Back in Time (Tragedy Looper)

The only thing better than getting killed by a mad cultist embroiled in a suicide pact is going back in time and doing it again! And again!

And again!

Tragedy Looper (2011)

Designed by BakaFire

Art by Bascu, Rei Konno

Published by Z-Man Games

I was hoping to frame this entire review around Back to the Future, a movie I prefer endlessly to the more plumb comparison for this game, Groundhog Day, but, to be fair, Groundhog Day is infinitely more apropos.

Tragedy Looper is an asymmetrical game about trying to stop a tragedy from happening. Sounds simple enough, no? The Groundhog Day bit comes from the fact that Tragedy Looper is a hidden information game, and the only way for the tragedy-averse player(s) to win the game is to have the tragedy happen (at least a few times), so as to learn exactly what’s going on. Each time the secret tragedy happens, the game resets as time is wound back to the beginning once more and the scenario restarts.

See? Groundhog Day.

Lowdown (How to Play–in a Very Small Nutshell)

I hope that no one reading this blog ever uses these Lowdowns as a means to learn the rules. I intentionally skip details (sometimes smaller rules, sometimes not) because the Lowdown is supposed to be an in-a-nutshell overview. I don’t want to get too detailed, because that could easily take up the whole review. That being said, I’m going to make this Lowdown even more macro than normal. If I make a dumb mistake or gloss over something that seems particularly important, I probably did so for the sake of brevity–at least that’s my excuse for now…

Tragedy Looper comes in a small box and has a surprisingly low number of components, but it’s a big game. Your first play of this is going to be tough, and its asymmetric nature will make it even harder to play, because if you want the experience to be even halfway satisfying, it’s not possible to play open-handed. All right, that’s enough of a prelude.

There are two sides to a game of Tragedy Looper: one Mastermind and one to three Protagonists. The Mastermind player will be doing the bulk of the work in running the game (not dissimilar to the Overlord in Descent (2012) or the Keeper in Mansions of Madness (2011)). Prior to starting the game, the Mastermind will get two cards outlining a main plot and subplot of the script, essentially the core of how the game works. These are only known to the Mastermind. A plot and subplot will dictate which character roles are present in the game–a cultist, conspiracy theorist, key person, serial killer, etc. Additionally, script cards will tell you about specific incidents, like a suicide or murder, that will happen on specific days of the script.

On a player’s turn, cards will be played by the Mastermind and Protagonists to alter the board. Character cards can be moved, movements can be canceled, intrigue or paranoia can be seeded across the board, as well as removed. The point of the game for the Mastermind is to end a loop by meeting specific conditions outlined by the plot of the script. For the Protagonists, on the other hand, the point is to learn what exactly is causing the loop (or round of the game) to end and prevent it.

I’ll give you an example. Let’s say that you are playing a scenario in which the loop will end when the key person (a roll that is hidden and known only to the Mastermind) is murdered. Simple enough. The Mastermind is given the ability to orchestrate this by a number of means. For example, if there is a serial killer character, the Mastermind can simply get the key person alone in a location with the serial killer. If a day in the game ends with this condition met, the Mastermind simply tells the Protagonists that the loop has ended because the tragedy has occurred. No other details are given. The game is reset at day one, and play resumes.

The real game here is that which plots are being used is completely hidden from the Protagonists, so often they will not even be aware if a game contains a key person role or not–as not all plots contain the same roles. Further, if a loop is ended and the cause if obvious, then it will be very easy for the Protagonists to prevent it the next time through. The meat of the game comes from the Mastermind muddying the water enough so as to create multiple possible end game conditions. Did the loop end because the teacher was murdered? Maybe they are the key person? Or did the loop end because of the amount of intrigue in the school? Or did the loop end because the butterfly effect occurred?

Each game lasts for a set number of loops, a number that is public knowledge to all players. As the game continues and the Protagonists begin to piece the puzzle together, tension will ratchet up as each player struggles to outsmart the other.

The Mastermind will win if they are able to make it through all loops without being foiled and the Protagonists fail at the “final guess.” The Protagonists will win if they either foil the Mastermind on any loop or succeed at the “final guess.” The game gives the Protagonists one last chance to win after the final loop has finished: guess all players’ roles (meaning that the Protagonists have effectively figured out what plot and subplot are in the script, and have been able to essentially map out which roles each of the players have been assigned by the script).

Tea for Two (Scaling for Two Players)

The only real scaling present in Tragedy Looper is the same scaling present in a game like Fury of Dracula (2015) or the aforementioned Descent (2012): one player will have to play multiple characters. In this case, multiple protagonists. In general, this is far from optimal, but I don’t think it’s as bad in Tragedy Looper as in some other games. Unlike a game like Mansions of Madness (2011) or Fury of Dracula (2015), there’s not nearly as much bookkeeping. You’ve got no items, health, or abilities to keep track of, because each Protagonist doesn’t really control one character, but has the ability to influence any.

At the same time, some of the tension is removed with only two players. First of all, the Mastermind will miss out on any table talk, with one player essentially doing all of that “table talk” in their own head–I think in this case it’s just called thinking. Second of all, there is a mechanic in this game that essentially screws the Protagonists: if they each play the same card, it cancels and the action is wasted. With only one player handling all three Protagonists, this will never happen.

If you’re okay with these little issues, Player Two and I think the game plays very well with two.

