Let me tell you about the time I made my friends question whether I finished school, all thanks to a board game. Yes, this is my review of Times! If you love history, timelines, or just want an excuse to laugh and bicker with your mates over random events, keep reading. I played this more times than I care to admit—so grab a snack, and let’s see if Times is worth a spot on your shelf (or if it deserves to be lost in the sands of, well… time).
How It Plays
Setting up
Shuffle the deck of event cards and deal each player a hand. Place one card face up in the middle to start your timeline. Everyone grabs a drink because this is going to get wild. Or at least mildly educational.
Gameplay
On your turn, look at your card and try to guess where it fits on the timeline. Should Alexander Graham Bell call in before or after the invention of sliced bread? Place your card where you think it belongs. Flip it to check! If you get it right, the card stays. If you mess up, your card goes to the discard pile and you draw a new one. Pray your friends do not roast you for mixing up the moon landing and the first pizza delivery.
Winning the game
The first player to play all their cards correctly wins. You get eternal bragging rights as the most clever time traveler at the table. Or, you know, until the next round.
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Times.
How to Play ‘Times’: A Look at Gameplay Mechanics and Turn Flow
The first time I set up ‘Times’ on my kitchen table, I had to double-check the rulebook. Don’t get me wrong, the rules are easy, but there are a few sneaky tricks in the turn flow that caught me off guard—like my cousin Dennis at family game night, always finding a loophole. Every round, players take turns placing their timeline cards, each trying to slot them into the correct order. “Do you think the invention of pizza came before the first haircut?” is now a real question you’ll ask, and you’ll argue it, too.
Turns move quick. You only get a moment to look at your card, squint, and slap it down where you think it fits chronologically. No time for a Google search here. When everyone’s placed their cards, the tension peaks as you check if the sequence is right. One wrong guess, and you lose your card. That’s harsher than forgetting your own birthday, but fair—unless you’re me, who once put the moon landing before the lightbulb. Don’t judge.
The game keeps a solid pace. No one gets left waiting for ages, unlike in some games where you could cook dinner between turns. Every player is always thinking and engaged. The times when I sat back, hoping someone else would mess up, were rare. You want to win, but you’re also dying to see if your friends know when the potato was discovered.
Next, let’s talk about player interaction—because the side-eyeing and wild guesses get even more fun.
How Much Do You Mess With Your Friends in Times? Player Interaction Unpacked
If you’re like me, you love games that get people talking, plotting, and maybe side-eyeing each other just a little. So, does Times deliver the goods when it comes to player interaction? Or does it leave you quietly stacking timeline cards while you snack on pretzels? Let’s break it down.
First, Times isn’t your classic take-that brawl fest, and you won’t be flipping tables when someone blocks your move. Still, there’s more player banter here than in most trivia games. You’ll find yourself carefully placing your event cards on the timeline and—this is the fun part—watching your friends squirm as they second-guess their own placements. It’s not direct sabotage, but it is great for table talk. I once spent an entire round pretending to be confident about the date of the potato famine. (Spoiler: I had no idea, and neither did anyone else.)
Bluffing can also worm its way in. You can act like you’re a history professor and watch everyone else sweat before making their move in Times. Sometimes, this works out and you steal the point. Other times, you just look like a loud fool who confused 1789 with 1989. Either way, you’re involved with what everyone does. The game rewards paying attention to your opponents—not just your own cards.
If your group likes to discuss, guess, and even argue a bit (all in good fun), Times keeps everyone on their toes. Next, we’ll look at whether Times is more Mona Lisa or finger painting—yep, it’s time to talk Theme and Presentation Quality!
Theme and Presentation Quality: How Good Does ‘Times’ Look and Feel?
You know, every now and then a board game shows up looking like it just left a job interview at a fancy museum. ‘Times’ is one of those games. Right out of the box, it’s got a certain style: clean lines, bright colors, and a timeline that would make even a history buff shed a proud little tear (or maybe that was just my friend Kyle who can’t handle the Renaissance period). The cards are super sturdy, which is handy because I once spilled a soda over half the deck. They survived, but my dignity did not.
The artwork on the cards in ‘Times’ is simple but really effective. Each card has a clear event or thing, and you won’t be squinting at tiny text or ugly sketches. Even the box is easy on the eyes – no weird faces staring at you from your shelf (looking at you, Monopoly man). Honestly, it sets the mood for an evening of competitive chronology. The rules, and the game board, both have a logical, no-nonsense layout. It makes setup so quick, you’ll spend more time arguing about which snacks to eat than shuffling to get started.
If you like good looking games that don’t look like your grandpa’s tax forms, then ‘Times’ gets two thumbs up. And if you’re still wondering how long this game will stay fun—or if the balance holds up over a dozen plays—well, get ready, because next, we’re rolling right into the replay value and balance section!
Replay Value and Game Balance in ‘Times’
I’ve played a lot of games that feel stale after just a few tries. You know the type: once you’ve seen one trick, you’ve seen them all. But with Times, my group kept asking for “just one more round.” Why? Simple. The game mixes up the historical events every time, so you’re never stuck placing the Moon Landing in the same spot. I still mess up the order of inventions after three plays, which might say more about my memory than the game, honestly. Each round is a fresh challenge.
Let’s talk balance. I get salty if a game lets luck crush skill. In Times, sure, there’s a tiny bit of randomness when you draw your events. But after that, it’s all about your wits. Everyone at the table has the same chance. No one can rely on a lucky dice roll to win. If you’re the trivia buff in the group, you’ll probably win more, but even my cousin—who thought Julius Caesar was a salad—won once because she took risks and made clever guesses. That’s balance done right!
The only real gripe is it can feel a hair unfair if someone knows more history than you do. But honestly, you still have a chance if you play smart and watch others’ guesses like a hawk. So is Times worth your hard-earned cash? Absolutely. If you like quick, clever games with endless replay, give it a go. Unless you hate learning random facts, then I can’t help you.
Conclusion
Well, that wraps up my review of Times! This game gave me a blast, and even taught me a thing or two (did you know ice cream cones were invented before shopping carts?). With easy rules, fast play, and a mix of skill and fun, Times is a great pick for history buffs and trivia fans alike. The game never felt unfair or too lucky, and my friends and I actually wanted to play again—now that’s saying something! The art’s snazzy, the cards hold up to snacky fingers, and if you enjoy friendly debate and the occasional ‘are you sure about that?’ you’ll fit right in. Times might not be perfect, but for me, it totally earns a spot on the shelf. Thanks for joining me, and keep rolling those dice (or in this case, placing those years)!
