Tides of Time Game Review

TIDES OF TIME REVIEW

 In Tides of Time , players will draft beautiful tarot-sized cards and compete to build the kingdom that will best stand the test of time. The goal of Tides of Time is to score the most points after 3 rounds of play.

HOW TO PREPARE THE GAME

 Tides of Time is a quick game that is easy to set up. Shuffle all 18 cards together, then deal 5 to each player. Each player will also receive two Relic Tokens (more on that later).

GAME PROCESS

 First Round

 Following the objectives and icons on the cards, each player will choose one card and place it face down on the table. When both players have chosen their card, reveal the cards. Each player then passes their hand to another player. Repeat until each player has 5 face up cards. Players will then score each card based on its purpose (more on scoring in a moment).

 Players will take into their hands all the cards lying face down. They will then choose one card for the next round, placing it face down in front of them and placing a relic token on top of it. Players will also choose one card to destroy, placing it back in the box where it will remain for the rest of the game. The remaining 3 cards remain in the hand for the next round.

 Second round

 At the start of the second round, each player draws two cards from the deck to increase their hand to 5 cards. Both players then reveal the relic card chosen at the end of the previous round. The gameplay of the second round is identical to the first round. At the end of the second round, players assign their last relic token to another card and destroy the other card.

 Third Round

 The gameplay of the third round is identical to the second: players reveal the relic card chosen in the previous round and replenish their hand to 5.

TIDES OF TIME MAPS

 The maps in Tides of Time are divided into 4 main objective types with different combinations of palaces, temples, fortresses, libraries and gardens.

COLLECTION OF THE MAJORITY

 Most collections reward you for having one more suit than your opponent. Most collection can be affected by modifier cards.

 Combination of one set

 A suit collection gives you points for each of your cards of the same suit. A collection of the same suit can be affected by modifier cards.

 Several sets

 Multiple sets reward you for collecting cards from multiple suits in a set. Sets of 2, 3, and 5 are available, each with different point values.

 Modifiers / Big Goals

 Cards: Eye of the North, King's Nest, Mole Mountain, Roof of the World, Sapphire Port

 Cards in this category modify existing cards or provide bonuses for individual cards.

 For example: King's Nest allows you to win all draws, which is useful when scoring for majority.

 Top of the World doubles the icons on the cards in your most abundant suit. This means that if you are trying to collect one fortress suit and you have two of them, you will now have 4, giving you 12 points.

CALCULATION OF POINTS

 Points are scored at the end of each round. Players look at each card for a purpose and score on the attached notepads. Let's walk through an example hand to see how it is evaluated.

 The first player has the following cards.

• Mole Mountain : 8 points "For most suits with only one card." The first player has 4 suits, each with only one card so they can score 8 points.
• Eye of the North : 3 points "For each set you don't have." The first player has no palaces, so he gets 3 points.
• Golden Ziggurat : 7 points "For most in palaces". The first player has no palaces, so he gets 0 points.
• Pillars of Heaven : 5 points "For each library and garden set." The first player has 1 Libray and 1 Garden, scoring 5 points.
• Mana Well : 9 points "For each set of palaces, fortresses and temples". The first player has no palaces, so he gets 0 points.

 The total for this round is 16 points.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE GAME

 Tides of Time. The artwork is amazing… I really wish the game had full size posters. These artists would also illustrate the covers of fantasy novels. Oversized cards with a nice linen finish that feels good in the hand. It also helps that the art really stands out.

 Tides of Time is fast. The box says 15-20 minutes, but once you learn the objectives and the cards (there are only 18 after all), your games will take much less time. Actually, a 10-minute game isn't unreasonable.

 Tides of Time is fun. Of course, you will have to deal with luck, but there is considerable knowledge and skill involved in the game. Deciding what you want to play balanced against what you think your opponent might play leads to some pretty questionable moments.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

 As much as I love this game, it can be too luck-based at times. In each game, each of the 18 cards will be played by one of the players, but if you get a bad hand, it can be difficult to come back from a bad round.

 Also, while I like the oversized cards, it would be nice to have a poker sized deck like Love Letter. Literally throw it in your pocket and you're good to go.

CONCLUSIONS

 Overall, Tides of Time is a great little game that's also pretty inexpensive. I think I picked up my copy for about $9. It is easy, fast and very interesting. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes two player games.

USEFUL LINKS

Tides of Time on BGG

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176229/tides-time

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