Trivial Pursuit, the most popular quiz board game, was invented in 1979 by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott, then refined and released three years later with the help of John Haney and Ed Werner. Initially distributed in the United States by Selchow and Righter, it is now owned by Hasbro, which has developed or licensed many themed special editions and supplementary question sets. Learn to play Trivial Pursuit and enjoy a game with family or friends at your next party.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Preparation
Step 1. Familiarize yourself with the game board
The Trivial Pursuit board is shaped like a six-spoke wheel. Players start in the center, then move outside to get a wedge from each square with the wedge symbol, where the spokes meet the outer wheel. To finish the game they have to go back to the center and answer the final question. On all but the oldest boards, there are two "Shoot Again" squares two spaces away from each square that assigns a segment.
The squares that assign the wedges are six spaces away from the center
Step 2. Decide whether to play alone or in teams
Up to 6 people or teams can participate in Trivial Pursuit. If more than 6 people want to play, or if someone doesn't feel like playing alone, you can create teams. Team matches are more informal and are particularly suitable for parties.
Step 3. Establish custom rules
Before starting to play, you must decide whether to employ special rules. For example, you could impose a time limit for answering questions. In this case, make sure you have a timer handy. Otherwise you may decide that the answers must be extremely precise, for example in the case of dates or names.
Step 4. Choose a token
There are six pieces of different colors: blue, green, yellow, pink, brown and orange. They are round and have spaces in which to insert the wedges. Each player must place their pawn in the center of the board.
Some editions of Trivial Pursuit include smaller pieces of the same color as pie ones. You can use them to mark the position of the players on the board, while the pie ones will be used to mark the score
Step 5. Take the question cards out of the box
In older editions of Trivial Pursuit you will find two cardboard boxes full of questions. In this case, if the players are divided into two teams, you can assign a box to each team; if the players are otherwise split, you can only use one box at a time.
In some editions, such as the one for the 25th anniversary, there are plastic boxes for each category; in this case, place each box next to the box that assigns the wedge of the corresponding color
Step 6. Roll the die to decide who goes first
The player or team with the highest score begins. After him, the turn passes to his left (clockwise). If two or more players roll the same number, they must roll again until a winner is determined.
Part 2 of 2: Playing Trivial Pursuit
Step 1. Roll the die and move your token the number of spaces indicated on the die
You can move it in any of the legal directions: towards a wedge or towards the center if you are in a spoke, clockwise or counterclockwise if you are on the outer wheel. You can also switch from wheel to spoke and vice versa. However, you cannot reverse direction during a move.
If you land on the "Roll Again" box, you can roll the die again. You can choose the direction you prefer, including the one opposite to the previous one
Step 2. Roll again if you answer correctly
In Trivial Pursuit, you are entitled to another round if you know the correct answer. You can keep pulling, moving, and answering questions until you make a mistake. Just remember that the category of the question corresponds to the color of the square on which you end the movement. For example, if you land on a blue square, you have to answer a blue question.
- If you are in the central space and have not obtained all 6 wedges, you can answer a question in the category of your choice.
- In the 25th anniversary edition, the question you have to answer is also determined by the die roll, because each box contains questions from only one category. The higher the shot, the harder the question.
Step 3. Earn a clove if you land on a square with the clove symbol and give the correct answer
You can get the wedges by answering the questions correctly, but only on the squares that assign them. These spaces look different from the others on the board, because they show the figure of a pawn with a wedge inside.
For example, if you land on the square with the brown wedge and answer the question correctly, you earn the brown wedge
Step 4. Keep playing until someone gets all six wedges
When this happens, that player can start moving towards the center of the board. He must continue to shoot and move his pawn normally until he reaches the center, with an exact roll.
Remember that it can take several turns before the player with six wedges gets the die roll he needs to hit the center exactly
Step 5. Answer a question from the category chosen by the other players
When you reach the center space, your opponents choose a category and ask you a question of that color. If you answer correctly, you have won the game. If not, the turn ends and passes to the next player.
- Other players cannot read the questions before choosing the category. They have to do it without looking at the card.
- If you don't know the correct answer, you must roll again on the next turn and try to answer another question if you return to the center space.
Advice
- Look for clues within the question that may help you answer, for example "Where is feline salami made?" (the answer is “to Felino, in Emilia Romagna”).
- Some editions of Trivial Pursuit, such as the Know-It-All edition, use sheets of paper instead of the board.
Warnings
- Please note that older editions of Trivial Pursuit may contain information that was correct at the time of publication, but has now become obsolete. This is especially true of sports and entertainment awards. Check on the internet to see if a player's answer is correct.
- Please note that in some editions of Trivial Pursuit, wrong answers were printed. For example, in one edition it appears that Superman is considered a Marvel character, while it is owned by DC Comics.
