Time Collectors: A Tale of Time

A game full of ambition and richness, yet too shy to step into the spotlight… Meet Maréva Beauchamps, the author of Time Collectors, who tells us the story of her game’s journey.

The Spark of the d10

Welcome to my playful journey through time! I can’t really remember where I was or the exact moment, but what I do remember clearly is that I’ve always loved game components — pawns, meeples, gems, cubes, each one more unique than the last. What I’ve long been drawn to are dice, which I discovered through role-playing games: there’s one for every taste, from the d4 to the d100. But what struck me at that moment was that in board games, you mostly find d6s.

So I thought I could use the d10, since it gives me access to all the digits. And with those 10 digits, what could I do? Dates! And from those dates began my journey through time — and through my future game.

Why This Game?

Honestly, I never had the desire to create this game — it was an adventure that came along gradually. Publishing it even less so: I had no ambition to do that, it was just an idea, maybe a dream…

But creating something with components I loved — that was fun and interesting. I’d already had the chance to design playful educational workshops for my students, but this was different. In the end, given the number of versions I went through, I think it’s fair to say there were several games that led to Time Collectors.

Alone Against Time (2016–2019)

In 2016, I started alone. I worked on my project from time to time; whenever the Cannes International Games Festival was approaching, it motivated me, and the weeks before and after the event helped me make real progress. At that point, it was a time-travel game that took players through specific dates in world history. The game didn’t seem to have any potential, so I shelved it, the natural rhythm of life took over, and I kept it tucked away in a corner of my mind.

2017: the Cannes festival was approaching again, so I dusted it off, polished it up, and got ready to take part in the OFF. These are evenings where designers can come and present their prototypes, and maybe find a publisher. I came away feeling like something was missing from the game…

Back then, the hardest part was not knowing how to get the game out to the public: how do you get a table to present it? How do you contact a publisher? A string of questions, and inevitably some tough moments.

Two years passed — time never stops, after all… I moved forward a few weeks at a time each year, and the game transformed. I reached out to my circle again, we playtested, we adjusted the rules, and I made the rounds of festivals: Istres, Avignon, Port-Saint-Louis, Montpellier. Then came August 2019: I was on the verge of giving up, but I gave it one last chance by entering the Tremagne Prize competition, which rewards games with access to the Cannes protolab to meet publishers and industry professionals. And I came in second! That earned me my “Pro” pass.

And yet, everything could have ended so quickly: just before the Clans festival, I had another family commitment on the same date. Had I decided not to go, that would have been the end of the adventure.

August 2019. I gave it one last chance. And that’s when everything changed.

The Encounters That Changed Everything (2019–2022)

Armed with advice from Florian Sirieix in Montpellier, I was back at the OFF — it was 2020. I met a few publishers, but then Vincenzo from Lubee stopped at my table. He played a game and said: “I’m in — want to do this together?” I don’t remember very well, but I think I must have fallen off my chair. Then I told Florian at the Montpellier festival that followed, and given his level of investment, I asked if he’d like to join me on this adventure. Suddenly I was less alone — it became OUR project. We rebuilt everything from scratch: it was no longer Chronistory but Time Travelers. Nothing could stop us!

And then came COVID, the pandemic, the gaming world, the whole world on pause! No more festivals, no more playtesters… We stopped moving forward! We had to wait until late 2021, early 2022 to pick up our work again. We playtested, listened, changed, and iterated. Version after version until April 2022, when the game became “Time Collectors”. We received the final illustrations and had a magnificent prototype — it barely changed before the planned release date of March 17, 2023.

The release was approaching, but before that, let’s talk about what happened behind the scenes: 23 versions, 4 names, and an unrecognisable board.

From Prototype to Box

All in all, throughout my whole adventure, I count 19 digital versions — certainly the distillation of more than 1,000 ideas — plus 4 paper versions, so you could say 23 versions in total. As for the game’s name: “Time Rush” → “Chronistory” → “Time Travelers” → “Time Collectors” — there too, there was quite an evolution. Let me walk you through a few highlights.

