Last modified March 25, 2026 by Jarjar

Overview
Anachrony is a fairly complex board game set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players take on the roles of leaders from different ideologies who are trying to save humanity from a devastating catastrophe: a meteorite impact. The game's central and highly innovative concept (even today) is time travel: players can borrow resources from their future selves, creating time paradoxes that they must resolve later or face penalties.

The game combines resource management, worker placement, and building construction, all within a system where time management and careful planning are essential. Players must also equip their workers with exoskeletons to explore the devastated lands outside their capital.

Present on the market for almost nine years and the recipient of numerous awards, it is now firmly established among the classics. A wealth of articles have already been devoted to it.

My first impressions
I'll start by telling you that Anachrony is without a doubt one of the best worker placement games in my collection! Its theme is remarkably immersive, both original and captivating, offering a very enjoyable gaming experience, despite its considerable complexity.

I love the central idea of ​​time travel, which allows you to borrow resources from your "future self" to accelerate your development—loans that you'll have to repay sooner or later by traveling back in time if you want to avoid penalties. This mechanism creates a unique tension between immediate effectiveness and long-term consequences, making every decision important.

I also love its pacing, its gradual build-up, and the world it immerses us in. The wide variety of available buildings enriches the gameplay options as the game progresses.

Add to that tight worker placement and asymmetrical factions, and you have a deep game where planning and adaptation are constantly tested. The numerous deadlock situations and races to achieve objectives generate excellent player interaction.

In addition to its rich mechanics, the game impresses with its high replayability and impressive components, which enhance immersion in its futuristic world. Despite a certain complexity and a fairly long setup time (especially with the expansion), it offers a complete and original experience that still stands out today.

The Art & Story of Anachrony

I highly recommend you take a look at the book Art & Story of AnachronyIncluded in Leaders boxes as a printed booklet, it is available for download as a PDF. hereThe book presents itself as a true guide to the game's history, designed to immerse the reader in the world of Anachrony. It highlights the origins of the four Paths, their leaders, and their exoskeletons, while offering a superb selection of the game's most beautiful illustrations and visuals.

How to win this game? (Please do not share 🙂)

Here are some tips shared by the author, published during an AMA (Ask me anything) on ​​Reddit:
-> Get water income early.
-> Travel through time with exactly one tile each turn and plan to pay off all but one tile.
-> There's nothing wrong with lowering morale a little early in the game.
-> Don't underestimate the research action.

Other advice we received from the community:
-> Teleport an Exoskeleton and an Administrator on the first turn, use them to obtain either a Genie and an Energy Core, repeat once per turn.
-> Maintain the first player position for as long as possible.
-> Force the workers to work: be ruthless. Save your water for more profitable actions.
-> The most contested sector in the capital is generally construction. If in doubt, and if you have the opportunity, build first.
-> Geniuses and neutronium are rare. Remember that you need an administrator to recruit a genius; therefore, it's generally wise to do so in the first round.
-> Build your engine in your board! This means buildings that provide you with resources, looking for synergies between them, and remembering what you might be missing.
-> Activate as many exoskeletons as possible and recruit more workers. This is a cumulative effect.

Extension: Exosuit

An expansion containing only miniatures. Each faction has its own exoskeleton design, with truly high-end quality! The miniatures are 55mm tall and have a slot at the top to place the worker token in its cockpit – a really clever touch!

I find that they give Anachrony an incredible presence on the table, make it easier to read the game at a glance and make handling much more pleasant!

EXTENSION: FRACTURES OF TIME

The expansion enhances an already exceptional base game and pushes it to a new level of depth.
She adds :
-> A new track and its Exoskeletons, but even though there are 5 tracks now, it can only be played with 4 players
-> 4 new leaders, 5 new super projects
-> A new general plateau of the Valley
-> A new Fracture Generator player board
-> A new mechanic: Blinking, which allows Exoskeletons to move
-> The timeline is shortened, but a zero phase is added
-> A new type of worker: operators
-> Incidents, harmful side effects of overuse of the Fracture Generator
-> More tiles are available after the impact
-> New modules: Variable anomalies and starting resource drawing
-> And finally, not one single-player mode, but two!

I played my first game with the expansion for 3 players, and it lasted 20 to 30 minutes longer, I'd say (2 hours and 30 minutes total), despite reducing the number of rounds (the timeline was shortened by one tile). This is because you can perform many more actions each turn thanks to the blinking mechanic that allows you to move an Exoskeleton. As my friend Jeff mentioned, we'll probably play it a bit faster next time, because it took a while to get back into it and learn the new mechanics, icons, and subtleties of the expansion. We were still pretty much glued to the rulebook.
The blinking mechanic is very interesting: it creates new opportunities by sometimes unlocking a coveted location, but is complicated by managing the Fracture Generator. The game begins with a fatigued operator and present fractures (blocking an Exoskeleton slot and the Fracture Generator). Operators are invaluable for manipulating the new mechanics introduced by this expansion. It's certainly an expansion that adds complexity without altering its core gameplay, opening it up a bit more and making it very enjoyable.

GAME FACTS
>> Turczi mentioned in an interview that Anachrony was inspired by post-apocalyptic themes and the philosophical question of whether humanity could avoid catastrophe if it knew it was coming.

>> Each of the four factions represents a different philosophical approach to the future of humanity. Path of Harmony believes in coexistence with nature, Path of Dominance in its control, Path of Progress in transcending physical limitations, and Path of Salvation in spiritual enlightenment.

"The biggest challenge was making time travel more than just a theme. We wanted it to be a real gameplay mechanic that would impact players' strategic decisions. Borrowing from your future self creates a sense of urgency and planning that few games offer."
— the author David T.

TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 4 (solo and 3 players)
Best player configuration: 3
Level: experienced player
My best score: 57
Rules

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I loved :
>> The unique time travel system that allows you to borrow resources from your future self.
>> The mechanism of worker placement with these different classes of workers.
>> Immersive illustrations and design in a post-apocalyptic world.
>> The sheer variety of possible strategies, especially with the Fractures of Time expansion, is mind-boggling!
 >> The theme is extremely well integrated!
>> A significant narrative arc with a turning point that changes the game

I liked less :
>> A long setup nonetheless.
>> High price, especially with extensions.
>> The iconography can be confusing until you get used to it.
>> It is difficult to see the winner before the final count.
>> The game doesn't forgive long breaks, it's best not to let it gather dust for too long!

RULES POINTS
>> Unavailable hexes (from the meteorite crash) only limit your ability to power up Exoskeletons during Phase 3. Any Exoskeletons obtained in later phases can be placed on unavailable hexes.
>> Paradox Rolls: You must determine the number of rolls for each player at the start of the phase. A player will stop throwing as soon as he receives an anomaly. (at the 3rd paradox token). At this point, he can remove a Vortex tile, but this removal does not affect future rolls by other players in this phase.

A truly great game, firmly established as a classic of the genre, which remains unique with its time travel mechanic. Between its striking illustrations, its skillfully interwoven mechanics, and its numerous paths to victory, Anachrony offers an immersive and remarkably successful gaming experience.

FUN FACTOR 🙂🙂🙂🙂