The Power of Love (The Good Stuff)

I have to be honest and tell you that our second game of Tragedy Looper was one of the best and most satisfying single gaming experiences I may have ever had. If you don’t know anything about Tragedy Looper, I imagine the Lowdown was sort of baffling. This is a very hard game to teach. But the experience is fascinating once you get the basic idea down.

Like Detective (2018), the actual mechanics of the game are remarkably simple. If Detective (2018) is a time-management game complicated by narrative induction, then Tragedy Looper is a basic hand-management/grid movement game complicated by hidden information, deduction, and bluffing. All of the complications come from the actual deduction inherent in Protagonists watching the Mastermind and slowly eliminating options as the noose tightens around their own necks. For the Mastermind, on the other hand, this is a basic hand management/grid movement game complicated by bluffing, misdirection, and clever timing. Each player has very different responsibilities, and must play the game very differently.

Like I said, Tragedy Looper is unlike anything I’ve ever played. This doesn’t feel like deduction, it is real deduction. Detective (2018) is great, but when I play it, I can’t get over the feeling that it’s not really deduction, instead it’s time management as you wander around in the dark, managing resources as you try to build a case from a smattering of details. 

I like heavy games, and Tragedy Looper scratches an itch that I didn’t even know I had. When Player Two and I play, I am always the Mastermind, not only because Kathleen’s not 100% comfortable running everything (of which there is a bunch), but because she’s the real deduction hound. I enjoy the feeling of pulling the strings as you move characters across the board, slowly lining up events like dominos so they will fall at just the right time, triggering the end of the loop without giving away too many clues. The design of Tragedy Looper manages to be as clever and dense as it is beautifully elegant in its simplicity, and that fact really can’t be overstated.

I Want a New Drug (The Bad Stuff)

But the bad stuff. First of all, I’m not a big fan of the art. I’ve watched my fair share of anime, but I don’t feel the artwork adds anything to this game at all. Additionally, the components are kinda cheap. I sleeved the cards to not only prevent chipping (they’re all black), but also because the card stock is bad. The only cards I think I’ve used that are worse are in Doctor Who: Time of the Daleks (2017), which in this house has legendarily awful cards.

But that’s fine, whatever. If you’re interested in this game, it’s a huge, rewarding experience, but you really need to know what you are getting yourself into. Each player will have a player reference. Okay, big deal, 75% of games come with player aids these days. They’re handy! Yes, but these are spreadsheets. I’ve included a portion of one in the montage image above. It’s a literal spreadsheet telling each player which roles are present in which script, how plots trigger, how loops end, what abilities individual roles may grant players, etc. It’s a lot. No, really. Like a lot. See, I used bold to emphasize it doubly.

Brass: Birmingham (2018) felt like a big, overwhelming experience the first time we played it. So did The Gallerist (2015), and Labyrinth: The War on Terror (2010), so what’s different? Well, 90% of the actual gameplay of Tragedy Looper, or at least the gameplay that really matters (like the deduction, the process of elimination, the analysis of possibility or potential) will happen in your head. You’ll have notes scribbled on your napkin or your hand, and you’ll be contemplating texting yourself notes to try not to get lost in your own brain. I can’t forget that the principle was at the shrine with two paranoia when the loop ended… It’s a lot.

Like nearly all of our games, we’ve only ever played this game together as a two player game. We often joke that teaching someone Race for the Galaxy (2007) is a nightmarish experience because of the madcap symbology. But after playing Tragedy Looper, I’d rather teach my grandmother Race for the Galaxy (2007) on a school bus filled with seven year-olds than teach anybody at all Tragedy Looper, even under optimal conditions.

The End (Final Thoughts)

I love Tragedy Looper, but perhaps the most illuminating reveal in regards to the game is that we played it about four times over a fairly compressed amount of time, but haven’t played it since. I’d love to play it again, but the idea of relearning portions of the rules (yes, I have forgotten more than a few things, and this is another reason the Lowdown may be a little brief) gives me cold sweats. Its learning curve is keeping me from playing it, and I’ve played it multiple times. It’s ranked 9/10 on my Board Game Geek, but it doesn’t rank in my top 40 games. Why such a disparity?

Ultimately, it’s an unfriendly and demanding game. Will the work required to play pay off in the end? And will it be rewarding enough for you? That’s the question you’ll need to answer yourself. I don’t honestly know myself. It’s still on my shelf, but I don’t want to play it, something I feel bad admitting. I don’t want to put in the work, and not because the game isn’t good enough, but because it’s a lot of work, and it’s very heady. This is a complicated review because it’s not as binary as most reviews are. I have to say “It’s great, but…” or “You should get it, but onlyif…” and that’s something that can’t be ignored.

There’s a hungry fan base who have made a plethora of home-brewed scripts beyond the 10 that come in the base box (or the smattering of expansions Z-Man released over the years since Tragedy Looper’s 2011 western publication), and you can buy this puppy for less than $20 in about 6 different places online, so like Kraftwagen, it’s a true bargain bin deal. If you can break through the invisible barrier around this game, what you’ll find waiting is amazing.

But that’s a pretty big “if.”

Player One

Eric

Tragedy Looper

by BakaFire

Tragedy Looper is a stellar game, but it’s crushing learning curve makes it a labor of love. You have to really want it to play Tragedy Looper.

If you can put in your laps, this game is truly one of a kind. If you can’t, steer clear.