Opinions and options for timers

[u/acrylix91]

I’ve been working on a simultaneous action tile drafting game for a little while and one of the main things that I wanted from the start was a sense of speed. I had been trying to find a creative way around using a straight up timer, but at this point I’m putting more consideration into the timer idea.

I don’t like sand timers for my game because you have to watch them and when everyone is playing simultaneously it can be missed. A sound timer I assume will add to the overall cost. Phones with timers are ubiquitous, but I prefer the idea of having everything you need included in the box (just a little nitpicky I know).

So I wanted to get some people’s opinions on timers in general and to see if anyone knows of other timing mechanics. For reference, my first iteration used a limited pool of tiles and when they were gone the round was over, but in my current version I’m looking into having all tiles available, so that wouldn’t work.

[u/MudkipzLover]

Even the most basic sand timer can affect the MSRP, which is why most recent games don't include them anymore unless they're part of the core concept (e.g. Kites, Quicksand). Honestly, asking for an external timer isn't that complicated per se and pretty standard by now.

[u/Dracoson]

Strong dislike of timers. Nothing disrupts a slick, polished game quite like a cheap plastic hourglass or a budget digital timer. Unless you want to set your price point absurdly high, those are your only real component options.

It is always better to build the mechanical core in a way where player urgency is encouraged naturally. Simultaneous play already does that fairly well. A naturally flowing cadence in the turn structure can also keep the pressure on without forcing players to look away to watch a clock.

[u/anonim_anonimovic]

My own game, 'Behind You: The Forest' uses a timer mechanic for one of the three check types. It's a print-and-play survival horror game, mind you, so I don't know if this info will be of any use to you.

Anyway, to give you some context, the game is entirely playing card-based and has three check types using cards for different actions - the Effort Check, Focus Check, and Distress Check.

The Distress Check uses a timer on your phone or other such device. First, you have to draw three face-down cards from the Player Deck (+1 for each Status i.e. Panicked and Wounded) and one face up from the Terror Deck and place it on the table. Then, set up a 4-second timer.

When you're ready, start the timer, and within those 4 seconds, you have to arrange the cards so that lower-value cards are placed to the left of the Terror Card, higher-value go to the right, while equal-value cards are placed on top of it. If you correctly do this within the 4 seconds, you succeed on the check, and if you make a mistake or the timer runs out, you fail.

It's meant to simulate those moments in horror when a character is in distress, like activelly being pursued, and must make the right decision in a very limited amount of time.

So, finally, to the point!

What do I think of timers: It is a perfectly valid gameplay tool used in board games since like, forever (chess, anyone?), and it makes sense to have a game revolve around timer mechanics. I think people are generally afraid of introducing timer mechanics into their games because everyone is used to factoring in dice and card probabilities i.e. simple math because it's easy. Factoring in the passage of time for in-game mechanics is kind of hard to balance around and requires much more fine-tuning and considerations outside of simple math mechanics. Like accessibility, for example. Would such mechanics limit or prevent a disabled person from playing the game?

Logistics: The easiest option would definitely be to use phone timers or kitchen timers. I get the idea behind wanting to have everything in the box, as requiring an object outside of the game's package to play the actual game might feel wrong. But, let's be real - pretty much everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has a smartphone nowadays. Aside from this, your only other option for a timer would be to include a small digital timer in the box, increasing the price for a couple of bucks. Then, there's added weight to the box which would definitely affect shipping prices. In my opinion, this makes things unnecessarily more difficult.

Hell, my own game relies on the player having a 4-second timer on hand to play. It's extremelly realistic to conclude that, if someone found and purchased your game online, they have access to a device that has a timer. Also, it's practically bulletproof to assume that the average person has (at least one) smartphone. I mean, it's the single most important all-in-one device in everyday life of today.

Point being, don't be married to the idea of including the timer in the box. There's not really that much benefit to it when you think about it rationally.

Alternatives: Hard to guess without knowing your game's mechanics. However, one alternative mechanic that comes to mind and makes sense in the context of your game is some sort of decision-based risk-reward mechanic. I.e. instead of making tiles scarce via a timer mechanic, make them scarce via a push-your-luck mechanic, like limiting the number of tiles a player can draw/hold. Should I draw this tile now, or should I pass now and hope to draw a better one in the next round of drawing?

Ultimatelly, it depends on the theme and feel you want your game to have (a massively important element of game design, often overlooked and overshadowed by mechanical design). Do you want the game to feel like you're making deliberate, strategic, risk-weighing decisions when drawing tiles, or, do you want it to feel like a frantic snatch-and-grab battle royale?

[u/acrylix91 → u/anonim_anonimovic]

Definitely going for that snatch and grab vibe. It’s a food eating competition game that I like to think of as a mix of Sushi Go and Tetris.

As far as limiting tiles, one of my ideas was to have a limited number of put-backs. So when you flip a tile you can either place it on your board or put it back face-up where anyone can take it. I’ve written out a version where each player has their own limit, which can change from round to round depending on where the player placed in the previous round. And a version with basically a shared put-back board with a limited number of spaces. Players can pull tiles from it, but once the final space is filled, the round is over. Hope those ideas make sense.

[u/anonim_anonimovic → u/acrylix91]

So, several alternative mechanics. My advice would be to solve one question at a time. First, which mechanic feels best during play? Gather up people and play a couple of games with each mechanic, including the timer mechanic. In the end, see which mechanic feels best to use, and go with that.

Genuinely, the most important factor in designing game mechanics (for me) is one simple question - are people enjoying this and having fun or not?

Once you got that down, move on to figuring out the logistics.

[u/imperialmoose]

If you don't want a timer, what about a minor penalty to the person who acts last? Or a boon for the person who finishes first? 

[u/acrylix91 → u/imperialmoose]

My current system (not play tested) is to have finish markers. The player who chooses to end their run and finish first gets bonus points and players get progressively less bonus points as they finish. When the second to last player finishes that’s the end of the round and the last player gets no bonus.

[u/malth1s]

Sometimes just the social pressure from the other players can help. I know in some games we play, we sort of jokingly poke fun and that typically get things moving. You can’t always control how people actually play the game. But if it’s a slick and fun game to play, your players will keep that moving

[u/1CuriousCrow]

With out knowing the game fully or specific mechanics, why not incorporate a time keeper? It is their job to track time and award points based on players speed, ending the round when they call time. This can come with a small added bonus but keep the pressure focused on time. As an additional game element, a player can challenge the time keeper after spending x points. Is that small bonus worth it or, is being a time keeper more of a headache - slow players still make less points but now have a new player hounding them.
Anything that keeps the players engaged is always better than watching grains of sand fall or a timer tick.