Bested Another Time

Bested Another Time Deep Dive

What the Community Thinks About Bested Another Time

Reviewers who cover climbing and shedding card games treat Bested Another Time, designed by Taylor Reiner, as a standout in the genre. Justin of Board Game Animal gives it a 10 out of 10 and calls it their favorite small card game, while Jamie of Stonemaier Games focuses on one mechanism they consider the cleverest part of the design. The praise centers on how the game takes features that usually frustrate players in card shedding games and makes them enjoyable. Reviewers consistently point to how well the game works across its full range of player counts. The main caveat in these videos is availability: the original edition was hard to find at the time, and a new edition with updated art and components is described as coming later. Criticism is limited across these reviews, so the overall tone is enthusiastic.

Core Mechanics That Define Bested Another Time

Ladder Climbing

In a ladder climbing game, each play must beat the one before it. Bested Another Time stretches that rule in ways reviewers find surprising. Justin explains that most climbing games cap the kinds of melds you can play, and that Bested Another Time has no such cap, which makes some plays feel like they should not be legal. The most praised twist is playing over yourself. When everyone else passes, the player who made the last play can keep adding legal melds of the same combination until they run out. Justin describes this as a moment where a carefully planned setup finally pays off, and where the table can briefly forget that other players can do the same thing.

Hand Management

Passing is where Bested Another Time's hand management becomes most distinctive. Jamie describes how a player might choose to pass instead of breaking up a four of a kind, saving those cards for a bigger play later. Passing then unlocks a choice of pass cards. A player can claim who leads next, take a wild card to reshape their hand, or use a bet-or-pass card that lets them pass a card to another player or wager on who will go out first. These dual-purpose cards turn a choice that usually feels like a setback into a real decision about timing and information.

The Bested Another Time Experience

The Tension of a Perfect Setup

Reviewers describe a specific kind of anticipation. In a typical shedding game, a player who sets up a strong combination often watches the turn never come back around to them. In Bested Another Time, the reviewers say, a strong setup can still get its moment even after a full round of passes. Justin notes that this creates a rush when everyone passes and a big finishing play lands, and a flicker of alarm when a fellow player sheds their whole hand by repeatedly playing over their own last meld. The result is a mix of satisfaction and friendly tension that keeps the table engaged.

Playful, Charming Fun

Despite its tactical depth, reviewers describe the game as light and approachable. The bat theme and whimsical artwork land well with reviewers, and Justin points out that the rules themselves describe what the bats are doing, which adds a goofy, quaint character to the play. Jamie similarly says the game is fun on every level, with passing and betting moments that make the table laugh rather than sulk. Reviewers come away feeling that the game is easy to teach and enjoyable to bring to a mixed group.

What Makes Bested Another Time Stand Out

Consistency Across Player Counts

The most consistent praise is for how the game scales. Justin notes that the rulebook is open about the game feeling objectively different at different player counts. Solo play is described as a puzzle, two players as a quick and intimate head-to-head match, three and four players as a more traditional climbing experience, and five or six players as a grander game with more abilities and more going on. Justin emphasizes that the core spirit of the game holds at every count, which is rare for a card game with such a wide player range.

Rewarding the Pass

Both reviewers highlight the way the game rewards passing. In most card games, passing is a defeated feeling and any consolation prize is minor. Justin explains that in Bested Another Time, passing unlocks a menu of options, and the sooner you pass, the more options you have to choose from. That choice carries real stakes, because passing also means the player who remains in the round may keep playing and shed their hand faster. Jamie sees this as a clever example of a game that takes something normally unpleasant and makes it a meaningful decision.

Potential Drawbacks

Hard to Get Hold Of

The most consistent concern is availability. Justin says the game is not super available at the moment and encourages viewers to buy a copy if they can find one. Justin also notes that a new edition, developed by Taylor Reiner with new art and components, is planned for a wider release. Reviewers are clearly excited about that edition, but for now the game is difficult for many players to find, which limits how quickly it can reach tables.

More Going On at Higher Counts

Reviewers describe the five and six player version as bigger and busier than the tighter two-player game. Justin describes more abilities and more going on at those counts, which means more to track on each turn. Reviewers present this as a shift in character rather than a flaw, but it does mean the experience at six players is quite different from the lean head-to-head match. Players who prefer a focused, streamlined card game may find the larger tables less appealing, even though the reviewers consider them successful.

If You Enjoy Bested Another Time

Players who enjoy the way Bested Another Time turns passing into a decision will find a kindred spirit in worker placement games. Jamie makes this comparison directly, pointing to games that make a usually unpleasant phase, such as retrieving workers, into something fun and meaningful. Players who appreciate the sense of a turn that rewards timing rather than luck will recognize the same satisfaction in that style of design. Those looking for the broader climbing and shedding genre will find that Bested Another Time's combination of playing over yourself and rewarding passes sets it apart, which is exactly why reviewers keep returning to it.