Temporum Review

Temporum approaches its setting in a strange way. Its central mechanic is a terrific expression of time travel, which is what the game is about. But the way it handles time travel is oddly utilitarian, which in a strange way actually makes sense for this game. Of course that might be what makes the game a little tough to get into. But I hope people take the time to get to know Temporum. They might just find something they really like.

Designed by two-time Spiel des Jahres winner Donald X. Vaccarino, Temporum is a game about time travel. Each player is a time traveler willing to change history however necessary to make themselves the most powerful person in their own time. The board shows four different time periods, made up of cards that show possible realities. Small arrow pieces show which path was taken in reality, and the line of cards that extends from the top of the board and connects to the bottom shows the current time line. On their turn, each player can move anywhere through the current timeline and visit some other time period. There they will be able to take an action associated with that spot. Those actions interact with a separate deck of cards that are dealt out to the player. Those cards provide the players with income, one-time actions, and permanent boosts. Each player begins the game with ten crown tokens that begin in the oldest age, and must all be moved to the final age to win.

The central mechanic is changing time, which is done at the beginning of a player’s turn. The player has the option to slide the arrow to the other direction below the card, creating a new timeline that now gives the players access to a different set of time zones. The coolest thing is that the other players in the old timeline must shift to the new one. It’s a really clever way to deal with causality, and it’s what sells Temporum as a time travel game.

Still, the impact of this time-change mechanic is lessened because it happens all the time. Time travel stories are always rife with the consequences of causality, but in Temporum there are only two possible timelines beneath each zone. Players switch between them like turning the lights on. This isn’t just about humans inventing time travel, it’s about humans taming it. This would be a bigger problem with this if the game’s objective wasn’t the exert control over their own timeline. In fact, many actions revolve around who “rules” in a specific time, meaning the person who has the most tokens in that time period. Exerting will over the timeline is the entire point of the game, and so the ease and lack of consequence actually works in the context of the game.

However it does have the effect of creating an experience that is low on drama and narrative. When people master time travel, there’s no longer any risk, and that’s how Temporum feels. Rather than trying to survive the act of travelling all over the space-time continuum, the players see who can master it most thoroughly. That means there’s no sense of danger when time is changed, no unknown consequence when it happens, and not much more than a minor inconvenience for the other players. There is also little contrast between turns. Every move feels pretty similar, even if the specific outcomes aren’t the same. There won’t be many moments that you’ll remember from one game to the next.

It would therefore be easy to dismiss Temporum as a missed opportunity, but after a few games that sense goes away. Part of that is the tactical nuance that emerges. It is not immediately obvious how interesting the card interactions can be, since almost every card is useful at any time. Some are more useful than others though, and that only becomes clear after the game has some time to stretch. It helps that Vaccarino has never been shy about stacking card effects, which means some players will be able to create a pretty mean engine as the game goes on. Another good point is that the game has a short memory. While both Dominion and Kingdom Builder placed enormous import on early decisions, here the game feels more evenly paced and forgiving, which makes it more interesting for all the players.

Temporum also possesses a goofy sense of humor, one that manifests in a number of fun card effects. There’s the card “Kill Your Grandfather,” which allows the player to discard their entire hand and draw new cards. “Step on A Butterfly” changes time at every level, producing a nice chaotic outcome. And of course there’s the zone for the Age of Cats, which is presented without comment or context. The game in general has a nice production, barring a couple of minor presentation issues.

I get the sense that Temporum will be something of a black sheep. The response among gamers has so far been muted, as has the promotional push from Rio Grande Games. Part of that might be because aside from the time-changing mechanic, its first impression is pretty mild. Hopefully it can find some people who are willing to give it three or four plays to let it open up, because it deserves better than the relative anonymity it’s received so far.