When Stonemaier Games releases a new game, there is plenty of buzz about it. It gets shouted from the rooftops. Discussed in back alleys. And whispered on the wind.

It’s been that way since Scythe. Or maybe Wingspan. Or maybe it’s always been there, at the edge of expectation and surprise. No matter how each game performs in the larger tabletop space, it typically builds its own following of eager players.

And Pendulum, a 2020 release, is one of the more controversial titles from the popular company. It didn’t receive the critical acclaim and widespread adulation of Wingspan. It didn’t melt the hearts of heavy Eurogamers and strategy lovers like Scythe. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a game with merit. I’m curious how Pendulum would have fared had it been released by another publisher other than Stonemaier Games. If the weight of expectation from eager fans (and even more eager critics?) was not present, would it have been received more favorably?

In the end, it’s all conjecture and hypotheticals, so we’ll move on because I’ve flipped the sand timers many times now and I’m ready to talk about this real-time strategy game!

Overview

When players sit down for a game of Pendulum, they take on the mantle of nobility as each individual strives to win a contest of kingly succession. There have been many eras of history in the world of Dünya, but the most important one (to you) is the present, in which players will step forward into the power vacuum and try to become the next monarch.

Commanding workers, conquering new territories, and devising a grand strategy to build power, prestige, and popularity is paramount to success. Everything that players achieve will depend on using time as a resource. The actions in the game are simultaneously guarded and made available by sand hourglasses which move to alternate spots whenever the time runs out. The best player to manage the time and become efficient administrators of their workers and territory will emerge as the victor.

Mistakes will happen, but whoever mitigates them the most will likely win.

Theme

Jesse is a fan of flavor text. And Jan, no matter how much he grumbles about it, loves an opportunity for dramatic portrayal and thespian elocution.

And as a writer and voracious consumer of stories, I also love flavor text. So it’s nice that the entire front page of the Pendulum rulebook is dedicated to the lore of the game.

But that serves a useful purpose other than offering an immersive peek into this world—it creates an anchor for players when exploring this abstract world. There is no map in Pendulum. There are no units on the board. Or movements to specific locations with names and important backgrounds. This is a very dry look for a game, especially when contrasted against the vivid alternate history of Scythe or the avian-laden artwork of Wingspan. Beyond the striking characters on each player board, the rest of the board is laid out for all of the mechanical intricacies of the game.

Action rows, with open spaces on each, sit atop one another on the board while other visual modules set up territories, cards, and additional graphic design needs. It’s much more abstracted than other Stonemaier Games products. So that narrative at the beginning is necessary to create a mental understanding of the world in which you play. It gives players a sense of what they’re doing to help with the experience that is removed from spatial or visual cues that aid in storytelling.

Accessibility

It can be a pretty hefty mental challenge to understand the worker-placement juggling scheme necessitated by the sand timer movements in Pendulum. And to directly confront that possible player confusion, you can play the game in two different ways—timed and untimed. Untimed play, which is recommended for at least the first round of any first play, enables players to only move the sand timers when they are ready and have completed all actions they wanted to accomplish. It slows down the play and tempers the tense atmosphere of timed play, but it allows everyone to see the game’s engine working at half-speed before deciding if they want to ramp up and go full-tilt toward the finish line.

But for some, that untimed play is the preferred way of playing and that can definitely help some people enjoy Pendulum who might not have given it a chance otherwise.

If you’re familiar with other Stonemaier titles, then there are elements of the game that will come more naturally. The regular worker and Grande worker interaction from Viticulture is present, which can assist in scaffolding your understanding of how that mechanism works in Pendulum. And although the benefits are from cards rather than player board upgrades, the variable player powers are synonymous with the small deviations in strategy between factions from Scythe.

Gameplay

Here’s the main design conceit of Pendulum: use time as both a friend and an enemy.

As you can see in the image above, there are black, green, and purple rows. Rows in the same color are duplicates, and the timers will be placed on either row to lock it from workers and to enable actions.

Regarding worker placement, when a timer is on a row, you can’t move workers placed there (unless some specific card allows you to). When a timer isn’t on a row, you can place workers there freely and retrieve them as needed.

To perform actions, when a timer is on a row, you can pay the cost to perform actions where your workers are located. When a timer isn’t on a row, you cannot perform actions there.

Confused yet?

1. A timer is on a row = can’t place/retrieve workers but can perform actions

2. A time isn’t on a row = can place/retrieve workers but can’t perform actions

Once you grasp that somewhat trippy concept, the game will open up for you.

After that, it’s a matter of figuring out when to lock yourself into a spot and when to wait for another spot to become available. The black timer switches every 45 seconds and those actions can be completed numerous times. The green timer switches every 2 minutes and has some strong actions for players to consider. The purple timer switches every 3 minutes and has the most powerful moves in the game while also progressing the game toward the end of each round.

The best players will figure out the right method of placing workers, managing resources, adding territories, and chaining actions together for the most efficient rise in power, prestige, and popularity. No matter how much of each track a character needs, players need to advance all three of those tracks to win.

Modes of Play

Timed versus untimed play. That’s the biggest difference in modes of play. Each has its merits but Pendulum will be very different depending on which one you choose. Timed play is the manic movement and quick decision-making that is always pressured by the movement of the sand timers. Untimed play is more methodical as you don’t have to worry about where you’re placing as much as what order you want to complete all of your tasks in.

As many expect with games published by Stonemaier, the Automa Factory gives solo players the freedom to enjoy the world without needing those lame other humans to help out. A fully-realized system awaits anyone who wants to become the next leader in Dünya.

And no matter whether you’re playing solo or with others, there are two sides to each character board, with a harder variant on the back for anybody who wants a little more of a challenge. That provides increased variability and replayability on top of the regular gameplay experience for 1-5 players.

Innovation

This is a very interesting exploration of real-time gameplay mechanics. I’ve experienced real-time games more recently with Sorcerer City and other titles, but this creates a tense environment as players struggle to keep up with time and make the most beneficial choices in a world of flipping sand timers.

Integrating the regular/Grande workers with that adds another layer of complexity and innovative design that allows players to conversely block or overwhelm the efforts of their opponents.

Along with the variable setup player boards, territorial upgrades to player actions, and frenzied pace of play, Pendulum can be a unique experience.

Pricing

It’s a game published by Jamey Stegmaier so the production value is always impressive. And with that comes a higher cost than some are used to, but it’s right on par with many medium-weight strategy games.

If you’re a Stonemaier Champion, you can get the game for $45 on the website, which is a very reasonable price considering what you’re getting, but otherwise, it’s $60 when getting direct from the publisher.

At your FLGS, it might be more expensive (or less if you find it on sale). And there are always third-party options if someone is looking to offload the game from their collection.

If you’re able to find it between $40-$50, then I’d say you’re getting a good deal out of it. And Stonemaier Games has pretty frequent sales that might allow you to get an even better price.

Pendulum is…