Most board games allow players to take their time, with each having their own turn, one after another. However, there are also real-time board games where everyone can make a move at any time, with quick thinking and reactions often being key skills.
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In these real-time tabletop games, players could be working together to take down a boss or save their spaceship, with every passing second of inaction costing the team dearly. Alternatively, other games might see players compete against each other. What is guaranteed with the following real-time board games, however, is that they will cause everyone to panic and make awfully rushed decisions, all while shrieking and laughing.
5 Minute Dungeon
Take Down Monsters & Bosses Together In 5 Minutes Of Pure Panic
- Playtime: 5-30 mins
- Players: 2-5
- Age: 8+
As its name implies, 5 Minute Dungeon only gives players a very short window to make their way through dungeons, defeating bosses. As decisions need to be made in seconds in cooperation with fellow players and cards must be quickly turned over and placed, panic is naturally a core part of the game, and only teams who control this panic will fare well in the dungeon. If teams are successful, the game only gets harder as they move onto more advanced dungeons.
While all players will be scrambling to find the right cards to overcome obstacles, monsters, and bosses, each individual also takes on the role of a hero with their own unique ability. Remembering to use these in coordination with teammates is another reason to panic as the 5-minute timer ticks down.
Dobble
A Fast-Paced Family Card Game Bound To Cause Panic & Arguments
- Playtime: 5-15 mins
- Players: 2-8
- Age: 6+
Dobble is easily one of the most fun party games on the market, and with how easy it is to pick up, it can be played with the whole family. There are a few different ways to play, but in all modes, players must find an icon on their card that matches one in the middle or potentially in another player's hand.
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Despite there only being 8 icons on each card, it's very easy to go blank and be unable to find matches while an opponent surges through finding 3 in a row. This is when the panic sets in, especially if it's close to the end of the round. As players will often find matches at the same time, Dobble is also a game of fast reactions, with players needing quick hands. There are no turns, and the fastest player will always win, meaning this is one board game that can ruin friendships.
Space Alert
Protect Your Ship At All Costs For 10 Frantic Minutes
- Playtime: 30 mins
- Players: 1-5
- Age: 12+
The aim of Space Alert is simple: protect your spaceship over the course of 10 frantic minutes, all played in real time as a team. In this sci-fi board game, each player will have a special role, such as the captain or communications officer, and all can move around the ship to deal with constant threats, both external and internal. For example, lasers and rockets will need to be fired as enemies approach, and all new developments are spelled out in real time by an accompanying track.
Communication and organization are necessary to keep the ship alive, but with the clock always ticking, it's easy to panic and mess up. Teammates may end up trying to solve the same problems or accidentally leave one untended, thinking someone else was taking care of it. The stakes of losing the ship only help to increase the anxiety of each action and inaction, especially as nobody wants to let the side down.
Captain Sonar
Work Together To Take Out The Other Team's Submarine
- Playtime: 45-60 mins
- Players: 2-8
- Age: 14+
If players have ever wanted to try out a much more complex and engaging game of Battleships with submarines, they should try out Captain Sonar. While the game can be learned and played in turn-based mode, it is easily at its best in real-time. Two crews compete against one another to find and destroy each other's submarines as they move around the map. The captain can only move after receiving confirmation from his crew that they have completed their own tasks, putting pressure on all.
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As teammates scramble to do their jobs while communicating without the other team overhearing, the panic can quickly take over in an exhilarating way, especially when being hunted and trying to repair the sub to avoid defeat. Players who enjoy Captain Sonar may also enjoy naval warfare video games.
Chattabox
A Quick-Thinking Word Game
- Playtime: 5-30 mins
- Players: 3+
- Age: 8+
While players do have turns in Chattabox, these turns only last a few seconds, and even during this short turn, panic quickly sets in. The game is extremely simple and can be played with large families or groups of almost any age. How it works is that each player will be given a handful of cards with individual letters on them, but these will be face down.
For each round, a category such as girls' names or fruits and veg is given. Going round in a circle, each player must reveal their top card and letter when it's their turn, and within a few seconds, they must say a word from the chosen category that starts with the letter on their card. Answers cannot be repeated, and with only a few seconds, players often panic and come up with ludicrous, made-up answers.
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