In a land untouched by modern civilization, four distinct factions govern different realms: the deep ocean with its dark abysses, the gentle hills with meadows and forests, the vast night sky, and the mysterious underground tunnels. An ancient energy flows through these areas, concentrated in hidden sources. Controlling this energy allows players to manipulate time itself, influencing the rhythms of the environment and all living beings.
Echoes of Time is a strategic game for 2 to 4 players. The goal is to build the best-equipped group of characters from different factions to conquer power sources. You must control and modify the flow of time to outshine your opponents. The game features over one hundred cards with unique effects, allowing you to build a new deck each time you play. A “sliding tile” system helps manage the time needed for your cards to become usable while controlling the activation rhythm of their effects.
Setting Up the Game
To begin, each player receives a Time board and a set of Time tiles. Five tiles are placed randomly on the board, and the sixth is set aside. One
Gameplay Phases
Each round consists of three phases. First is the Time Phase. All players take their Time tile that is off the board and slide it into the left side of their Time row. This pushes the rightmost tile off the board. If there are any cards on the tile being pushed off, they are summoned into your Fellowship and placed above your player board. Once summoned, cards can have an effect on the game, either a one-time effect upon summoning or an ongoing effect. After all cards are resolved, everyone draws one card from the deck.
Second is the Actions Phase. Each player has two Action cubes to use. Going clockwise from the start player, players place one of their cubes on an action space at the bottom of their player board and execute the associated action. You can perform the same action twice in a round. The main actions include:
Draw 2 Cards: Add two cards to your hand.
Play 1 Card: You must discard a number of cards from your hand as shown on the card you wish to play. Then, place it on the Time Tile indicated on the card. You may have up to 2 cards on any Time tile. Modifiers on active cards might reduce the cost or allow placement in different slots.
Advance 2 Cards: Move a card to the right on your Time board twice. You can pass through tiles with 2 cards if you end on a legal stopping point. If a card moves off the right edge, it is summoned immediately.
Conquer a
Third is the End of Round Phase. Players discard down to 10 cards in hand and remove Action tokens and activation tokens. The start player rotates to the left.
Game End and Scoring
The game continues until one of three conditions is met at the end of a round: the supply of VP tokens is exhausted, a player has 12 or more cards in their Fellowship, or all
VP chips collected during play.
VPs from
Personal Thoughts on the Game
When I read the description and saw the designers (specifically Luciani), I was surprised to see the predicted game length was only 30-60 minutes. I was immediately intrigued. My games of Echoes of Time have definitely fit into this timeframe, and it has quickly become one of my favorite designs from Luciani.
The actions in the game are simple, and the timetable setup is very interesting. Trying to get cards onto the board and then off into your Fellowship is a major focus. You only get to use the cool actions on the cards once they have graduated off your timeline, so this is always a priority during your turn.
Furthermore, you need cards in your Fellowship to conquer
The Flame effects on cards can be very useful, but the timing is tricky. Note that different colors have different prevalence on your board. This may incentivize you to get a card off your board sooner so you don’t miss the window to use its flame power, or wait several turns for another chance.
Echoes of Time presents a nice multilevel puzzle. You must choose the right cards to work together and solve the puzzle of getting them onto your board and then into your fellowship. The deck is so large that you will see new cards each game and likely find new combinations to explore. I have only played a few times, and I know I still have much more to learn. I look forward to more plays this winter.
Thoughts from Other Players
(Ben B) — I finally got my copy and got it to the table. I have semi-mixed feelings. While I do appreciate the 45-minute game length, we felt the game was slightly at odds with itself. It should be clear that this is not an engine builder like my Magic playing friends struggled with. This game is a race. The game makes you feel like right when you get some cards and an engine out, the game ends. The
