Build, Gesture, or Interpret the Signs in Cooperative Building Game TEAM3

Brain Games brings to the table a challenging, cooperative puzzle party game that also features an engaging competitive mode.

In each round of TEAM3, three players work together to build a block structure dictated by a card. With three unique roles, each player must abide by the constraints of their role for the round.

Gameplay

Players choose to play at one of three levels of difficulty, shuffle the respective deck, and place it on the table. The construction pieces are placed in the center of the table and the three role cards are distributed to three players. The roles are architect, supervisor, and builder. Any remaining players sit out and watch for the round.

Each round, the architect draws a card from the deck: this shows the construction the players are trying to complete, which pieces are to be used, and how they are to be stacked.

The builder closes her eyes and the construction pieces are shuffled on the table. A three minute timer is then started. The architect cannot speak nor point at specific construction pieces. He may only use hand gestures and non-verbal forms of communication such as clapping to indicate which pieces are to be used and how they are to be placed. The supervisor attempts to decipher these communications and talk the builder through the process of building the construction, all while the builder keeps her eyes closed.

If the players successfully complete the construction shown on the card in under three minutes, the card is placed in their success pile. If they fail, the card is placed in the fail pile.

Each role card is then passed to the player on the left of its current holder and a new round begins. In order to win the game, players must successfully complete cards equal to the number of players plus the difficulty level. They lose if they fail cards equal to the number of players.

There is also a team variant for six or more players, in which players divide into two teams. In this mode players are racing against each other to be the first to complete a card rather than using a timer, and the first team to complete six cards wins the game.

Review

The concept of TEAM3 is simple but clever. The gameplay is extremely fun, each role has its own unique challenges, and each role is enjoyable. You look forward to trying out each of them, and moving roles around the table each round keeps gameplay fresh for everyone.

It is interesting to see the way players can develop as a team and figure out ways to communicate and work together as the game progresses. It is great when you start to click and figure out how to communicate within the rules of the game.

If playing with more than three players, you do have people sitting out each round. Rounds are only three minutes, and it can still be entertaining to watch the action, as TEAM3 offers plenty of humor value and amusement as you play — but at higher player counts the downtime can become an issue in cooperative mode.

Both the cooperative and competitive modes are well designed, and team mode even allows you to play with a large player count. There are two editions of the game, Pink and Green, and they both come with different cards, so they can be added to each other, and both come with a unique bonus game mode. However, there is one issue with team mode: in order to play at level two or three difficulty, there are not enough cards and building pieces included in the game, and therefore multiple copies of the game are required. We found it a bit frustrating that team mode can't be fully experienced with a single copy.

Overall, TEAM3 is an addictive, clever, and original party game. It can be funny, it can be challenging, and it is truly good fun. Its flexible player count is also an advantage and the components are well made. We definitely recommend it!

Pros: Roles move around the table, original gameplay, flexible player count, two enjoyable game modes

Cons: Requires two copies to fully play team mode, extended downtime at higher player counts in cooperative mode

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.