Utopia (2022) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Aim of the Game
  • Game Summary
• Components
  • The Game Board
  • Player Mothership
  • Component List
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Game Play Summary
  • Game Play Details
    • Phase 1: Time Travel
    • I: Collect Knowledge
    • II: Recruit Crew / Develop Tech
    • III: Make a Trade
    • IV: Conduct an Assassination
    • V: Choose a Mission (TZ0)
    • Trigger Technology
    • Activate TZ Action + Primary + / Secondary Ability
    • Complete a Butterfly Effect Mission
• Factions
  • Rise of the Factions Expansion
  • Custom Setup Variant
• Dystopia: The Solo Game
  • Solo Setup
  • Solo Gameplay
  • Villain's Action Deck Table
  • Villain Progress Track Bonus Actions
• 2 Player Co-op
  • Dystopia: The Co-op Variant
    • Co-op Setup
    • Co-op Gameplay
    • Special Abilities in Co-op
• Lore
  • A Brief History of Time
• Icons
  • Game Board Icons
  • Crew Secondary Abilities / Alt TZ Locations

Introduction

Aim of the Game

The aim of this 1-5 player worker placement game is to be the first to complete three Butterfly Effect Missions. These are iconic moments in history, from the rise of the Roman Empire to the Industrial Revolution, from the Second World War to the colonisation of Mars. Each Butterfly Effect Mission will require knowledge to be collected or technology to be developed.

Game Summary

Chronoships travel through wormholes to visit different locations in space and time, known as Time Zones (TZs). TZ1 represents the ancient past, whereas TZ13 represents the distant future. New Alternate TZs will also spawn throughout the game, the "Butterfly Effect" of players meddling with the space-time continuum.

Each player will start by drafting two crew-members to activate their first two Chronoships. These crew-members will be famous people from history or the future and each will have different primary and secondary abilities. It is possible to control an additional three Chronoships by recruiting new crew-members to command them.

Primary abilities enhance the collection of one of five types of knowledge: Military, Exploration, Science, Politics or Culture.

Secondary abilities come in 13 varieties which will help the player to compete with their rivals, ranging from Merchants to Medics, from Spies to Superstars.

Utopia provides a unique experience every time, as the combination of different crew-members, technologies and missions call for the constant revision of player strategies.

Components

The Game Board

The Game Board is known as the space-time continuum, which shows all the places in space and time you can visit with your Chronoships. The board is divided into 14 Time Zones (TZ) and each TZ has two locations. The board pictured in the setup can be used for 3-5 player games, or the 2 player co-op variant of the game. The reverse side of the board has a simplified layout, for use in 1-2 player games. The main sections are as follows:

• A - Time Zone (TZ) locations: These are the locations the players can move their Chronoships to in order to activate different actions. These locations are arranged horizontally along the top and bottom of the board.
• B - TZ wormholes: Each TZ wormhole contains a deck of four Crew and two Technology cards that can be recruited or developed during the game.
• C - Mission Control, The Moon (TZ0): Contains Mission cards that can be taken by players during the game.
• D - Alternate TZ wormholes: These start off closed, but open as players meddle with time by completing missions.
• E - Limbo: This section contains assassinated Crew, who can be recovered at the end of the round (for those in possession of a Chronoship, death is but a temporary inconvenience!)
• F - Round Summary: A reminder of the phases and steps of each round of play.

Player Mothership

Your Mothership is in orbit around the Moon. The main sections are as follows:

• A - Ship's Bridge: This shows your active Mission cards.
• B - Dock: This shows the First Player Marker, inactive Chronoships & Drones.
• C - Storage Vault: This shows your inventory of Knowledge Discs.
• D - Crew: Your Crew command your active Chronoships.

Component List

• 5x Player Mats ("Mothership"), one per colour
• 5x Player Aid Sets (double sided)
• 13x Factions (double sided)
• 13x Faction Discs
• 25x Chronoships: 5 in each colour for the following classes: Culture, Politics, Science, Exploration, Military
• 20x Drones: 4 each in 5 colours
• 1x First Player Marker
• 75x Knowledge Discs: 15 each of the following types: Culture, Politics, Science, Exploration, Military
• 7x13 Time Zone (TZ) Cards: each Time Zone has 5 Crew & 2 Technology cards; each Time Zone has a different coloured back
• 26x Butterfly Effect Mission Cards
• 26x Alternate Time Zones (double sided)
• 15x Villain Cards (Solo Game)

Chronoships were developed in 2563, following the discovery of wormholes orbiting the Sun. Chronoships are able to deconstruct all matter contained within the ship to a quantum level, thus allowing a "quantum leap" through a wormhole without being vapourised. Drones are a smaller, AI-controlled version that allow a Time Baron, via a telepathic override, to be in many places at once.

Every Knowledge Disc is a rare and extremely valuable commodity, each of which contains a vast and unique volume of information. A single Culture Disc may contain the entire knowledge of Ancient Egypt, enabling the recreation of Pharoan society on a distant planet (should a Time Baron be so inclined!). Knowledge Discs are the main currency of trade among the star-faring civilisations of the 26th Century.

Time Barons compete over the recruitment of brilliant minds and pivotal technologies from across all of space and time, to aid their cause and gain an advantage over their rivals.

20th Century chaos theory hypothesised that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could contribute to a tornado in Texas. By understanding these subtle links, Time Barons can bend iconic moments in history to their will.

There are, however, consequences to meddling with time: the spawning of Alternate Time Zones. These parallel universes can be dream-like or nightmarish, but they all rupture the fabric of space-time itself.

Cruel criminals and vicious villains are also attracted to the limitless possibilities of time travel and must be stopped before they create their own despicable dystopia.

