You are a star!

Do you need a circuit description?

Well, if you could spare a minute for the descriptions I would appreciate it. I tend more towards the single 555 version but since I saw you post I am trying to figure out why it looks simpler than eetech00's 555 version.

 

Also don't know where to start from...

In cases like this, it is critical to always put in front of you the desired behaviors of your circuits and ask yourself if a candidate circuit provides that kind of behaviors.

From what I understand, you want to things.

1. Different delays for different buttons.
2. Once a delay is in progress, pushing any other buttons have no effect. Other buttons are locked out.

 

True and true

 

In post #1 you said the three timers had periods of 0-4 seconds. Can you be more specific? I keep thinking that since the three switches are in a semi-mutually-exclusive physical arrangement, that this can be exploited to reduce the circuit complexity. So, if switch #1 is the first in line and switch #3 is the last, what are the times for the three switches?

sw1:
sw2:
sw3:

ak

 

I am not entirely sure what you mean, but I will try to answer. Please point me to the right direction if I have gotten your question wrong.

S1 turns the output high for 3 seconds
S2 turns the output high for 2 seconds
S3 turns the output high for 1 second

When the ball falls in a yellow hole it will hit S3
When the ball falls in a blue hole it will hit S2, then S3 (within less than 0.5 second)
When the ball falls in a red hole it will hit S1, then S2, then S3 (all within less than a second)

Does that answer your question, or maybe I got it completely wrong?

 

In post #1 you said the three timers had periods of 0-4 seconds. Can you be more specific? I keep thinking that since the three switches are in a semi-mutually-exclusive physical arrangement, that this can be exploited to reduce the circuit complexity. So, if switch #1 is the first in line and switch #3 is the last, what are the times for the three switches?

sw1:
sw2:
sw3:

ak

Picture a slanted trough rigged with with three switches, S1, S2, and S3, S1 being located at the top of the trough, S2 in the middle, and S3 at the bottom, any of which can be actuated by a ball rolling down the trough.
Now picture a cover over the trough with three holes in it, the holes being located above the switches and painted red for S1, blue for S2, and yellow for S3.

The object of the game is to roll a ball so that it enters one of the holes, actuates a switch, and then exits the apparatus so it may be rolled again.

If the ball enters the red hole it'll actuate S1, which will turn a motor ON for, say, four seconds, which will advance a player's horse figurine a certain distance along the game's track. If the if the ball drops into the blue hole it'll actuate S2, which will turn the motor on for rather less time than the red fall, and if the ball drops into the yellow hole, actuating S3, that'll run the motor for the shortest time.

My take on the easiest way to do this, in hardware, is to use three 555s with their outputs ORed by external logic.

That way, if the ball hits S1 it'll generate a long pulse and, as the ball actuates S2 and S3 on its way out of the apparatus, the red 555's output will still be dominant.

If the ball hits S2 first, then passes by S3, blue will rule and, finally, if the ball hits yellow, the short pulse will prevail

 

Does that answer your question, or maybe I got it completely wrong?
That is all of the detail I need to know that my fantastic idea won't work.