It's Still Good, It's Still Good (5 Second Rule)

It's your turn in the Hot Seat, Brian.  The crowd is all looking at you, and the clock is ticking.  How could 5 seconds take this long?  You can't name 3 types of pasta.  Sure, Spaghetti was easy, and you just ate Penne last night, so that was nice.  3 seconds, you're stuck.  2, and you decide to go for the big biscuit risk.  1, and you shout out "Macaroni!"  And THUNK, time is up.  And...it's good!  You have successfully scored a point in 5 Second Rule!  If only this was a game show.



GAME DESCRIPTION:  5 Second Rule is a high speed card game published by  Broadway Toys LTD for 3 or more players.  Players take turns trying to list a certain amount of objects before time runs out.

SET-UP:  Set the 5 Second timer in the middle, next to the card box in easy reach of everyone.  Determine the amount of rounds each player gets.  For larger groups, the recommendation is 2 or 3 rounds for each player, but you may go longer.

HOT SEAT:  The first player in the "Hot Seat", which is generally the owner, begins the game.  The player left of the Hot Seat reads the card. All cards require the Hot Seat player to name 3 specific types of things, like Soups or Months.  Once the card is read, flip the timer, and the Hot Seat player begins to list things.  Wrong or false answers cost nothing but time, so it's good to make sure you're right.  Any unsure answers are determined by all the players.

SCORING:  If the player manages to guess 3 things correctly, they are given 1 point, indicated by placing the card in front of the player. The player to the right is in the Hot Seat.  However, if they guess wrong, the next player has that same category, but cannot use any words the previous player(s) have already said.  If every player has attempted the clue, and it returns to the original Hot Seat player, they automatically get the point, and a new clue is read to the next player.



WINNING:  Once all the players have gone through the rounds, the player with the highest score wins.  In the event of a tie, all tied players have one more round, with the oldest being the first player in the Hot Seat.  The first player to score that point wins.

CONCLUSION:  5 Second Rule's name is indicative of the style of game you're going to expect; it's loud, it's quick, and it's deceptively difficult.  It can be a lot harder to name 3 kinds of picnic foods than you'd expect, and famous people with specific names?  Good luck with that one.  Such as Snake Oil or Last Word, this is more of an ice-breaker game, or a party game with a group you don't know well, or just something to chill with in between more complex games.  Still, it has it's charm, and can still be fun not knowing how other people are going to guess.