Setup

1. Place the Game Board centrally in reach of all players. Use the side pictured in the setup diagram for 3-5 players, or the 2 player co-op variant. Use the reverse side for 1-2 players.

2. Stack the five types of Knowledge Disc in the centre of the board. These are known as the Knowledge Bank.

3. Create two decks of the Alternate TZs, one for the 'B' cards and one for the 'C' cards. Place these next to the Game Board.

4. Each player places a Mothership (player mat) in front of them, choosing from the five colours available (green, blue, yellow, red or purple). Place the five Chronoships and four Drones of the matching colour onto the Mothership as shown in the example in the manual.

5. Place the Time Zone cards face up on the matching slots on the Game Board. Each deck of Time Zone cards contains seven cards, five Crew cards and two Technology cards. Each set should be shuffled. The number of cards used is dependent on the number of players:

   • 1-2 players: TZs 1-7 only (remove all TZ 8-13 cards).
   • 3 players: TZs 1-9 only (remove all TZ 10-13 cards).
   • 4 players: TZs 1-11 only (remove all TZ 12-13 cards).
   • 5 players: use all cards (TZs 1-13).

6. Prepare the Butterfly Effect Mission card deck. The number of cards used is dependent on the number of players:

   • 1-2 players: TZs 1-7 only (remove all TZ 8-13 cards).
   • 3 players: TZs 1-9 only (remove all TZ 10-13 cards).
   • 4 players: TZs 1-11 only (remove all TZ 12-13 cards).
   • 5 players: use all cards (TZs 1-13).

Utopia is now ready to be played.

Gameplay

Game Play Summary

Utopia is played in rounds. Each round is broken down into 2 phases.

Phase 1: Time Travel. Players take turns to deploy their available Chronoships to TZ Locations:

• 1.1 Deploy Chronoship: A Chronoship can be assigned to any vacant TZ Location. A TZ Location is considered vacant if unoccupied by any other Chronoship or Drone.
• 1.2 Trigger Technology: If Technology has been developed in this TZ, the owning player may choose from one of the two free Knowledge Discs offered by that Technology.
• 1.3 Activate Action / Primary / Secondary Ability: The Chronoship's Crew-member activates the TZ Location action, plus their Primary and/or Secondary ability if able to do so.
• 1.4 Complete a Mission: The player may choose to complete one Mission during their turn, if all requirements are met.

Phase 2: Recover, Refresh & Reset. Once all Chronoships have been deployed from the Motherships, the players follow the below round-end steps:

• 2.1 Recover Crew from Limbo: All players may now pay Knowledge Discs in order to recover any of their assassinated Crew from Limbo.
• 2.2 Refresh: Move the top Crew/Technology card to the bottom of the deck (see the TZ0 refresh rule on page 10 of the manual).
• 2.3 Reset: All players return their deployed Chronoships and Drones back to their Mothership.

Note: A reminder of the phases and steps is shown on the Game Board.

Game Play Details

Phase 1: Time Travel

Players take turns to deploy their available Chronoships to TZ Locations.

Deploy Chronoship. A Chronoship is available if there is a Crew-member recruited to command it. A Chronoship can be assigned to any vacant TZ Location. A TZ Location is considered vacant if unoccupied by any other Chronoship or Drone.

There are five types of Locations:

• I: Collect Knowledge
• II: Recruit Crew / Develop Tech
• III: Make a Trade
• IV: Conduct an Assassination
• V: Choose a Mission

I: Collect Knowledge

When a Chronoship moves to a TZ Location containing a Knowledge icon, the player receives one Knowledge Disc of that type from the Knowledge Bank and places it onto their Mothership in the Knowledge Disc storage section (B). If the Crew-member commanding the Chronoship has a Primary or Secondary ability that matches the Knowledge icon, the player receives two Knowledge Discs instead of one.

Note that Knowledge Discs are intended to be infinite. If you run out of a certain type, use a substitute.

Variable Knowledge: In a 3 to 4 player game there are two TZ Locations with this icon that allow the player to take one Knowledge Disc from the bank that matches the Primary ability of the top Crew card in that TZ (for example, if the top Crew card is Cultural, take one Culture Knowledge Disc).

• If the top card is a Technology, take one Science Knowledge Disc.
• If the player's Crew-member Primary or Secondary ability matches, they may take two Knowledge Discs. (Scientists take two on Technologies.)

II: Recruit Crew / Develop Tech

When a Chronoship moves to a TZ Location containing a Recruit icon, the player may pay Knowledge Discs from their Mothership into the Knowledge Bank in order to purchase the TZ card shown face up on that TZ.

There are two types of TZ cards, Crew cards and Technology cards.

• Crew cards allow you to recruit additional Crew-members (C). The cost will depend on the number of Crew on the Mothership (D):

  • 3rd Crew-member: 2 Knowledge Discs
  • 4th Crew-member: 3 Knowledge Discs
  • 5th Crew-member: 4 Knowledge Discs

  The Knowledge Discs paid must match the Knowledge Primary ability of the Crew-member being recruited (e.g. if recruiting a Cultural Crew-member the cost must be paid in Culture Knowledge Discs). Move the matching Chronoship from the Dock to the matching icon above the Crew-member card; this Chronoship is available to use this round.

  You may instead swap a newly recruited Crew-member for an existing Crew-member of the same Primary ability type (discard to the bottom of the matching TZ deck). This action does not cost any Knowledge Discs.

• Technology cards allow you to develop a new Technology (E). The player may pay two Science Knowledge Discs to the Knowledge Bank and then slide the card half under the Game Board in the Technology area adjacent to the TZ. The player then places a Drone on the Technology card to indicate ownership. This Technology triggers immediately (see "Trigger Technology" below).

There are two Technologies in each TZ deck (excluding Mission Control, TZ8 [sic]), and both Technologies may be developed.

