Against Time and Death

Two organisations fight to shape the multiverse in their own image. Their operatives weave their way through all of time and space, making changes throughout the vast swell of history, trying to tip the balance of probabilities in favour of their masters. If either side is victorious, a phase change will roar through the multiverse, perfecting all of reality for one side, making it inimical to the other. It is a total war across all of time and space.

You are an operative wholly devoted to one or other of these two organisations. More than that, you are the best, a true virtuoso at manipulating the weave of the multiverse. Your power is immense; you wield it with delicate precision or catastrophic force based on the needs of the mission, and your own inclination.

You are about to meet your match. 

Against Time and Death is a two-player game of war, self-discovery, and connection across all of time and space. Designed to be played asynchronously, players take turns setting scenes across the breadth of the multiverse, taking dramatic (or subtle) action, and writing letters to each other as they explore their growing, forbidden relationship. Will one side defeat the other, or will you choose a more dangerous path together?

Against Time and Death is a love letter to This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, hidden in the swirling steam of a perfect cup of tea brewed beneath the light of a dying star.

DETAILS	THEMES
2 players   Asynchronous play   Letter writing	Multiversal time war   Epic scale   Personal relationships

Against Time and Death is currently in public beta. It is fully playable and playtested, so you can launch your Time War straight away! 

Nevertheless, the rules are still in development and subject to change... and that’s where you can help! If you play Against Time and Death, I would love to hear about it. There are some playtest questions in the rulebook, but any feedback is helpful. You can reach me:

• In the comments section right here on itch.io.
• On the ickbat games discord.
• On Twitter or Bluesky.
• Via email. Please include “Against Time and Death” in the subject line!

If you keep a record of your game, please share it with me—it’s incredibly useful!

The Time War consists of just eight exchanges. In each exchange, one player—the Orbit—briefly describes a scene anywhere in the entire sweep of the multiverse. It could be in the deep past, the far-flung future, a strange and alien version of the present, or anything you can imagine.

The second player—the Axis—then takes action, describing what they have come to this strand of the multiverse to achieve. Their actions might be delicate and patient or apocalyptic and dramatic; either way, they will drive some change in the state of the Time War.

But the Orbit is also in this corner of the multiverse, sent by their organisation to thwart the Axis. Having witnessed whatever action the Axis takes, the Orbit now responds, typically in the form of a letter. Will they outwit the Axis operative, or will the Axis succeed despite their best efforts? What will we learn about these two operatives as they exchange illicit letters against the backdrop of this cataclysmic war for all of time and space?

“Love is what we have, against time and death, against all the powers ranged to crush us down. You gave me so much: a history, a future, a calm that lets me write these words though I’m breaking. I hope I’ve given you something in return.” 

- This is How You Lose the Time War, p. 165

Throughout the game, the operatives will balance the progress of the war against their own wants and desires, the damage their actions inflict on the fabric of the multiverse, and the scrutiny of their superiors. Will they remain loyal foot soldiers until the end, or will they be lured by the seductive power of their rival to pursue a different, more dangerous path?

Will they find the courage to speak their hearts before the end?

Want to hear the game in action? Check out Against Time and Death on the Black Armada Tales podcast, where Becky Annison and I take you through an early playtest of the game. 

We both had a fabulous time playing this game, and then reliving it through the podcast. It's an excellent example of the types of stories you can tell with these rules: the development of an intimate relationship against the epic sweep of the Time War. Becky offers up a masterclass in the power of recontextualisation—check it out!

When you purchase Against Time and Death, you will get:

• The beta rulebook. The current version of the rules, ready to play.
• A playingcards.io template. A virtual tabletop for managing the game. Simply download the .pcio file, go to playingcards.io/import, load the file, and you're ready to fight the Time War!
• Time War Template. A helpful Google Doc playsheet which you can share to record the details of your Time War, including guidance extracted from the rulebook.
• Automatic access to the completed PDF of the final game when it ready, at no additional cost!