Activity Champion
Activity Champion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
- 550 cards, each with 4 terms
- 1 game board
- 1 sandglass
- 10 playing pieces
- 1 start stone
- 1 rulebook
Paper and pencil are also needed (not included).
For 3 to 10 players, ages 12 and up.
Warning: Not suitable for children under 36 months. Contains small parts that could be swallowed. Choking hazard.
Objective
Score the most points by successfully performing and guessing the terms shown on the cards.
Game Material
The Board
The board shows a track of 70 spaces numbered 1 to 70, plus a start space. A black-and-white finish line follows space 50.
The Cards
The four terms on the front of each card are each marked with a symbol and a point value. The symbol indicates the required mode of performance: drawing, explaining, or pantomime.
The Sandglass
In the Activity Champion edition the sandglass has a green cap and a violet cap. This is necessary because the performing rounds are interrupted, and during an interruption the sandglass is laid on its side to stop the time. The two differently colored caps make it easier to set the sandglass back on the correct side and to continue with the correct time.
Setup
- The board is placed in the middle of the table and the sandglass is set down beside it.
- Each player chooses a playing piece and places it on the start space.
- The cards are shuffled and placed face down as a draw pile beside the board.
- A starting player is determined. This player also receives the start stone and places it in front of them, visible to all. Play then proceeds clockwise.
Gameplay
- Whoever is on turn draws the top card from the pile, so that the other players cannot read the terms. The task is to perform as many of the four terms on the card as possible successfully within one minute. The terms may be performed in any order.
- The performer may look at the terms on the card for about 10 seconds and memorize the one they want to start with. Then the sandglass is turned over and the performance begins. The performer tries to convey the term to the other players in the required mode of performance. The following rules apply to the different modes:
Drawing
The term must be drawn with pencil. The performer may neither speak nor gesture, but may nod to show the other players that part of the term has been guessed correctly. The drawing may not contain letters or numbers.
Explaining
The term must be described in words. Neither the word itself, nor parts of it, nor derived forms of it may be used. As soon as a part of the term has been guessed, the performer may tell the other players so and use that word part in the further explanation.
Pantomime
The term must be performed in pantomime. The performer may neither speak nor make any sounds, and may neither use objects in the room nor point at them. Pointing at one's own body parts is allowed. Players may use gestures to show that part of the term has been guessed correctly.
Violations
If these rules are broken, the performer must immediately move on to the next term.
Guessing a Term
- As soon as the sought term is guessed, the sandglass is laid on its side so that the time stops. Then both participants, the performer and the player who guessed the term, move their playing pieces forward the number of spaces equal to the points shown on the card.
- If two or more players call out the sought term at the same time, all of them may move their playing pieces forward.
- The sandglass is then set back on the correct side, and the performer performs another term. If the other players take too long to guess a term, the performer may abandon the attempt and perform a different term. In this case, however, the sandglass keeps running.
- The performer remains on turn until either all four terms have been guessed or the time has run out. The performer then places the card on an open discard pile, and the next player takes their turn by drawing a new card from the pile, and so on.
Presenting Compound Terms
The terms on the Champion cards consist of 1 to 4 word parts. Compound words are often hard to perform as a whole, but when they are performed separately the task is usually much easier to solve. If a word is performed in parts, the performer must show the other players which part they are currently performing: when drawing, by first dividing the sheet into two or more areas with a dividing line; when explaining, by saying so; when in pantomime, by holding up one, two or three fingers.
Example: Drawing an "Ohrwurm" (earworm) is very hard, but "Ohr" (ear) and "Wurm" (worm) are relatively easy to draw separately. When the word is divided this way, the performer must show the other players which part they are drawing, for example by first splitting the sheet into two areas with a dividing line.
End of the Game
As soon as a playing piece crosses the black-and-white finish line after space 50, only the current round is played to its end (up to the player holding the start stone). The champion is the player whose playing piece is furthest ahead at the end.
Game Tips
One Minute or Two
The Champion edition is, as its name suggests, trickier than earlier versions. If one minute seems too short, the sandglass can be allowed to run through twice.
Strategy
During the 10 seconds in which the performer memorizes the terms, they can also plan a strategy that may decide the game: the order in which they want to perform the terms. It is worth considering whether it is better to start with the easier terms worth fewer points or with the harder terms worth more points.