That one board game convention in Indy changed how I run game night

I went to Gen Con in Indianapolis back in 2019, mostly just to wander around and buy some dice (you know, the usual). But I ended up sitting in on a panel about game moderation, and this older guy talked about how he uses a sand timer instead of letting people argue over rules. It hit me like a ton of bricks because my game nights always turned into hour-long debates about whether someone skipped a turn. I came home and bought a 3-minute hourglass off Amazon for like 8 bucks, and it totally saved my group from those endless rules lawyering sessions. Now we get through two or three games a night instead of one, and people actually have fun instead of getting annoyed. Has anyone else tried using a timer or some other trick to keep things moving without being a jerk about it?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.troy1mo ago

Wait, you mean I can just buy a $8 hourglass instead of threatening to flip the table when Greg tries to debate the official rulebook for the fifth time? Honestly, that sounds way cheaper than the therapy bill I was about to rack up. Might have to try that next game night, though my group would probably just try to argue that the sand is actually cheating somehow.

wadeyoung1mo ago

Used to think timers were just for serious tournament types. You might have just saved my next game night from turning into a blood feud.