
- BGG rating
- 9.3
Once Upon a Line: La Transe des Poissons d'Argent
- 1–4 players
- 120–240 min
- 2025

2024
Rules assistance for Once Upon a Line
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Once Upon a Line is a board game released in 2024 for 1–5 players, 120–180 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by William Aubert and Dan Thouvenot and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Deduction, and Role Playing.
Since the dawn of time, YOU, the Zephyrhymes, take control of talented beings in order to stop Tragedies that threaten the balance of the universe. The Butterfly’s Breath On Earth, in a not too distant future, a pandemic has decimated most of the human population, leaving room for insects to become gigantic. The survivors exploit the insects’ prodigious abilities to construct a new world. But all that may soon crumble. Once Upon a Line is a narrative game played out in chapters. Embody heroes and use their actions to play on a board of scratch off ink. Uncover hidden words and take their corresponding cards. This will reveal the next part of the story as well as new words to find in order to accomplish your mission. Fully immerse yourself in a personalized adventure. Elude traps (riddles, anagrams, palindromes, etc.). Complete your Quest before scratching off the last square on the Line of Tragedy. —description from the designer
Once Upon a Line supports 1–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Once Upon a Line is 120–180 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Once Upon a Line for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Once Upon a Line has a complexity rating of 2.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Once Upon a Line belongs to these categories: Card Game, Deduction, and Murder / Mystery. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Deduction, and Role Playing. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Once Upon a Line are: William Aubert and Dan Thouvenot. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Once Upon a Line as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.