Take Time does not award victory points to individuals. Each clock is a shared pass or fail. The team places twelve cards, reveals them, and checks a set of common conditions plus any rules printed on that clock or its chapter sheet. This checklist keeps the resolution orderly without spoiling later puzzles.
Read from the hand, clockwise
Identify the segment marked by the clock hand. Reveal and total that segment first, then continue clockwise through the other five. The visual top of the illustration does not define the beginning if the hand is elsewhere. Every segment must contain at least one card. Multiple cards in a segment are added together; their individual values do not need to be ordered.
Check the sequence of six sums
The totals must be nondecreasing from the hand: each next segment must equal or exceed the preceding one. A sequence of 4, 7, 7, 12, 18, 20 passes this check. A sequence of 4, 8, 7, 12, 18, 20 fails at the third segment, even though the final total is higher. Equal adjacent totals are allowed. This is about the sum of each segment, not sorting all twelve cards individually.
Under the standard rule, each segment sum must be 24 or less. The first three clocks of Chapter 1 expressly waive the 24 cap. A later clock or chapter may change a general condition; read its printed text rather than applying the ordinary rule automatically. Passing the sequence and cap checks is still insufficient if an extra suit, position or other clock-specific condition is broken.
Use this resolution checklist
- Are there cards in all six segments?
- Starting at the hand, are the six sums level or rising clockwise?
- Is each sum at most 24 wherever the cap applies?
- Does the arrangement satisfy this chapter sheet and this particular clock’s symbols and restrictions?
If any required condition fails, the clock is failed. A near-perfect arrangement does not partly pass. If an icon has a special meaning, consult the included chapter sheet rather than guessing from its shape.
What happens when the team fails?
Flip one Bonus token face up. It increases the team’s face-up card allowance on a later attempt, providing more visible information during silent placement. The team may retry the clock, using what it learned in a new discussion phase, or put that clock into the Sleeve of Regrets and proceed. When skipping, turn any face-up Bonus tokens face down as well. A skipped clock still needs to be passed eventually to finish the base game. When the team passes a clock, reset face-up Bonus tokens to face down.
The Regrets sleeve is a way to preserve unfinished tests without blocking forward progress. A clock passed after a return goes back to its original chapter sleeve. Record which clocks remain; opening a later chapter does not retroactively count an unpassed test as complete.
Attempted versus completed
The base box contains ten chapters of four clocks, or 40 tests. After you have attempted all 40, the Rebirth sleeve can be opened even if some clocks remain in Regrets. To complete the game, you must pass all 40. Those milestones are easy to confuse. A group can pause between sessions and resume its progress without trying to clear the whole box in one sitting.
Frequent table questions
Do equal segment sums fail?
No. The rule is nondecreasing, so ties pass this part of the test.
Can a segment be empty if the totals still rise?
No. Every one of the six segments needs at least one card.
Is 24 the target for the last segment?
No. It is the usual maximum for each segment, not a required total. Check the Chapter 1 exceptions and later printed rules.
Can we talk after seeing our cards?
A player who looks early may no longer join the remaining discussion. Once all have looked, placement begins without strategic discussion. The rulebook allows a narrow check of already-known information, such as asking who placed a card. A face-up placement does not restart strategy talk.
Does Mirage change all base clocks?
No. Its Sand Bird rules apply to the four Mirage clocks. Read the Mirage guide before adding that chapter.
Learn the full play sequence or see planning tips for difficult clocks.
Source: Libellud’s English Take Time rulebook. Checked October 3, 2026.