• If placing along the top of the Game Board, turn the Technology card upside down.
• If unable or unwilling to recruit/develop a card, instead the player may look through the deck and choose which card to place at the top (the rest are re-shuffled and placed underneath).

III: Make a Trade

TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to trade up to 2 Knowledge Discs of the same type on their Mothership with an equal amount of Knowledge Discs of the same type from the Bank (e.g. exchange two Military Knowledge Discs that they have collected on their Mothership with two Science Knowledge Discs from the Knowledge Bank).

Transcriber's note: the manual's wording says "the same type" for both sides of the trade, but its example exchanges Military discs for Science discs, and the Components page reads "Trade 2 of the same type for 2 other of the same type from the bank". The example is followed here: the discs taken from the Bank are of a different type from the discs given up.

IV: Conduct an Assassination

TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to assassinate any Crew-member (A). You can even assassinate your own Crew if it furthers your nefarious plans!

1. Move the assassinated Crew-member's Chronoship to Limbo. (Note: Drones can't be assassinated.)
2. Place a Drone from your Dock onto the assassinated Chronoship's former TZ Location and take that action. (If you have no Drones remaining in your Dock, skip this step.)
3. Take the 1st Player Marker.

Exceptions: You can't assassinate or spy on a Chronoship that is on an Assassinate TZ Location.

V: Choose a Mission (TZ0)

The player may either:

1. Choose which of the three available Missions (B) to take and place it in the next available mission slot on their Mothership (C). Ensure the two remaining face-up Mission cards are in the bottom two slots. Refill the empty top slot from the top of the deck.
2. Or, they may discard all three Mission cards to the bottom of the deck, draw three new cards and may then choose one to place on their Mothership.

In addition, the player may also discard one of the current Missions on their Mothership to the bottom of the Mission deck.

If playing on the 3-5 player side of the Game Board with 1-2 players, only the right-hand TZ Location is available (D).

Trigger Technology

After placing a Chronoship on a TZ Location, if a Technology has been developed in this TZ, the owning player (indicated by the colour of the Drone on the Technology) may choose from one of the two free Knowledge Discs offered by that Technology (E):

• Communication (Comms) Technologies produce either a Culture or Politics Knowledge Disc.
• Transport Technologies produce either a Military or Exploration Knowledge Disc.

Your Chronoship triggers both Technology(ies) you have developed on that TZ and opponents' Technology(ies).

Drones placed on TZ Locations can't trigger Technology.

Activate TZ Action + Primary + / Secondary Ability

The Chronoship's Crew-member activates the TZ Location action, plus:

1. Their Primary ability (E) (if on a TZ Location with a matching Knowledge icon).
2. Their Secondary ability (F) (if able to do so).

• The Primary ability always activates first, then the Secondary ability.
• In the Recruit Crew / Develop Tech TZ Location, Knowledge Discs gained from activating the Secondary ability may be used towards the cost of the Crew/Tech.
• Refer to pages 23 and 24 of the manual for a list of the Primary and Secondary abilities.

Complete a Butterfly Effect Mission

Players may complete only one Butterfly Effect Mission during their turn, and only when all requirements are met. They require either knowledge to be collected or technology to be developed by the player (G). Players may choose not to complete Butterfly Effect Missions immediately, but should be aware that only one Mission can be completed per player per turn.

To complete the mission:

1. One of your Chronoships must be in the required TZ. For example, the mission "Design the Taj Mahal" requires a ship in TZ6. Drones can't be used to complete missions.

2. Pay the required knowledge back to the Knowledge Bank and/or remove the required technology from the Game Board:

   • Return the card to the bottom of the TZ deck, e.g. if a TZ1 technology was developed, remove the technology card to the bottom of the TZ1 deck.
   • Return your Drone(s) back to your Mothership.

3. Spawn Alternate TZ wormholes. Meddling with time causes a new Alt TZ to be spawned, represented by the letters 'B' or 'C'. For example, if the mission "Design the Taj Mahal" is completed, it causes Alt TZ 6C to be spawned. Locate this card in the Alt TZ deck, then read the card out loud and choose which side of the card you want to activate, placing it on the selected B or C Alternate TZ wormhole on the Game Board (H). Only one of each type of Alt TZ can exist at any one time, so completing successive B or C missions will replace the respective previous Alt TZ card.

   In a 3 player game an additional B Alt TZ wormhole can be opened (to the left of TZ10), meaning that two B Alt TZ cards can be in play at the same time.

   In a 4 or 5 player game both the additional B and C Alt TZ wormholes can be opened (to the left of TZs 10 and 11), meaning that two B and two C Alt TZ wormholes can be in play at the same time.

4. The player then places a Drone on the Alt TZ card to indicate ownership (I) and immediately moves the Chronoship that is in the TZ required by the Mission Card (J) to the new Alt TZ location. (If the player has two Chronoships in the required TZ, the player chooses which to move.) They may take that action up to twice if possible to do so. If the player doesn't have any Drones remaining, they do take ownership of the Alt TZ, but may still take the action once.

Note that the top-left of the Butterfly Effect Mission card shows the two potential Alt TZ actions the player may gain on completing the mission (depending on which side of the Alt TZ card is selected) (L).

Phase 2: Recover, Refresh & Reset

Once all Chronoships have been deployed from the Motherships, the players follow the round-end steps below.

Recover Crew from Limbo

Once all active Chronoships commanded by a Crew-member have been moved from all Motherships to the Game Board, all players may now pay Knowledge Discs in order to recover any of their assassinated Crew from Limbo. To decide who they are paid to:

1. Check if one player has completed fewer Missions. If so, pay it to them.
2. If there is a tie, check between the players who have completed the fewest Missions, to see if one has fewer Crew-members. If so, pay it to them.
3. If there is still a tie, pay the Knowledge Discs to the bank instead.

