One type of villain has gone unchecked for far too long — a most dastardly foe that can undermine even the most regular game nights: that player at your table who takes way too long to take their turns!

Okay, “villain” might be too strong a word. This “thoughtful” player could be a friend or a loved one…and if you can’t identify them at your table, it could even be you. We’re all just trying to fit in as much gaming as we can; wouldn’t it be nice if things could move a little faster?

Sometimes, it’s not about “fixing” the player, but rather finding the right game. Look no further than Invincible: The Hero-Building Game… because in this game, it’s always your turn — and not just yours, but everybody’s! With a freeform, simultaneous turn-taking design, you and your friends can deliver the one-two punch to the downtime that holds your game night hostage.

“You don’t have to wait on any other players. It’s truly simultaneous in that way, which I really appreciate.” -Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games

The Hero Phase - Simultaneous Turn-Taking

Every game of Invincible: The Hero-Building Game is based around a unique Episode, which provides its own enemies, goals, and victory conditions. In the Heads of Slate episode, Doc Seismic threatens to crumble Mount Rushmore! In this mission, you will need to thwart his plans, defeat the mad scientist himself (along with any henchmen he throws your way), and rescue civilians. This all happens in the Hero Phase, where players work toward these goals by activating superpowers – this is done by drawing cubes from a bag. Fill all the slots on a card with cubes of its respective power, and KAPOW, your power activates!

Sometimes your decisions about how to place these cubes will be weighty and worthy of thought and discussion — do you have enough cubes of any color to activate a superpower? Do any of your teammates need assistance? But other times, you’ll know in an instant what you want to do with them, and you can just go ahead and do it, because it’s always your turn! “It felt like this game had no downtime — like none!” -Tom Vasel, The Dice Tower

Invincible: The Hero-Building Game captures the spirit of a superpowered brawl by giving players autonomy over their actions. You don’t need your teammates’ permission to take a punch at some baddies, but at the same time, you might not want to get too carried away in going rogue, because communication can be vital in sequencing your superpowers to create team-powered synergies! But beware… all heroes have their limits. There are six black cubes in each bag which can be placed on any color, but if you pull five or more of them during the Hero Phase, your hero will crash, incapacitating them and incurring some major damage unless they’re rescued! This adds an extra dimension where it’s especially important to work as a team.

Mark: Two blues and a black… hey Sam, we’re in trouble if we don’t save some civilians, so I’m going to use Phase Shift to Rescue two of them over here.

Sam: Wait! You can heal me with that if I can get to your zone. If I draw a blue, I can move over there.

Mark: Ooh, and if you pull two, you can Fling me over to Doc Seismic and I can keep him busy.

How Teamwork Keeps the Game Flowing

“Nothing stops players from taking turns in any sequence […] This freewheeling movement between players establishes your crew as an actual superhero team, able to juggle enemies in the air, fly to one another’s aid, or pick up crashed buddies. It’s bouncy. It feels great.” -Space Biff Review

Now, if you have players at your table who regularly struggle with analysis paralysis, you might be thinking, “Sure, it’s great that everyone can take turns at the same time, but that doesn’t mean that someone can’t still take forever to decide what they want to do.” And in theory, you’d be right — you can’t completely stop someone from overthinking, but not to worry, Invincible: The Hero-Building Game has answers for that too, the first one being teamwork!

Working as a team can help to take some of the decision-making pressure off of a single person, helping the game to flow without downtime. Communicating what your priorities are, where you can make a difference, and where you’ll need help from the team can open up powerful combos and synergies between characters. Saving a crashed hero, for example, should always be a high priority! It’s important to note that teamwork won’t necessarily make the game faster — in fact, this kind of coordination can often make the Hero Phase last longer. However, it does mean that everyone at the table is engaged. It’s ultimately up to each player to decide what they want to do, but the team dynamic can help to keep the game interesting and promote table talk instead of creating long, do-nothing waiting periods. Say goodbye to players staring vacantly into their smartphones! Sam: I just hope I don’t crash if I try to Fling you… I’ve already drawn three blacks, but I still have twelve cubes left. Eh, I feel pretty good about my chances. I’m gonna do it.

Mark: If you do crash, I can use my cubes to Move and Rescue you instead, so I’ll wait for you to go first.

Sam: Argh, what luck! Two blacks and a purple… okay, you’ve gotta come Rescue me. If you revive me, I can use these cubes for Force Darts instead, and then I’ll give myself a Bubble Shield for protection.

Mark: On my way!

The Hero-Time Variant – No Time to Waste!

Of course, some players can’t help overthinking everything, no matter the game. If you’ve got a few of those in your group, you might want to suggest the Hero-Time Variant! This is an optional gameplay variant that invites players to set a 10-minute timer for each Hero Phase. When the timer goes off, the Phase ends immediately and all cubes are dropped! This puts pressure on all players to act quickly. For a more relaxed or frantic experience, try 15 minutes or 5 minutes respectively!

Save The World Together

Every game group — and every super team! – is different, and finding the right synergy with each other can be the key to ensuring that nobody goes home grumpy. Invincible: The Hero-Building Game lets you find the right pace for your group, whether you’re deliberating as a team or blitzing your objectives separately. But regardless of how you choose to play, the one thing you won’t be doing is sitting around twiddling your thumbs. Duty always calls! It’s time to don your super suit — order your copy of Invincible: The Hero-Building Game today!