Game: Spinergy

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aquarian — 2008-06-15T17:12:50+00:00

Finnish cover

Thread: Re: A question about the components

aquarian — 2008-05-12T20:57:11+00:00

Ok, thanks. Any reason for that difference?

Thread: Re: A question about the components

gnugames — 2008-05-12T19:20:44+00:00

Hello Ari,

The US version, which is shown in the image, comes with three white rings and three green rings. The UK and Finish versions (not shown) come with three white rings and one green ring.

Play more!™
Kristina
GnuGames, Inc.
www.gnugames.com

Thread: A question about the components

aquarian — 2008-05-10T15:21:54+00:00

We just got our Spinergy from a drift store. It was brand new and sealed box. But I'd like to know how many word circles it is supposed to contain? We only have four: three white and one (the innermost) green circle. Are we missing two circles? That's what the image here suggests.
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Thread: New way to score!

jostrand — 2008-04-16T20:04:22+00:00

I got to play this a few days ago with 15 players, but we changed the rules a bit.

The words are "spun" and read to everyone, and then the scenario card is read. Everyone now has a few mins (at least two timers worth) to write up their answer. After that the reader collects all the submissions and reads one at a time. After reading each one the reader asks each person who they thought wrote it, and everyone scores as follows:

1 point for guessing correctly who wrote it
2 points if no one guessed it was you

Now the people who have theirs read later have a bit of a disadvantage if people remember who already went. It still is a lot of fun, and I recommend reading the last 2 or 3 entries together so that process of elimination doesn't point to the last player.

Hope you have as much fun as we did, I'm sure we'll be doing this again!

Thread: Re: User Review

tada — 2007-09-08T15:44:08+00:00

I completely agree. I've had this game a long time and everytime I break it out with friends we have a blast. Very underrated. Of course this game is for creative people, which are the best kind of people on the planet.

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Terraliptar — 2005-03-02T16:36:36+00:00

Go Einstein!

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Terraliptar — 2005-03-02T16:36:36+00:00

Contents minus the 'G' Unit

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Terraliptar — 2005-03-02T16:36:36+00:00

Scenario cards

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Terraliptar — 2005-03-02T16:36:36+00:00

The 'G' Unit

Thread: User Review/ Variant

Zinger — 2004-12-31T05:06:07+00:00

Spinergy is such a great game which I especially like because it fuels creativity. True, writing poems and the like off the cuff may be too esoteric for the average American, but if you can find people who are up to scratch, is a really rewarding game/passtime. The problem I have with the game is the actual mechanics. The game is about CREATIVITY, so the scoring shouldn't be about guessing words other people will use. Logically, the scoring should reward the creativity and the best writing (or acting, singing, whatever the assignment calls for).

To that end, we always use the following variant mechanic and scoring rules: everyone reads/performs their own creation after which everyone votes on their favorite...can't vote for yourself. Each vote = 1 point. Since the tone of the game has absolutely no cutthroat element, I have never encountered people awarding subpar writing to sandbag the stiffest competition. If that is a concern, of course, you could rotate readers a-la Balderdash so that the author is anonymous to most. (This obviously doesn't work when you have to sing or use an accent.)

We find the game is _much_ better this way. You really get rewarded for creative, witty and/or humorous writing.

The core concept of this game is so fun that it's a pity it doesn't have a wider audience. Definitely worth a try if you see if back and Barnes & Noble where they were selling it at fire-sale value a few years ago.

Thread: User Review

TomVasel — 2004-12-20T19:34:47+00:00

[Note - this review is for Spinergy's expansions]

In my opinion, Spinergy is one of the most underrated party games created. It’s in my top ten, and certainly one of the most creative I’ve ever played. See my review of it http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/9422 for more details. The company, Gnu Games, sells expansions for the game at their website, http://www.gnugames.com/spinergy/ , and I was fortunate to procure a copy of each. Here are some short thoughts on each:

“Mmmm...Chocolate” - These three rings add an assortment of chocolate words, although most of them, taken out of context, can be used for other things. Examples of the words on these rings are: whipped, graham crackers, white, candy, bitter, vanilla bean, etc. I enjoy these rings (especially their chocolaty color) but find them best used when mixed with other rings, using only one at a time.

