Turn Timer

Three clocks in one

Most timers do one thing. This one does the three that actually come up at a table, and switching between them takes a tap.

Count up has no limit. It just records how long each player takes, which is the honest way to settle an argument about who is slowing the game down — and the mode to use when nobody wants a time limit, only the evidence.

Per turn gives every turn the same budget and resets it each time. This is the hourglass that comes in the box of half the party games ever made, except it does not roll off the table and you can hear it.

Whole game gives each player one budget for the entire game and counts it down as they think. That is a chess clock — and unlike a chess clock, it seats six.

Built for a table, not a desk

The clocks are the buttons. Tap the lit one to end that turn, or tap any other to hand the turn straight over — because in most card and party games play does not simply go round in a circle, and a timer that insists it does is worse than no timer.

The screen stays awake while the clock runs. This sounds like a detail until you have used a timer that dims every forty seconds. Where a browser does not offer the wake lock, the clock behaves exactly the same, minus that.

When a budget runs out it beeps once and keeps counting into the minus. Freezing at zero throws away the number people actually argue about.

What it is good for

The obvious one is the player who takes four minutes over every move in a heavy strategy game. Set Whole game to ten minutes each and the problem solves itself without anybody having to be rude about it.

It also works for the opposite problem — party games that need pressure. Thirty seconds per turn turns a slow round of charades into a fast one. And for two-player abstracts like Nine Men’s Morris or Reversi, a five-minute budget each makes a casual game feel like a match.

Frequently asked questions

How many players does it handle? Two to six, each with their own clock and colour. Tap the lit clock to end that turn, or tap any other clock to hand the turn straight over — useful when play jumps around, as it does in most card games.

What is the difference between the three modes? Count up has no limit and simply records who takes how long. Per turn gives every turn the same budget and resets it each time — the hourglass. Whole game gives each player one budget for the entire game, which is how a chess clock works.

What happens when the time runs out? It beeps once and keeps counting, into the negative. A clock that freezes stops telling you how far over somebody went, and at most tables that is the number people actually want.

Will my phone screen go dark mid-game? Not while the clock is running. The timer holds a wake lock for as long as it is counting, so the screen stays on without you poking it. Where the browser does not support that, nothing breaks — the clock simply runs as normal.

Does it work for chess? Yes — choose Whole game and a budget per player, and it is a chess clock that happens to seat six. For a two-player game just set the player count to two.

Is anything stored or uploaded? No. There is no account, no server and nothing saved. Close the tab and the timer is gone, which is the right behaviour for a clock.

Also in the toolbox: score sheets that add up as you type, six printable boards, and twenty games to play in the browser when the table is not available.