Trekking Through History: What Will You Do a Thousand Years Ago?
💡 History
⚙ Card Selection
When writing the title of this article, I thought of another game where time is used in a very original way, That Time You Killed Me by Peter Hayward. I'll make a suggestion in passing: it's an excellent game, specifically designed for two players (there aren't tons of them), which will pleasantly roast your neurons. But it's Trekking Through History that I want to talk to you about today.
Through . Right now, I'm glad my blog isn't on video, it spares you my terrible pronunciation of this word. It's the kind of word that English teachers make you repeat to teach you how to pronounce TH correctly... For me, it's a waste of time, it still sounds like tsssfffrrreuuuyy . My thing is to pronounce it like we learn it in France: "trèquigne zrou istori". There, file closed.
Léo Ferré sang, in his voice of a goat-who-just-lost-his-whole-family-in-the-war: "With time, with time goes, everything goes away." Come on, Mat, is this a blog about the inescapable fatality of life, about all those lost moments that we will never find again? NO! Today, rejoice, because we will be taking a little stroll into the past and, perhaps, picking up a few victory points along the way, thanks to Trekking Through History: Back to the Past , an excellent card selection ( drafting ) game by Charlie Bink. Although the game is part of a thematic series by the same author ( Trekking the National Parks , Trekking the World ), its game mechanics are different and it is absolutely not necessary to have played the other titles to enjoy this one.
Start the DeLorean, Marty, we're going 88 miles an hour and off we go!
How does it work?
In Trekking Through History , 1 to 4 players set off on a three-day expedition through... time! Over the course of these three days (rounds), you will try to create a time itinerary in order to relive significant moments in the history of humanity, from the discovery of fire to the first space voyage! Experiencing these moments will take more or less time depending on their nature (going to chill in Plato's Cave will take little time compared to a boat trip with Magellan) so you will have to keep an eye on your watch, since the time allotted to us for a day of expedition is limited.
At the beginning of the game, each player receives a time crystal and, at random, four Route cards, which look a bit like bingo cards. They select one for each of the three rounds of play. These cards will allow them to guide their choice of activities for the day by providing them with objectives (related to the nature of the events experienced: meeting famous people, significant events, technological innovations or progress of civilization) which will earn points if they are completed. Once the Route card is chosen, the deck of cards from day 1 is shuffled and off we go!
On their turn, a player must select one of the six Story cards available on the game board and place it in front of them to begin their journey. Depending on the card chosen, they then receive rewards (in the form of tokens) that they immediately place in the appropriate columns of their itinerary sheet. If they manage to complete objectives on their sheet, they then receive victory points (or time crystals). The player must also advance their watch on the time track by the number of hours indicated by the chosen card. If they have time crystals in their possession, they can spend them to reduce the duration of their activity by one hour per crystal used (but an activity cannot last less than one hour). Their turn is now complete, and the next player moves on, the one whose watch is the least advanced on the time track (it is therefore possible for the same player to play several times in a row, until their watch surpasses that of one of their opponents).
Pay attention to the chronological order
Starting from the second round, when adding a new card to his journey, the player will have to pay particular attention to the chronology of events. If the selected card comes chronologically AFTER the last activity of his journey, then he adds it to his current journey so as to form a column. The more cards he succeeds in adding to the same chronological journey, the more points this journey will be worth at the end of the game!
However, if the card comes chronologically BEFORE, then he cannot add it to his journey: he must take all the cards previously placed and put them aside; his new card then becomes the first activity of a new journey in time.
Trekking Through History often presents us with heartbreaking dilemmas: should I choose a card for its date (which will allow me to build a longer journey) or for its rewards (the tokens that allow me to complete objectives)? We will have to think carefully about what is more advantageous for us each turn.
Sometimes we are unlucky and none of the six available cards allow us to continue our journey chronologically. We can then resign ourselves to starting a new journey, or choose to visit our Ancestors .
These Ancestors Lost in Time
Ancestor cards are sort of jokers (in limited numbers!) that a player can take instead of a Story card. Since these Ancestor-jokers do not have a set date, they can be inserted anywhere in a journey. But there is a disadvantage to these visits: they only bring one reward token, and cost precious time (three hours) in a game turn! We will therefore try to use them only when it is necessary to advance a journey.
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…
An expedition day in Trekking Through History has a maximum duration of twelve hours. If, by choosing a card, a player reaches exactly 12 hours, his turn ends (and he gets a punctuality bonus of 3 points). If the duration of the chosen card makes him exceed 12 hours, his turn also ends, but he does not get the bonus. When all players have reached 12 hours, they discard their itinerary sheet and all the accumulated tokens (uncompleted objectives are lost). They choose a new sheet for the second day, we replace the cards on the board with the cards from day 2, and we start again!
It's time to take stock
At the end of the third day of the expedition, the game is over! It's time to count down. During the game, players will have already accumulated a certain number of victory points due to the objectives completed on their itinerary cards. If they have any unspent time crystals left, they each earn one point. Then add the value of the completed journeys (chronological series): the longer a series, the more points it is worth (for example, a series of two cards is worth nothing, while a series of 10 cards is worth 30 points!). The player who has accumulated the most points wins the game!
Time Distortions
After a first learning part, the game offers to add the Time Distortions module, which gives a little more possibilities to the players. Each turn, we draw a distortion card, which is in fact a special power that all players can use once during the day. These cards allow, for example, to double the rewards of a card, or offer strategic advantages (modify the duration of an event, remove the last card of a trip, etc.)
So… what do we think?
While browsing the As website, I realized that Trekking Through History has received several comments (all complimentary!). This allows me to remind you, in passing, that you can rate the games you buy on the store's website; it can certainly help your fellow gamers make an informed choice. Don't be shy!
But let's start at the beginning of this review: the material! And there, what can I say? Wow! Hooray! Again! Again! And I don't have the Deluxe-Ultimate-Collector version here. Everything is included in the "basic" version: neoprene playmat, crispy plastic tokens, quality linen-finished cards, all in a near-impeccable storage system. The illustrations are varied and colorful. I am delighted. It is a great gift for the eyes and for the fingers (more than a bag of Doritos).
Gameplay-wise, I think it's probably the most accomplished and well-oiled of the Trekking series. The rules are extremely clear; you can learn the game in a few minutes and start playing! The rounds are quick, and offer a well-balanced mix of strategy and luck. As such, I recommend integrating the time distortion module as quickly as possible, which, without complicating the game, helps to counterbalance the vagaries of luck.
Trekking Through History is a smooth and well thought out family game. And the cherry on top: you learn things! In addition to the dates of major human events, the back of each card has a small paragraph with information about the event in question. It's really cool! I love it! And with 108 History cards, you're bound to learn a thing or two. Oh, is it my turn? Sorry, I was reading about how the Mayans made hot chocolate.
We like…
-The quality (and generosity) of the material;
-The fluidity of the turns;
-Clarity of the rules;
-Single player mode included;
We like less…
-Occasional bad luck (happens less with the distortion module)
-The row of cards to select does not renew itself much with 1 or 2 players, which makes us a little more vulnerable to luck;
Trekking Through History: Back to the Past
A game by Charlie Bink, illustrated by Eric Hibbeler
Underdog Games
1 to 4 players
10 years and over
30 to 60 minutes per game
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