“Play Ball” - These three rings add quite a few words dealing with sports. Examples of the words are: fast break, timeout, loser, last, grand slam, etc. Sports fans should pick this set up, as you could easily play exclusively with these rings; although they would fit in well with the other rings.

“Hullabaloo” - These three rings add words that have something to do with noise. Examples of the words are: snoring, owl, whistle, ricochet, sweeping, etc. This is definitely my favorite expansion; and if I only could have one, it would be this one. The assortment of words chosen is excellent for the game, and it really adds to game play. Since the goal of Spinergy is to guess words that people will use in their definitions, (the words on these rings certainly lead to other words; try to use snoring without “sleeping”, for example), these really work well. I really enjoy the pictures these words create, and they really enhance the game.

“That’s Amore” - These three rings add a variety of words on the subject of love. Examples of the words are heaving, seduced, unzip, gorgeous, hips, firm, etc. Taken by themselves, these words (most of them) can be quite innocent; and so I have no problem using a single ring from this set in a game. To use all three rings, however, will most probably produce definitions of a “romantic” sort, and depending on your group may not be quite appropriate. I’m sure there is a market for these rings, but they’re the last ones I would get.

$19.95 for an expansion for a party game is a fairly steep price tag, and I doubt that anyone would want to own all four expansions, even with the discounts from the website. However, one expansion combined with the basic game provides a LOT of variety, and I think worth the price. The rings are of good quality and intermix seamlessly with those from the basic game. They are printed in some nice colors, and each will appeal to a different group of people (I loved Hullabaloo, but sports might just be your thing.) If you own the game of Spinergy (and you should!), then pick up one of these expansions; they’ll breathe a bit of new life into the game.

Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games.”

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gnugames — 2003-09-24T13:51:23+00:00

The "G" (Random Word Generator)

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gnugames — 2003-09-24T13:51:15+00:00

Spinergy Board Game

Thread: User Review

TomVasel — 2003-06-10T20:50:36+00:00

Spinergy lauds itself as “A cool, modern game.” The main mechanism of the game, the spinner itself, looks rather modern and cool, so I thought I might try it out. The problem with many party games today is that they take a neat party idea and expand on it. Sometimes the idea is a roaring success, such as Apples to Apples, Time’s Up, and Balderdash. Other times the idea is fun for a game or two, then it’s time to get rid of the game. I’d tell you some examples of these, but I’ve forgotten their names. J

So is Spinergy a great new party game, or a tired addition to a bloated category of games? The short answer is that yes, it is a great new party game that is overlooked by many.

And now for the longer answer…

First, a short description of game play.

Spinergy comes with a large (about a foot diameter) circular stand with three spinning rings on the top. In each of these three rings, a plastic overlay ring with words on them (around 60 words on the smallest ring, and 120 on the a largest.)is placed on top. Six plastic rings come with the game, allowing for eight different combinations of rings.
There are three rounds of the game, during which each player gets one turn. Each player takes their turn in order, as follows…

The three rings are spun, in any direction and as hard as the spinner wants. Then, the three words that line up with the pointer are used for this round. (An example of three words – ones I just spun while writing this review – are: nervous, cowgirl, and conspiracy). The player then draws a card from the Scenario box and reads it aloud. (Example: Sing Around the Campfire – Create a campfire song and sing it to your fellow players.) At this point, the timer is flipped and all players write down (on their scratch tablets) a response to the scenario card, using the three words that were spun.

