Timeline Challenge
Timeline Challenge Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents and Game Setup
- Place the game board in the middle of the table.
- Give each player one of the 5 game aids.
- Shuffle the 110 cards and place them, date side down, on the Draw space of the game board.
- Each player chooses one of the 5 Traveler tokens and places it on the starting space.
- Each player takes one of the 5 Historical Boards corresponding to the chosen token.
The game can now begin with the Timeline 4 trial!
Game Board
The game's board is made up of three sections:
- The Timeline: this section is made up of nine dates in increasing order. On either side of each date is a number from 0-9. In some Trials, the players will be asked to place cards in the Timeline. They will be able to do so by programming numbers on their Historical board. For example, the 0 indicates that the card should be -500 and the 8 that the card is between 1930 and 1970.
- The Clock: this section represents the track on which the players will be moving. They begin on the Start space (A) and will be moving to the Finish space (B). The track is made up of spaces indicating the various Trials the players will be confronted with during their turns. In addition, it contains two Challenges (C) which can allow the lower-ranked players to attempt to improve their score.
- The Trials: the Trials require players to place cards from the draw pile in the various spaces of this section of the board, depending on the color of the Trial. For example, for the "The Combination" Trial, four cards will be placed in the purple section in the lower left portion of the board.
Game Overview
Notes: Rules for playing the game with two players and in teams is detailed at the end of this booklet. The Trials and the Challenges are explained in the following pages.
The Trials: a game of Timeline Challenge consists of a series of Trials which will allow players to move forward on the Clock. It's always the position of the leading player(s) which determines the Trial to be played by all players.
Example: after the first turn, the player with the Traveler token is leading. As they are on a space showing the "The Split" Trial, the players must now proceed with that Trial.
The Challenges: as soon as the leading player crosses a Challenge line, a Challenge is played between the two players who are the furthest behind on the Clock.
Exception: a Challenge can sometimes include more than two players, for example, if three or four players all occupy the same space in the last or second-to-last position.
Example: following the last Trial, the player with the Traveler token, who moved 3 spaces, is the first one to cross the "More or Less" Challenge line. Before playing the next Trial, a Challenge takes place between the player who is in last, and the two players who are tied for second last. The leading player isn't concerned.
Once the Challenge has been played, play resumes as normal (the position of the leading player determines the next Trial).
Note: there are two Challenges in the game, and they are only played once each, when the leading player crosses the Challenge line.
Description of the Trials
Timeline 4
The first four cards from the Draw pile are placed, date hidden, on the four green spaces of the board which correspond to this Trial.
The players must now use their Historical board to guess the correct position of each of the cards in the Timeline. To do this, they secretly turn each wheel in order to indicate in which space (from 0 to 9) they believe that the card should be placed. The wheel (circle) will be used for the card located on the matching space (circle), the wheel (triangle) for the card located on the space (triangle) and so on…
Note: the wheel with the + and – signs isn't used in this Trial.
When all players are done, they flip over their Historical boards. The dates of the four cards are revealed and the solutions are viewed. Each player then moves forward one space for each correct answer.
To finish this Trial, the four cards used are placed on the board's discard pile, next to the Draw pile.
Example: the cards placed are "The Invention of the Atlas" (circle), "The Creation of the Red Cross" (triangle), "The Invention of the Jukebox" (square) and "The Invention of the Crane" (star). The players guess the position of these cards in the Timeline, then flip over their Historical boards to check their answers. In the above example:
- (circle) = 4. Is wrong as "The Invention of the Atlas" occurred in 1585, therefore the correct answer is 3: between 1300 and 1600.
- (triangle) = 6. Is correct as the correct answer for "The Creation of the Red Cross" is 1863, and so the card is properly situated between 1820 and 1880.
- (square) = 7. Is correct as the correct answer for "The Invention of the Jukebox" is 1889, and the card is properly situated between 1880 and 1930.
- (star) = 1. Is correct as the correct answer for "The Invention of the Crane" is -287, and that the card is properly situated between -500 and 850.
In total the player, with 3 correct answers, moves 3 spaces on the Clock.
