Legacy: Gears of Time: A time-travel board game rooted in MN

By Jen Boyles Tue., Feb. 21 2012 at 12:53 PM

Categories: Nerdery

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A new board game birthed in MN

When most people brainstorm about what unique inventions or businesses they could possibly bring to the world, they usually don't see a "huge gap in the market for unique time travel games," but that is exactly how Ben Harkins began his quest to create Legacy: Gears Of Time.

Aside from his role as a budding entrepreneur, Harkins is a local DJ in the dance music scene known as Ben Lime. He and his friend Justin were sitting around one day (nerding out, clearly) when the two came up with the plan and immediately went to work.

That was almost two years ago and now Legacy is the first in what Harkins hopes to be a long line of games from his new Floodgate Games business. And the best part: it was fully funded via Kickstarter.com.

"Gauging interest on such a widespread scale before making a production run is a fantastic opportunity," Harkins tells CP. "The initial funding goal was hit in under a week, and the first stretch goal was smashed a couple days later. It was selected as a 'Staff Picks' game, which was great."

So how does the game work? In the short version, Harkins describes it best as a "strategic card game about time travel, technology, and influence." But there's a lot more to it:

The players are each 'Antiquitects'; operators of an ancient machine, charged with traveling back in time to maintain the course of history. Their opponents are competing to have the most influence over the invention and discovery of technologies. Players are rewarded for excellent planning, adaptability and influence, allowing them to build the greatest legacy and claim victory over their rivals.

Now, with the game fully funded and in production, Harkins is excited to prepare his Floodgate Games booth at GenCon in August, where 40,000 gamers are expected. And like a true Minnesotan, he's proud to claim its local roots.

"I just love helping put Minneapolis on the map for one more thing, it's such a great city. I'm excited to see how far this will go."

Editor's note: Want a copy of Legacy? Ben reports that by backing the project on Kickstarter (at the $40 level or higher) he will ship one straight to you when they are produced in August. You'll also get some exclusive extras that wont be available after the campaign is over. If everything goes well by the end of the year, the games will be in hobby gaming stores as well.

Follow: FloodGate Games on Twitter
Read: Ben's "Designer Diary" on Board Game Geek