Times
Times Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 large game board
- 126 cards with over 750 events
- 30 TIMES cards
- 9 TIMES markers
- 5 game figures
- 1 rulebook
Before the first game, carefully break the nine TIMES markers out of their holder.
Object of the Game
Basically, the aim is to play out your TIMES cards as quickly as possible. The first player who can play out all of their cards — except one — wins a round. The first player who reaches the top step of the scoring track after several rounds wins the game.
The Game Board
The TIMES game board is divided into two areas: the Time Table and the Scoring Track.
Setup
Each player chooses a game figure and places it on the starting space of the scoring track (yellow border).
The 9 TIMES markers are sorted by colour and set aside. The 30 TIMES cards are thoroughly shuffled, and each player is dealt six cards face down. Surplus cards are set aside.
The event cards are shuffled and handed to a fellow player, who places the stack in front of themselves. Once the first event has been read aloud, the game can begin.
The Scoring Track
The scoring track shows the current state of the game at all times. Depending on success in each round, players' figures are moved forward. The first player to reach the space with the red border wins the game.
The Time Table
The actual game takes place on the Time Table. Using the TIMES markers and TIMES cards, the players must determine the event that is currently in question.
The Time Table consists of three columns. The pink column shows the century with the TIMES markers, the blue column shows the decade, and the yellow column shows the individual year.
The example on the right shows the year 1342.
[Illustration captions: "Vorderseite" (front) and "Rückseite" (back) of an event card.]
The Event Cards
Each side of the event cards carries three events in German, each numbered individually. On the reverse, beneath the corresponding number, is the correct year.
The events date from the years 1000 to 1999 — so also from the coming years up to 1999! Events were chosen deliberately that can be placed fairly precisely in time. Other events, on the other hand, are such that hardly anyone will come close to guessing the correct year. The decisive element of the game, however, is the TIMES cards. Getting rid of these cards does not necessarily require historical knowledge.
In our example, the year for event 2 is on the reverse, in the right column, beneath 2: 1692.
The TIMES Markers
With the help of the TIMES markers, every year from 1000 to 1999 can be shown on the Time Table. For each column there are three markers in matching colours. Depending on their size, the TIMES markers cover 5, 3 or 1 spaces.
A large TIMES marker (A) covers a period of 5 spaces. In our example, these are the years 1400 to 1899.
A medium TIMES marker (B) covers a period of 3 spaces. In the example, the years 7 to 9.
A small TIMES marker (C) always covers exactly one space. In our example, the years 80 to 89.
During play, the three markers of a column are often placed on top of one another. Each marker then applies to its own period.
In the example, the large marker covers the period 1400 to 1899, the medium marker shows the range 1400 to 1699, and the small marker stands for the period 1500 to 1599.
Note! It is never possible to place a TIMES marker beyond the end or the beginning of a column. For example, the 5-marker must be placed on 50 to 90 and can never apply to 70 to 10.
The TIMES Cards
Each TIMES card stands for one of the nine TIMES markers and therefore also for a period in the corresponding column.
For each event, each player plays one card. A player who has placed a correct period may put the card on the discard pile at the end of a round. If a player has placed an incorrect period, they must take the card back into their hand.
Course of Play
1. Read out the event. A historical event is read aloud.
2. Play TIMES cards. Each player now chooses a TIMES card from their hand and places it face down in front of them on the table. All players then reveal their cards at the same time.
If exactly identical cards are among them (colour and number match), these cancel each other out, and the players must take them back into their hand. These players are no longer involved in the current event and can only try to play a card again at the next event.
Special situations when playing cards:
- If all the cards played cancel each other out, all players take their cards back and play again. The event remains unchanged. If the cards of all players cancel each other out three times in a row, the round is aborted and new TIMES cards are dealt. The event remains unchanged.
- If only one player's card remains, because all other cards cancel each other out, that player places their card on the discard pile, and all players play a card again with the event unchanged.
3. Determine the order. The cards follow this order:
Pink 5 (five centuries), Pink 3, Pink 1, Blue 5 (five decades), Blue 3, Blue 1, Yellow 5 (five years), Yellow 3, Yellow 1.
In principle, play begins with the cards that show the pink markers for centuries. The player who can cover the largest period begins. If no pink cards are present, the player who can cover the largest period in the second column begins. If neither pink nor blue cards were played, the player who can cover the largest period in the year column begins.
