Welcome to my review of Times, a board game that claims to bend the past, present, and sometimes your patience. If you like your game nights packed with fast decisions, sneaky moves, and that one friend who refuses to pay attention to the timer, you might find this game right up your alley. I played Times with friends who ranged from rule-sticklers to professional snackers, and we put the game through its paces. So, before you spend your hard-earned cash, let’s see if Times is worth that precious shelf space or if it should be left… well, in the past.
How It Plays
Setting up
First, spread out the timeline board in the middle of the table. Shuffle the event cards and give everyone the same number. Put the timer and tokens close by, so nobody has to lean over anyone else. Let the person with the worst memory go first. Trust me, it’s more fun that way.
Gameplay
On your turn, pick one of your event cards and place it where you think it fits on the timeline. Flip the timer—your friends now have a few seconds to decide if you got it right. If you nailed it, keep the card there and breathe easy. If not, take it back and try not to shame-cry. Event tokens might shake things up with special actions, so stay alert for those sneaky game-changers.
Winning the game
First player to get rid of all their cards wins. Simple as that. But beware, one wrong move and your so-called friends will never let you forget that dinosaurs came after the moon landing. I wish I was joking.
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Times.
How to Play Times: Rules and Mechanics That’ll Make You Check Your Watch
Let me just say—I thought I knew how to tell time, but after playing Times with my friends last Friday night, my brain was mushier than overcooked pasta.
Here’s what you get in the box: One board (with spots for each time period), a bunch of timeline cards, some not-so-tiny sand timers, player pawns, and a surprise stack of event tokens. No batteries needed, just nerves of steel and some fast hands.
Gameplay is pretty simple to pick up, at least if you can remember whether Gutenberg printed stuff before or after the Ming Dynasty. On your turn, you’ll draw an event card—think, ‘Invention of the Potato Chip’ or ‘First Cat Video Uploaded’. You then have to pop that card into its correct spot on the timeline. If you’re right, you stay in the game. If you’re wrong, you lose a turn and your friends remind you about it at every opportunity. Oh, and there are sand timers sprinkled throughout the game. Sometimes, you have to answer before the timer runs out, which will test your knowledge and your panic reflex at the same time.
If you get stuck, you can spend a precious event token to swap your card or mess with someone else’s timeline. But these are limited, so don’t blow them all showing off in round one, like I did. Some rounds are ‘Time Crunch’ rounds, where everyone races together, adding a fun layer of chaos—think holiday shopping in a toy store, only with less risk of elbows.
That’s the gist of the rules—easy to learn, tricky to master, and sometimes a crash course in world history. Next up, let’s dig into how players mess with each other (and themselves) in Times, and why my grandma is now banned from game night for tactical genius…
Is Times Social or Solo? Player Interaction and Strategy Depth
When you set Times on the table, you can almost smell the competition. This isn’t one of those games where everyone just stares at their own cards and barely grunts at each other. Oh no—Times gets loud, especially when my friend Carl tries his usual “reverse psychology” trickery. (Spoiler: it rarely works, but we let him have his fun.)
Player interaction in Times shines like my uncle’s bald spot at a family barbecue. Many actions let you mess with your opponents’ timelines—sometimes swapping events, sometimes sneaking a sneaky event into their history and watching confusion spread. I ended up learning more about medieval bread riots than I ever wanted, but at least I made everyone else’s timeline collapse into chaos. If you enjoy a bit of friendly sabotage, Times serves it with a heaping scoop of satisfaction.
Strategy-wise, you need to juggle your own timeline, follow the timer pressure, and keep one squinty eye on your rivals’ progress. Planning ahead is key, because if you focus only on yourself, someone else will quietly finish their timeline and snatch the win. And while there’s some luck (thanks to random events and the timer), the meat of the game comes from clever plays and reading your opponents. I got outsmarted by my niece—she’s twelve and probably secretly a genius.
Ultimately, Times rewards sharp thinking, timing, and a touch of diplomacy (or mischief)—if you like second-guessing your friends, you’ll love it. Next up: let’s talk about whether Times looks good enough to stay on the shelf or if it belongs hidden in the attic with your cousin’s old socks.
Component Quality and Game Art in Times: Is It Worth Showing Off on Instagram?
Let’s talk about what’s in the box. When I first opened up Times, my cat even looked impressed. The game comes packed with chunky cardboard tokens that feel like they could double as ninja throwing stars. That’s a plus—nothing worse than pieces that look great but get crumpled up after two rounds. The cards are thick and handle that classic game-night popcorn grease surprisingly well. I might or might not have tested this by accident.
The art in Times is… ambitious. The designers seem committed to the fun, time-travel vibe. Every card is packed with colorful illustrations that bounce between historical events and wild, sci-fi shenanigans. It’s not exactly fine art, but it makes it easy to tell what’s happening, which is important when your friend Steve is mid-monologue about the invention of the potato. The board itself looks sharp. The font isn’t one of those fancy, unreadable ones—bless you, Times, for thinking of our eyes. The event tokens have their own personalities, and there’s even a cute hourglass token that genuinely makes you sweat when it ticks down (unless you’re immune to pressure, unlike me!).
One downside? If you’re used to premium, deluxe board games, Times might not wow you with custom wooden bits or shimmering foil cards. But for the price, the quality is solid and should last through many bumpy rides through history—and possibly your dog knocking the box off the shelf.
Next, I’ll time travel into how replayable Times is and whether a session runs longer than waiting for your toast to burn. Stay tuned!
How Many Times Can You Play Times? Replayability and Game Session Length
Alright, so here’s the million-dollar question: Will Times gather dust after a few sessions, or is it a box you’ll crack open time and time again? I’ve played Times with my usual gang (the people who actually read rulebooks first, bless them), and I can say with confidence that the replay value is… pretty decent! Every game, the random shuffle of events and timer-based chaos leads to different stories and disasters. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the time Mark tried to bluff his way through the “Meteor Panic” round and somehow we all lost simultaneously. Classic Mark moment.
But let’s be honest: Times is not the kind of game you’ll play eight times in one night. It’s not too heavy on story, and after a while, you’ll get familiar with the events. Luckily, the mix-and-match system means most sessions bring a new set of challenges. I’d say you’ll want to play Times maybe once or twice every game night, and it’ll stay fresh for a good while (especially if you’re like us and forget half the rules between games).
As for game session length, you’re looking at about 45 minutes per play, give or take a frantic debate or two about scoring. That means you can fit a round of Times in before dinner or as a mid-evening palate cleanser, which I really appreciate.
If you crave a light, replayable game, Times won’t disappoint—unless you’re allergic to timers! I recommend Times if your group loves fast, fun sessions and doesn’t mind a dash of chaos. Dust off that stopwatch and give it a whirl!
Conclusion
Well, that about wraps up my review of Times. This game brought a lot of laughs to my table, even if I lost more than I’d like to admit. The timer keeps everyone on their toes, and the event cards always seem to show up just when you think you have things under control—like that one cousin who arrives late and steals your snacks. Sure, the art isn’t fancy, and if you want deep strategy you might be left wanting, but it’s a very fun and replayable pick for lighter game nights. If you like a fast-paced, easy-to-learn challenge with some room for cheeky sabotage, Times is worth a try. Thanks for sticking around for the whole review—now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go practice my time management skills.
