Rate the Fun: Timeline

The third International Tabletop Day is happening this Saturday. Last year there were over 3000 board game events happening in over 80 countries. I've been looking forward to my local all day games day for weeks.

In anticipation I am going to post a Rate the Fun game review everyday leading up to Tabletop Day. For a total of five new reviews. Today's game is Timeline.

Timeline is a series of historical card games published by Asmodee. Each games comes in a 5" square tin and includes 110 cards and a set of rule. The game says it's for ages 8 and up and recommends 2-8 players. The play time is about 15 minutes.

How to Play:
Each card has the same image and event on both sides but only one side has the date. Players are dealt cards with the date side down. Next one card is selected from the draw pile. This is placed in the middle of the table, date-side up and is the starting point of a chronological timeline.

The first player then chooses one of their cards and places it before or after that of the initial card. The player's card is then turned date-side up. If the player was right, it remains on the table. Otherwise, the card is discarded and a new one must be drawn to replace it. The game becomes  difficult as more cards are added to the line. The first player to get rid of their cards wins.

Timelines Available Are:
I own Historical Events and Music and Cinema but there is also:
Discoveries
Diversity
Inventions
American History
Americana

Good Stuff:

• I find it a neat game that often surprises me with new historical trivia. It is educational but doesn't feel educational.
• The advantage of first player goes to the youngest, who theoretically is at a disadvantage having less historical knowledge.
• It is fast play making it a good filler and the rules are simple and clear.
• The artwork and quality of the cards is good.
• Mom and I played yesterday, when I asked her what she thought of the game she said, "I liked it, but that might be because I won."

Less Than Good Stuff:

• The cards are small, almost too small. They fit well in their tins but I would have preferred something easier to hold. They remind me of the tiny cards in Thurn and Taxis.

Alternative Game Idea:

• The box suggests mixing different versions of Timeline together for a greater challenge. I have not tried but a group of friends did and say it was great.
• For youth group, I created 4 sets of five cards. I took a picture of each set in the correct order. Then I broke the youth into four groups. They had to sort the pictures into the right order in 2 minutes. At any time they could ask if they were correct. I would only say how many were right not which ones were right. At the end of the 2 minutes they scored for each correct place and the sets of cards were passed for the next round.

Final Thoughts:
Timeline is a quick fun game that makes a great filler or allows for multiple rounds. I think it is a great family, group, or party game and is a perfect addition to any game collection.

Rate the Fun Score: 7.6
You can find the list of rated games and the Rate the Fun score guide here.