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Timeline Costs

Most of the actions you’ll take while activating a unit have a Timeline (TL) cost representing the time it takes to complete that action. When taking an action with a TL cost, you must pay that cost by moving that unit’s Timeline token forward on the Timeline a number of spaces equal to the cost of your chosen action. Timeline costs are paid immediately after declaring your action, before the action is resolved.

A Timeline track shows the RX-78-2 Gundam token moving from space 1 to space 4 along an orange arrow. The linked boxed example explains paying three Timeline for a Beam Saber attack.

It's Player A’s turn to activate the RX-78-2 Gundam. They choose to attack Zeong with the Gundam’s Beam Saber. The Gundam’s Beam Saber attack has a TL cost of three. As part of making this attack, Player A will move the Gundam’s Timeline token three spaces forward on the Timeline track. This means that the Gundam won’t be able to act again until round four of the current Phase.

If a TL cost would cause you to move a Timeline token beyond the 10th space of the Timeline track, advance the token to space 10 and then return the token to space one of the track and continue moving the token forward until the full TL cost is paid.

A red Timeline track shows Zeong’s orange path moving from space 8 to space 10, wrapping to space 1, and continuing to space 2. The complete linked explanation is boxed at the top of p12.

Player B is activating Zeong during round eight of the first Phase. In retaliation for the Gundam’s Beam Saber attack earlier in the round, player B positions Zeong to fire his Arm Mega Particle Cannon, which has a TL cost of four. Player B advances the Timeline token for Zeong two spaces forward to space 10 on the Timeline track. Because this does not cover the full TL cost of their chosen action, they must move Zeong's Timeline token back to space one of the track and continue counting. Player B advances Zeong's Timeline token to space two of the Timeline track to pay the remaining two TL cost of attacking with the Arm Mega Particle Cannon.

If a unit spends more than 10 TL in a single activation, that unit advances into the next Phase and won’t act again until the next Phase of the game.

If paying a TL cost places your Timeline token on the same space as other allied units, stack your Timeline token on the bottom of any tokens already present.