Learn to play the game
Chicken Time Warp is made for 3-6 players and games last less than 30 minutes. The game uses some familiar card game mechanics as well as some new ones. The easiest way to learn is to watch the "overview" video on this page, and then scroll down to the walk-through.
Chicken Time Warp Walk-through
- Setting Up -
1. Separate your deck into 3 piles based on the color on the back of the card.
2. Give each player an orange Character card. This card sits face up in front of the player.
3. Place the blue Timeline cards face down in the center of the table counting down from 10 to 1 followed by the Escape Window card.
4. Remove the 8 You Dead cards and 5 Time Slips Away cards from the green Game Play deck.
5. Shuffle the remaining Game Play cards and deal 4 cards to each player.
6. Put the You Dead and Time Slips Away cards back into the Game Play deck, shuffle thoroughly and place this deck on the table as the draw pile.
7. Your table should now look something like this (this example assumes 4 people are playing).
8. Now you're ready to play! Pick a player to go first and follow the instructions below.
- Playing the Game -
The object of Chicken Time Warp is to acquire the Escape Pod card and play it when the Escape Window Timeline card is face up (meaning the Escape Window is open).
On your turn, do these 3 things: Flip, Play (optional), Draw
First, Flip: Flip the next Timeline card in the line to face up.
Second, Play: Choose whether or not you want to play ONE Game Play card from your hand, and if you do, follow the instructions on the card.
(Create a discard pile next to the draw pile for played cards)
Third, Draw: Draw a Game Play card from the deck and add it to your hand. This ends your turn.
If you draw a You Dead card or a Time Slips Away card you must play them immediately.
Drawing a You Dead card means you are dead ... UNLESS you have a Clux Capacitor card in your hand. If you do, you can play this card immediately to reverse time and escape death. (more on how this happens in a minute)
If you do not have a Clux Capacitor card in your hand (or you choose not to play it) you are dead and must set your character card face up above the current timeline card signifying that you died on that minute.
Dead players are out of the game for the time being but keep their cards in their hand. HOWEVER, (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT) if a player who dies has the Escape Pod card in their hand, the card moves to the living player next to them opposite of playing order.
The You Dead card is then added to the top of the discard pile.
If a player draws a Time Slips Away card, the highest Timeline card is removed from the game and can no longer be traveled to.
The Time Slips Away card is then added to the discard pile.
Any dead player whose card is placed above a Timeline card that is being removed is erased from time … AND the game!
When a Clux Capacitor card is played, any dead players whose cards were sitting above a timeline card that is turned back to face down are brought back to life. They can continue to play in turn using the hand of cards they had when they died.
If you run out of cards in the Game Play draw pile, shuffle the discard pile and turn it face down to become the new draw pile.
- Winning the Game-
When the Escape Window card is turned face up, the player with the Escape Pod in their hand can play it on their turn to WIN THE GAME. If the Escape Window card gets turned back to face down before their turn comes around, they must wait until it is face up on their turn (doing everything they can to keep the Pod in their possession) in order to play the card and win.
