on some cases to get 3 tokens during that age.

Others

1) During age 2, the card with a number low are really not bad. They give 2 victory point and can mek you gain bonus points or use a star effeciently.

2) It's not always useful to finish his inventor which only have value of '6vp' if you only put one token on it. If you finish your '9vp' one and nothing else happen, it will be neutral.

3) Finish an invention early can force the opponent to do a choice more early. Warning to not being able to finish one of your invention if you do that though.