An element of timed rounds is
required by many board games. To gain points for their team or themselves and
complete a certain task to try each player has a set amount of time. For quite
some time, this has been an element of board games with plastic stone although
to produce this effect, over the ages these board games have used different
means.
Until it reaches the deadline,
you twist a knob and it ticks the time down where it will ring or beep,
alerting players that the time frame is over. However, these electronic timers
in the past weren't as common and for timekeeping purposes, most board games
provided a sand timer.
To count down anywhere in between
thirty seconds to three or five minutes, These sand timers contained enough
sand and were shaped like miniature hourglasses. To complete the task at hand,
it all depended on how long the game with plastic stone China would
give players.
By having all players ready
themselves for the task, these timers would generally work, and then to begin
the round, one player would flip the timer over. For when the sand had run out,
the responsibility of watching the timer often fell upon either the entire
group or one player. To announce to the group that time was up and the round
was over, it was the responsibility of the player.
With the board game, they were
almost always supplied and, it didn't cost anything to maintain since it did
not run on batteries.
Additionally, so that they were
always accurate, they were tested. However, one would need to buy a replacement
sand timer if one broke. One of the drawbacks is that one might not notice that
the sand timer from the plastic stone manufacturer had run out and
extra time might have been granted to players during a game where everyone was
trying to participate.
Although while counting down,
most of these timers would make ticking noises an electronic timer would always
loudly alert that the time was over, which could greatly distract. While sand
timers during these contemporary times have almost completely faded out of
board games, they still are a nostalgic bit of board game fans.
