This past week we finished playing T.I.M.E Stories in class. For me, this week was not nearly as exciting or enjoyable. Towards the end of the playthrough, it felt annoying that my group simply missed the one or two items that we needed to get to complete the puzzle on our 2nd and 3rd loops. I’m sure this factor was only made worse by way of us having a limited amount of playtime. But on the other hand, I’m fairly certain that the aimless feeling that I had would have still been present with a longer playtime.
I think taking notes on literally everything would’ve helped, but to me that would not have made the game more enjoyable. It probably would’ve helped us figure out the puzzle sooner, since we would’ve known implicitly what locations/items we were missing. That being said, I do think this is a well designed game, but it’s just not for me. I like low barriers to entry on games that I play, and longer games are less enjoyable for me.
Once again, this game provides a great avenue for leadership by way of directly influencing the flow of the game as the Time Captain. Someone could just be the person to put the location cards in the right place, but there are opportunities to take the reins and help guide your group to a successful playthrough with minimum loops.