Review Summary: Where the bad guys win, unless the good guys stop them.

Blurb from the publisher: 'In Doctor Who Time Clash, the Doctor and the Daleks wage a desperate struggle for the fate of the universe itself!

You'll play cards representing plans, threats, tech, and quips to stacks that represent the time of the struggle, the Doctor's companion, and the enemy's influence. The two sides also compete to control the Doctor's location, which activates or deactivates crucial powers.

During the game's build-up segment, each side tries to establish an advantage. When the balance tips and the endgame comes, they press for victory. Either one of the Doctor's desperate gambits will succeed, or the Daleks' pressing threats will crush him!'

What you get: Your USD 29,99 or GBP 23,99 or equivalent will buy you the Doctor Who: Time Clash - Starter Set, a 20-minute Doctor Who-themed boardgame for two to four players who play in teams. In addition to the rulebook that can be found on the company's website free of charge, the game contains the following: 9 Arcs, one six-sided die, 3 Scoring counters, 3 Alternate Vortex discs, 24 Dalek cards, 24 Doctor cards, oneTARDIS Base, 3 Alternate Tardis pawns.

Gameplay: Time Clash is played in teams of players, one representing the Doctor and the other the Enemy. In a case of two players only, each player is considered his own team, while with three the lonely opponent of the other two will play twice as often. Players may freely discuss what they hold, secret communications however are not allowed. In short, if you are telling your co-player what cards you hold, your opponents must hear it as well.

The game takes place in three different areas called Arcs. The Time and Companion Arcs are chosen by the Doctor's team, while the Enemy Arc are chosen by the Enemy team. Seeing how there are nine Arcs in the game (three of each type), there are 27 different possible set-ups. Each Arc has at least one special ability, which may be of a permanent nature or may only be activated when the Doctor is present on that Arc. Each Arc also has a track with values from 0 to 1200, which can be counted either as positives or as negatives.

Each player begins the game with two cards from his team's deck. There are two types of cards, Numbered and Special. When played in an Arc, cards form a stack. The newer ones go to the top, yet the older ones remain visible. Numbered cards have a suit (Threat, Quip, Tech, Plan) and a value (positive for the Doctor, negative for the Enemy). Plans may be played on any Arc, Threats only on the Enemy Arc, Quips only on the Companion Arc, while Tech in either Time or the Companion Arc. Special cards carry instructions, usually two options about how they can be used. Some cards may be used as interruptions, countering the effects of others during the opposing team's play.

The game is divided in two main parts, the Build-Up and the Endgame. No side can win a game during the Build-Up; this can only be done during the Endgame. The Endgame is triggered by the Enemy team when the Enemy Arc has -1000 Threats on it. Alternatively, it may be triggered by the Doctor's team when a positive numbered card was played to any Arc, and that arc's total is 800 or more. This result however is modified depending on the Arcs that are used. In any event, changing the game's status due to the Doctor's team's effort is ultimately a result of tossing the Destiny disk like a coin, a 50%-50% chance. Should it come up as the Endgame, all Threat cards in play are discarded (hurrah for the good guys).

A turn consists of three things: draw a card; play a card (alternatively, discard it in order to move the Doctor); check for Endgame (during Build-Up) or Attempt a Gambit to win (Doctor only, during Endgame) or Check if Enemy wins (Enemy only, during Endgame).

The Doctor's team wins by attempting a gambit and succeeding in it. This involves picking an open card (one of the last cards that were played on a stack), and adding a card per player, as well as rolling the die (200, 300, 400, 500, 600, fail). If the result is 800 or more, the Doctor's team wins. Should a gambit fail, all the cards that contributed to it are discarded. This however still allows the Doctor's team to try again in another round, if the game hasn't ended until then. The Enemy team succeeds if during the third step of an Enemy Endgame turn the sum of all cards in all three stacks is less than zero. A single victory does not determine the winner. The winner is determined in a best-out-of-three or a best-out-of-five match, as decided in advance by the players.

