Neurosync

Number of players:

4-7

Objective:

Review and connect knowledge of nuerological anatomy, clinical signs, diagnosis, and treatment by comparing answers and completing circuits through matches.

Materials needed:

Neurosync Category Selector File

One Player Sheet per player per game

Pens

Tatiana Aldaz-López

Zach London

Setup:

Each player takes one Player Sheet, which has three Neural Maps (sets of nine boxes.)
Open the NeuroSync Category Selector file.
Randomly select the first player.

Gameplay:

The game is played over three rounds. In each round, do the following.

Click “Reveal Next” to show the first category.
Each player writes three different responses to that category in any three empty boxes on the current Neural Map. Once a response has been written, it may not be moved.
Repeat this process twice, so that that a total of three categories are revealed, and each player writes responses in all nine boxes on the Neural Map.
Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player reads aloud one of their responses that has not yet been read. When a response is read, one of three things happens:
- Several players have the same response
  - All players with that response draw a circle around it.
- Exactly 2 players have the same response
  - Both players yell, “SYNAPSE!”
  - Both players draw a circle around the response and fill in the cell body of the neuron in the top-right corner of that answer box.
- No other player has the response
  - The player crosses out the response.
If, at any time, a player has no unmarked responses, the round is immediately over. Any responses that remain unmarked on other players’ sheets will not be scored.
- If this is the end of Round 1 or Round 2, click “Reveal Next” to advance to the next round, and repeat the process with the next set of empty boxes on the Player Sheet.
- If this is the end of Round 3, the game is over, and it is time to calculate the final scores.

Scoring:

Calculate each player’s score for each round:
- Each circled response is worth 1 point.
- Each filled neuron is worth 2 points.
- Bonus points for completed circuits. A circuit is completed when all 3 responses in a row or column are circled.
  - Row bonuses
    - Top row: 3 points
    - Middle row: 2 points
    - Bottom row: 1 point
  - Column bonuses
    - Left column: 1 point
    - Center column: 2 points
    - Right column: 3 points
Each player adds their scores from all 3 rounds.
The player with the highest total score wins.

Response Rule Clarifications:

Answers must clearly relate to the selected category.
Each response must be a single concise term or short phrase.
A player may not write the same response more than once on their Neural Map.
To count as a match, response must have the same meaning.
A general response and a more specific answer are not considered a match. For example, “seizure” and “absence seizure” do not count as the same answer.
If there is a disagreement, the other players decide by majority vote whether the answer is valid.