# Time Machine Rocket ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2021 - **BGG Rating**: 7.4 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-4 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 25-45 min - **Weight**: 1.50 / 5 - **Designers**: Fabio Michelan - **Artists**: Rafael Gandine - **Publishers**: (Self-Published) - **Categories**: Card Game, Humor, Party Game - **Mechanics**: Push Your Luck, Set Collection, Take That, Variable Player Powers ## Verdict If you love light, fun games with a dash of direct interaction, Time Machine Rocket is a blast. It mixes luck and strategy without fuss, perfect for casual play.Quick and accessible funCreative time travel themeDirect and fun interactionEasy to learn and teachCan be luck-heavy'Take that' mechanics aren't for everyoneRECOMMENDED ## Description Time Machine Rocket is a fast, simple, and fun card game that blends strategy and luck with a dash of direct player interaction. The time travel theme is the cherry on top, bringing hilarious encounters between historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Bruce Lee. The goal? Assemble the best team of historical personalities, gathering five different types (Humanitarian, Military, Creative, Scientist, and Explorer) to win. On your turn, you decide whether to risk drawing another card or settle with what you have—but watch out, rockets can launch you to new decks, and duplicate cards become mandatory! The player with the highest points from their team wins. It's perfect for those who enjoy light games with a sprinkle of humor and that urge to throw a 'take that' at friends. ## How to Play Game Objective In Time Machine Rocket, players are Time Machine test pilots, traveling through the time stream to find personalities from different historical periods and form a team. The main objective is to be the first player to reach 40 points by the end of the game. The game consists of several rounds. At the end of each round, players tally the points from their characters and any completed Objectives. These points accumulate over the rounds. If two or more players reach 40 points (or more) simultaneously, the winner is the one with the highest total score. In case of a tie, the tie-breaker criterion is the number of characters in the last round. If the tie persists, the next criterion is the number of points scored in the last round. If there is still a tie, players play a final round to determine the winner. Setup To set up the Time Machine Rocket table, follow these guidelines. You can use the back of the rulebook as a game board to facilitate card organization. Organize the Historical Period Piles: Separate the 70 Character cards into 5 piles, one for each historical period: Ancient Age, Middle Ages, Modern Age, Contemporary Age, and Post-WWII Contemporary Age. Organize them in chronological order from left to right. Objective Pile: Place the 10 Objective cards in a separate pile. Rocket Pile: Place the 24 Rocket cards (7 Common Rockets and 3 2X Rockets) in a separate pile. Game Area: Reserve a central space on the table for the Game Area, where cards will be revealed during turns. Discard Pile: Designate a space for the Discard Pile, where used and discarded cards will be placed face up. Player Area: Each player should reserve a space in front of them to place their character cards. Ideally, there should be space for 5 cards side-by-side, plus an additional space for Rocket cards. Start of the Round: At the beginning of each round, shuffle each pile separately. Reveal the first Objective card and place it face up on top of the Objective Pile. This will be the round's Objective. First Player: The youngest player starts the first round. The game proceeds clockwise. In the next round, the player to the left of the player who started the previous round will be the first, and so on. Game Flow The game progresses in turns, with each player performing their actions clockwise. A round ends in one of the following three ways: A player completes the round's Objective: If a player completes the open Objective, the round ends immediately. If the player completes the Objective by recruiting a character, they cannot use that character's action. A player forms a complete team: The round ends if a player gathers 5 characters, each from a different category (Humanitarian, Military, Creative, Scientist, and Explorer). When placing the last character in their team, the player can still decide whether or not to use that character's action, but must ensure their turn ends with 5 characters from different categories. End of a historical period card pile: If a player needs to reveal a card from a historical period pile and there are no more cards available in that pile, the round ends. As soon as a round ends, each player counts their points, and a new round begins, until a player reaches 40 points. Actions and How to Play On their turn, a player must always reveal the top card of the most recent period pile (Post-WWII), unless they have Rockets to change their starting point. After revealing a card, the player has two choices: Take the card they revealed, recruiting that character to their team: If the player already has a character of that category in their team, they must discard the previous character and place the new card in its place. When placing the character in their team, the player can use its action (see details in Character Cards). The player's turn ends. Reveal the next card from the same pile: The player can reveal as many cards as they want until they decide to recruit a character, as long as one of the following scenarios does not occur: Repeated Category: If the new card revealed is a character from a category that has already been revealed this turn, the player is forced to recruit this new character, and their turn ends. The other cards revealed in the Game Area go to the Discard Pile. Rocket Card: If the card revealed is a Rocket, the player must start revealing cards from the next pile to the left (from the immediately previous period). All categories that had been revealed previously reset, allowing the player to reveal a character of the same category again without being forced to recruit it. Vortex Card: If the card revealed is a Vortex, the player immediately loses their turn, and the card goes to the discard pile. Character Cards When recruiting a character directly from the Game Area to your team, you can use its action. Each character category has a different action: Humanitarian: Take a character from an opposing player that has a point value less than or equal to the point value of the Humanitarian character you recruited. Military: Discard one or more characters from your opposing players with a maximum total point value equal to the number of the Military character you recruited. You can discard characters from different players in the same action. Creative: Look at the number of cards on top