When you only have 10 minutes available but need something to stimulate your brain, other than coffee, you need a board game!
But some board games take forever to setup and others take a virtual eternity to explain. What we’re looking for is little-to-no setup time, simple rules and quick game dynamics.
So, if don’t have much time but want to play something fast and fun, check out these 10 minute board games!
Article Contents:
- Fuse · 10 mins · 1 to 5 player
- Monopoly Speed · 10 mins · 2 to 4 player
Gameplay: 10 minutes
Players: 1 to 5
Transportability: High
Difficulty to Learn: Low
Setup Time: 2 minutes
Expansions: No
Price: $20 – $30
Pesky space terror-pirates are up to no good. Annoyingly, they have snuck onto your ship and have systematically planted over 20 bombs, timed to explode in exactly 10 minutes.
However, as members of an elite space-based bomb defusal team, you have trained your entire life for this very moment! And now you are tasked with decoding and defusing every single bomb before time runs out.
So, is it the red wire, or green? Nope! It’s all about rolling the dice… Literally!
Quick Rules
The name of the game is to roll and collect a specific combination of dice listed on each bomb card. Once the dice combination is complete, the bomb is considered defused. Players must defuse all bomb cards before the 10 minute timer runs out.
Setup
Each player is dealt two bomb cards, face-up. The remaining bomb cards are dealt face-down into a deck according to the number of players and the selected difficulty.
From this deck, 5 bomb cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. 6 fuse cards are shuffled into the remaining deck of bomb cards and placed beside the cards in the center.
Gameplay
All 25 dice, 5 each of red, blue, green, yellow and black, are placed in a cloth bag. The first player reaches into the bag, draws a number of dice equal to the number of players, then rolls the dice.
As a team, players must decide how to allocate the dice effectively (at most one die per player) as they attempt to place the die on their bomb cards.
Unused dice are re-rolled. All players (if possible) must forfeit one die matching either the color or number of the rolled dice.
The next player then draws dice and the sequence is repeated.
Once the right combination of dice is placed on a bomb card, the bomb is immediately deactivated and removed from the game. The player selects one of the 5 face-up bomb cards and replaces the space with a card from the deck.
If a fuse card is revealed, all players (if possible) must forfeit one die matching either the color or number of the dice indicated.
Scoring
The game ends if the timer runs out before you’re able to defuse all the bombs, or if you’ve successfully defused all of them.
Point scoring is as follows:
- 10 points if all bombs are defused
- 1 point per full 10 seconds left on the timer
- Total points on each defused bomb card
- 2 points per fuse card deactivated
You can track your scores over time and see if you’re getting any better (or worse) at the game!
Why it’s Great
The unrelenting count-down, luck of the roll and strategic cooperative gameplay makes Fuse an action packed 10 minute board game.
The fact that the difficulty can be raised or lowered is a great aspect of this game.
You can easily modify how challenging this game is, and there are “advanced setups” to offer even more variety!
Looking for the complete rules to play Fuse? Check them out here.
Gameplay: 10 minutes
Players: 2 to 4
Transportability: Medium
Difficulty to Learn: Low
Setup Time: 4 minutes
Expansions: No
Price: $20 – $30
What do you get when you take the original Monopoly, strip away all the boring parts and crank up the chaos to 11
You get Monopoly Speed, an action-packed board game that is quick, fun and playable in 10 minutes!
Quick Rules
Similar to its older brother, the goal of Monopoly Speed is to have the most money at the end of the game.
However, unlike the ordered and somewhat civilized rules of the original, players can roll, move, buy and sell properties… all at the same time!
Setup
Players choose a coloured token and matching die and place their token on a Go space. The property cards are placed around the board next to their respective positions.
Each player is dealt $5000, 4 chance cards face-down, and 3 community chest cards. Community chest cards indicate bonuses and influence which cards you should try to get.
Gameplay
The included timer keeps track of the game’s 4 rounds. Players have to buy and trade properties before time runs out.
To start, press the timer and the audio will indicate the start and stop of each round and stage.
Each round consists of two stages: buying and trading. During the buying stage, all players roll their die and move their token clockwise. If a player’s token lands on a property that is available, they can purchase it by paying the bank.
No rent is charged for landing on spaces that are already owned. Passing go lets you receive $1000 from the bank.
During the trading stage, players can negotiate for properties amongst themselves; there are no rules. Once the trading stage ends, players flip over their top chance card and follow the instructions.
The same process is repeated for all remaining rounds until the game ends [listen for the applause]. The player with the most cash at the end of the game wins.
Why it’s Great
Personally, I love the original Monopoly for how well it blends luck with negotiation skills for an epic, albeit long game.
Then, when Monopoly Deal came out, it quickly became my favourite board game since it’s so much faster to play.
Now that Monopoly Speed is essentially an abbreviated and much more intense version of the original, only taking 10 minutes instead of 3 hours, this has become one of my favorite table top games!
Looking for the complete rules to play Monopoly Speed? Check them out here.
Your time and energy is precious. So, why not give yourself a much deserved break and play a fast-paced and fun 10 minute board game to recharge!
What quick board games do you enjoy playing? Let me know your favourites in the comments below!
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