Meanwhile, the spinner tries to guess some of the words that the other players will use in their responses. In the first round, the spinner guesses three words, six in the second round, and nine in the third round. They can guess any word except for very common words like “the” or “on”. A list of unguessable words is listed on the back of the rulebook. When time is up, each player reads their response. If one of the words the spinner picked is in the definition, the spinner gets the points on the scenario card – 2, 3, or 5. Otherwise, the writer of the response gets those points.

After 3 rounds, the game is over – and the highest point total wins! The rules include rules for variants, and more info pointing towards their web page.

Some comments on the game:

1). Components: Wow! This game comes with some of the best components I have ever seen, especially for a party game. The only negative thing I can say is that the box is rather large and square. However, it is incredibly sturdy and looks really good on the shelf. Inside the box, everything fits fantastically inside a plastic mold, one of the sturdiest I have ever seen in a box, and has spots for everything, from the pads to the pencils, to the box, to the large spinner mechanism. Everything is then covered with another clear piece of plastic that holds everything in the box, even if it’s flipped upside down. I dropped the box off a table, and everything still stayed in! The game comes with six pads of paper, and six very nice large pencils. A game like this doesn’t have to include pencils, but it is a nice touch. And I’ve never seen a game provide such quality pencils, as most games provide small golf course type annoyances. The large spinner sits firmly on the table on its three legs. The rings spin well, and each has three finger spaces for ease of spinning. The ring overlays fit on nice, and do not come off as easily as I thought they would. The entire game is easily washable. I really like how the timer (a very nice one) sits in the middle of the spinning rings – well enough so that it doesn’t come off when spun. The scenario cards are a little drab looking, but are really good quality and should hold up well over the course of time. All in all, I have to give this game one of the highest marks for components in a game – ever!

2). Price: For a party game, Spinergy isn’t cheap – coming in at around $40. The website also sells additional rings for even more words – but they also wield a hefty price tag. I was fortunate and got the game for a rather large discount. However, now that I’ve played it, I might pay the full price. The game is frankly worth the price component-wise and, in my opinion, fun-wise. You are getting a game that will last for quite a while, so I think that your money is well spent.

3). Fun Factor: Spinergy is a lot of fun! There are over a hundred thousand word combinations with the 6 rings. This coupled with two hundred Scenario cards creates huge replayability. The definitions that people give in this game can really bring down the house. When your words are “neon”, “diaper”, and “donut”, and the scenario card wants you to create the plot for a movie that will make the audience boo-hoo and give it’s ending – you are just asking for hilarity. As with most party games of this type, however – if someone tries to win, they could in theory write as few words as possible. This gives the spinner a harder time trying to guess the words, and also makes the definition less funny, and thereby the game less fun. But as long as a party pooper like that isn’t playing, then this game is chock full of fun! And because it’s a writing game, reserved people have an easier time getting into this game. The fun factor is high with this game!

4). Time: One thing of note here- we found the timer too short in our games, even though it’s 75 seconds. We flipped it over once to give the writers more time to come up with crazy yet believable responses. This was actually recommended in the rules, and we liked it so much that we still play that way. The time of the game runs about an hour to 90 minutes, but went by quickly, as everyone is involved with every spin.

5). Strategy: Even though the game is fun, it does take a bit of thinking. You would be surprised how hard it is for both the spinner and the responder. As spinner, it is a quandary to come up with words that others will use, and as a responder, with words that the spinner won’t guess. We found that the spinners got better in time, as they were able to follow the responder’s train of thoughts over the course of a game. The strategy in this game matches the fun.

6). Website and Expansions: www.gnugames.com is the website for the makers of Spinergy. The site is nice, but is mostly just up to sell the game and sell expansions and refills. The expansions are nice, but I think that the basic game would satisfy all but the most rabid of fans.

7). Rules: The rulebook is small, has illustrations, and is very simple to understand. The back of it has the unguessable words on it, and is small and handy as a game aid.

So over all, I have to highly recommend this game. It’s not inexpensive, but then again – I think it’s worth the price. It will come out often at our table, and everyone who plays it will like it. Give it a try!