[1] Once these details have been set, the players can zoom in on a specific event in the timeline and collaboratively roleplay a given scene.

[1] Game historian Stu Horvath uses the example of the timeline being a king's reign starting with his ascension to the throne and ending in his death.

[1] Cross concluded: it's the perfect setting-creator and a brilliant way to democratise setting creation in games that involve GMs.

[1]In his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, RPG historian Stu Horvath noted, "Microscope takes on massively complicated concepts, like time and history, and provides elegant rules for navigating them in a way that is both thought provoking and fun.

"[2] Horvath concluded:It didn't seem possible for the mechanics to be so simple and versatile, nor did it seem that an elaborate timeline could give way to stories that surprised everyone at the table.