of the pile of the period where you stopped, according to the points of the Creative character you recruited, and take one of those cards, if you wish (including Rockets). The remaining cards are placed back on top of the same pile, in any order you prefer. Scientist: Take Rocket cards from the Rocket Pile according to the points of the Scientist character you recruited. If there are not enough Rockets in the pile, you can take them from your opponents. Explorer: Look at the number of cards on top of the Discard Pile, according to the points of the Explorer character you recruited, and take as many of those cards as you want (including Rockets). The remaining cards are placed back on top of the same pile, in any order you prefer. Attention: Only characters recruited directly from the Game Area can use their actions. If you acquire a character through another's action (for example, a Humanitarian taking a Creative from an opponent), the acquired character will not use its corresponding action. Rocket Cards Rocket cards represent the Time Machine and can be used in two ways: When revealing a Rocket: If you are revealing cards from the historical piles and a Rocket appears, it automatically takes you to the next pile to the left (from the immediately previous period). You must then continue revealing cards from this new pile this turn. Using Rockets from your area: If you took Rockets with Scientist, Creative, or Explorer actions, they remain in your Rocket area. At the beginning of your turn, you can place one or more of these Rockets in the Game Area to advance the corresponding number of piles into the past. For example, using 3 Rockets would make you start the turn in the Middle Ages, instead of Post-WWII. 2X Rocket cards count as 2 Rockets. In both cases, at the end of the turn, temporal jumps are reset, and the player must start from Post-WWII on their next turn. Vortex Cards The Vortex is the worst card you can encounter. There is at least one Vortex card in each historical period. When revealing a Vortex card from one of the piles, the player immediately loses their turn, and the card goes to the discard pile. If a Vortex is revealed during a Creative or Explorer character's action, the card has no effect, but can be considered as revealed to complete the The Temporal Paradox Objective. Objective Cards At the beginning of each round, an Objective card is revealed, and any player can try to complete it. If a player succeeds, the round ends, and the card's points are added to that player's character points. The Objectives are: The Rehabilitation of Baby Hitler (15 points): Have a Humanitarian character of 5 or more points in your team and reveal the first card from the Contemporary Age pile. The round ends immediately, and the revealed card cannot be recruited (and will have no effect if it is a Rocket or Vortex). The End of Flat Earth (5 points): Have a Scientist character of 4 or more points in your team and reveal the first card from the Middle Ages pile. The round ends immediately, and the revealed card cannot be recruited (and will have no effect if it is a Rocket or Vortex). The Creation of Santa Claus (10 points): Have a Creative character of 3 or more points in your team and reveal the first card from the Ancient Age pile. The round ends immediately, and the revealed card cannot be recruited (and will have no effect if it is a Rocket or Vortex). The Terminator of the Past (10 points): Recruit a Military and be able to discard 3 characters from one or more opponents at the same time. The Cradle of Civilization (5 points): Have 2 characters from the Ancient Age. The round ends immediately as soon as the player has these cards. The 1st Woman on the Moon (10 points): Have 4 Rockets and a female character. The 2X Rocket card counts as 2 Rockets. The round ends immediately as soon as the player has these cards. The Dinosaur Tamer (15 points): Have 7 Rockets and an Explorer character of 1 or more points. The 2X Rocket card counts as 2 Rockets. The round ends immediately as soon as the player has these cards. The 7th Wonder of the World (5 points): Have 2 Brazilian characters from any historical period. The round ends immediately as soon as the player has these cards. Nostradamus's Prophecy (20 points): End your turn by forming a team of 5 characters, each from a different historical period. The round ends immediately as soon as the player has these cards. The Temporal Paradox (5 points): Reveal 3 Vortexes in one round and take them for yourself. If a Vortex is revealed with a Creative or Explorer character, it can also be counted for this Objective and taken instead of another card. For control, Vortexes can be placed in the player's Rocket area. End of Game and Scoring The game ends when a player reaches 40 points or more. Scoring is calculated at the end of each round as follows: Character Scoring: Each player sums the points of all character cards in their team. For example, an Explorer 3 and a Military 5 total 8 points. Objective Scoring: If a player completes an Objective in a round, they add the number of points from the Objective card to their character points. For example, a Humanitarian 3, a Scientist 4, and a 10-point Objective total 17 points. Points accumulate from round to round. The player who first reaches or exceeds 40 points is the winner. Victory Criteria in Case of a Tie: If 2 or more players score 40 points (or more) at the same time, the one with the most total points wins. In case of a tie in total score, the one with the most characters in the last round wins. If there is still a tie, the next criterion is the number of points scored in the last round. If the game is still tied, players must play a final round. The winner of this new round is declared the winner of the game. Tips for Winning Rocket Management: Use Rockets strategically to access older historical period piles. This can be crucial for finding specific characters or completing certain Objectives that require cards from more remote eras. Character Actions: Pay attention to the actions of each character category. Recruiting a character is not just about their points, but also about the ability they offer, which can be used to manipulate the game, get more cards, or hinder opponents. Attention to Objectives: The round's Objective can be a significant source of points. Evaluate whether it's worth focusing on completing it, as this can end the round and give a considerable advantage. ## FAQ ### How many players can join? 2 to 4 players, perfect for small groups or pairs. ### How long does a game last? Between 25 and 45 minutes, depending on player count and decisions. ### Is it hard to learn? Nope! The rules are simple and the game is very intuitive, great for beginners. ### What's the recommended age? 10 and up, but adults will have a blast too. ### Do you need a lot of space to play? No, just a small table to spread out the cards and play.