Time Tripper (board game)

Time Tripper is a science fiction board game published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1980.

Gameplay

Time Tripper is a game for 1-4 players, where each player controls a Vietnam War era American GI who inaccurately manipulates the time flux and is transported to a significant battle in either the past or the future. If he survives the battle, the soldier then tries re-manipulate the time flux, either returning to his own time, or being randomly transported to another battle.^[1]

The game includes a box, a rulebook, a map with two time displays (for the past and future) that include 36 "time locations", and counters for the soldiers, their equipment, and the creatures and soldiers they encounter.^[2]

Reception

In the September 1980 edition of The Space Gamer (Issue No. 31), Keith Gross admired the refreshingly novel nature of Time Tripper, saying, "[It] is one of the few non-Swords-and-Sorcery fantasy games. Its design is highly innovative. Timetripper is highly recommended for all fantasy or s-f gamers who want to try something out of the ordinary."^[1]

In the October 1980 edition of Dragon (Issue 42), Tony Watson also liked the innovative nature of the game, as well as its value as a solitaire game: "Time Tripper is a fun game. The idea is novel, the encounters are interesting without taking themselves too seriously, and the game is varied enough so that it never gets boring. It’s also a fine solitaire game, and that’s a big plus for those gamers who have a difficult time meeting with opponents."^[2]

Awards

At the 1981 Origins Awards, Timetripper was a finalist for the Charles S. Roberts Award for "Best Fantasy or Science-Fiction Board Game of 1980."

Other reviews and commentary

• The Wargamer Vol.1 #17
• Campaign #101
• Richard Berg's Review of Games #5

References

This page was last edited on 6 March 2023, at 15:26