Welcome to my new Instructable Series: Punishment Games!

I first want to begin this guide off by saying thank you to the Instructables community for over 45k views on my guide on "How to Play Mafia (With and without cards)", linked below this intro. This guide was the first of its kind on Instructables, not to be mistaken for the guide on how to play "Werewolf." I've decided to keep the theme for a while on my Instructables, and keep making guides for circle games. I will soon make a compilation of all these games!

Step 1: Intro: What Is 5x (Five Times)?

5x is a punishment/circle game. Circle games involve you and a group of people playing the game in a circle. Punishment games involve on the spot punishments after a loss in a round. 5x is actually a variation on an Vietnamese game called "Nam, Muoi" (5, 10).

The concept behind 5x is that everybody gets a chance at "punishing" each other. I found this game to be very useful when I was trying to connect with a group of friends I had recently met a few years ago.

Step 2: Setup

The setup for this game is simple:

You need 3 players or more
You should be able to see each other's hands, so sit/stand in a circle
The room must be somewhat silent
You may need ice afterwards....

Step 3: Playing 5x

The game is played using your hands. In 5x, you use multiples of fives to set up the scenario. Putting out one hand flat and open is 5, putting out two hands flat and open is 10, and closing both your hands to form fists is 0. Here's the steps in which a round is played.

1: The game starts with one person who becomes the leader.

2: The leader counts down from 3, and on the final count, says a multiple of 5 (Either 0,5, or 10)

Example: 3...2...1... 5! (Leader puts out one hand flat and open, while the other hand is closed and flat).

3: Other players will also put out their hand(s) based on what multiple of 5 they chose on the final count.

4: If anybody matches the leader's number, they must put their hand out in the circle, and get slapped by the leader.

Note: Anybody else that is caught cheating or hesitating to choose a number right after the final count also gets punished.

5: The leader is then passed to the right for the next round.

Step 4: After the Game

That's where the ice comes in.

My friends and I played this game until our hands were blood red, and boy did we have fun. When in doubt, try your best to be honest in the game and just take the punishments. There's no point in arguing in a circle game because they're meant to be fast (besides mafia).

The game is finished when no one can stand it no more, so have fun while you can!

Step 5: Nam,Muoi (5,10)

I know some of you might want to know what the Vietnamese variation of this game is, and it definitely is a lot harder. I recommend playing with at least 4 other people, but at most 10 people. The steps are similar to 5x:

1: The game starts with one person who becomes the leader

2: The leader counts down from 3, and on the final count, says a multiple of 5 (This is where the game changes)

Note: Depending on how many people you have in the group, the leader will now call a multiple of five based on the number of players. Having 4 players means the max number to call would be 40. Having 5 increases the max number to call to 50, and so on. The minimum number will always be 0.

3: All the players, including the leader, will put their hand out (still 1 hand, 2 hands, or no hands)

4: The leader will now count everybody's hands, and if it matches the leaders numbers, everybody gets a slap on the hand.

5: The leader is then passed to the right for the next round.

Just as an example, I have a group of 5 friends, including me. The max number to call is 50. I say "3...2...1... 35!". That means in theory, if I put out 10 for my hands, friend A puts out 10, and friends B, C, and D put out 5, I have achieved a 35. Then I slap everyone's hands.

Step 6: Some Key Points to Make the Game Fun

I've played variations of this game throughout my life, and always found some aspects of the game to be boring or not fun to play. Keep these key points in mind to make the game more fun!

- Know your audience (friends): People that you've known for a while might not mind a heavy hit sometimes, but strangers who are just joining you might not be so comfortable. Ease on with the hitting, and don't start with a stinger

- Fake your hands: You may have played simon says, where the leader says "Simon says do this", but then the leader does something opposite or unrelated to their command. This game also implements this, but as beginners, you should stick to same call, same hand to avoid confusion. Then you can do different calls, such as "5!" and put out ten.

- Know when to stop: Punishment games take a lot of energy and tolerance to play, so don't over do it, or you may end up avoiding this game in the future