What is our most precious resource? The resource that we can never get back and the resource we all consume massively, every moment of the day, without even knowing? Time. Time answers to no-one!
The lovely people at Asmodee recently sent me a quirky little, co-operative card game called Take Time. I had seen rumblings about it on various channels and had heard about online, so I was rather intrigued. Described as a mix of The Crew and The Mind, it certainly had my brain going. I adore the Crew, The Mind not so much but I am open to all things. Let’s play!
Take Time?
Take Time, as I said above, is a co-operative card game where players must place all of their cards, around a clock face while fulfilling certain requirements. I think this is where people get the above comparisons from; the mission structure is like The Crew, while getting rid of all of your cards, in ascending order, is akin to The Mind.
This game is much closer to The Crew in premise. Where The Mind only really had one set of rules, Take Time has you progress through various chapters, each of which has various clock-faces and as a team must work out how to successfully navigate each one.
The Setup
The setup in Take Time is nearly non-existent. It encourages multiple rounds and just makes you want to play again and again. After choosing your clock, you deal out the cards and that is about it.
Turns, Goals and Playing Cards
The Take Time deck is made up of cards numbered 1 – 12, in both day and night suits. Whether the cards are day or night is also visible from the rear, with day cards being white-backed and night cards being a dark blue-backed.
Your task, as a team, is to get rid of all the cards in your hands, by placing them one at a time and obeying the constraints of each clock face. The main constraint is that card totals, in each section of the clock must ascend in number. For example; if you hve 3 cards totalling 4 in the first section, then all cards in the second section must be higher than that or at the very least, equal to it.
That’s the basic rules though, each clock face has all sorts of tweaks and added objectives. Keeping sections below a certain number, playing cards in certain orders, certain suits, you know the drill. The fact you can play some cards face up and can discuss tactics before you see your cards make this lovely little co-op venture sing.
Face up Cards and Communication
According to player count, players may play a number of cards face up to the clock face. This helps other players massively, not only choosing where to place their cards but keeping track of the totals and possible fail-states.
Along with face up cards, players are also allowed to talk over the current clocks objectives but only before they have looked at their hands. This game is a limited communication shindig and it works really well in this manner. The groans and mumblings as you navigate each clock-face tell you that.
Deduction and Hidden Communication
As with all the best co-op games, and especially in deduction situations, playing with the same team generates a hidden language of sorts. Small things that players do and how you discuss your choices after the round builds a common set of rules within the group.
Things like, if a player plays a card straight away and quickly to the first section, it’s probably a 1, or if a section requires a total close to 8 and a player plays straight there, it’s probably an 8. That sort of thing. It’s how your group passes round information from the cards you play, that will garner how well you do and at times, it can be truly magic. The fact that the deck is 2 suits, clearly visible from the back also slightly helps with this.
A Campaign, of Sorts
Take Time has various envelopes containing many clock faces. As a team you want to work your way through, with faces getting more difficult and new mechanics being added. Nothing is too complicated though and the rules-load is always quite light.
There is also a ‘Sleeve of Regret’, where you can store faces that are causing you trouble, for completion at a later date. I never found a need for it, if we were ever beaten by a clock face, which happened often, we just re-dealt and went again. Another reason for the simple setup being such a bonus to the overall package.
Components
I can say straight off the bat, the graphic design, presentation and component quality of this box are all top notch. The cards are beautiful, the clock faces intricate and the whole presentation style screams decadence. Theres gold trim everywhere and the entire thing has a lovely colour palette, that fits the theme perfectly.
I cannot stress enough how much I love the art style and design, it’s just about perfect. Especially for a game that lacks any ‘real’ theme. In a game like this, theme is a secondary thing, it’s ll bout the gameplay but at least the components and presentation here sing.
Final Thoughts
I adore this game. It’s quick to teach, easy to play and has that thing I like in co-op games, a shared experience that requires some connected thought. The limited communication works well and the campaign-style setup benefits the short round time and quick set up. You will never ply just one round, you will go again and again.
Take Time takes all the things I love about The Crew and makes the game a little more mainstream. Trick Taking scares some people and Take Time fills that gap nicely, it’s like The Mind but a little more ‘gamey’. It’s great to sit around a table with friends, play some cards and try to get that group hidden communication going. When, as a group, you start to read each others mind, it’s so rewarding and a truly amazing experience.
Take Time is great and one of my surprise hits this year. Right, I am off to bend time to my will, well, I’ll try. See you next time.
