- BGG rank
- BGG #1,438
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Automania
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,327
- BGG rating
- 8.2
Timespan
2026
Rules assistance for Timespan
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.8/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Timespan
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Timespan is a board game released in 2026 for 1–5 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Kristian Amundsen Østby and Kenneth Minde and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Tech Trees / Tech Tracks, and Worker Placement.
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About the game
Timespan is a streamlined, friendly and highly varied civilization game from the designers of Automania and Bad Company. Combine one of six asymmetric civilizations with one of six unique technology boards, and customize your civilization further by recruiting among 175 historic persons, buildings, technologies and wonders. Large parts of the game are played simultaneously, allowing you to lead your civilization from the stone age to the space age in about 90 minutes. There is no warfare: Timespan focuses on the peaceful sides of civilization building, the exploration and on building an economic engine. >>> The game is played over 5 rounds. Each round consists of an exploration phase and an action phase. In the exploration phase players take turns (in order of their positions on the harmony track) to draft cards and discovery tiles from the current age. Then, players move their camels, possibly visiting the other players' wonders for various effects and rewards. Then follows the action phase, which is played simultaneously by all players: Each player has a civilization board with a timeline, where they can play up to 4 cards. As new cards are played, older cards are pushed out of the timeline, and goes into the player's heritage. Players use their workers to activate cards in their timeline, as well as action boxes on their civilization boards and their own wonders. All activations provide various rewards such as resources or advancements on the culture track (to gain wonders and new workers), on the science track (to unlock technologies on the player's technology board), or on the ship track, the flight track or even the space track (giving access to various rare luxury resources). Luxuries can be used to upgrade your cards' effects, and when luxuries are moved into your heritage, they continue to provide permanent passive income. At the end of the second and fourth round, a new age begins, and new cards and discovery tiles are introduced to the players. —description from the designer
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Capstone Games
- Ludofun
- Alion – by Dr Ø
Questions and answers
Timespan 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 Timespan is 90 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 Timespan for ages 12 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.
Timespan has a complexity rating of 2.8 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.
Timespan belongs to these categories: Civilization. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Tech Trees / Tech Tracks, and Worker Placement. 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 Timespan are: Kristian Amundsen Østby and Kenneth Minde. 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 Timespan 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.