The cost is either one Knowledge Disc matching the Crew-member's Primary ability, or any 2 Knowledge Discs (M). If the player can't pay, or does not want to pay, then the assassinated Crew-member(s) remain in Limbo and can't be used again the following round (each round end, the players will have another opportunity to recover their Crew-members by paying the cost).

To prevent a player being locked out of the game, if a player has all their active Chronoships in Limbo during this phase, all their Chronoships are released without cost.

Refresh Time Zones

In all TZs, move the top Crew/Technology card to the bottom of the deck.

In TZ0 (Mission Control), do the following:

1. Move the face-up Mission card in the bottom slot to the bottom of the deck.
2. Move the two remaining face-up Mission cards down a slot.
3. Refill the empty top slot from the top of the deck.

Reset

All players return their deployed Chronoships and Drones back to their Mothership. Chronoships that have not been recovered from Limbo remain in Limbo. Exceptions: Drones on developed Technologies remain on the Technologies.

Winning the Game

If playing without Factions, the winner is the first player to complete three Missions, which may be completed in any order. The game ends immediately, no further turns are played. The winning player is encouraged to find the Alternate TZ matching their third completed Mission in the Alt TZ deck, read the card out loud and choose which side of the card you want to be your Utopia! This will be the new reality, for good or for ill!

If playing with Factions, the winner is the first player to complete all Utopian Requirements on their Faction card. The game ends immediately, no further turns are played. The winning player is encouraged to announce to the other players their Faction's Utopian vision for the world!

Factions

Rise of the Factions Expansion

This Expansion adds further strategic depth, engine-building and nefarious scheming to Utopia!

At the dawn of the 26th Century, a number of shadowy factions compete for domination of all time and space. Each wishes to exploit time travel to set up a chain reaction of "butterfly" effects which will bring about their Utopian vision for the universe.

13 of these factions are included, each with their own sinister backstory, asymmetric Special Power and Utopian Mission win conditions. Often, the Factions require a 4th Mission to be completed, which is stored on your Faction card.

Each player is dealt a Faction Disc and the matching Faction card during Step 9 of Setup. At the start of the game, each player should read both sides of their card, starting with the "Lore" side. The players may wish to read their cards out loud, if they so choose. The Faction card is placed next to each player's Mothership, and the Faction Disc can be placed on top of the card. The Faction card contains:

• i. Lore: Your Faction's background story.
• ii. Power: This asymmetric special power becomes available once you have met the requirements.
• iii. Utopia: This is your Grand Vision for the future and has requirements that must be fulfilled to win the game.

Example: The Thals must recruit a Crew-member from TZ1 (Ice Age Africa) before they can use their Power. To win the game, the Thals need to complete 3 chronological Missions (e.g. from TZs 4, 5, 6) and any one other Mission.

Clarifications:

• Missions can be completed in any order. (Exception: For The Neb Utopia, Tom Connor must be in Limbo to win.)
• The highest TZ in play is considered adjacent to the lowest TZ in play. E.g. in a two-player competitive game, TZ7 can run onto TZ0, so TZs 7, 0, 1 would count as adjacent.
• For The Thals' Utopia, skip TZ0 when considering chronological TZs. E.g. in a two-player competitive game, TZ7 can run onto TZ1, so TZs 7, 1, 2 would count as chronological.

Custom Setup Variant

This variant allows the players to decide which Time Zones they wish to play with in a 1-4 player game (a 5 player game uses all Time Zones). For example, this means that a 1-2 player competitive game is no longer restricted to the historical Time Zones 1-7.

To play with this variant, replace Step 5 of setup with the following:

The number of cards used is dependent on the number of players as below. Remove TZs from play by turning the matching deck face-down and moving the deck so that it covers the two TZ Locations. Always play with TZ0 (Mission Control); do not remove it from play.

• 1-2 players: Remove 6 TZs from play.
• 3 players: Remove 4 TZs from play.
• 4 players: Remove 2 TZs from play.

Example: TZ3 has been removed from play. The TZ3 deck has been turned face-down and moved to cover the two TZ Locations, to show they are not available for Chronoships and Drones to visit.

Also ensure the Mission cards removed in Step 6 of Setup match the TZs removed.

Dystopia: The Solo Game

Prepare to face some of the most despicable Villains of all time. From pirates to gangsters, from serial-killers to mass-murderers, your challenge is to defeat them all, before they manipulate time to create their own despicable dystopia.

Solo Setup

Choose which Villain you wish to face, by selecting from the 15 tarot-sized Villain cards available:

• If playing for the first time, it is suggested to select Hernan Cortes, as he is the easiest Villain to defeat and is also used as the example Villain in these rules.
• You may wish to choose your Villain based upon their difficulty as shown in the table below.
• Or, you may wish to randomise your selection by shuffling the Villain cards face-down.

Difficulty level	Villain
Easy	Hernan Cortes
	Scarface
	The Inquisition
	Leopold II
	The Neb
	Vlad The Impaler
	Über Morlok
	Emperor Nero
	Blackbeard
	Queen Ranavalona
	The Triffids
	Jack the Ripper

Shuffle the other Villain cards face-down to create the Villain Action Deck (A), and place onto the 'Villain Action Deck' section of the Game Board (B). Use the reverse side of the Game Board for the Solo game (C).

Next, follow the setup rules for a two player game on pages 4-5 using the second Mothership for the Villain. Note the following changes:

• Setup step 5: Draw a mission card from the top of the Mission Draw Pile and place it on the Villain's Mothership in the 'Butterfly Effect Mission 1' slot.

• Setup step 8: The Villain always starts the game as 1st player.

