30 Seconds is a general knowledge board game, with the objective of guessing maximum correct answers within 30 seconds. This game is usually played in teams of two and is similar to the game of Charades, and also in a way to Pictionary. A player has to guess a word, from the explanations and clues given by her or his teammates. Teammates may not use the word or part of that word while giving hints and the time limit within which the chosen teammate has to decipher the correct answer is half a minute.

At the beginning of each round, a team player has to take out a card, and explain the five or less different words printed on the card to the rest of the teammates. Each team has a representative token, which is moved along a track formed by pictured squares, on the board. When a player draws out cards, which all have a blue and a yellow side, the player has to explain words from that particular side corresponding to the square on which their team token is at the moment. If the team guesses correctly, the team moves forward one square. The main goal is to cover the path fast and reach the end of the track before the opposing team does.

Before beginning the game, and for each subsequent round, a special 30 Seconds dice is rolled to determine that round’s special feature. The maximum value of the die may be 1, 2, or 0. These values determine the handicap of each round. This feature is crucial while calculating the scores of a team. When a player draws out a card, the opposing team keeps time with the help of a 30 second timer. The teams score is counted by taking the number of correct answers, and subtracting the handicap as determined by the dice. Depending on the score, the team moves their token further along the board.

Team members guess the correct answers through the hints given by the player who picks up the card. The clues are usually synonyms, and team members also try to figure the correct answer through word associations from the hints given by the player. If the word is ‘encyclopedia’ then the clues can be ‘compendium of knowledge’ or the like. If ‘gold’ is printed, clues can be ‘bullion’ or ‘precious metal’. If ‘007’ is printed on the card, the clue of ‘James Bond’ or ‘spy’ may trigger the correct answer. Proper nouns are difficult to explain, unless they have a straight forward fact associated with them. The rules as to how the player may or may not explain the word to her or his fellow team mates are strict, and there are certain penalties in the game such as moving back few squares, for the breaking of these. However, this is usually relaxed in order to have as much light hearted enjoyment as possible from the hilarious hits and misses that team members encounter while guessing the correct answer within 30 Seconds.
May 27, 2008, 12:23 pm

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