I went on a small spending bender today, picking up Chrononauts in the midst of my madness. After tonight's 3 (!) back-to-back-to-back games, I can say it was money well spent.

Game: Chrononauts
Players: 2 (Jaime and I)
Setup - Standard 'Full Chrononaut' version of the game

We decided to go for the full experience on the first play through, and I think it was a good decision. While there is a bit of Monkeying to be had, it's not overly difficult to absorb all of the rules in the first sitting.

On our first go, we got a full double-barrelled blast of the system's chaotic nature; I loved it! In that game, we plowed through almost the entire deck, switched hands twice, and I made sure that Jaime's "Parents never met", ensuring that she had to switch objectives mid-game. Even with that set back, she managed to plow through to victory in our first sitting by arranging the timeline as needed for her character. (This means her character managed to escape into the future.) Interestingly, despite plowing through most of the deck, most of our activity was focused after the Cuban Missle Crisis.

Our second game saw a much faster resolution, as I was able to score the 3 artifacts that I needed early on.

The third and final game saw a longer fight that litteraly spanned the entire timeline, ending in a nail-biter which saw me eeking out a narrow win when Jaime completed two of my last three time shifts for me! This ended rather hillariously once we realized that she was actually breaking something she should have been fixing, lol.

The wide varitey of the initial 3 games, coupled with the game's fun factor and hidden objectives, definitely means I will be coming back for more. I highly reccomend the title for casual/fun gaming groups looking for something strategic with a grain of salt thrown in. People who dislike random need not apply.

As a word of caution to new players: Be sure to double-check your character's requirements for victory prior to announcing it. If you're wrong, your opponent will know exactly what you're angling for from then on.

Over the years I have experienced the same thing; the multiple victory conditions give Chrononauts some good replayability. It's the one element of Chrononauts that elevates it from 'good' to 'great' in my book. That and the theme...

Just curious... which version of Chrononauts do you have, the newer (third) printing with gadgets, German Cake, and Tirade, or the older (second) printing without those cards?

Thanks for the feedback Ryan.

We're using the 3rd (latest?) printing of the game with the Cake, gadgets, etc. The Cake, incidentally, is one of the funnier cards in the whole affair.