• Setup step 9: Your Villain adversary is treated as their first Crew-member card. The Chronoship in the top-left corner of the Villain card shows which Chronoship they will be commanding (D). Place the Villain tarot card on the matching crew station on their Mothership covering the crew and the knowledge station.

  Place one of the Villain's Drones onto the first 'Drone' circle in the top-right corner of the Villain's track (E).

  Next, the Villain recruits a second Crew-member. Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck (F) and check the matching TZ:

  • If this TZ contains a Crew-member, the Villain will recruit selecting that Crew card as the Villain's second Crew card. The Villain's second Crew-member must have a different Primary ability from the Crew they already have in play. For example, if your Villain is Hernan Cortes (an Explorer), you can't recruit another Explorer.
  • If the TZ does not contain a Crew-member, continue checking each next clockwise TZ until a Crew-member can be recruited (e.g. if TZ1 can't be recruited from, check TZ2, and so forth).

  Once the second Villain Crew-member has been selected, discard the top Villain Action Deck card into the Villain Discard Pile (G).

  Last, you select two Crew cards (the card revealed after your first selection is available for your second selection).

• Setup step 10: The Villain doesn't receive any Knowledge Discs.

Solo Gameplay

The Villain always moves their own Chronoship first, and then on subsequent turns will move their other Chronoships in clockwise order (left to right) (A).

At the start of the Villain's turn, discard the top card from the Villain Action Deck into a Discard Pile. Once the Villain Action Deck is empty, shuffle the cards in the Discard Pile to form a new Villain Action Deck.

Move based upon the Action Icon (B) on the top of the Villain Action Deck, as shown in the Villain's Action Deck Table below. If the TZ Location is vacant, the Villain's Chronoship moves there (ignore the Recruit Crew / Develop Tech locations); this is considered a successful action.

• Outcome of a successful action: The Villain 'makes progress' by moving the Drone down one circle on their track (C), taking that bonus action (see pages 15-16 of the manual). Do not move the Villain Chronoship when taking bonus actions.
  • The Villain always takes a bonus action if the TZ Location was vacant, even if it is not possible for them to carry out the action shown.
  • Upon moving to the bottom of the track, the Villain completes a Mission, and then the track restarts (D).
• Outcome of a failed action: If the TZ is occupied, move the Villain's Chronoship to the next available TZ Location, moving in a clockwise direction (e.g. if TZ7 is occupied, attempt to move to TZ0; if also occupied then move to TZ1 and so forth).
  • The Villain does not move their Drone down the track.
  • The Villain Chronoship just blocks that Location; they do not take the action.
  • The Villain never moves to Alt TZs.
  • The Villain only moves to Recruit Crew / Develop Tech locations if all other TZ Locations are occupied. These TZ Locations can trigger developed Techs as usual.

The Villain and their Crew never collect Knowledge Discs:

• If the Villain's Chronoship or Drone visits a TZ Location that produces or exchanges Knowledge Discs, the Villain does not take the action; their Chronoship/Drone simply blocks the player from moving there. Therefore, Assassination and Mission Control are the only two TZ Locations where the Villain can take the action (if able to do so).
• If the Villain's Tech is triggered by a Player, the Player loses Knowledge Discs, which are paid to the Knowledge Bank:
  • If a Comms Tech is triggered, the Player loses either a Culture or Politics Knowledge Disc.
  • If a Transport Tech is triggered, the Player loses either a Military or Exploration Knowledge Disc.
  • If the Player has both types of Knowledge Disc produced by that Tech, the Player chooses which to lose.
  • If the Player has neither type of Knowledge Disc produced by that Tech, no Knowledge Discs are lost.
  • If the Villain has two Techs in the TZ, the Player loses Knowledge Discs from both, following the rules above.
• If the Villain's Tech is triggered by the Villain, there is no effect.

A Villain's Chronoship can be assassinated in the usual way and the Player takes the 1st Player Marker. However, during the 'Recover Crew from Limbo' step at the end of the round, instead of the Villain paying Knowledge Discs to recover their Crew, the player gains one Knowledge Disc for each Villain Chronoship in Limbo. These Knowledge Discs must correspond to the Primary ability of the Villain Chronoship. E.g. if the Villain has an Explorer and Cultural Chronoship in Limbo, the player gains two Knowledge Discs, one Exploration and one Culture. The Villain's Chronoships are recovered before the Player's Chronoships, meaning the Player can use Knowledge Discs gained to recover their own Chronoships.

When the Villain completes a Butterfly Effect Mission, simply flip over their Mission card to show it is complete. No Knowledge Discs are paid, nor are any Techs returned. An Alt TZ is not spawned.

Example: If your Villain is Hernan Cortes (an Explorer), then his Exploration Chronoship will move first, then his Military Chronoship, then Culture, Politics and finally his Science Chronoship (if they are active).

