2022 BGG rank #5566

Vivid Memories

2–4 players 30–45 min Ages 13+ 3.0/5 complexity 5.7/10 rating

About this game

Every stick is a sword. Every bike is a steed. Every memory is a possibility. In Vivid Memories, you’ll take turns collecting fragments of childhood memories, weaving a tapestry of colored threads in your mind. Throughout your journey, you’ll store important moments in your memory bank -- gaining new abilities to help you score. Cleverly create connections and earn rewards for completing core memories, matching the imagination behind each moment, and working toward your lifelong aspirations for victory. During the game, players take turns collecting fragments of memories from moment tiles, placing them in their "brain" board to weave a tapestry of colored threads. Using abilities at the end of each round to cleverly create connections, players are rewarded for how they store memory fragments while working toward completing “core memories”, which give repeated benefits each round. Through their journey, players store important moments in their memory bank -- gaining new abilities and new opportunities to score -- all while working to collect fragments and moments that match what they aspire to be. —description from the designer

What it feels like

Grid Coverage Hexagon Grid Pattern Building Open Drafting Action Drafting Puzzle

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Setup

1. Set up the game as you would a 2-player game with the following changes: 2. The Artificial Brain uses the second player board and scoring tokens as if it were another player. 3. Shuffle all 5 aspiration tiles. Give 4 to the Artificial Brain and 1 to yourself. 4. Place the Artificial Brain's 4 aspiration tiles face-up in a line in front of it — this is the preference line. The rightmost tile will become a stack as moment tiles are added. 5. Take a token matching the color of your aspiration tile and place it on the score track as a reminder of your aspiration color. 6. Place your aspiration tile on top of the stack of aspiration tiles (the human player's stack). 7. You take the start player marker (the Artificial Brain has no memories and goes second).

Turn flow

Each of your turns is identical to a standard 2-player game. After each of your turns, the Artificial Brain takes its turn, which consists of: 1. Drafting fragment tokens based on its preference line (using aspiration tiles and, later, the scoring side of collected moment tiles). 2. Placing drafted tokens on its player board. 3. Collecting any moment tiles cleared during drafting and adding them to the bottom of its preference stack (scoring side face-up). The round ends when all moment tiles have been collected. At the end of each round, both you and the Artificial Brain score points. You take end-of-round actions as normal; the Artificial Brain does not take any actions.

Scoring and victory

After 3 rounds of play, compare the human player's total score to the Artificial Brain's total score. The player wins if their score is higher than or tied with the Artificial Brain's score. Target score: Player must meet or exceed the Artificial Brain's score to win. Scoring sources: Human player: standard round-end scoring per Vivid Memories rulebook (page 6), Human player: aspiration tile end-of-game scoring, Artificial Brain: 1 point per matching token in a hex space (end of each round, for 4 non-player aspiration colors), Artificial Brain: 2 points per matching token in a core memory slot (end of each round, for 4 non-player aspiration colors), Artificial Brain: completed core memory scoring (end of each round), Artificial Brain: moment tile scoring conditions matched against its player board hexes (end of game), Artificial Brain: 5 points per matching fragment token per aspiration tile scoring condition on moment tiles (end of game, 5–15 points per tile)

Source: Rulebook

Rules to know

The most useful rules for getting a first game right.

Setup

The Artificial Brain's 4 aspiration tiles are laid face-up in a line called the preference line.

At setup, all 4 aspiration tiles belonging to the Artificial Brain are placed face-up in a line in front of it. This line is called the preference line. The rightmost tile in the preference line serves as the base of a stack; as the Artificial Brain gains moment tiles during the game, they are added to this stack. The preference line (including the stack) is used each turn to determine which fragment tokens the Artificial Brain will draft.

Turn structure

The Artificial Brain determines its first draft token by scanning left-to-right in the preference line for a color match in the moment line.

To determine the first token the Artificial Brain drafts, begin with the leftmost tile in the preference line. Check whether either side of the moment line contains a fragment matching any color shown on that tile (e.g., a red aspiration tile looks for a red fragment; a blue & green moment tile looks for either a blue or green fragment). If no match is found, place that preference tile under the rightmost tile of the preference line (forming or adding to the stack) and repeat with the next leftmost tile. Continue until a match is found. The Artificial Brain will always draft at least 1 token.

Turn structure

For its second token, the Artificial Brain looks at the next tile in the preference line, continuing from the same side of the moment line.

After the first token is selected, look to the next tile in the preference line to check if those fragment colors are available, continuing from the same side of the moment line used for the first token. If the Artificial Brain clears a moment tile during this step, it may continue taking fragment tokens from the next tile in the moment line, just as in normal play. If a second token is not found, the Artificial Brain's draft ends and play proceeds to placing tokens. Note: tiles are only skipped (moved to the stack) when searching for the FIRST token. For the second (and third) token determination, only the very next tile in the preference line is checked — no skipping occurs.

Turn structure

The Artificial Brain attempts a third token only if it successfully drafted a second token.

Only if a second token was drafted does the Artificial Brain attempt to draft a third and final token. It looks to the next tile in the preference line to check for a color match, continuing from the same side of the moment line. If a match is found, the third token is drafted. If no match is found, the draft ends. The Artificial Brain can draft any combination of colors (unlike human draft rules). It drafts as many tokens as possible up to 3, but stops as soon as it cannot draft more.

