The game is definitely best played with at least three, or preferably four players. My group had an absolute blast with the Asylum scenario included with the base game, which we completed on our third 'run'. With the right crowd, it makes for a superbly immersive and thoroughly captivating experience, quite unlike any other game I've ever played. I think this review on BGG aptly reflects my thoughts on the game sans spoilers:
There's validity in the memorization aspect should your group choose to play without taking any notes at all (particularly if you're only able to play a single 'run' at a time), but given that note-taking was specifically encouraged by the developers of the game, that's not how we chose to play. Under our house rules, notes could not be copied or directly dictated from any cards in the game, and instead originated only from what players were able to recall and paraphrase about what their character encountered during play (so our notes were mostly just items needed or received at particular locations). We also permitted only one player to keep notes, to thematically represent the notion that within the game world it would be difficult for characters to take and swap notes back and forth, though someone at the Base would always be watching and keeping track of progress to allow for the reviewing of crucial info, mistakes, and so forth.BoardGameGeek.com wrote:I want you to buy T.I.M.E Stories. Not because Space Cowboys gives me money to come and make posts (they don't), or I sell used copies on an Etsy store (I don't), but because it was awesome. I say "awesome" all the time. That taco was awesome! That show was awesome! Oh, you found a dollar bill lying in the street? Awesome! But T.I.M.E Stories was a different kind of awesome. It was awesome like that cute girl/guy in school smiling back at you. It was awesome like your favorite movie, when that one guy does that one thing, so good, right? But especially this - if you asked me how T.I.M.E Stories was, which is, I assume, why you are reading this post, I'd simply utter "awesome!"
But wait, how does it play?
This game plays like some kind of social puzzle solving mystery theater, except you're a freaking time traveler. This game plays so smoothly, you'll forget you're playing a game, and wonder why it took you so long to buy it, and why you were so afraid of fun.
But mechanics wise, here's what you need to know. T.I.M.E Stories is really a system. And the idea behind the system is that you and your friends (the awesome ones, you don't want to waste this game on the not-so-awesome ones) are looping through time to solve mysteries and puzzles, to prevent a temporal rift from forming. You do this by moving through a sort of point-and-click, choose your own adventure style deck of cards, revealing locations, meeting people, and performing actions. Except that if choose your own adventures were this cool, and you got to share all the excitement with your friends, none of us would be playing board games - we'd be reading these awesome choose your own adventures.
Everything you do in this game costs you time, and if you run out of time, you have to start over, but armed with all the knowledge you gained from your previous run. Now you get to do it again - trying new locations, talking to different people, and basically getting your crap together so that you can eventually win.
Why did I think it was so fun?
T.I.M.E Stories was barely a game, when you think of games in the "we're going to play something ostensibly competitive by moving some bits of wood around a board, and maybe chuck some dice or shuffle some cards." Now, there are definitely bits of wood, and dice, and cards - but none of these things are the point of the game. They are simply the tools by which you will be engaging in a super fun activity. They're like the glasses on cocktail night. You won't even notice them for what they are.
The real point of T.I.M.E Stories is the experience. This can't be overstated. It's like seeing an amazing movie for the first time. You can never get that back. So if you think that this might be "your thing" but are scared about re-playability, the cost, etc., consider what you are really trying to buy, and what I suggest you will be buying: a one of a kind social experience masquerading as a board game.
You're going to laugh with your friends. You're going to squint, and ponder, and get confused. Light bulbs will go off. You'll get tricked and surprised. But I think, ultimately, you'll be satisfied because you got what you came for - an interesting, unique, and ultimately fun time. I'd pay $40 a week if I could recreate that experience.
An attempt at objectivity
Now, this game might not be for everyone. I would be careful about who you invite. But if, IF this game is for you, I think you know it already. Do you like stories? And mystery? Do you like great art, and immersion? Do you really get into the story aspects of other games you love? Then you already know this game is for you, and you should pull the trigger. Round up your buddies who are similar, and you are very likely, in my opinion, to have a great time. One of the best times. This game wants to deliver one thing to you, and that is an experience. It's not even trying to deliver a great "game." That's not what this is.
But I can see that it might not be for everyone. If your favorite gaming moments are optimization of resources, figuring out what makes your favorite euro so daunting and heavy, crunching numbers, and then crunching them again. If story, and art are not what impress you about a game. You want the best of mechanics. You want perfected systems. If your best gaming moments aren't coming from social interactions like I mentioned above, then you should be wary. This might not be your favorite. You do need to invest in T.I.M.E Stories. You need to be willing to be a part of something that might not feel like a game at all times. This is definitely less chess, and more tarot card reading.
Further comments about the system
When I say, above, that the game is smooth, I don't necessarily mean the system - though I wouldn't say it was rough by any stretch. I just mean that the rules seemed less important than the moment. This isn't a game where strict adherence is absolutely necessary. We misapplied combat damage. We misused Temporal Units. Our biggest rules questions impacted the experience, not the board state (Can we take notes? Can we show our cards to others? Should we do either??).
Also, we were taught the game, as opposed to learning it ourselves - so mileage may vary as far as the fiddlyness of the rules are concerned. I can't comment about the rule book, but as a general rule (ha!), I try not to read too many of them anyway. Watch a video, or find someone who can explain it to you. It seemed so intuitive once we learned.
Aesthetics
This game is gorgeous. The over-sized cards. The wooden pieces. The tokens. All of it is so well done. But really - the character cards and panorama location displays were stunning. They do so much to help the ambiance and immersion. One of the reasons we didn't allow you to share cards, in my opinion, was to save that moment for yourself, or a pair of you. Your friends got something too. I knew I wouldn't get to see everything, but again it was all part of the - you know it's coming - experience.
Gripes
The insert is terrible. Well, the production quality of the insert is terrible. I think Space Cowboys was trying to see how flimsy they could make it, while seeing if it could still "technically" hold the components. It would have been quite nice if it was made of better plastic. This was disappointing when everything else was so nicely done.
I'm not sure some of the battles are entirely balanced. I feel like, while I had a fantastic time for 4 hours, if we hadn't been as careful about battling, I might have had a less than amazing time for 6 hours. On the other hand, the game certainly rewarded paying attention, and careful play.
I could see groups having trouble if they aren't that great at solving puzzles, or if they have bad memories (like I do, but thankfully I wasn't the guy who had to remember stuff). There is definitely some tricky stuff to figure out, and if you are bad at Memory then bring along someone who won't forget as much.
Conclusion
Really, I wrote this review for people who think they will like this game, but are still sitting on the fence. If this review spoke to you, then I want to tell you that you're going to have a good time. There are people who, if they're anything like me, have analysis paralysis with buying something new, but deep down know that they want an experience like what T.I.M.E Stories purports to offer, who might be sitting still on this one. But it was well worth it. It's worth never playing again. I'm glad that they made it this way - no sacrifice for replayability. No under-cooked randomized adventures. It was great, through-and-through.
Really though, amazing.
Anyway, my group just started the second expansion/scenario, The Marcy Case, which seems to be a whole lot more action-oriented than the more puzzle-heavy Asylum scenario included with the base game, which absolutely helps make it feel like a whole new game.
I only hope the publisher is able to continue adding additional expansions/scenarios in a timely manner, as they're the undeniable lifeblood of a gaming system such as this. But colour me thoroughly impressed by what I've seen thus far; just on pure entertainment value, this is a unique system that makes for a truly outstanding collaborative gaming experience.