Villain's Action Deck Table

Action icon	Action (successful if TZ is vacant)	2 player Co-op variant (successful if TZ is vacant)
Top	Move to the TZ Location matching the top knowledge requirement on the left-most active Mission card on the Villain's Mothership. If the Villain's Mission requirement is a Tech (Comms or Transport), the Villain will attempt to move to the Science TZ (TZ7).	If the matching TZ is occupied, move to TZ9 - TZ11 (only if the top Crew card primary ability matches). Tech cards count as Science.
Bottom	Move to the TZ Location matching the bottom knowledge requirement on the Mission card on the Villain's Mothership. If the Villain's Mission requirement is a Tech (Comms or Transport), the Villain will attempt to move to the Science TZ (TZ7).	If the matching TZ is occupied, move to TZ9 - TZ11 (only if the top Crew card primary ability matches). Tech cards count as Science. If TZ2 is occupied, move to TZ12.
Trade	Move to TZ2 (Trade).	If TZ2 is occupied, move to TZ12.
Assassination	Move to TZ1 (Assassination). If vacant, the Villain may conduct an assassination if possible to do so: (1) The Villain can only assassinate if they have Drones remaining on their Mothership; if not, the assassination attempt fails. (2) Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck (F) and then check the matching TZ on the Game Board. If the player has a Chronoship in this TZ, they are assassinated. If not, choose the next player Chronoship in a TZ Location, moving in a clockwise direction (e.g. if the Villain Action card shows TZ7 but there is no player Chronoship in that TZ, check TZ0, then TZ1 and so forth). Ignore Alt TZs. If there are two player Chronoships in the TZ, choose which is assassinated. If there are no player Chronoships on the Game Board, the assassination attempt fails. (3) Move the assassinated player Chronoship to Limbo. (4) Place a Drone onto the assassinated Chronoship's former TZ Location. The Villain does not take that action. (5) The Villain takes the 1st Player Marker and takes an additional turn, if they have active Chronoships remaining on their Mothership.

Transcriber's note: the table's Action icons are rendered here as words. Where the printed table's rows are ambiguous in the text layer, the rows were read from the page image.

Villain Progress Track Bonus Actions

The Villain's Drone moves down the track one circle for each successful action. Each circle triggers the bonus action printed beside it. Do not move the Villain Chronoship when taking bonus actions.

Assassination (crosshair icon)

The Villain attempts to assassinate a player's Chronoship currently on the Game Board:

1. The Villain can only assassinate if they have Drones remaining on their Mothership; if not, the assassination attempt fails.
2. Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck and then check the matching TZ on the Game Board:
   • If the player has a Chronoship in this TZ, they are assassinated. If not, choose the next player Chronoship in a TZ Location, moving in a clockwise direction (e.g. if the Villain Action Deck indicates TZ7 and there is no player Chronoship in that Location, check TZ0, then TZ1 and so forth). Ignore Alt TZs. If there are two player Chronoships in the TZ, choose which is assassinated.
   • If there are no player Chronoships on the Game Board, the assassination attempt fails.
3. Move the assassinated player Chronoship to Limbo.
4. Place a Drone onto the assassinated Chronoship's former TZ Location.
5. The Villain takes the 1st Player Marker and takes an additional turn, if they have active Chronoships remaining on their Mothership.

Comms Tech and Transport Tech (icons)

The Villain attempts to develop the Tech type matching the icon (Comms or Transport Tech) on the Villain track:

1. Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck and then check the matching TZ on the Game Board:
   • If the top face-up card in this TZ is the matching Tech type, the Villain develops it.
   • If the TZ does not contain a matching Tech, continue checking each next clockwise TZ until a matching Tech can be developed.
   • The Tech is developed without moving a Villain Chronoship to a Recruit Crew / Develop Tech TZ Location.
   • If there are no matching Techs on the Game Board, or the Villain does not have any Drones available on their Mothership, the Villain fails to develop a Tech.
2. Tuck the card half under the board, adjacent to this TZ, ensuring the bottom half of the card is still visible.
3. Place one of the Villain's Drones on top. If the Villain has no Drones remaining, the Villain fails to develop a Tech.

Complete a Mission (checkmark icon)

The Villain completes a Mission. Flip over their Mission card to show it is complete. No Knowledge Discs are paid, nor are any Techs returned. An Alt TZ is not spawned.

The Villain then selects a new Mission:

1. The Villain prefers to select the top-most face-up Mission card in Mission Control that has a Knowledge requirement matching their Primary ability (e.g. Hernan Cortes is an Explorer, so prefers Exploration Missions).
   • If none of the three face-up Mission cards have a matching Knowledge requirement, select the top-most card.
2. Place the Mission in the left-most available Mission slot on their Villain Mothership.
3. Ensure the two remaining face-up Mission cards are in the bottom two slots. Refill the empty top slot from the top of the deck.

Drone (drone icon)

The Drone circle does not give the Villain a bonus action.

Murderer (icon)

When the Murderer is activated, they will attempt to assassinate one of the player's Chronoships to Limbo. Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck:

• A TZ of 1-5 corresponds to the five Chronoships on the player board, with Culture being 1 and Military being 5. Move the player's matching Chronoship to Limbo (regardless of whether the Chronoship is currently on the player board or on the Game Board).
• A TZ of 6-8 has no effect, as the murder attempt has failed. There is also no effect if TZ 1-5 was indicated but the matching Chronoship is already in Limbo.

Pirate (icon)

When the Pirate is activated, they will attempt to steal Knowledge Discs from the player. Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck and then check the matching TZ on the Game Board:

• If the player has a Chronoship in this TZ, they are Pirated. The Player's Chronoship has been boarded and the Villain steals one Knowledge Disc matching the Player Chronoship's Primary ability (for example, Exploration Knowledge would be stolen from an Exploration Chronoship). If the Player has none of that type, none are stolen.
• If the player doesn't have a Chronoship in this TZ, choose the next Player Chronoship in a TZ Location, moving in a clockwise direction (e.g. if the Villain Action Deck shows TZ7 but there is no player Chronoship in that TZ, check TZ0, then TZ1 and so forth).
• If there are no Player Chronoships in TZs 0-7 on the Game Board, the piracy attempt fails.
• Alt TZs are safe-havens and can't be attacked by pirates.

