In the distant future competing factions with the capability for time travel have discovered that particular collections of artifacts from the past give them a distinct advantage over their current adversaries. As each faction sends a member to the past in search of valuable artifacts, the time travelers become ensnared in a time loop that repeats seven times. In each iteration of the loop, each of the travelers is able to grow their collection of artifacts more efficiently and measure its effectiveness against their adversaries in preparation for a final showdown when they escape the time loop. The Eighth Round is a hand-building and trick-taking game where players spend seven rounds skillfully growing a hand of artifacts and testing its effectiveness against the hands of the other players. The game is then decided by the results of The Eighth Round. —description from the designer