My game group switched to a 90 second timer for moves. It broke us in interesting ways.

We usually play heavier euro games where people take 5 minutes per turn. Last month someone suggested trying 90 seconds per action just to speed things up. First game was a disaster. People made terrible choices and we all got frustrated. But after three sessions something weird happened. We started planning our turns during other people's turns instead of zoning out. Our win rates flattened out too. The guy who always won by 40 points now only wins by 10. Has anyone else tried time limits and stuck with them long enough to see a change in how your group plays?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.jesse5d ago

i mean that's kind of how life works too though right? like when you put a time limit on something suddenly you stop overthinking and just do it. i notice it with cooking actually, if i give myself a whole hour to make dinner i'll overcomplicate it and it takes forever. but if i tell myself i have 20 minutes i just throw stuff together and it's usually fine. same thing with like cleaning or even just deciding what to watch on tv. maybe it's just me but having less time seems to force your brain to actually focus instead of wandering off.

the_morgan5d ago

Wait you actually saw improvement after sticking with it? I was the same way. Hated the idea at first. Thought it would just make everything sloppy and random. But I tried it with my group for Terraforming Mars. Total mess the first two games. By week three we all started reading the board during other people's turns. Planning two moves ahead. The guy who always crushed us actually had to think for once.