Raider (icon)

When the Raider is activated, they will attempt to steal a Knowledge Disc from the player. Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck and then check the matching TZ on the Game Board:

• If the player has a Tech in this TZ, they are raided. Move the Villain's Chronoship that has most recently moved to the 'Recruit Crew / Develop Tech' Location in this TZ (if already occupied, place adjacent to the other Chronoship). The Player's Tech has been raided and the Villain steals a Knowledge Disc produced by that Tech, of the Player's choice (e.g. Culture or Politics can be stolen from a Comms Tech; Military or Exploration from a Transport Tech). If the Player has no Knowledge Discs of either type produced by that Tech, none are stolen.
• If the player doesn't have a Tech in this TZ, choose the next Player Tech in a TZ Location, moving in a clockwise direction (e.g. if the Villain Action Deck shows TZ3 but there is no Player Tech in that TZ, check TZ4, then TZ5 and so forth).
• If there are no Player Techs in TZs 0-7 on the Game Board, the raid fails.

Recruit Crew (icon)

The Villain attempts to recruit a new Crew-member. Check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck and then check the matching TZ on the Game Board:

• If the top face-up card in this TZ is a Crew-member, the Villain recruits them. The Villain's new Crew-member must have a different Primary ability from the Crew they already have in play. For example, if they already have Hernan Cortes (an Explorer) and Florence Nightingale (a Scientist), they can't recruit another Explorer or another Scientist.
• If the TZ does not contain a Crew-member, continue checking each next clockwise TZ until a Crew-member can be recruited (e.g. if TZ1 was indicated and can't be recruited from, check TZ2, and so forth).
• If there are no cards with a different Primary ability on the Game Board, the Villain fails to recruit a new Crew-member.

2 Player Co-op

Dystopia: The Co-op Variant

The co-operative variant allows two players to ally against two vicious Villains!

Co-op Setup

Choose which Villains you wish to face, by selecting from the 15 tarot-sized Villain cards available.

• You may wish to choose your Villains based upon their difficulty as shown in the table below (the same difficulty table as the solo game).
• Or, you may wish to randomise your selection by shuffling the Villain cards face-down.

Shuffle the other Villain cards face-down to create the Villain Action Deck (A), and place onto the 'Player Aid' section of the Game Board (B).

Follow the setup rules for a four player game on pages 4-5 using the third and fourth Motherships for the Villains. The human players will control a Villain each; place each Villain Mothership next to the controlling player's Mothership. Note the following changes:

• Setup step 5: Draw two Mission cards from the top of the Mission Draw Pile and place one on each of the Villains' Motherships in the 'Butterfly Effect Dystopian Mission 1' slot, so that each Villain has a starting Mission.
• Setup step 8: The toughest Villain, as per the difficulty level in the table, always starts the game as the first player.
• Setup step 9: The Villain cards are treated as their first Crew-member cards. The Chronoship in the top-left corner of each Villain card shows which Chronoship they will each be (C). Place each Villain tarot card on the matching crew station on their Mothership covering the crew and the knowledge station.
  • Place one of the Villain's Drones onto the first circle in the top-right corner of the Villain's track (D).
  • Next, the toughest Villain recruits a second Crew-member. To do this, check the TZ on the top of the Villain Action Deck (E) and then check the matching TZ on the Game Board:
    • If this TZ contains a Crew-member the Villain will recruit, select that Crew card as the Villain's second Crew card. The Villain's second Crew-member must have a different Primary ability from the Crew they already have in play. For example, if your Villain is Hernan Cortes (an Explorer), you can't recruit another Explorer.
    • If the TZ does not contain a Crew-member, continue checking each next clockwise TZ until a Crew-member can be recruited (e.g. if the Villain Action Card shows TZ1, but TZ1 can't be recruited from, check TZ2, and so forth).
    • Once the toughest Villain's Crew-member has been selected, discard the top Villain Action Deck card to form a Discard Pile to the side of the Game Board. Then follow the same process to recruit the other Villain's second Crew card.
  • The human player controlling the toughest Villain then next selects one Crew-member.
  • The other human player then selects one Crew-member.
  • Last, in reverse order, each player selects a second Crew-member.

Co-op Gameplay

Follow the Gameplay rules as per the solo game rules on pages 12-16. Note the following changes:

• To win, both Human Players need to complete 3 Missions. Likewise for the Villains to win.
• The Villains are also working co-operatively as a team, so always target a Human Player with Assassinations, Raids, Murder and Pirating.
• When a Villain triggers another Villain's Tech, there is no effect.
• When moving their Chronoship, the Villain will attempt to move to the lowest numbered TZ first. If occupied, they will then attempt to move to the next available TZ of the same type, if vacant. This is still considered a successful action and the Villain still makes progress. For example, if the Villain is attempting to move to an Assassination TZ, but TZ1 is occupied, they will then attempt to move to TZ7. Likewise, there are two Trade TZ Locations (TZs 2 and 10).
  • The Variable Knowledge TZ Locations (TZs 9 and 11) may also allow the Villain to make progress. For example, if the Villain is attempting to move to a Science TZ, but TZ7 is occupied, the Villain will then attempt to move to TZs 8 or 9 if the top card is a Scientist (or Tech). See page 23 of the manual for a full description of this TZ Location.
• Outcome of a failed action: If the Villain fails to move to a vacant TZ, move the Villain's Chronoship to the next available TZ Location, moving in a clockwise direction from the highest numbered TZ that the Villain attempted to move to (e.g. if the Action Deck icon is Assassinate and both TZs 1 and 7 are occupied, attempt to move to TZ8; if also occupied, then move to TZ9 and so forth).
• When a Villain attempts to Murder, they will target the Human Player controlling them.
• If the Villain you control completes three Missions, continue taking their turns as they are now supporting their Villain ally. Remove your Villain's Drone from their progress track and place it back in the Dock area on their Mothership. In future turns, if your Villain takes a successful action, it is their allied Villain who 'makes progress' and is able to move their Drone down one location on their track (ask the Human Player controlling the allied Villain to do this).

