Spike

Number of players:

2-6

Objective:

Sharpen core neurology knowledge through quick recall and clever category matching.

Materials needed:

A supply of Spike Tokens (piece of paper, coins, paperclips, or safety pins)

Game design:
Tatiana Aldaz

Zach London

Download and print double sided Spike Cards.
Shuffle all cards and place the Draw pile on the table with the letter side facing up.
Leave space next to it for two piles: Category pile and Letter pile.
Prepare a Spike token supply.

Spike takes place over a series of five rounds, each of which consists of the following:

Start of the round

Deal each player 5 cards from the Draw pile with the letter side facing up. Players place these cards, letter side up, on the table in the play area in front of them, visible to all.
Flip the top card of the Draw pile to reveal its category side. Place this card on the Category pile.
This becomes the active category

Player turns

At any time, any player may discard one of their cards onto the Letter pile and say a word or phrase that begins with that letter and fits the active category.
There is no turn order. A player may discard multiple cards in a row if they can provide valid words.

Changing category

After 3 cards have been played for the current category, flip the top card of the Draw pile to reveal a new category and place it on the Category pile.

No valid words

There are no time limits, but if no player is able to form a word or phrase with the letters in their play area, flip the top card of the Draw pile and place it on the Category pile to reveal a new category.

Wrong answers

The group must quickly decide whether to accept or reject a doubtful answer.
If rejected, the card is returned to the player’s play area and that player takes 1 Spike token from the supply.

End of the round

A round ends when one player has no cards left in their play area.
The other players:
- Take 1 Spike token for each leftover card in their play area.
- Discard all leftover cards to the Letter pile.
If fewer than 5 rounds have been played, start a new round.

Note: At any time, if the Draw pile does not have enough cards to continue play:

● Shuffle the Letter pile to form a new Draw pile.

● Deal the remaining cards needed.

● The Category pile is never reused.

End of the game

● The game ends immediately at the end of the 5th round.

● The winner is the player with the fewest Spike tokens.