That's the worst Yoda I have ever seen!

My girlfriend got down on her knees, bowed to me, and pointed her hands up by her head. My time ran out with no guess to find that it was Yoda. What inspired her to do such a thing? We were playing Time’s Up! Deluxe.


Times up! Deluxe is a party game by R&R games. Its for 4 or more players but since people are paired in the game even numbers work best. It takes about 30-45 minutes and retails around $20.

Components

The games is basically a bunch of cards, a timer, and a score pad. Each card has a yellow and a blue side with a name printed on each side. This was one of the more novel things they thought up since it allowed the 525 cards to do the job of twice that (that’s a 1050 for the mathematically challenged). The rulebook is easy to follow and has descriptions of the people named on the cards. This was a lifesaver since I would have never guessed Boris Badenov was a Bullwinkle villain. The deluxe edition also comes with a electronic timer which is handy.

Although the components are pretty straight forward there still was a few faults with them. The descriptions should have been on the cards themselves. This would have saved many whose that moments. The timer while handy I wish could have been able to auto set to 30 sec. Also, the game is devoid of any kind of art or decorations with the exception of a few creepy people in costumes on the box cover.

Gameplay

What to you to with a bunch of cards with names? In this game you guess them three times with more restrictions each time. On the first round, the players only know a portion of the cards in play and can say or do anything short of giving away the name. On the second round, one word is all the players can say. On the last round, no words are used at all. This would be impossible but since the same group of cards are used all game there is an inverse relationship between the amount of knowledge of the cards verses the quality of clues given.

The game itself isn’t were the fun lies. It provides the backdrop and a reason to make a fool of yourself. Yes, your trying to win but the off the wall clues and the strange gestures provide the fun. Far after the end of the game the conversation will be locked on to something that happed in game.

Conclusion

If you like party games, then this is a good one. If you don’t, this isn’t going to be the one to change your mind. Is it for everyone? No, shy people will hate it and some might find acting out the last round a bit award, but if you are wanting a game that is all fun and next to no rules, then this is the one for you.

Final Score

I had a lot of fun playing it with my girlfriend’s parents but it’s not something my usual game group would touch. 7/10