The LOOP — Rules, Scoring and Strategy

Identify the correct game

This is The LOOP, a cooperative time-travel board game for one to four agents, not IELLO’s newer unrelated 2026 card game LOOP. Agents work as a team to stop Dr. Faux from destroying eras of the timeline. Its four operations offer different challenge conditions, so always choose a mode before setting up.

Set up your agents

Prepare the seven-era game board, Agent tiles, Dr. Faux’s machine, clones and rift components. Each Agent receives the corresponding starting deck of six Artifact cards, shuffles it and draws three. The quantity of starting clones and visible Artifacts depends on player count, so use the tables in the core rulebook.

Four Artifact dimensions

Artifact cards belong to Spiral, Star, Stripe or Black Hole Dimensions. The first three define many normal LOOP interactions; Black Hole cards have special rules. The cards’ symbols and effects matter more than their printed point value because this is a cooperative objective game, not a race for a personal score.

Dr. Faux’s disruption phase

Each round of agent activity includes villain disruption: clones and rifts threaten the seven eras, and the machine advances threats. Resolve the published phase structure before taking agent abilities. A single neglected era may become the group’s main loss risk even when other eras seem safe.

Agent movement and special abilities

Your character has a special power and a once-per-turn free movement tracked by flipping the Agent tile. Positioning before an Artifact action often changes which threats can be removed or what objectives can be completed. Spend movement with an eye to the scenario’s requirements, rather than visiting a distant era only for a modest benefit.

How the LOOP mechanic works

The LOOP provides ways to reactivate eligible Artifact cards through Dimension-based and energy rules. Building a chain can produce extra movement or threat removal, but it is not unlimited free card reuse. Check the energy cost, Dimension match and specific card conditions every time before replaying an effect.

Winning and losing

Each of the four Operations defines its own successful objective and scenario setup changes. Everyone wins or loses together. Pay particular attention to the number of allowable rifts, villain progression and operation-specific failure conditions. Do not use a generic three-objective rule for every Operation.

Worked tactical decision

Suppose your Agent can move into an era with a useful Artifact, but a nearby era is about to take another dangerous rift. Collecting the card may improve later action combinations; protecting the threatened era may prevent immediate defeat. Compare imminent loss conditions with future engine efficiency. If your existing cards can LOOP to resolve both, check the legal Dimension sequence before committing.

Solo and group play

Solo play uses the same shared mission idea, with quantities adjusted by the official setup. A four-player team has more agent abilities available but also a different initial threat distribution. Read the chosen Operation’s booklet for its extra components and any action modifications.

Who will enjoy it?

Choose The LOOP for cooperative groups that enjoy complex cascading card combinations and crisis management. Regicide gives a shorter cooperative card battle, while Burgle Bros. creates stealth-puzzle tension. The LOOP has more interactions to track than a simple family co-op; use the publisher’s player aids.

FAQ

Is it related to 2026 LOOP from IELLO? No. Does it support solo play? Yes. Are individual players competing for points? No. Are all four Operations identical? No, setup and victory goals differ. Can a LOOP activate any card without restrictions? No, eligibility and energy must be checked.

The LOOP: deeper cooperative planning

A card-combo decision

You have two Artifacts in compatible Dimensions and enough energy for a legal LOOP. Refreshing one card might produce immediate threat removal; refreshing another might improve mobility so you can reach a vulnerable era. The correct sequence depends on the mode’s imminent loss condition, not how many total actions a combo generates. Track which cards are activated and which are only candidates for reactivation.

Balance Artifacts against rift prevention

Strong card engines tend to improve the group’s later turns, but a threatened era might not survive that long. If Dr. Faux is about to make another damaging placement in a stressed period, preventing the rift may be worth more than collecting an additional powerful Artifact. Treat the board state as a shared emergency-management puzzle.

Distinguish scenario rules

The base box contains multiple Operations, with different victory and failure goals and extra components. Read the chosen scenario in the Operational Booklet before distributing special pieces. Do not use a single win condition for all four. Solo setup and starting threats also change with player count, so a one-agent session should not begin from a four-agent threat chart.

Common beginner mistakes

Forgetting free movement, resolving the Doctor’s actions out of order, applying the wrong Artifact Dimension to a LOOP, or focusing only on clone removal can all change the game significantly. Use the player aids during early sessions. A cooperative win happens when the scenario’s stated goal is achieved, not simply when one player has the most collected Artifacts.

Similar games and related guides

• Akropolis — Spatial scoring
• Hanamikoji — Two-player majorities
• Regicide — Cooperative tactical decisions

Publisher source and editorial scope

Official publisher information or rulebook. No personal playtesting or publisher endorsement is claimed. For detailed rules exceptions consult the exact printing supplied with your game. Editorial policy and corrections.