Special Abilities in Co-op

• When a Human player visits a Trade TZ Location (TZs 2 and 10), instead of trading with the Knowledge Bank, you may trade with your team-mate, if both players agree to the trade.

The following Crew secondary abilities have been upgraded in this co-op variant:

• Engineer: When your Engineer moves to any TZ containing one of your Techs, both you and your team-mate may take one Knowledge Disc from all of the same type of Tech you each control (either Comms or Transport Tech). For example, if you control one Comms Tech and your team-mate controls two Comms Techs, then your Engineer is able to trigger all three Comms Techs at the same time (you take the Knowledge Disc from your Tech, your team-mate takes two Knowledge Discs for their two Techs).
• Medic: At the end of the round, your Medic may recover either your Crew-members or your team-mate's Crew-members from Limbo for free. The Medic can't use this power if they are in Limbo. You may recover more than one Crew-member for free, providing they belong to the same Human Player. If a Medic is rescued from Limbo by another Medic, they will be able to use their secondary ability (meaning all Human Player's Chronoships can be rescued from Limbo).
• Merchant: When your Merchant moves to a Trade TZ Location, you may trade up to three Knowledge Discs of any type for an equal amount of Knowledge Discs of any type. Instead of trading with the Knowledge Bank, you may trade with your team-mate, if both players agree to the trade.

Lore

A Brief History of Time

The manual's "Lore: A Brief History of Time" section is a fictional and historical timeline of key events for each Time Zone. It is flavour text and is not reproduced here. The Time Zones and their periods are:

Time Zone	Era	Dates
TZ 1	Prehistoric	5,000 BC & Prior
TZ 2	Ancient	5,000 BC - 400 BC
TZ 3	Classical	400 BC - 400 AD
TZ 4	Dark Ages	400 AD - 1300 AD
TZ 5	Renaissance	1300 AD - 1600 AD
TZ 6	Age of Reason	1600 AD - 1800 AD
TZ 7	Industrial Age	1800 AD - 1900 AD
TZ 8	Age of Empires	1900 AD - 2000 AD

Transcriber's note: the Lore section's event timeline (pages 19-21) is omitted as flavour fiction; the Time Zone names, eras and dates above are kept because the game uses them.

Icons

Game Board Icons

• Assassination (crosshair icon): TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to assassinate one Chronoship currently on the Game Board. To do this:
  1. Move the assassinated Chronoship to Limbo.
  2. Place a Drone from your Dock onto the assassinated Chronoship's former TZ Location and take that action.
  3. Take the 1st Player Marker.
• Butterfly Effect Missions (ring icon): TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to choose a Butterfly Effect Mission from Mission Control.
• Culture: TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to take one Culture Knowledge Disc from the Bank. Crew with a Cultural Primary/Secondary ability may take 2.
• Exploration: TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to take one Exploration Knowledge Disc from the Bank. Crew with an Explorer Primary/Secondary ability may take 2.
• Military: TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to take one Military Knowledge Disc from the Bank. Crew with a Military Primary/Secondary ability may take 2.
• Politics: TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to take one Politics Knowledge Disc from the Bank. Crew with a Political Primary/Secondary ability may take 2.
• Recruit Crew / Develop Tech / Refresh Deck (icon): TZ Locations with this icon allow the player to either:
  1. Recruit the top Crew card / Develop the top Tech card, showing, by paying the Knowledge Disc cost relating to that Crew's Primary ability (e.g. Explorers cost Exploration Knowledge Discs).
     • If it is the player's 3rd Crew, pay 2; 4th Crew, pay 3; 5th Crew, pay 4.

Crew Secondary Abilities / Alt TZ Locations

The following abilities are listed by crew secondary ability. Where an ability has two entries, the first is the Secondary ability (the "II" icon) and the second, shown with the dotted-circle icon, is the Alt TZ Location ability.

• Activist: Secondary and Alt TZ: You may pay one Political Knowledge Disc to take one of the three face-up Missions from Mission Control cards (if you have an empty mission slot on your Mothership). (The manual prints one entry for both icons.)
• Colonist: Secondary: You may place any two Knowledge Discs of the same type on your current TZ. In a subsequent turn, if any Colonist moves here, they may gain the placed Knowledge Disc(s). Knowledge Discs can be accumulated.
• Engineer: Secondary: When you move to any TZ containing one of your Techs, you may take one Knowledge Disc from all of the same type of Tech you control (either Comms or Transport Tech). Alt TZ: Trigger one type of Tech you control (either Comms or Transport).
• Medic: Secondary: At the end of the round, you may recover exactly one Crew-member from Limbo for free. The Medic can't use this power if they are in Limbo.
• Merchant: Secondary: When you move to a Trade TZ Location, you may trade up to three Knowledge Discs of any type for an equal amount of Knowledge Discs of any type. Alt TZ: You may trade up to three Knowledge Discs of any type for an equal amount of Knowledge Discs of any type.
• Philosopher: Secondary: When you move to a Recruit TZ Location, you may pay one less Science Knowledge Disc to develop a Comms Tech. Alt TZ: You may pay one less Science to develop any face-up Comms Tech.
• Pioneer: Secondary: When you move to a Recruit TZ Location, you may pay one less Science Knowledge Disc to develop a Transport Tech. Alt TZ: You may pay one less Science to develop any face-up Transport Tech.
• Raider: Secondary: When you move to a TZ Location containing Tech developed by another player, you gain the 'Trigger Tech' free Knowledge Disc(s) rather than the owning player. Alt TZ: You may steal from any one TZ Location containing Tech developed by other player(s). Steal one Knowledge Disc of your choice (that is produced by that Tech). If two Techs have been developed, steal from both. Your Chronoship remains on the Alt TZ Location, so the owning player(s) do get the 'trigger tech' free Knowledge Disc(s).