4. Place TIMES markers or doubt. The player whose turn it is takes the TIMES marker shown on their played card, selects a corresponding period in the matching column of the Time Table, and places the marker to the left of the year numbers.
Example: The predecessor has placed a pink 5-marker in the century column. The next player now wants to lay a yellow 3-marker for the year column. Since at this moment neither the exact century nor the exact decade has been laid, the player must place one pink 1-marker and one blue 1-marker. Only then may they place their yellow 3-marker.
Refining (Präzisieren)
If a player accepts the TIMES marker placed by their predecessor, they must refine the period in any case. There are two possible situations:
- The player has played the card that directly follows the TIMES card of their predecessor. The player then refines the period by taking the marker matching their card and placing it within the Time Table. If this is the same column, they place their marker on top of the predecessor's. Markers already lying are never moved. A refinement can always only take place within the period that was already set by the predecessor.
- The player has played a card that does not directly follow the TIMES card of the predecessor and belongs to another column. The player is then forced to place an additional 1-marker in order to fix the exact century (or decade) in the predecessor's column. Only then may they place their own marker in their column. In rare cases a player must even place two additional 1-markers, in order to fix both the exact century and the exact decade.
A refinement is always made only within the period of the predecessor and depending on one's own card. If a player does not agree with the period of the predecessor, they must doubt it. If the predecessor has already doubted, and one does not want to join that doubt, one refines the period of the player who placed the last marker.
It can happen that the highest card played applies to the year column. Then the player with the highest card must determine both the century and the decade exactly. A pass by the player with the highest card is never possible.
Example of a round:
Einstein has covered the period 1000 to 1499 with the pink 5-marker. Now it is Madame Curie's turn. She has played the card with the blue 1-marker. Before she can place her blue marker, she must refine Einstein's period by placing an additional marker. For the century column she must place the pink 1-marker, since the exact century must be shown in the column. She sets the pink 1 on 1300 and thereby covers the period 1300 to 1399. Only now can she place her blue 1-marker, and she sets it for the period 30 to 39. The period 1330 to 1339 now applies.
Gauß, who is also playing, places no marker, because he "doubts". What this means is explained later.
Next player is Adam Riese. He has played a yellow 1 and accepts Madame Curie's period. However, he does not need to refine Madame Curie's period any further, since she has already placed a 1-marker. So Adam Riese simply places his yellow 1-marker on 7. With this, the year 1337 has been "set" on the Time Table.
Doubting
Doubt can only be directed at the specifications of your direct predecessor. The predecessor is not determined by seating order at the table, but by the order given by the cards played.
The specification of the predecessor can be either a period of five spaces or a single space on the Time Table. For doubting this makes no difference, since the entire period of the predecessor is always declared false.
A player who doubts turns their TIMES card face down and passes the turn to the next player in the order.
If the direct predecessor has already doubted, one may simply join that doubt.
5. Evaluation
After all players have had their turn, the card for the event is turned over and the correct year is read aloud. All players whose placement of TIMES markers was correct may put their card on the discard pile. The other players must take their cards back into their hand.
Players who have correctly doubted a predecessor's period also place their played cards on the discard pile.
If several players have doubted a period that proves to be correct, the last doubter receives the card. If a player doubts a period wrongly, the doubter receives the card of the player they doubted. The card is therefore not placed on the discard pile, but handed over to the doubter.
When all played cards have been placed on the discard pile or handed to the doubter, a new event is read from another event card. All placed TIMES markers are returned next to the Time Table.
Example: The event took place in the year 1299. Einstein has covered the period 1000 to 1499 with his pink 5-marker. He is thus correct and may place his card on the discard pile. Madame Curie has placed her blue 1-marker in the period 1300 to 1399. Since she placed it incorrectly, she must take her TIMES card back into her hand.
Gauß doubted Madame Curie's period. His move was therefore correct, and he may place his card on the discard pile. Adam Riese did not join Gauß's doubt and set the year 1337 with his yellow 1-marker. He has therefore also placed incorrectly and must take his card back.
End of a Round
When a player has only one card left, the round ends. That player advances three spaces on the scoring track. The player with the most cards in hand advances only one space. All other players move their figure forward two spaces.
If several players have only one card left in hand, they all advance three spaces. If several players have the most cards, all of these players advance only one space.
If no player has yet reached the target space, another round begins. Each player is again dealt six cards, and a new event is read aloud.
End of the Game
The first player to reach the target space wins the game. If several players reach the target space in the same round, there are several winners.