Chronopia: The Dark Fantasy Wargame

Cursed dwarven gods march beside their followers. Orcs serve an imperial throne. Human knights fight beneath the banner of a returning king, while fallen prophets unleash demons and the dead. Welcome to Chronopia, a dark fantasy miniatures game which is having its 30th anniversary next year.

First published by Target Games in 1997, Chronopia has survived interrupted production, several changes of publisher and a lengthy absence from retail store shelves. Now in its third miniatures edition, with Untamed Sword continuing its development, it is finding its way back onto gaming tables, and will be helped by Untamed Sword releasing the games Basic Rules for free on their website in English, French and Polish. An Italian version of the rules is also currently in early stages so will join them as a free download in due course.

From Roleplaying City to Battlefield

Chronopia’s origins actually reach back to 1994, when Äventyrsspel/Target introduced the setting through the fifth edition of the Swedish roleplaying game Drakar och Demoner (now published in English as Dragonbane by Free League Publishing). That setting focused on a vast city ruled by the mysterious One King.

The Chronopia miniatures game followed in November 1997. Published by Target Games, it expanded and reworked elements of the roleplaying background into a setting for battles between rival peoples and kingdoms. It also drew on the approach of Target’s science fiction miniatures game, Warzone, giving the company a fantasy companion to its existing battlefield offering.

The original rulebook introduced five principal factions: Firstborn, Devout, Blackbloods, Elves and Dwarves, with supplements widening the conflict and supplying more information about the setting and its peoples. The Land of the Two Rivers brought in the ancient Stygians; Sons of Kronos introduced tribal human warriors; Fallen Land explored the jungle territory of the Swamp Goblins; and The Dwarven Labyrinth developed the underground realms, including rules for indoor fighting.

A Game That Would Not Stay Buried

Target’s financial collapse in 1999 interrupted the line, with its properties passing to Paradox Entertainment who themselves had started out as the video game division of Target Games. In 2001 American publisher Excelsior Entertainment secured a licence for both Chronopia and Warzone, with Chronopia’s second edition appearing in 2002.

The second edition gathered the factions and units into one extensive rulebook, revised aspects of balance and introduced deployment cards that allowed concealed deployment. Some new miniatures followed, but the licence ended at the end of 2005, with the game remaining out of print for almost the next two decades, but continually supported and played by a dedicated internet fanbase.

A modern revival arrived through Uhrwerk Verlag in 2022, with a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a third edition alongside a redesigned miniature range.

Production and fulfilment proved lengthy however. Although the project was funded in 2022, distribution continued through 2025 and into 2026. The new edition also saw a physical change in the miniatures with the original 28mm metal range gave way to newly designed 32mm miniatures produced using SioCast.

During 2026, the project announced the transfer of the licence from Uhrwerk Verlag to Untamed Sword UK Ltd, under Marcin Malinowski, one of the driving forces behind the revival. Untamed Sword website already sells a number of starter sets and miniatures, in addition to the free rules just posted, and remaining US Kickstarter shipmentsare currently entering their final delivery phase. Untamed Sword are also currently working on revised English and Polish rulebooks.

A World of Rival Empires and Fallen Prophets

Chronopia’s setting revolves around competing powers whose ambitions, betrayals and ancient grievances mean that peace remains an elusive beast.

The human Firstborn have emerged from centuries of enslavement following the return of the One King. Their armies combine knights and soldiers with chronomancers capable of manipulating time. Their struggle for survival gives the setting a human centre, although the kingdom’s severe religious and judicial institutions make it an intimidating place in its own right.

Their greatest supernatural enemies are the Devout. Born from the rebellion of four fallen prophets, whose forces include corrupted followers, undead and demons.

The Blackbloods unite orcs, goblins, ogres and trolls beneath an ogre emperor, even as internal independence movements trouble the empire. The Elves are powerful warriors divided between rival houses, with lotus magic among their defining features. The Dwarves inhabit formidable underground strongholds and carry a particularly grim burden, as their gods have been cursed into monstrous forms known as Blood Totems.

The wider setting also includes the nature-bound Sons of Kronos, the ancient reptilian Stygians, and independent Swamp Goblins. These appeared in earlier editions, with the current edition currently concentrating on the original five factions, but we should see them return at somepoint in future supplements.

How Does Chronopia Play?

Chronopia is a points-based miniatures wargame using terrain, alternating unit activations and twenty-sided dice. Players assemble a faction’s warriors, champions, monsters and magical support, then compete through a chosen scenario.

The Third edition accommodates several scales of battle. Hero Skirmish games use forces of up to 40 points, Patrol Fights extend to 200, Army Battles reach 400, and Grand Army games go beyond that.

A turn moves through initiative, alternating activations, close combat and an end phase. Players manoeuvre, shoot and cast spells during activations, before resolving hand-to-hand fighting through simultaneous clashes. Morale and break tests help determine whether troops hold their ground after the fighting.

For players discovering it today, Chronopia offers a setting with decades of history and several striking ideas still at its heart. Its return brings another opportunity for players to explore, and discover, a battlefield where an orc empire, a time-wielding human kingdom and dwarves accompanied by their cursed gods all have compelling reasons to go to war.

You can find out more through Untamed Sword and the background, news and resources collected at Chronopia World.