In space no-one can hear you scream. Presumably the same is true for singing. Chrono Fall, from Ornament Games, is a cooperative game with a strong space opera theme about the impending end of space and time caused by careless use of chrono technology. The 1-4 players act as scientist crews flying through hyperspace tunnels, scanning and neutralising rifts in space/time, and shepherding freighters bringing five varieties of unobtainium back to Earth to construct an orbital device to protect the universe. There is no fat lady to sing but the end of everything can come about in three separate ways: rifts can proliferate, blocking the hyperspace network, space integrity can collapse, or time itself can unravel in the Chrono Fall event.
Designers Christian Peter Schäfer-Scheidtweiler and Stefan Scheidtweiler have provided an introductory game with an easier set of rules, a normal game, and a set of three scenarios for even greater challenges and increased playability. I’ll say this up front – the normal game is brutally difficult! Experienced gamers who think they can skip straight into the normal game will be in for a shock. Luck, skill and experience surely count for something but it can feel like destiny and ill-omen are singing a duet about how to bring you down.
The main Chrono Fall board is a 20x20 x/y grid, but offset into a hex pattern to give the impresssion of a third z dimension. Earth is central and there are six exoplanets around the edges. In a nice touch, these are actually genuine exoplanets that have been discovered and named by astronomers (you can Google them). Connecting everything together is a network of hyperspace tunnels and nodes, as well as various other things like nebulas and energy crystal positions. To one side, as well as the schematic for the Protector under construction, is a measure of space integrity, which can gradually decline and trigger various disasters. On the other side is the time dimension, where players can see a little way into the future and perhaps even change the course of events once technology is developed enough. The technology tree is on a separate board, and there are four tracks: Chrono technology and Rift neutralisation which you have to complete both of to be able to win, and Supercharging technology and Navigation, which are nice to have.
Each research ship, which the game calls by the slightly odd name of SPARCs, standing for Space Research Cruisers, also has its own board to keep track of energy and to slot in special ability cards. One of the nice things about Chrono Fall is that the solo game is exactly the same as the multiplayer cooperative game. A solo player can fly any number of SPARCs from 1 to 4. The mechanism is such that having more SPARCs effectively means each SPARC acts slower, relative to the freighters and general rate of decay of the universe. Odd if you think about this in the real world, but it works as a game mechanic.
On each turn, one captain goes through certain actions in order. Hyperspatial communication is obviously instantaneous, so there is always scope for discussion in a multiplayer game. Technically, the rules say each decision should be voted on, with the current SPARC captain having the casting vote, but if you get to a point where other captains are voting you down on your turn then there is frankly no chance the players will succeed.
The first action is to roll two d20 dice for the x and y co-ordinates. This will place a new rift in that place on the board, unless there is already a rift there or if it would hit a planet, in which case space integrity decreases instead. This keeps up a steady pressure, increasing the number of rifts and, over time, also degrading space integrity. To start with there are 30 rifts on the board. With 24 hexes reserved for planets, that gives you a starting chance of 13.5% of a decrease in space integrity instead of a new rift. As time goes on with 90 rifts out that probability increases to 28.5%. If you get to 100 rifts out, it's game over. If space integrity decreases from 10 (12 in the introductory rules) to zero then again it's game over.
The second action brings into play the time dimension. If Chrono technology is sufficiently advanced then you can swap the order of future events, but this comes at the cost of another roll of the dice and another rift. The third action brings the closest event card into the present when it is acted upon, then it is discarded into the past. Almost all of these event cards are bad news in one form or another. Some are conditional and some have an effect depending on the order of previous or following cards, so it is well worthwhile developing the technology to move them about. Six events will produce energy crystals at certain places on the board unless there is already a rift there. The last event at the bottom of the deck is Chrono Fall - the end of time. Yes, game over.
The fourth action is where a SPARC actually does stuff. Doing almost anything takes energy, which is limited. You start with 4 rechargable energy crystals and can hold a maximum of 6 if you fly past any that are near a node. Flying one space costs 1 energy. Scanning a nearby rift, which is how you advance technology, costs 3 energy. Neutralising a rift costs 4 energy, so it is very hard to keep on top of the proliferation of rifts. You can also supercharge an energy crystal, which then lets you do more powerful special actions on a SPARCs next turn, but this is at the cost of losing the energy crystal. Supercharging energy crystals so you are left with less than 4 is a bad idea: you can get trapped behind a rift you can no longer neutralise.
On the fifth action, the freighters move, if you wish them to. While delivery of the superheavy elements to Earth is obviously critical, the freighters and SPARCs can get in each other's way and block routes, which is where the variable relative speed depending on number of SPARCs comes into effect. The sixth and final action recharges energy crystals and reveals the next future event, before play passes to the next SPARC captain.
Overall the mechanism is very good, with the risky use of Chrono technology to adjust future events a very nice touch thematically. There is a certain relentlessness about the entropic decay of space and time, but clever use of the right combination of SPARC special powers and technology developments can offset that, at least for a while.
There are eight special ships to choose from. These range in complexity. Special mention is merited for Hyperion, which is a high-complexity SPARC but it seems overpowered compared to the others because its special ability allows it to recall energy crystal cards from the past events discard pile and replace them in the future. This not only gives an extra chance for everyone to pick up energy crystals, it also effectively creates more time for everything else you need to happen, like freighter deliveries. Having played once with Hyperion, I would not play again without it. Just be careful of the event card which turns energy crystals on the board into rifts! Chiron, which is medium complexity, is also a good ship as it has a way to increase space integrity while neutralising rifts. Pallas is the best of the low-complexity SPARCs, specialising in neutralising rifts at lower cost.
Minor niggles: The low/high charge symbol on the SPARC boards feels like its the wrong way around. The back of the board has a number of science facts, which add colour, but the one that explains how the proportions of weight in counters versus board and box is the same as ordinary matter vs dark matter feels a bit contrived. Do you really each need a small blue counter to keep track of which action you are on, or was that added to make up weight?
Wrapping it all together then, Chrono Fall is a well thought out thematic game with a good mechanism and enough customisation options to make replays feel different. It can be brutally tough tho': when about 2/3rds of the way through you realise you are going to fail, it's just a question of how. The overall message of the game may be, if the end of space and time ever does look imminent, then scientist adventurers with a phlegmatic outlook can have a fine time futilely trying their best to save everything but everyone else might as well go to the opera. At least there will be singing.
(Review by Gareth Colesmith)