Chronocritters
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Open the portal, take what you need, go back. You discover the portal has degraded and everything has changed. Now you have to rebuild it or open another one. Always.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
Post-apocalyptic worker placement where time is the enemy
Year 2562. After a catastrophic event, space and time are tearing apart. To save reality, you won't rely on classic heroes, but on Chronocritters: robotic animals capable of time travel and portal building. The game features an aesthetic curated by Vlad Ricean and Anna Zvočová, blending wild nature and futuristic technology. Designed by Tristan Geeraert for Delicious Games.
At the table, you place your workers (the Chronocritters) to access different eras, recover lost technologies, and convince an artificial intelligence that you can repair reality. But the originality lies in time management: the availability of actions and resources changes and flows as time passes. You open time portals to access new locations, but these portals are unstable. They degrade rapidly, forcing you to continuously maintain them or build new ones to avoid being cut off.
What they say abroad
"promises an intense strategic experience lasting between 80 and 150 minutes"
promises an intense strategic experience lasting between 80 and 150 minutes
— Mr Boardgames
It's a newly announced game, with mechanics that promise to move worker placement onto unstable ground. We are very curious, but real games are needed to understand if the idea holds up or becomes self-serving maintenance.
— FroGames
Chronocritters
The game supports 1-4 players and includes official solo mechanics. We do not yet have details on the automaton's operation or dedicated rules, but the presence of solo in the BGG specifications and the worker placement structure suggest a complete experience even in solo play. To be verified after release.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · first reading: based on rulebook and official presentation, updated with first playsElements in play
What you bring to the table to save reality
Chronocritters
Robotic animals that travel through time. They are your workers, you place them to access eras and retrieve resources. Each has different abilities.
Time Portals
They open new locations and resources, but are unstable. They degrade each turn. If you don't maintain them, they collapse and you lose access.
Lost Technologies
Artifacts to recover from different eras. They are needed to convince the AI that you can repair reality and to activate special powers.
Artificial Intelligence
The final judge. You must persuade it of your abilities. The game is won by demonstrating control of the Chronocritters and perfect timing of actions.
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Classic worker placement with a twist: at the end of the round, everything you've built begins to crumble.
In turn, you place your robotic animals on available locations: open portals, technologies to retrieve, special actions. First come, first served.
Each Chronocritter performs the action of its location: retrieves resources, builds new portals, unlocks lost technologies, repairs degraded portals.
The availability of actions and resources changes. Some portals degrade, others become accessible. The board mutates, strategies must adapt.
Artificial intelligence evaluates progress. You accumulate persuasion points based on retrieved technologies and maintained portals. Whoever convinces the AI wins.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
First portal
You open your first temporal portal and send the Chronocritters to explore. Everything is new, resources are abundant, plans seem solid. No one yet knows what will happen when time begins to flow.
The flow begins
End of the first round: portals begin to degrade. What you needed is now less accessible. You start to understand that you must build with decay in mind, not just growth.
Impossible choices
Mid-game. You have three open portals, two are collapsing, one is essential but you don't have enough Chronocritters to maintain them all. Choose. Fail. Rebuild.
The perfect plan (or almost)
Finally, you've found your rhythm: maintenance, expansion, technology retrieval. For two turns everything runs smoothly. Then an opponent opens a portal you need and your plan falls apart. Again.
Last temporal window
Final turns. You must convince the AI. You have the technologies, but the right portal is almost collapsed. You send the last available Chronocritter. It works, or you cut yourself off. End of game.
🐸What to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
What to know beforehand
Three things you must accept
Continuous maintenance
Portals decay. Always. You can't just expand, you have to maintain what you've already built. If this seems like a chore instead of a challenge, the game is not for you.
Steep learning curve
First game: you learn the basic rules. Second game: you understand the temporal flow. Third game: you start really playing. Delicious Games doesn't make gateway games, it makes deep strategy.
Disposable planning
You build plans knowing they will be dismantled by temporal decay or opponents' choices. If you like total control, this game will frustrate you. If you like tactical adaptation, you'll love every turn.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win
The game ends when the AI decides who has shown enough ability to repair reality.
Victory
- Accumulate more persuasion points than opponents (retrieved technologies, maintained portals, completed objectives)
- Convince the AI that you have control of the Chronocritters and the temporal flow
- Reach the required point threshold before other players
Defeat
- All your portals collapse and you are cut off from resources
- Opponents overtake you in the race for lost technologies
- You fail to convince the AI of your ability to save reality
It's a game that promises to break the molds of classic worker placement. If it works, it will be memorable. If it doesn't, it will still be interesting.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Chronocritters
What mechanics does Chronocritters use?
The game uses worker placement with Chronocritter placement on available locations, a modular board that changes with open temporal portals, time management (actions and resources change every turn), recursive maintenance (portals degrade and must be repaired or rebuilt), and variable character powers. The structure is competitive with individual objectives.
Does it really work well solo?
The game officially supports 1-4 players. We have not yet played the final edition to confirm the quality of the solo experience, but the presence of solo play in the official specifications and the objective-based structure suggest it has been designed with care. We will update as soon as we have concrete feedback.
Is it suitable for those unfamiliar with worker placement?
No. Chronocritters adds a layer of complexity (temporal degradation) to an already solid mechanic. If you've never played a worker placement game, start with something more accessible (Agricola, Lords of Waterdeep, Viticulture). This is for those who know the genre and are looking for a new challenge.
How long does a game actually last?
The official duration is 80-150 minutes. Expect the first game to be over 2 hours. From the second game onwards, with players who know the flow, you can stay within 90-120 minutes with 3-4 players. Probably less in solo mode.
Is it available in Italian?
The edition sold on FroGames is in English. The game contains text on cards and components, so knowledge of the language is necessary. There are currently no announcements of official Italian localizations.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Chronocritters is a strategic worker placement board game for 1-4 players, lasting 80-150 minutes, recommended age 12+. Designed by Tristan Geeraert and published by Delicious Games, the game is set in the year 2562, where players use robotic animals (Chronocritters) to travel through time, build unstable temporal portals, and retrieve lost technologies. The main mechanic revolves around managing temporal flow: actions and resources constantly change, and portals degrade, requiring constant maintenance. The game offers official solo support, a modular board, and variable powers. Available on FroGames.it.
Chronocritters
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
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