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Tabletop Spotlight: War Time

3 Minute Read
Oct 3 2017
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War Time is under the Tabletop Spotlight and this game is really about managing the clock!

Our friends at Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy brought over a really interesting new board game that uses a unique time-keeping mechanic. War Time uses hour-glasses as timers and it really won us over:

In War Time, each player takes control of their forces and battles to the death – or at least until the scenario ends. The game uses a hex board to determine movement and ranges and each unit has their own stats and abilities. If we’re honest, it’s probably something we’ve seen before – so what makes this game so cool and different? The clever use of the hour-glasses.

Every time you activate a unit, you have to assign an unused hour-glass to them. Each hour-glass isn’t really an hour; they are rated at 30 seconds up to a minute or more. (There are special timers that are set at 2 and 10 minutes but those are used for a different scenario.) If your unit is moving or attacking you have to give it a timer. That might not seem like a big deal – “I’ve got 30 seconds, that should be plenty of time…” until it isn’t! This Oh, and in a lot of scenarios, you don’t have a 1:1 ratio of units to timers… This use of the sand timers really adds a cool dimension to the game play!

Component wise, this is a Wizkids product so it’s pretty good materials. The tokens are sturdy and their stands are good plastic. This is a game you’ll be able to get lots of games out of. On top of that, there are scenarios for multiplayer games so bring a friend or two! Also, you don’t have to stay limited to the scenarios in the Battle Book, you can certainly construct your own! If you’re curious about War Time, you can check out the Rule Book HERE or just read the Quick Start Guide to get prepped for your first game. War Time is in stores now – so go check it out!

War Time

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Valyance and Firebrand have gone to war! Units clash in the skirmishes, but the fight is gritty: you have little time to think and plan as sand timers dictate the activation of your units.

When a unit moves, attacks, cast spells, or uses a special ability, a sand timer is flipped. The unit cannot be used again until the sand timer is drained and then that sand timer, or another sand timer, can be used to activate the unit again.

Manage your sand timers, as well as your unit actions, wisely. Sand timers come in different times – 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds. Scenarios use other timers in time-sensitive missions.

Scenario-based play, with branching missions depending on the outcome of the previous mission.

Configure your own units to fight in player designed missions or mix up the unit configurations when playing the game’s missions.

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30 seconds to do a move is plenty of time…until it’s not. Manage your timers wisely or you’ll be outta time!

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Author: Adam Harrison
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