Don't Be Alarmed

Nobody likes it when their alarm goes off.

So set off everyone else's first. Play cards to push one shared clock onto your friends' alarms, and keep it far away from yours.

  • Players2–4
  • Time20–40 min
  • In the box75 cards + a clock
Coming soon The Don't Be Alarmed box: a ringing blue alarm clock with an exclamation mark on its face, on a bright blue sunburst.
How it plays

You already know how to read a clock

That's most of the rules. The rest fits on three cards.

  1. An Alarm card set to 8:15.

    Set your alarms

    Everyone gets 3 Alarm cards, face-up. The whole table can see every target, including yours.

  2. The Spring Forward Time card: move the clock forward 1 hour.

    Move the clock

    On your turn, play one Time card. Push the shared clock forward, pull it back, or snap it to an exact time.

  3. The back of an Alarm card: a ringing clock with an exclamation mark.

    Ring, ring

    Land exactly on someone's alarm and it goes off. Lose all 3 and you're out. The last player with an alarm still set wins.

The game's shared clock, a punch-out board with a blue rim, set to 8:15.
The clock

One clock. Everybody's problem.

The clock in the middle belongs to nobody. Every card moves it, so every turn is a choice: line up your shot, or keep it far from your own alarms. It only moves in 15-minute steps, so you can see trouble coming. Mostly.

  • Snooze Button. Your alarm is about to go off? Hit snooze to cancel it. The clock jumps 15 minutes, which might land on someone else.
  • Double Time. Play two more cards this turn. Set the hour and the minute in one go.
  • Sleep Talking. Look through an opponent's hand and take the card you like best.
The cards

60 Time cards. Manipulate the clock to your advantage.

Hold five, play one. The trick is knowing which one to save.

  • Lunch Break: the clock advances 30 minutes.
    MoverNudge the clock forward or back.
  • Quarter Past: set the minutes to :15.
    Minute setterSnap the minutes to :00, :15, :30 or :45.
  • Wee Hours: set the hour to 2, 3 or 4.
    Hour setterPick one of three hours.
  • Go to Work: set the time to 9:00.
    Exact setterJump straight to 12:00, 5:00 or 9:00.
  • Wild Hour: set the hour to any hour you choose.
    WildAny hour you like. Rare, and dangerous.
  • Snooze Button: cancel your alarm when it goes off.
    DefenseHit snooze. Buy yourself 15 minutes.