T.I.M.E Stories

To set up T.I.M.E Stories, begin by placing the base cards in the center of the playing area, which represent the starting point for all players. Arrange the mission cards, including success and failure conditions, above the base cards. The item deck is placed to the side. The plan cards, which form the map of the current world, are laid out, and a white marker indicates the party's current location. Each player selects a receptacle card, representing their character in the mission, and places their pawn on it. The time marker is set to the starting temporal unit specified by the scenario.

The primary objective of T.I.M.E Stories is to successfully complete the mission's specific objectives as outlined in the scenario. This must be achieved before the temporal unit tracker reaches zero, or before any other mission failure conditions are triggered. If the mission is failed, players can restart the run, retaining certain knowledge or items, and attempt to complete it again.

A turn in T.I.M.E Stories consists of several phases. First, players collectively decide whether to move to a new location or explore the current one. Moving to a new location costs temporal units, determined by a dice roll, with additional costs if the location is marked in red. Once at a location, players place their pawns on specific cards within that location to explore. Some cards may require matching tokens to access. Players then secretly view the card they are on, deliberate with the team about what they've discovered (without reading the card verbatim), and choose an action: perform a characteristic roll (using their receptacle's stats), make a special roll (scenario-specific), or do nothing. If doing nothing while fighting, penalties may apply.

T.I.M.E Stories does not feature a traditional scoring system. The game is cooperative, and success is measured solely by the completion of the mission objectives. There are no points to accumulate or compare between players or runs. The focus is on the narrative experience and the collective achievement of the mission.

A run concludes when either the mission's objectives are successfully met, leading to a mission successful card, or when the temporal unit tracker reaches zero, or other specific mission failed conditions are triggered. If a player's receptacle 'dies,' they are removed from the current run for a set number of temporal units. If there isn't enough time left for them to re-enter, they are out for the remainder of that run. Cards defeated in combat are permanently removed from the game for all future runs.