We truly, TRULY evolved the board — going from a large number of spaces with pawn movement and effect cards to a board with only 8 spaces and cards to collect.

Prototype 1 Evolution

Prototype 2 Evolution

When I think back to Chronistory, we originally had a machine to repair for our time travel. It was really limiting and I couldn’t progress through the game the way I wanted. Yet if the components had been published, I believe we would have had something truly stunning!

During the first playtests, I was featured in an article you can read here, and I received a rather positive welcome along with a full table at every festival. The main feedback was that if you hide the dice you can cheat… Sure, but you’re not cheaters 😉. Oh yes! I remember one event that stuck with me: once, a player joined a table of four who had just started a game. I began explaining the rules and, without a word, he got up and left… I think he must have been a time traveller who needed to get back quickly.

I also remember Florian and his “yes, but… no”, which means “you’ve got something, but… not like that”. And the online feedback — I’ve kept all of it, because it makes me so happy!

What I really loved about game sessions was when — you know — players start off playing nicely at the beginning, and then one player — clearly a madman — steals a gem, and then! WAR IS DECLARED! It’s so satisfying to see players react exactly the way you hoped!

For my part, it’s impossible to know how many games were played; on top of that, there were so many aborted games or mini-games just to check a mechanic.

For the illustrations, the concept that helped us move forward was that we travel through time to collect holographic images of treasures that had disappeared by the game’s era — set in 8053. The publisher introduced us to an illustrator, and we were able to exchange feedback after the first visuals were presented to arrive at the final results. Here are a few images that speak for themselves:

Illustration Evolution

Personally, I love the game box — the illustration is simply magnificent. Bonus: you can find it on a card! I think I love all the illustrations, and in the end the game is just truly beautiful.

7 years between the first note and the box on the shelves. The baby is ready to leave the nest.

Today, My Baby in the World

7 years to go from idea to box in stores. In 2023, at Cannes, I could finally hold my first copy in my hands — you can’t imagine the joy. Then came the festivals, the interviews, and the first signings… surreal and timeless!

Today, when I see players with my game, I stay discreet and think to myself: “Oh! So cool! My baby!”. And when I saw that playtesters and influencers ranked the game among their “favourites”, it made me so happy — because a baby leaving the nest is a beautiful moment to witness.

Another memorable moment: when I was asked to take part in the SAJ authors’ exhibition — the “Syndicat des Auteurices de Jeux” (Game Designers’ Union). Even though I didn’t quite feel like I belonged, it was a wonderful experience and a great source of pride.

So, who to thank? Me! 🤣 More seriously, without Florian we wouldn’t have Time Collectors; we’d probably have Chronistory, but it would be a genuinely different game — the same mechanic, but truly another game. And without publisher Lubee, the physical version of the game wouldn’t be what it is. I think of Pierrick Lugen, the author of Cookie Addict, who spoke to publisher Lubee during the protolab and led them to come to the OFF afterwards to meet me. A thought too for the organisers of the Clans festival and the GRAAL association who believed in Chronistory at the time and gave me the opportunity to enter the Tremagne Prize. And of course, my family and friends who playtested, and playtested, and playtested… and playtested the game!

And finally, my husband — without whom the game would be a scrap of paper in my drawer. He’s the only one who knows exactly how to push me and who brought me out of my comfort zone! So thank you, thank you, thank you!

If I were to do things differently, I would have tried to communicate more about the game. There are just so many games coming out all the time that a lack of communication inevitably hurts a title. And ironically, it’s “time” that’s sometimes lacking — and that is itself one of the challenges: we have other jobs, and when you’re working alone, it’s hard to find the time to devote to the game.

I do have a few projects in my drawers, but now that you know me a little better, you’ll need to be patient… or perhaps travel through time in search of a game about reconstructing memories, another about players trying to spot the differences between their stories, or one about building machines — and many other ideas besides!

If, like me, you one day want to create a game, don’t hesitate to listen, to playtest, and to connect with the people who make up the gaming world. But above all, have fun making a game that you yourself are ready to play many, many times!