Kronologic: Babylon 2500 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
  • Example Scenario: The Secret Code, Investigation no. 1 (difficulty level 1)
• Investigating
  • Example 1: Character + TIME
  • Example 2: Character + PLACE
• Generic Rules
• Anatomy of the Components
  • The Note Sheets
  • The Character Cards
  • The TIME Tiles
  • The PLACE Tiles
• Example of Notation
• Solo Game
  • The Secret Code
  • Offline Pairs (Binômes hors-ligne)
  • The Order of Time (l'ordre du temps)
• End of the Game

Components

• 4 screens
• 1 map of Babylon
• 6 PLACE (LIEU) tiles
• 6 TIME (TEMPS) tiles
• 1 pad of note sheets and 4 pencils
• 3 Scenario envelopes, each containing: 1 booklet of 5 Investigations, with a description of the mystery to solve, its specific rules, the victory conditions, the solutions, and 30 CHARACTER cards (6 per Investigation).

The places on the map are: Amphitheatre, Garden, Incubator, Palace, Market and Station.

Setup

1. Take a screen, a note sheet and a pencil.
2. Place the map in the centre of the table: it helps you find your bearings in space.
3. Place the PLACE and TIME tiles so that they are all accessible to everyone.
4. Choose a Scenario, then an Investigation among the 5, taking into account the difficulty level shown by magnifying-glass icons. For your first game, we recommend Investigation no. 1 of the Scenario The Secret Code, at the lowest difficulty level.
5. Place the CHARACTER cards of the chosen Investigation in the centre of the table (without turning them over: the table of values must not be visible).
6. Read carefully: the Scenario description; the specific rules of the chosen Investigation; the question(s) you must answer to solve the Investigation.
7. Determine who among you starts (the first person able to give the exact time). Then investigate in turn, clockwise.

Example Scenario: The Secret Code, Investigation no. 1 (difficulty level 1)

In the forgotten depths of Babylon, a door locked by an ancient mechanism awaits deciphering. To open it, an exact combination of four symbols is required. The Babylonians never found the code, but their testimonies are precious...

Decipher the secret 4-symbol code by observing the movements of the Babylonians. A symbol is part of the combination if, at the same Time, it is seen by exactly 4 Babylonians (whether they are gathered in the same Place or spread across several). No symbol appears more than once in the code.

Question: What is the secret code?

(Behind the door is revealed a circular room bathed in golden light, where a sphere of inscribed writing floats... You know the answer to the code at last. Do we have more questions? Characters in this Investigation: the Botanist, the Stylist, the Architect, the Cyborg, the Regent, the Legend.)

Investigating

On your turn, you investigate a specific Character. You can learn one of the following two pieces of information:

• the number of Characters (in total) in the Place where that Character is at a certain Time (from 1 to 6), as well as one of the Symbols that this Character sees at the place where he or she is.
• the number of times this Character has been in a specific Place, over all 6 Times of the plot (from 1 to 6).

Select the Character card you are interested in, then turn it over (without looking at it) and place it directly either under the TIME tile of your choice, or under the PLACE tile of your choice.

Note the rounded edge of the tile (on the right) to know in which direction to place the card underneath. The shapes of the tile and of the card must match, and the Character's letter must appear in the hole of the tile, at the top left. You can then read the 2 pieces of information that are displayed:

• In green with the shared-information icon: this is the SHARED INFORMATION, which you must announce out loud.
• In white with the private-information icon: this is the PRIVATE INFORMATION, it is for you only!

Note: the cut-out shapes of the tiles and of the queried cards must match.

Example 1: Character + TIME

You want to find out "how many Characters in total are in the Place where the Cyborg is at Time 3, and which Symbol the Cyborg sees in the Place where he is?" Take the Cyborg Character card and turn it over under the TIME 3 tile.

The SHARED information (on a green background), which you announce out loud, shows "x3": there are 3 Characters in total in the Place where the Cyborg is at Time 3 (the Cyborg is one of the 3 Characters).

The PRIVATE information (on a white background), which you keep to yourself, shows a Symbol: the Cyborg is therefore in a Place featuring that Symbol (either the Market or the Garden).

Summary: everyone knows there are 3 Characters in total in the Place where the Cyborg is, but only you know that this Place is either the Market or the Garden.

Example 2: Character + PLACE

You want to find out "how many times the Stylist was in the Station over all 6 Times?" Take the Stylist Character card and turn it over under the Station PLACE tile.

The SHARED information (on a green background), which you announce out loud, shows "x2": the Stylist was therefore in the Station 2 times over all 6 Times.

The PRIVATE information (on a white background), which you keep to yourself, shows "6": one of the 2 times the Stylist was in the Station is at Time 6.

