How to Play Facts in Five Trivia
People enjoy all kinds of trivia. Whether it is general-knowledge trivia or special-category trivia, trivia games are fun to play. Better still, they can involve all the members of the family. Long before Trivial Pursuit came along, another game called Facts in Five tested not only a broad base of knowledge and memory, but called for quick thinking, deductive reasoning and more. The game, developed by 3M Company, originated in 1967.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Give each player one of the score sheets from the Facts in Five game. They will also need either a pen or pencil. The game can be played alone or can have up to five players.
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2
Draw five class cards from the cards provided along with the game. Pass them out to the players. For example, if there are five players, there will be one card per player. If there are only two players, then one player holds two cards and one holds three cards (for a total of five).Class cards include things like famous people, well-known books, movie titles, product brands and more.
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3
Ask each player to choose one category from the list of categories provided on the class card that they hold. If they have more than one card, they will choose one category from each individual card that they hold. Ultimately, there will be one category chosen from each class card, however they may be distributed among the players.
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4
Draw, or have someone draw, five letters of the alphabet from the plastic tiles that are provided with the game. These tiles should be turned upside-down so that the letter does not show as the player draws the tile. Be aware that there are also special asterisk (*) tiles that act just like "wild cards," allowing the person holding that tile to choose whatever letter he or she wants to use.
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5
Instruct the players to write down both the class and category across the top of the score sheets given to them. There is a slot specifically allotted for that purpose. Ask the players to record the five letters that were chosen down the left side of the score sheet in those slots provided.
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6
Inform players that the goal is to come up with one written response, beginning with the each letter that was drawn, for each class and category chosen. For example, if the class is “famous people,” and the category is “living presidents,” and the letter is “b,” one might write down George H. Bush or George W. Bush. The individual who comes up with the most responses beginning with the appropriate letters in each class and category will be the winner of that round.
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7
Turn over the five-minute sand timer that is provided with the game, instructing everyone to begin filling out their score sheets as soon as the timer is set. When the timer runs out, that round is over.
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8
Share the recorded answers with the other players. Beginning with the first class and category, have everyone share the answers they wrote on their score sheets. If there is a question about the viability of any answer, the majority vote of the players decides whether or not it will be allowed.
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9
Add up the scores of each round immediately after the round is completed. Each correct answer is worth five points for that round. Record the totals on the score sheet in the space allotted.
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10
Complete five rounds of the game, repeating all of the above steps for each round.
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11
Tally the total scores of all five rounds. The individual with the highest total score wins.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Everything in Facts in Five is geared toward the number five; five classes, five categories, five letters, and five minutes.
While Facts in Five is still available through some online sites, it is also possible to make up your own class and category cards and alphabet cards to construct trivia questions of choice.
