Game Profile: Timeline: Inventions (and the Timeline series)

Not Your Parents’ Board Games
By David Means

Timeline: Inventions
Timeline: Inventions is a card game played using 109 cards. Each card depicts an invention on both sides, with the year in which that invention was created on only one side.

Players take turns placing a card from their hand in a row on the table. After placing the card, the player reveals the date on it. If the card was placed correctly with the date in chronological order with all other cards on the table, the card stays in place; otherwise the card is removed from play and the player takes another card from the deck.

The first player to get rid of all his cards by placing them correctly wins. If multiple players go out in the same round, then everyone else is eliminated from play and each of those players are dealt one more card for another round of play.

If only one player has no cards after a bonus round, he wins; otherwise play continues until a single player goes out. Timeline: Inventions can be combined with any other title in the Timeline series:

Timeline: Discoveries
Timeline: Diversity
Timeline: Historical Events
Timeline: Music & Cinema
Timeline: American History
Timeline: Americana

Editor's note: Since this profile was written in 2016, there appears now to be a Timeline Challenge Board Game that has become available. It may be played on its own, but it also is designed to allow players to incorporate their cards from any of the rest of the Timeline series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND SERIES: In January 2016, KaCSFFS member (Club Director since April 2017) and notable board game collector David Means gave a presentation to the club about his collection. It was so interesting, I asked for permission to reprint it as a series of posts on this blog. He graciously agreed, and supplied me with his script. I have divided it into several posts and added the illustrations, hyperlinks, embedded videos, etc. as seemed appropriate. --Jan S. Gephardt, Communications Officer 

IMAGES: Many thanks to Vat 19 for the photo of the Timeline: Inventions box with some representative cards from the game, and to Asmodee (the manufacturer) for the photo of the expansion pack boxes. I also want to thank The Board Game Family's review, for the photo of the Timeline Challenge game with all its components laid out.

Combined agenda for major meeting September 17, 2016

Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting
Combined with ConQuesT meeting
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO 64111
When: Saturday, September 17, 2016
4:00 ConQuesT meeting--ALL Members welcome! 
Dinner Break: 6-7:00 p.m. 
Business Meeting: 7-7:30 at the latest
Break-out Sessions: 7-9:00 p.m.

Break-out Sessions
Star Trek 50th Anniversary Discussion led by Carol Doms on the main floor.

Live Interview via Skype with Keith Shaw, Discussion led by Jan S. Gephardt, regarding Shaw's Neworld Papers books, The Historian's Tale and The Warrior's Tale. Please join us in the Library for this program.

Dues-paid members will ALL get their Membership Cards at this meeting. We will had out cards to all members in attendance, then mail cards to all other members. Earline Beebe will coordinate this group effort, working from her master roster. We'll set up on the Mezzanine for this session.

Finally, please bring your board games or tabletop games, to share in the upper floor lobby.

IMAGES: Many thanks to the ConQuesT website for the ConQuesT 48 logo, and to iPulpfiction for the Historian's Tale cover.

NEW!! Improved??

Change is coming!
The April 16 meeting was a long, serious business meeting, conducted for the purpose of eliminating long, serious business meetings. 

How to make KaCSFFS 
more Fun?
We've been thinking for some time now, that KaCSFFS meetings need to focus more consistently on fun and interesting ways to enjoy our favorite genres. Our business meetings have been too long, and we don't always have good programs. That must change. 

We had a productive brainstorming session on the 16th, and we've come up with several changes we want to make.

The first change is moving the Board of Directors' meetings to a different night (the Tuesday before each meeting). Board meetings are still open meetings, but this way if they run long they won't interfere with the regular monthly meetings. Watch the KAXFEN list for specifics.

Next, meetings will begin at 6:00. If a business meeting is necessary, we'll hold it from 6-6:30--at which point we promise to truncate it with extreme prejudice. If we need a longer business meeting, we'll schedule a special session at a different time.

The second-floor Library is a place where a special-interest group could meet at The Writers Place during monthly KaCSFFS meetings.

The Rise of the SIGs!
Thirdly, there will be a conscious effort to cultivate special interest groups (SIGs) at each meeting, who may wish to conduct break-out sessions in various parts of The Writers Place. 

If there is enough interest, we can have one group meeting in the Library, one on the Mezzanine, and one on the Main Floor. 

Dr. Who's T.A.R.D.I.S.

