How to Play 5 Second Rule Jr. Board Game: Rules and Instructions

Objective of 5 Second Rule Jr.

The objective of 5 Second Rule Jr. is to be the first player to get their pawn to the Finish space.

Setup

Place the card box, timer and game board in the middle of the table where everyone can reach them.
Normally players have to name three answers to each question. If there are younger players, you can agree to let them only have to give two answers. Before you start the game all of the players should agree to how many answers each player has to give within the time limit.
Each player chooses a pawn and places it on the Start space.
The youngest player starts on the Hot Seat. Play moves to the right/counter-clockwise. Note: I believe this might be a typo in the official instructions as outside of this one mention, the rules say that play moves left/clockwise.

Playing 5 Second Rule Jr.

To start a round of 5 Second Rule Jr. the player to the left of the Hot Seat player draws a card from the card box. They will read the card out loud. Each card features a category on it. If the players do not understand the category, choose another card.

Card in 5 Second Rule Jr — For this round the players will try to list zoo animals. For example the first player could list giraffe, hippo, and bear.

As soon as the card is read, the timer is turned over. The player in the Hot Seat then has five seconds to try and come up with answers that fit the category on the card. Normally you would have to come up with three answers, but the players may have agreed to let some players only give two answers.

If the player is able to successfully give enough correct answers before time runs out, they will move their pawn forward one space on the game board. Time has run out once all of the balls reach the bottom of the timer.

The purple player moved their playing piece forward one space. — The purple player was able to give three answers within time. They will move their playing piece forward one space.

If a provided answer is questionable, the players will have to agree to whether the answer should be accepted. Otherwise the players could agree to look up any answers to see if they are correct.

Moving the Hot Seat

The player to the left of the previous Hot Seat player then becomes the new Hot Seat player. Turn the timer over again. This player now has five seconds to give three (or two) answers to the same category as the previous player. The catch is that the player cannot provide any answers that a previous player provided for the current card.

If the second player is able to name enough answers in time, they will move their pawn forward one space. Play passes to the next player to the left who also gets a chance to answer the question.

End of Round

The round ends when one player is unable to provide enough correct new answers before the time runs out. The player that failed to provide enough answers does not get to move their pawn.

For the next round the player to the left of the player that was unable to provide enough answers gets to start in the Hot Seat. A new card is drawn by the player to the left of the Hot Seat player. This round is played the same as the previous round.

Rainbow Zone

Should you be in the Hot Seat and your pawn is in the Rainbow Zone, you will get an additional benefit for your turn.

When in the Rainbow Zone you get an additional five seconds on your turn. When the timer runs out you will flip the timer once to add more time. You have all of this additional time in order to provide enough correct answers.

The red playing piece is in the Rainbow Zone. — The red player’s playing piece is in the Rainbow Zone. On their turn they will get an additional five seconds to provide their answers.

Winning 5 Second Rule Jr.

The first player to reach the Finish space wins 5 Second Rule Jr.

Partner Play

Instead of each player playing by themselves, you could choose to play in teams.

If you choose to play in teams, all of the players on the team can provide answers during their partner’s turn.

5 Second Rule Jr. FAQ

If you have any questions about how to play 5 Second Rule Jr., leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.

5 Second Rule Jr. Components

200 Trivia Cards
6 Pawns
Five Second Timer
Game Board
Instructions

Year: 2014 | Publisher: Patch Products, PlayMonster | Designer: Michael Sistrunk | Artist: Sebastian Goyke, Henrik Tistling

Genres: Family, Speed, Trivia

Ages: 6+ | Number of Players: 3-6 | Length of Game: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Light-Moderate

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