So Wrong It’s Right

(For all those following my limited series (hi Mum!), here is the next instalment of ‘Family Games that Work Quite Well as Responsible Drinking Games’…)

We all love a pub quiz, right? Everyone loves to flaunt the incredibly useful facts that they have accumulated over the years in a grand contest of beer-fuelled knowledge, be it for premium meat, discounted ale or simply bragging rights. But it must be said that sometimes these often alcohol-fuelled bouts result in some rather interesting answers being shouted that in themselves become a source of entertainment.

Consider then the poor unfortunates who have been delegated to drive or have chosen, sensibly, to not partake of the amber nectar for whatever admirable reason they may have. Not for them is the experience of mangling their words or spoonerising their responses in a spectacular fashion.

Until Now…

So Wrong It’s Right (SWIR) is another release from those indefatigable M.L.GZ (Major League Gamerz, if you have to ask) at Format Games aka Matt and Lawrence, a pub quiz with a twist so entertaining that Chubby Checker and the Fat Boys are all over it like maple syrup on a pancake.

Come On, Come On, Even I Know The Answer To This One…

SWIR is first and foremost a quiz. Simple as. It is played by 3 or more players (there’s no upper limit, but seeing as there are a mere 400 question cards available, you’d probably want to cap it at, say, 100 players? I’m jesting.

You should be fine up to about 200.

Each player is given a card with five questions on it Each of these questions has a two word answer. Players take it in turns to be Quiz Master and they ask the next question, in order on the card (so, on the first round, everyone asks question one, the next round question two and so forth). The other players then have to answer that question. Only it’s not quite as simple as that.

This is because, sitting in the middle of the table, shared by all players, is the Answer Pile. You may well know the answer to the question, but the Answer pile determines how the question should be answered – this is the fun bit.

The Answers Come In Five Fruity Flavours:

– Got It – You just say the answer. So, if the question was ‘Who is the baddie in Star Wars: A New Hope?’ You would answer ‘Darth Vader’. Basic. Lubrication Rating: 0. Next!

– Flip It – Here you give the answer but flip the words round to ‘Vader Darth’. Better. Lubrication Rating: 1.

– Switch It – Again, you must give the answer but now switch around the two initial letters, making ‘Varth Dader’. This is more like it! Lubrication Rating: 2.

– Ditch It – We return to giving the answer in the right order, only now we get rid of the two initial letters, making ‘Arth Ader’. I sound like Scooby Doo! Lubrication Rating: 3.

– Not It – This is where you must give anything BUT the right answer. Can you say ‘Luke Skywalker’? I knew you could. Go home, SWIR, you’re drunk. Lubrication Rating: 4,000.

Once you have considered your answer and/or Lubrication Rating, SLAM your hand (SLAM!) upon the answer card and give you answer – if it is correct, take a point (or the card, depending on how many people are playing); if not, lose a point or card. The next player then becomes the Quiz Master and so on until everyone has asked their five questions (this might be tricky when playing with 200 people unless you fancy The Quiz of a Thousand Questions). Whoever has the most points/cards at the end is deemed the winner!

I’ve Started So I’ll Finish…

SWIR is a nice little twist on your common-or-garden quiz format and its open-topped player count means that it makes an ideal ice-breaker, filler or just for fun game. The different ways you need to answer do play on the same part of the brain that Ghost Blitz and Anomia play on, but the added distinction of having to know the answer to adapt it in the first place means that they can be played by people with more knowledge than reflexes (like me) as well.

Having the correct answers in their different forms on the cards means that the Quiz Master doesn’t have to think too much and also cuts down on the arguments that would obviously arise over what the right answer might be – it’s on the card! There are a huge number of questions for such a compact game, so it will keep you going for a while, especially as each player is only dealt out one question card for the duration of the game. Economic!

The question and answer cards are colourful but free of illustration (bah, who needs that!) and the Answer deck could do with being a bit larger, but that is really a minor thing, and people in a pub might not be into the idea of slamming their hand onto the table (slam on table + pints of liquid = massive spillages) but hey! Just don’t slam. Regardless of these very small and surmountable flaws, this is a fun little quiz game with a side hustle in silliness and sensible drinking practices for all.