TIL hosting game night with a timer beats playing slow any day

I always thought letting people take all the time they wanted was the friendly move. Then last month I ran a Settlers of Catan night with a 90 second turn timer and holy cow it was way better. People actually planned ahead instead of waiting until their turn to start thinking. We finished three games in one night instead of dragging one game out for 4 hours. The guy who usually takes forever complained for like 10 minutes then ended up winning twice. Has anyone else tried a timer with their regular group or is that too pushy for your table?

3 comments

3 Comments

joel_jones5d ago

Wait, do you not have any chill players at your table? I get why people like timers for speed, but half the fun for my group is the banter and side convos that happen during longer turns. If someone takes a bit to think, it just means they care about their move. Plus, not everyone can plan ahead that fast. Some folks just process slower and timers make them feel rushed and anxious. Feels like turning a fun night into a competitive race takes away the social hangout vibe.

taylor.reese5d ago

See, I actually prefer timers because they keep things moving and stop one person from killing the whole night.

tarabell5d ago

joel_jones you said "not everyone can plan ahead that fast" and that's a fair point, but I'm curious - when your group's slow player is taking forever, are they actually thinking about the game or are they just scrolling their phone and saying "hmm" every 30 seconds? Because with my group, the guy who complained the most about the timer was also the guy who'd spend his whole turn re-reading every card in his hand like he'd never seen them before. Like, you've played Catan for years, you know what a brick does, right?

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