The Bet
The first card of the Draw pile is placed, date face down, on the red space corresponding to this Trial on the board.
The players must use their Historical boards to guess the correct position of this card in the Timeline. To do this, they secretly turn each wheel on the board to indicate in which space they believe the card should be placed. It's possible to use the wheels in order to make different guesses (and thus increase chances of finding the correct answer) or, alternatively, to offer the same answer on multiple wheels (which will be worth more points).
Note: the wheel with the + and – signs isn't used in this Trial.
When all of the players are done, they will flip their Historical boards over. The drawn card is then revealed and the answer is verified. Each player then moves one space for every correct answer.
To complete this Trial, the card is placed on the board's discard pile, next to the Draw pile.
Example: the card placed on the board is "The Invention of the Bikini". The players guess the correct position of this card in the Timeline, then flip their Historical boards over. The card is revealed and the players check their answers. In this example, the player has chosen the answers 7, 8, 8, and 9. The correct answer is 8, as the date for "The Invention of the Bikini" (1946) is located between 1930 and 1970. The player has 2 correct answers and as such they move 2 spaces on the Clock.
The Split
The first two cards of the Draw pile are placed, date face down, on the two blue spaces which correspond to this Trial on the board.
The players must use their Historical boards to estimate the amount of time between the dates of these two cards. To do this, they secretly turn each of their wheels to indicate the time they're estimating. The position of the cards has no importance, the distance is always positive.
Note: the wheel with the + and – signs isn't used in this Trial.
When all of the players are done, they flip their Historical boards. The cards are then revealed and the solution verified. The player who has guessed the closest distance to the correct solution moves 4 spaces. If several players are tied, they all move 4 spaces.
To complete this Trial, the two cards are placed on the board's discard pile, next to the Draw pile.
Example: the cards placed on the board are "The Invention of the Waistcoat" and "The Invention of Bleach". The players estimate the distance between the two dates, then flip their Historical boards over. The cards are revealed and the players check their answers. One player has indicated 50 years, two others guessed 31 years, and the last one guessed 25 years. The real distance between the dates is 23 years (from 1762 to 1785) so the last player, who is only two years off, moves 4 spaces on the Clock. The other players don't move.
The Right Date
The first card of the Draw pile is placed, date face down, on the yellow space corresponding to the Trial on the board.
The players must use their Historical boards to estimate this card's date. To do this, they secretly turn each wheel in order to indicate the date they're estimating.
Note: the wheel with the + and – signs is used in this Trial.
When all of the players are done, they flip over their Historical boards. The card is then revealed and the solution checked. Each player moves a space for each correct digit on their numbered wheels. An error on the wheel with the + and – signs cancels all of the points.
To finish this Trial, the card is placed on the discard pile of the board, next to the Draw pile.
Example: the card on top of the Draw is "The Invention of Socks". The players estimate the date of this card in the Timeline, then flip over their Historical boards. The card is revealed and the players check their answers. In this example, the player has indicated +1007. The right answer is +1000. The player has made only one mistake on the unit wheel and therefore moves forward 3 spaces on the Clock.
The Combination
The first four cards from the Draw pile are placed, date face down, on the violet spaces corresponding to the Trial on the board.
The players must use their Historical boards to estimate the order of each of the cards in relation to all of the others. To do this, they secretly turn each wheel to indicate in which position (1, 2, 3, or 4) they think that the card should be placed.
Note: the wheel with the + and – signs isn't used in this Trial.
When all of the players are done, they flip over their Historical boards. The dates of the four cards are then revealed, and the solutions are checked. To help with the scoring, the numbered tokens are placed on the cards in the right order. Each player then moves one space for each right answer.
To finish this Trial, the four cards are placed on the board's discard pile, next to the Draw pile.
