When it comes to game night, do you go with the traditional trivia or strategy games, or the quick-thinking naming games that rely on good memory recall and the ability to perform under pressure. Naming games challenge players to dredge up knowledge from everyday life, whether it’s “types of fruit,” “TV shows,” “popular music” or “famous landmarks”, and often produce hilarious results when panic sets in and obvious answers disintegrate from the tip of your tongue, never to be uttered. Games like 5 Second Rule and Think Words have shown how effective this format can be, but Cheatwell Games’ Tension takes the concept and adds a clever twist: you’re not just naming items, you’re racing to find the exact ten answers printed on the card. This reworking of the classic naming game elevates it from a run-of-the-mill trivia game into a fast-paced, frantic and competitive experience where near misses and unexpected answers spark laughter and frustration in equal measure.
Tension is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud top 10 naming game for 2 teams of players, age 8+. It thrives on pressure, memory and the joy of shouting out answers with friends and family. It’s a perfect example of how the simple act of naming items in a category before time runs out can create endless fun and replayability. It is a team game for 2 teams of equal-ish size and ability, each headed by a team captain (although there is no reason why you can’t go head-to-head with just 2 players). The aim, to be the first team to work their way around the game board to the finish line to be the winner.
In the box:
- 240 Tension Cards (containing 480 topics)
- Tension Card Scorer
- Game Board
- 60-second Sand Timer
- 2x Playing Counters
- Rules / Instructions
Before starting to play, divide into two teams (one blue, one red) and choose a team captain for each team (they will be in charge of the scoring for each round). Place the game board in the centre of the table. In the box you will find two sets of blue cards and two sets of red cards – shuffle wthe cards so that you have one set of blue cards and one set of red cards and place them next to the game board. Each team takes their coloured playing piece and places it on the start line. Finally, make sure that the Tension Card Scorer has all the grey sliders pushed to the right-hand side so that the left side displays all red.
To play, the team with the youngest player gets to start. The opposing team captain takes a card from either deck, turns it over (keeping the answers hidden from the players on the opposing team) and places it in the Tension Card Scorer. All the cards feature a heading, which is the main topic, and a list of ten possible answers. The guessing team will have 60 seconds to try and guess as many of the ten as possible with the opposing team captain pushing the grey sliders on the card scorer to the left (so that a green mark is now displayed on the right) to register a correct answer. When the time is up, the number of green marks on the scorer indicate how many answers the opposing team found and also how many moves they move their playing piece on the game board. Play then goes to the other team. As players move around the board, they will find red and blue spaces (these indicate what colour question is asked on their next turn when landing on one), the whirlwind space will see your score doubled for that round, while the nomination space (marked with a ?) sees the team in play having to predict how many answers they will get right (before they know what the topic is) – get your prediction right and you move your playing piece that many spaces on the board, but get it wrong and you go backwards that number of spaces. The winner is the team that gets to the finish first.
Overall, Tension – the Top 10 naming game, is a fabulous fast-paced straightforward game. The questions are varied, having 480 topics, getting the answers is a bit more difficult. While there may be many many answers to a specific topic, players must find the ten that are listed on the card – for example: “Girls name beginning with S“ – if you use names such as Sadie, Slyvia or Susan etc… you won’t score any points as while they are girls names beginning with S, they are not the answers listed on the card.
Now you might think that is too easy to name 10 Decathlon Events, Film Directors or Harry Potter Villains, but the only valid answers are the ones on the card and you only have 60 seconds to do so – and watching that sand timer empty adds in a great deal on TENSION. And when that panic steps in, the simple answers step right out of your head! And all that tension makes each round unpredictable and lots of fun.
As it is a family game as well as a game for adults, to make it more accessible for children to join in the fun, there is a reason why there are blue and red decks of cards: the blue cards are slightly easier and more suitable for children, while the red cards are a bit trickier and more suited for adults. This allows you to be able to tailor games for different groups of players, making it inclusive for everybody while still being challenging enough for both. The vast variety of topics, ranging from pop culture to everyday trivia, ensures that everyone can join in, which will see everybody excelling in some rounds while struggling in others, helping to keep the competition balanced, entertaining and fun.
Being a naming game, some players may get frustrated by needing to find the exact answers that are on the card, especially when their “right” answers don’t match what is needed, but that makes it challenging and fun (and why having balanced teams works extremely well). It also helps to level the playing field, ensuring that trivia buffs don’t dominate every round and that luck and lateral thinking play a role.
We think that the twist of only using only exact answers makes it a fun game to play, helping to deliver a naming game with a unique blend of pressure and hilarity. It’s easy to learn, quick to play and hilariously entertaining, making it perfect for game nights with friends or family.
And to extend the fun or to make it more specific for a group of likeminded players, there are also expansion packs available to buy (they can also be played as standalone games) for Foodies, Music, Movies, Sport and TV.
Tension is guaranteed to spark a lot of laughter around the table.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £20
For more information, visit cheatwell.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
