The latest card game to be announced by WizKids sees (as its title suggests) players taking on the roles of Time Barons, shadowy figures who have shaped mankind’s destiny since the dawn of time.

The world’s entire population are simply pawns in their quest to defeat the other barons and become the ruler of a unified human race. War, religion, technology – all will be used in this ultimate battle. (Just for clarification, a Time Baron doesn’t fly around in a time machine that looks like a phone box, that’s a Time Lord. Which we guess makes Bill and Ted Time Lords!).

This fast-paced combat card game for two-four players has been designed by Jon Perry and Derek Yu.

Time barons can decide the best way to exploit their loyal followers and make the most of the many powerful cards they are dealt. A variety of tactics are available: from placing bubonic plague on an opponent’s robotics lab to slowly kill off the workers to attaching a computer network to a medieval church to automate the conversion of new followers. In this brutal struggle, many will die… but good planning, quick thinking, and a little luck will carry the day!

According to WizKids the game works best in a duel format, but can be played two vs. one, and as teams of two vs. two. There is also a free-for-all format.

Time Barons is slated for release in autumn 2017 and is available to pre-order now for £24.99. The box contains 115 cards, 55 follower disks, 30 damage cubes, various tokens and a rulebook.