Example: the cards placed are "The Invention of the Atlas" (circle), "The Creation of the Red Cross" (triangle), "The Invention of the Jukebox" (square) and "The Invention of the Crane" (star). The players estimate the order of the four cards, then flip over their Historical boards. The cards are revealed and the players check their answers. To start, the numbered tokens are placed on the cards, in increasing order. The 1 is placed on "The Invention of the Crane" (-287), the 2 on "The Invention of the Atlas" (1585), the 3 on "The Creation of the Red Cross" (1863), and the 4 on "The Invention of the Jukebox" (1889). The right combination on the Historical board is therefore 2, 3, 4, and 1. In this example, the player has indicated 3, 2, 4, and 1, so they therefore has 2 correctly placed answers, and so moves 2 spaces of the Clock.
Description of the Challenges
The Challenges are always played over a series of rounds. It's the player who is furthest back on the track who starts, with play proceeding in a clockwise direction. If multiple players are tied for last place, it's whoever is closest to the leading player, in a clockwise direction, who starts.
Sudden Death
The first card of the Draw pile is placed, date face up, next to the game board.
The first player involved in the Challenge must now take the Draw pile's first card, date face down, and places it correctly in relation to the initial card. They must place their card to the right of the initial card if they believe that the date is higher, and to its left if they think that the date is lower. They then check to see if they're right by flipping the card over. If they're wrong, the card is placed on the discard pile and the player is eliminated from the Challenge.
Play then proceeds to the next player, going clockwise, to place a card (the top one from the Draw pile). However, all of the previously correctly played cards remain in place is it becomes increasingly harder to place the cards as they may now be inserted between two other cards.
Play proceeds this way until only one player remains. That player wins the Challenge and moves three spaces. The game's normal play resumes with a Trial determined by the leading player's position.
Example: Cyril and Fred are opposed in this Challenge. The first card of the Draw pile, "The Creation of the Red Cross" (1963) is placed near the game board.
- Fred, who is last on the Clock, draws "The Invention of the Crane", and places it to the left of the initial card. He reveals it and it's a right answer.
- Cyril draws "The Invention of the Atlas" and places it between the two cards. He reveals it, and it's a right answer.
- Fred draws "The Invention of Socks" and places it to the far right. It's wrong. Cyril wins the challenge and moves forward 3 spaces on the Clock.
More or Less
The leading player takes the first card from the Draw pile, checks its date, and calls out its name. They will be the referee of this Challenge.
The first player involved with the Challenge must now call out loud the date they guess as being correct for the card named. The referee must then answer "more" if the player is under the true date, or "less" if the player is over it.
Play then proceeds in a clockwise direction to the next player, who must then offer a date. Once again, the referee will answer with "more" or "less".
The challenge continues this way until one of the players finds the exact date. That player wins the Challenge and moves forward three spaces. The game's normal play resumes with a Trial determined by the leading player's position.
Example: Cyril and Fred are opposed in this Challenge. Philip is the leading player, and so will be the referee. He takes the Draw pile's first card and announces its title: "The Invention of the Waistcoat". Cyril, who is last on the track, starts and announces "1750". The right date is 1762, so Philip answers "more". It's then Fred's turn, who calls out "1764". Philippe answers "less". Cyril and Fred continue to alternate answers until one of them calls out "1762". Whoever will call out this exact date will move 3 spaces forward on the Clock.
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as a player reaches the finish space. That player is the winner. In case of a tie between multiple players, they can shake hands or decide to break ties with a "Sudden Death" Challenge.
Two Player Rules
The rules are the same as with 3 to 5 players, with only two changes:
- The "More or Less" Challenge is ignored.
- During the "Sudden Death" Challenge, only the player who is behind can score three points. If it's the leading player who wins the Challenge, they simply prevent their opponent from moving.
Team Rules
The players can, of course, play in teams, by sharing one Traveler token and one Historical board.
During Trials and Challenges, they coordinate with one another to answer.
Playing Timeline Challenge with Timeline Cards
The players can use any box from the Timeline series to play Timeline Challenge. However:
- we suggest that you remove all cards with a date prior to -8000.
- It's possible that in some Trials, multiple cards with identical dates can be revealed. In that situation, multiple answers are possible and are worth points.
Credits
Authors: Frédéric Henry et Cyril Demaegd Card Artwork: Jérémie Fleury Box and Board Artwork: Xavier Collette Layout: Loïg Hascoët English Translation: Eric Harlaux English Revision: Eric Franklin