Board Game Timer

Most board games do not need a clock, until one player takes four minutes over every turn. A turn timer removes the awkwardness: the limit is the same for everyone, the timer is neutral, and the game simply moves on. This page runs a clock for each of 2 to 8 players with a fixed time per turn; tap the active player's panel (or press space) to pass the turn, and the next player's clock starts. Colours identify players so that the whole table can see whose turn it is from across the room.

For a first game with a timer, be generous; the point is to remove the long stalls, not to rush thoughtful play. A common house rule is that running out of time means you take the simplest legal move, not that you lose the turn.

A per-turn limit resets each turn and suits games with many short decisions. A time bank gives each player a total (say 20 minutes for the whole game) that they spend as they like, which suits games where some turns are trivial and others need real thought. The board game timer implements the first; the chess clock implements the second, with optional increment per move, and works for any two-player game. For games where turn order is not fixed, such as many co-operative games, a single shared countdown for the whole round is simpler.

• Random timer — a countdown of unknown length for bomb-style party games.
• Hourglass timer — a visual sand timer for games that came with a broken one.
• Stopwatch — for speed challenges and timed rounds.