Steam Time

Steam-powered time travel in 1899: send airships to past ages and hunt crystals before your rivals.

Designer: Rüdiger Dorn
Published by: KOSMOS

Steam Time is set in 1899, when strange phenomena show up at Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt. Time itself goes odd, and newly discovered crystals with weird properties allow the construction of fantastic machines. Rapidly industrializing nations use them to build gigantic steam-driven airships that travel through time and space. Players race for long-lost knowledge, vanished cultures and hidden treasures. You travel to past ages, search for crystals and spend them wisely to stay ahead of your competitors. It mixes worker placement, open drafting and contracts on a modular board. A Victorian-flavored adventure with a clear economic backbone, around ninety minutes for two to four players.

Airships travel through past agesCrystals are the main resourceWorker placement with contracts and drafting

Who it's for

You like steampunk themes with a solid worker-placement engine, and you want a mid-weight game for a group of three or four.

Not for you if…

You want a story-driven game or heavy conflict. It is mostly an economic race with a time-travel skin.

Vibe's take

Steady and thoughtful. You plan trips, grab crystals and balance contracts, and the clock is your rival as much as the other players.