Summary: everyone knows the Stylist was in the Station 2 times, but only you know that one of these 2 times was at Time 6.

Take notes, give the others time to make their own deductions, and tell the next investigator on your left that it is their turn to investigate.

Generic Rules

Unless otherwise stated in the Investigations booklet:

• Characters always move from one Place to an adjacent one between each Time (they never stay two consecutive Times in the same Place).
• This movement is made only one Place at a time, and these Places must be connected to each other by a passage (see Map).

Note: the game board lets you visualise the different Places and their Symbols more easily.

A Place is adjacent to another when it is linked by a path. Each Place is also associated with one or more Symbols.

Anatomy of the Components

Each Place is represented by a pictogram.

The Note Sheets

The note sheets show the map of Babylon for each of the 6 Times. The upper part of the sheet lets you note the number of times a Character has been in a Place. The lower part lets you take notes if you need. The remaining part lets you note the number of Characters present in the same Place (including the Character itself).

Tip: if you know where and when a Character is, write his or her initial in the Place and Time in question.

The Character Cards

Each card is composed of the title of the Scenario and the number of the Investigation (on the back of the cards), the Character's name, his or her initial, and the information for investigating.

• x0, x1, x2, x3... = Number of Characters present in the same Place at the consulted Time (including the Character itself), or number of times a Character has been in this Place, all Times combined.
• Time icon = Time at which a Character was present in the consulted Place.
• Symbols = Symbol that the Character sees in the Place where he or she is at the consulted Time.
• "Replay" icon = this symbol indicates that you must play again immediately, once everyone has taken their notes. It appears when the answer to a question gives as much information to everyone.

The TIME Tiles

On the front of the tile is the number of the Time in question. When you use a TIME tile, this face must be visible.

The PLACE Tiles

On the front of the tile is the Place you are investigating. When you use a PLACE tile, this face must be visible.

Example of Notation

Here is an example of possible notation to help you note the information. But every detective has their own way of doing it!

• I record the starting information on my sheet.
• I know that the Stylist (S) was never in the Incubator.
• Deduction: I know that the Regent (R) was in the Garden at Time 4. Knowing that he sees a given Symbol at Time 5, he must be in the Palace (because the Incubator is not connected to the Garden).
• I know there is another Character with the Regent (R) at Time 5, and that they are in a Place with the Symbol. So it is either the Incubator or the Palace.

Solo Game

In the solo version of Kronologic, you try to solve the Investigation as quickly as possible. Each time you ask a question, you get both the PRIVATE and the SHARED information. A question is the combination of a CHARACTER card with a TIME tile or a PLACE tile.

Note the number of questions you ask. At the end of the game, this number determines your level of investigation. Refer to the tables below to rate yourself.

Warning: in this solo mode, if you obtain a "replay" symbol during your investigation, you must count this question. It is not "free".

The Secret Code

	Investigation 1	Investigation 2	Investigation 3	Investigation 4	Investigation 5
Gold Magnifying Glass	1-9	1-13	1-14	1-21	1-22
Silver Magnifying Glass	10-14	14-21	15-22	22-34	23-35
Bronze Magnifying Glass	15+	22+	23+	35+	36+

Offline Pairs (Binômes hors-ligne)

	Investigation 1	Investigation 2	Investigation 3	Investigation 4	Investigation 5
Gold Magnifying Glass	1-7	1-11	1-12	1-19	1-20
Silver Magnifying Glass	8-11	12-18	13-19	20-30	21-32
Bronze Magnifying Glass	12+	19+	20+	31+	33+

The Order of Time (l'ordre du temps)

	Investigation 1	Investigation 2	Investigation 3	Investigation 4	Investigation 5
Gold Magnifying Glass	1-14	1-15	1-16	1-18	1-21
Silver Magnifying Glass	15-22	16-24	17-26	19-29	22-34
Bronze Magnifying Glass	23+	25+	27+	30+	35+

Example: You play Investigation 2 of the Scenario The Secret Code. You found the solution after asking 16 questions. You are in the "14-21" bracket, so you earn the Silver Magnifying Glass for this Investigation!

End of the Game

At any time during the game, when you think you can answer all the questions of the Investigation, announce it and stop investigating. Secretly write your answers on your note sheet and consult the solution in the Scenario booklet.

If your deduction is correct, you win the game! Otherwise you lose and are eliminated (do not reveal the correct answers publicly).

Several investigators can check their theory at the same time and win the game together. If everyone was wrong, the game is lost. Then start a new Investigation!

Additional Investigations for the games of the Kronologic range can be downloaded at www.origames.fr and www.supermeeple.com.