Turn structure

Aspiration tiles that caused the Artificial Brain to draft a token are moved to the bottom of the preference stack after drafting.

After the Artificial Brain has finished drafting tokens, each aspiration tile that caused it to draft a token (i.e., a tile whose color was matched during the draft) is placed under the stack (the rightmost tile of the preference line), in order. This rotates those tiles to the back of the preference line for future turns.

Special

Cleared moment tiles are added to the bottom of the preference stack, scoring side face-up, and are used for future token preference.

If a moment tile is cleared during the Artificial Brain's draft, it is placed on the bottom of the preference stack with its scoring side face-up. From that point forward, this tile participates in determining the Artificial Brain's token preferences in future turns, using the colors shown in its scoring hex.

Turn structure

If the Artificial Brain drafted only 1 token, it is placed in the first available matching core memory slot, starting from bottom-center going clockwise.

If the Artificial Brain drafted exactly 1 token, place it in a matching core memory slot on its player board. Starting from the bottom-center space and continuing clockwise, find the first empty matching core memory slot and place the token there. The Artificial Brain scores completed core memories at the end of each round.

Turn structure

If the Artificial Brain drafted 2 or 3 tokens, place all of them in any single empty hex space — location doesn't matter.

If the Artificial Brain drafted 2 or 3 tokens, place all of them together into any single empty hex space on its player board. The specific location of this hex does not matter for token placement purposes.

Strategy briefing

Manipulate the Preference Line

Because the preference line is fully visible, you can anticipate exactly which tokens the Artificial Brain will draft. Draft tokens that the AB wants before it gets a turn — especially on the side of the moment line that would give it a moment tile — to disrupt its scoring engine.

Deny Moment Tiles

The Artificial Brain heavily values sides of the moment line that grant it a moment tile (first tiebreaker). Moment tiles feed back into the preference stack and generate significant end-of-game points (5–15 points per tile). Prioritize clearing moment tiles on the side the AB would prefer, or drafting in ways that prevent it from clearing them.

Single Token Placement Danger

When the AB can only draft 1 token, it goes straight into a core memory slot (2 pts/token at round end). Denying the AB a second token (by removing preferred colors from the moment line) forces it into the higher-scoring single-token placement path, so weigh whether preventing 2–3 token drafts is actually worse.

Aspiration Color Awareness

Your own aspiration color is the one color the Artificial Brain does NOT score for during rounds (in standard mode). Building heavily around your aspiration color on your board protects your scoring sources from direct competition, since the AB is rewarded for the other 4 colors.

Difficulty Scaling Awareness

In 'Learn from Experience' (hardest), the AB gains free tokens into core memory slots whenever it collects a moment tile — compounding the value of denying it moment tiles even further. Moment tile denial becomes the dominant strategic priority at this difficulty.

Common questions and edge cases

Can the Artificial Brain skip past tiles in the preference line when searching for its second or third token?

No. Skipping (moving a tile to the stack) only happens when searching for the FIRST token. For the second and third tokens, only the very next tile in the preference line is checked. If that tile's colors aren't available, the draft ends — no skipping occurs.

The Artificial Brain clears a moment tile during its draft. Does it go to the preference line immediately, and can it be used for the current draft?

No. A cleared moment tile is placed on the bottom of the preference stack (scoring side face-up) after the draft. It becomes available for future turns, not the current one. However, clearing a moment tile during step 2 does allow the Artificial Brain to continue drafting from the next tile in the moment line.

Why does it matter whether the Artificial Brain drafted 1 token vs. 2–3 tokens for placement purposes?

If 1 token is drafted, it must go into a specific core memory slot (bottom-center clockwise), which helps complete core memories and earns 2 points/token at round-end. If 2–3 tokens are drafted, they all go into any single empty hex space and cannot be split — they won't earn core memory slot bonuses but fill board space efficiently.

What happens if the player and the Artificial Brain have the same score at the end of the game?

A tie is a win for the human player. The Artificial Brain must strictly outscore the player to win.

Does the Artificial Brain score for my aspiration color during the game?

In the standard solo mode, no — the Artificial Brain only scores for the 4 aspiration colors that don't match your aspiration. In the 'Be More Human' harder difficulty, it scores for all 5 aspiration colors including yours.

In 'Learn from Experience' difficulty, where does the bonus token come from when the AB gains a moment tile, and where is it placed?

Take a fragment token from the general supply matching the leftmost token shown on the action side of the gained moment tile. Place it in the first empty matching core memory slot on the AB's board, starting from bottom-center and going clockwise — the same rule as placing a single drafted token.

How exactly does end-of-game moment tile scoring work for the Artificial Brain?

For each moment tile the AB collected, two scoring steps apply: (1) Check each scoring condition on the tile against the hexes on the AB's player board and score points shown for each match found. (2) Additionally, for each of the four aspiration tiles that aren't yours, award 5 points for each matching fragment token found on each scoring condition of that moment tile — meaning each tile contributes between 5 and 15 points from this step alone.