Alright, folks, gather ’round, because you’re about to read my review of the board game Times. I spent several evenings wrangling my friends away from their screens (no easy task, by the way) to see just how good this game really is. If you want a clear, no-nonsense review—plus the occasional rant about unfair cards or wildly lucky guesses—you’re in the right place. So, let’s see if Times is worth a spot on your shelf or if it’s doomed for the closet of forgotten games.
How It Plays
Setting up
Open the box and spread the timeline cards out on the table. Each player grabs four cards. Make sure you hide the event years from your sneaky friends! Pick a starting card and slap it down in the middle to get your timeline rolling.
Gameplay
On your turn, pick one of your cards and guess where it goes on the timeline. Think hard, or just guess wildly if you’re me. Place it where you think it fits and then – the tense bit – flip it over to check the date. If you nailed it, it stays. If you flopped, toss it and draw a new card. Be ready for heated debates about when potatoes came to Europe. Repeat around the table, with everyone groaning and cheering in equal measure.
Winning the Game
The first player to get rid of all their cards, wins! That’s it – no bonus points for accurate potato knowledge. If you go last, you have to listen to everyone else gloat. Simple, fast, and lots of laughs!
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Times.
Game Mechanics and Fairness in ‘Times’
Everyone in my group knows I get cranky when a game hands out wins due to pure luck. That’s why I always keep my evil eye out for unfair mechanics. So, when we played ‘Times’, my expectations weren’t high. But let me set the story straight: I was pleasantly surprised.
The game’s core mechanic is about racing against the clock while stacking sequences of years and events in the right order. Trust me, it’s trickier than you’d guess. Someone in our group (looking at you, Chris) kept mixing up the invention of the sandwich with the moon landing, and the rest of us lost it every time. These laugh-out-loud moments are great, but would the game trip on its own stopwatch?
Luckily, ‘Times’ keeps things mostly fair. Each player gets the same number of turns, and the difficulty ramps up evenly for everyone. Sure, there are the occasional lucky guesses. My friend Jen once blindly tossed Genghis Khan’s reign onto the timeline and nailed it. But, for the most part, knowledge and memory actually count for something—which is rare for party games these days.
There are a few minor grumbles. Sometimes cards feel a bit lopsided in difficulty. I got asked when the internet went public, while Dan got, “When were apples discovered?” Spoiler: No one knows. But overall, the balance is better than most trivia-based games, and bad luck doesn’t ruin the night.
Up next, we’re talking replayability and how ‘Times’ keeps the fun (and groans) rolling long after your brain runs out of historical dates. Get ready for some deja-vu!
Replayability and Player Engagement in Times
I have a confession: I have played Times so much that my friends now greet me with a suspicious, “Not Times again, Jamie?” But, every time I bring it out, I see a little spark in their eyes—because this game has replayability nailed.
Each session feels fresh because the questions and events come in a random order, and there’s always at least one person who completely forgets when the Printing Press was invented (looking at you, Mike). Since nobody knows everything, it keeps all players involved, guessing, and sometimes making wild, bold claims like, “Of course, pizza came before sliced bread!”
My group ranges from history buffs to folks who just want to have a laugh, and Times somehow grabs us all. You can play with two people or five, and it never drags since everyone gets their turn and can chime in on almost every card. There’s not much waiting around, unless you count someone taking three minutes to decide if the Toothbrush was invented before or after the Steam Engine. (Note: Disputes over toothbrush dates can get heated!)
With so many event cards and timeline twists, we never feel like we’ve “solved” the game, which is a relief. Other trivia games wear out their welcome, but Times keeps us coming back, eager for just one more round to correct last game’s embarrassing mistakes.
I’ll be honest—if you want a game that everyone will actually stay engaged with (and mock each other’s historical guesses), this is it. Now, speaking of things you can see and touch, the next section will tackle what it’s like to actually hold Times in your hands, artwork, and all!
Quality You Can Feel: The World of Times
When I opened the box for Times, I was ready for the usual flurry of baggies and those thin, sad cards you find in some games. Instead, Times surprised me in a good way. The cards have a sturdy feel, a bit like my grandma’s old recipe cards that have survived both a minor kitchen fire and a gravy explosion.
The artwork? Well, it’s got personality. Each era in Times has its own visual style, and the artists clearly had fun sneaking in little details. I spotted a monocle-wearing duck on one timeline card, which made me laugh and almost lose track of the whole game. The color scheme isn’t too loud, so I didn’t feel like I was trapped in an 80’s music video (I’ve been there, don’t ask).
One thing I appreciated a lot was the clear font choices. You know those games with wild, squiggly writing that make you hold cards up to the light like an old detective? Times said “No, thanks” to that nonsense. Everything here is easy to read, and the box itself fits all the components with room for an occasional snack wrapper (just being honest here).
Times doesn’t go overboard with pointless extras, but it looks and feels solid—like a good cup of coffee or a handshake from a trustworthy plumber. If you like games that don’t fall apart after one rowdy night, you won’t be disappointed here.
Next up: We’ll see if learning Times has the complexity of assembling IKEA furniture or the smoothness of buttering toast!
How Hard is it to Learn ‘Times’? Unwrapping the Rules
There’s nothing worse than opening a new board game, then getting buried under a rulebook thicker than a pizza menu. Thankfully, with Times, you won’t need a law degree to get started. The rules fit on a few easy pages and use clear language. My group managed to learn the basics in ten minutes. (That’s a new record for Dave. He once got lost in a game that took us three hours to set up!)
I love that Times explains the card symbols right on the cards. You don’t have to keep flipping back and forth through the rules to remember what’s what. The only hiccup we had was when we disagreed if dinosaurs counted as ‘historic events’. Turns out, that answer is in the FAQ at the back. So, if you ever get stuck, check there first. The game comes with a quick reference, which surprised me by actually being helpful (unlike those tiny folded sheets that are really just origami practice).
If I had to nitpick, I’d say some rare scenarios might need a house rule or quick vote, but nothing that ruins the flow. Basically, if you can read a cereal box, you can tackle Times.
At the end of the last game, our new player said, “That was way easier to pick up than Monopoly.” High praise from someone who still can’t figure out hotels. I’d recommend Times for anyone looking for a smooth, fun game night. It’s a definite yes from me!
Conclusion
So, that’s a wrap for my wild ride with Times. We laughed, we argued over dates (blame Steve’s terrible memory), and we actually learned a thing or two. The game’s simple rules got us started fast, and the card quality held up through many heated rounds—except for that one card that now smells like pizza. There’s a bit of uneven card difficulty, but mostly it’s your brain, not luck, that wins the day. If you want a fun, fair game that mixes learning with a bit of friendly chaos, Times delivers the goods. Unless you hate history or your friends are all just guessing, grab this one!
That’s all from me for this review—now, who remembers when the microwave was invented?
