Fantasies and futures

Fantasies & Futures is the final expansion for Tapestry that brings some fantasy and science-fiction flavor to the game, which was arguably already somewhat whimsical due to its unique civilizations and abstract nature. This is mostly a ‘more-of-the-same’ type of expansion, which is always welcome in my book to enhance replayability, though there is some small new stuff as well! 😊

🟪 First of all you get 10 new civilizations. Those of the base game are already very much asymmetrical, but there are many awesome additions and new interesting powers to play with. 👍

🏘️ This expansion also introduces some advanced city boards. You can “sudoku” your buildings onto it as usual, but these all have unique rules or ‘mini-games’ that introduce even more asymmetry to the game. There are a bunch of clever ideas here as well! 😁

🎴 Then you get new Tapestry and Technology cards, that don’t just increase the card pool, but the Tapestry cards bring something new to the table too: they have Charm bonuses on their sides, which are additional bonuses you get with adjacent cards! Another new effect allows you to reserve things that you only receive on your final income turn.

📖 As this is the 3rd and final expansion, a welcome addition is a unified and more detailed rulebook that explains every expansion and includes some frequently asked questions and errata as well.

✉️ A surprising feature (or lack thereof?) is how the game arrives in a disposable envelope instead of a box, which is in line with Stonemaier Games’ strive for sustainability. ♻️ As you only get some cards and sheets that easily fit in the base box, this is actually a cool decision. 👍

💬 In summary I would say this a great expansion, expanding a bit on the game and just generally giving you more stuff to play with, so you can have even more variability and fun. 🙃It is not a must have, but if you invested into other expansions too, this one rounds off your Tapestry collection nicely!