If I asked you to name 3 Landmarks, 3 People in Uniform or even 3 counties, you would probably say that is very easy and wouldn’t make a great board game. Naming 3 things, for the most part is easy on a wide range of subjects. If I asked you to name 3 ‘Paw Patrol’ Characters or maybe 3 Reasons to Have a Passcode on Your Phone or 3 Places Your Don’t Want to be When You Have ‘Tummy Troubles’, would that be just as easy? For some it probably wouldn’t be a problem, but others might struggle. Now what if I asked those questions again and throw in a countdown timer giving you 5 seconds to name the 3 things, all whilst the timer is audibly ticking and flashing away? Now that you don’t have so much time to think and consider your answers the pressure to name 3 things becomes more intense and becomes a very good brain eraser that leaves you tongue-tied, leaving you struggling to name anything. Welcome to the game of 5 Second Rule. We have played several different versions of the 5 Second Rule games and love them. Now we are trying out another version of this very popular game, 5 Second Rule Spintensity.
5 Second Rule Spintensity is the same great game that we are used to playing in the sense that players have 5 seconds to name 3 things, but Spintensity in more intense with the addition of an electronic timer and relying on the outcome of the timer as to what to do next: do you pick another card, answer 2 or 3 more from the same card or move on to the next player? Players must answer questions to win points to move their playing pawn around the timer to the finish space. A fun and intense game for those game nights.
In the box:
- 200 Doubled-sided Question Cards (400 Questions)
- 6 Pawns
- 5-Second Electronic Timer
- Start and Finish Markers
- Draw/Discard Card Box
- Instructions
5 Second Rule Spintensity is a tabletop game for 2-6 players, aged 12+. It has a playing time of around 30 minutes (depending on how many people are playing) and it is fast, fun and intense. Can you name 3 things in 5 seconds whilst listening to the timer ticking away?
Setting up the game is simple. After installing 3x AAA batteries (not supplied) in the base of the electronic timer (you will need a Phillips screwdriver to open/close the battery compartment), place the timer in the centre of the playing area. Place the Start and Finish markers around the end of the timer. The number of spaces between the markers determines how many questions need to be answered, this enables you to shorten the game if necessary (useful when there are lots of players). Pick a colour of question cards that you want to use – one side is green and the reverse blue. There is no difference in the level of difficulty between the two colours. Once decided what colour cards are being used, place them facedown on the table – you can have them in a pile, spread out or even use the draw/discard card box. Players then each pick a different coloured Pawn and place it on the Start marker. Play can now commence with the owner of the game going first (as ours are family games and not owned by one person we went with the standard youngest player first).
The game is played in rounds, a chime will sound when a round ends. To start, the first player presses the timer button and grabs a question card. They must read the card aloud and then place it face up on the table. For example, if you have picked up a card that says, ‘Stephen King Books’, you would say “Name 3 Stephen King Books”. Once the timer has been pressed it allows 5 seconds for reading the question card (if more time is required to read the question you can press the timer button before it starts to flash green to pause the timer) and when it starts to flash green the player has 5 seconds to name 3 Stephen King Books. If they answer successfully within the 5 seconds they press the timer button again. The lights on the timer then start to ‘spin’ and randomly selects the next instruction:
- 2 More: you must quickly name 2 more things for that same question card, and then hit the button again.
- 3 More: you must quickly name 3 more things for that same question card, and then hit the button again.
- Next Card: you must quickly draw a new card and name 3 things for that subject / category, and then hit the button again.
- Next Player: your turn is finished and play moves to the next player (play goes to the right), and their turn begins.
When you have finished with a card (i.e. you have spun Next Player or Next Card), you have won that card.
If you don’t answer in time and the buzzer sounds and goes red, you lose that card and place it in the discard pile with play continuing with the next player.
When the end round chime sounds, all players count up the number of cards that they have won and move their pawn that number of spaces around the timer. The first player to reach the Finish marker is the winner.
Overall, we have always loved the 5 Second Rule games, but Spintensity is our favourite from the ones we have played (we have played 5 Second Rule Jr, Electronic and Uncensored). A simple yet extremely fun naming game that has the ability to remove all that useless but relevant information from your memory and leave you flapping your lips like a goldfish. It is great how players can’t name 3 simple things with the pressure of countdown timer ticking and flashing away.
There are questions involved that some players will just not have any clue about. For instance, if you never watch YouTube and you must name 3 YouTube ‘stars’, it can be very frustrating as you can’t even have a good guess. The instructions recommend coming up with house rules before starting to play. For example, if a player is really stuck, they can draw a new card – but this can only happen once per turn or twice per game to start players just trying find the easiest cards that they can answer.
It is a fun game to play as a family or as a group of adult friends. The questions are wide and varied and there is something for everyone to enjoy. An excellent game of fast-thinking and even faster talking.
5 Second Rule Spintensity is fantastic fun and makes an excellent addition to the board game cupboard. If you think you can win by naming things under pressure, give Spintensity a go and see how easy it isn’t.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £9.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.
