Fact Box

Time Lords Year 1983 Publishing Red Shift Plataforms BBC Model B Genre Strategy Play Mode 2-5 Players Game Designer Julian Gollop Coding Andy Greene Release Price 9.99£

The History

This BBC Micro only computer game release was a debut both for Julian Gollop and Red Shift, a small company of his friends that have the goal of launch innovative strategic games. It's a game of galactic time-travel conquest done when Julian was yet in school. It's based on a pencil and paper game made an year earlier which required a game master to run the game and was annoying to keep track of the changes. Andy Greene then coded the computer version that simplified much that task. Julian considers his first computer game the most original game concept he created and have always wanted to update this design.

Concept & Game Mechanics

Each player (1 to 5 players) represent the five main races of the galaxy that fight for universe supremacy. They can travel in time and space locating crucial wars. Then they can modify the outcome of that wars in order to benefit their race. The universe is represented by five planets and fifteen time zones. When time lords found themselves in the same place and time they can fight each other. The victory destroy the defeated time lord and reverse any time changes that he may have provocated. Sadly the complex time travel mechanics of the game can origin sometimes some circular paradox bugs causing the game to terminate.

Game Versions

There were released two versions of the game. The first one have a more blue basic "spreadsheet" interface. An upgraded version came one year later adding companions, artefacts and more colourful graphics. In original version the time lords are labeled Daleks, Cybermen, Zarbi and Autons, and the planets are Skaro, Mondas, Vortis, Neston and Earth. Upgraded version have instead Kaled, Cyburman, Zarby, Nestine or Human and the planets are Scaro, Mundas, Vortys, Neston and Earth.

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