The strong points: Time Clash is an easy game to learn and explain, mostly consisting of playing numbered cards which add up to a tally that should be monitored. Its lightness is exemplified by the number of cards each player holds. Holding two, getting a third one, and being obliged to play (or discard) one is telling. The idea behind it is to know when to cause the Endgame (or be prepared for it), and have the right cards to win it (or obstruct such a thing from happening).

The game is mostly, if not exclusively, a positioning dance before the final (one-sided) showdown. The abilities on the Arcs are not there for show; use them to the biggest effect possible in order to bring about the Endgame at a favourable time, and then promptly win it. The cards for the two opposing teams are very different, taking their wildly different goals into account. By default the Enemy will win, unless the Doctor's team prevents it. The distinction between Build-Up and Endgame is clever, allowing for the Enemy team to make a run for it, if the cards are right.

The game has quite the replayability. Changing only one Arc here and there might not make much of a difference, changing all three Arcs from one game to another however demonstrates how a tactic that worked before doesn't do so now. New players should not worry; Cubicle 7 suggests a starting set up for new players that gets balance issues right. From there on, even a casual player will be able to assess how different Arcs work together and how the game becomes easier for one side or the other. In fact, two experienced players can play against two total newbies, just by adjusting the arcs for the latter to have a starting advantage. That's good design.

I liked how three-player games are handled, as well as the fact that the whole thing works in practice. The experience is slightly different to the game's four-player golden standard, it is however still solid. Compared to the dice-churning Dalek Dice which is effectively a multiplayer solitaire, the game is definitely more involved and interactive.

The artwork will satisfy all Doctor Who fans, as will the production values. The imagery on the card occupies pretty much its whole surface. All stills and shots are taken from the twelfth Doctor, or so I understand.

Support for the game has already been announced, with two expansions (Against the Cybermen, Against the Master) soon to come. For fans of Doctor Who, this is good news. I am curious as to whether these will bring more of the same into the game or whether new rules will be introduced. Adding up the crunchiness would definitely be the way to go here.

On a note that only game publishers would notice, I really liked the stand for the TARDIS, and how it does not ruin the insert but holds it firmly. Would it be so hard to ask for such stands for every game with upright characters (or other things on a stand)? This is the future, honestly.

The inclusion of resealable bags in order to keep the game tidy is very much appreciated. I can't fathom why other publishers fail to do this nowadays. It's simply a must.

The weak points: Time Clash is in reality an abstract game, with only a passing connection to the world's most famous Doctor. That does not make it bad in itself, yet even after the first game (or even looking at the cards before the first game), it is clear that there is no narrative or any other theme behind it besides the numbers (or abilities) on the cards. The theme could have been about selling stocks, or growing onions. The two-player game reveals it even more profoundly for what it is, since social interaction is taken out and arithmetic features even more prominently.

The game is characteristically light-weight and short-term tactical (as opposed to strategic), without this being necessarily bad. It is a filler, not the main attraction of your gaming evening. Yet, for such a light game, there is quite some tally-keeping taking place, not all of which is recorded by the game's counters. A better way of keeping track of things should have been devised.

The Endgame with a roll of a random die is rather unsatisfying, and that includes the math that is involved. I am not saying that the die will determine the winner. I am saying however that to a very large extent the die will determine the winner, and especially since it includes a failed side. That's not a -X or 0 side that makes the gambit harder to achieve, but an outright failed gambit side. Hmmm. I don't have any suggestions about how this could be modified; it would probably require a thorough redoing of the game's engine. Seeing how the Doctor at times escaped by sheer luck, maybe one can consider it thematic enough.

Conclusion: Falling squarely in the abstract and filler category, the Doctor Who Time Clash Starter Set is an easy game that may appeal to Doctor Who fans and to the gamers looking for a fast, non-complicated experience. If you wanted to find something to spice up the time in-between episodes at your next Doctor Who binge marathon, here's the answer.

For more info on the Time Clash Starter Set, Doctor Who and Cubicle 7 visit its website at http://cubicle7.co.uk.

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