What special interest groups? We're not sure. We need members' input! But some of the ones we could think of included:

• Steampunk
• Space opera
• High fantasy
• Cross-genre fantasy
• Specific literature- or media-based fandoms, such as Harry Potter, Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Lovecraft, etc.
• Time-travel

  

  Cthulu looms over a hapless city.

• Paranormal romance
• Post-apocalyptic science fiction
• Alternate history
• International science fiction
• Anime, or other kinds of animated science fiction or fantasy 
• Science-based programs (on space, or other topics)
• Costuming interests

And many more. If you are interested in any of these or something else entirely, please let us know. Use the KAXFEN list if you're a dues-paid member; if you're interested or potentially interested and could actually come to one of our meetings, comment on our Facebook Page or email us. 

Games Galore!

We also plan to have board games and card games at most or all meetings. Our own game maven David Means has promised to develop a list of games he owns that would typically have a play length of about an hour or so. We'll post options on the KAXFEN list and take requests. 

Please also watch for David's upcoming series about games, to be run on this blog over the next several months.

We have created a month-by month calendar of meeting themes for the upcoming year (with the hope of making many of them annual events). We'll explore the calendar in more detail in our next post.

IMAGES: the "FUN" sign is courtesy of Schwartz Creek Youth Football. The photo of the Library at The Writers Place is from their website. The image of the T.A.R.D.I.S. is from Wikipedia. The image of Cthulu Looming is from the Etsy page of Ghostfire. The photo of cards for a fantasy game is from Beasts of War. We cannot promise that this card game will be present at any given meeting--it is used to illustrate possibilities.The photo of the board game and pieces is from Fantasy Flight Games. We cannot promise that this board game will be present at any given meeting--it is used to illustrate possibilities.

It's a Meeting Marathon! March 19, 2016

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The Writers Place

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, March 19, 2016

3:00 ConQuesT Meeting, with PIZZA!

5:30 Board of Directors—open meeting

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing.
7:00 Regular meeting begins

Food Theme: Comfort food and favorite snacks

Bring Card- or Tabletop games to play after the meeting.

Special ConQuesT Meeting - 3:00

In an effort to get as many KaCSFFS members to attend as possible, the ConQuesT committee will meet in a special session at the Writers Place this Saturday. 

ConQuesT is coming in May! We need your input! Margene Bahm has even offered a bribe reward to anyone who goes to the ConQuestT meeting: free Waldo Pizza! Come see what your concom is up to, and enjoy a free snack.

Here is our President/Director's bribe to ConQuesT Meeting-goers: Free Waldo Pizza!

Board of Directors Meeting - 5:30

The important decisions keep coming. Everyone is welcome to sit in on BoD meetings. After all, it's your club, and the BoD is supposed to serve your best interests. Sometimes we have to hear from you to know what those are.

Regular Meeting - 7:00

If you want to become a part of the active KaCSFFS community, pay your dues on Saturday night! Dues for a regular, voting KaCSFFS membership are $25 per year, due each March, via check or cash (you may buy a membership online via the form on the sidebar at right, but plan on a $2 handling fee, thanks to PayPal). If all goes according to plan, you should receive your new membership card when you pay your dues.

You might also consider becoming a candidate for one of our offices. KaCSFFS Bylaws have always specified that candidates must nominate themselves. No railroading, no "drafting" the unwilling. You have to place your own head in the noose name on the ballot. 

The officers of KaCSFFS are: President/Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer, and ConQuesT Chairperson (for chairperson of the 2017 convention, in this case). We will vote for announced candidates via absentee ballot or in person at the April meeting, if there are any contested elections. If only one person self-nominates for each position, they get the honor automatically.

We also are seeking a new Registered Agent: Diana Bailey has stepped down, citing health and family issues. The Registered Agent is a non-voting Board position. Because KaCSFFS is incorporated in Missouri, the Registered Agent must be a Missouri resident, who is able to attend meetings regularly and conduct occasional business for the club outside of meetings. 

Food and Games 
After all the business has been done, it'll be time to kick back and relax with each other. To help facilitate that, we'd appreciate it if members bring a favorite card- or tabletop game, and/or your favorite comfort food to share.

IMAGES: The photo of The Writers Place is from The Writers Place website; ConQuesT Prime header is from the ConQuesT website; the Waldo Pizza image is from Groupon, and the photos from the June '15 and November '15 meetings are by Jan S. Gephardt.