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Have you ever been to a pub quiz and thought, “I’d have won this if I got to choose the right answers”? Well, if you do have this fundamental misunderstanding of how facts work or if you are looking for a really silly party game, Quirky is probably for you!
Quirky is styled as “the quiz where you decide the answers” and is primarily a fast-paced trivia game for groups of 3 or more, but we suggest a group of 5-6 is the perfect number of players. Quirky, as a game, lays somewhere between charades, Articulate! & a pub quiz. A game of Quirky can last as long as the players want, usually at least thirty minutes. The unique twist for Quirky is in how the questions are asked & answered.
A Quiz With No Answers…
The oldest player starts as the questioner and will ask the questions for the entire round. Starting with the player to the questioner’s left, the players roll a die, numbered 1-4, and depending on the number shown the questioner goes through the cards asking the corresponding questions. The answerer has about 45 seconds on the sand-timer to answer as many questions as they can, the questioner is rewarded for quick & clear reading as for every 5 cards the answerer gets, the questioner also gets a bonus card for themselves. Play continues around until all the players have answered questions, then the role of questioner moves on to the next player.
Here's the thing, these are not often “normal” questions. You won’t find many “what’s the capital city of…” or “name the person who…” because Quirky does not actually give you the answers to any of the questions, and you are not supposed to look them up. Because, honestly, the correct answer doesn’t really matter. If the question asks, “Tell me a super-power that Superman does NOT possess.” And the answerer says “flight”, if the questioner and all the fellow players do not realise this is a wrong answer, the answer gets the card, despite being a clod.
Who Needs Wikipedia?!
But it gets better. Let us say there is one person at the table who knows that Superman can, in fact, fly. And is super famous for being able to do so. That player can “Challenge” the answerer. The card is then put to one side for later, and the questioner continues to ask new cards. Then, once the time has run out, any challenged cards are then debated between the answerer and the challenger. If neither can convince the other, the rest of the players act as a jury to decide the “correct” answer. If the jury decides that no, Superman cannot fly, then the answerer is deemed correct and wins the card AND takes one from the challenger. But, if the challenger convinces the jury, they win both the question card and a card from the answerer.
“But Dandy, what if I just don’t know the answer?” Well, you can either re-roll the dice and hope you get the same number you did before, this wins you the card for free. But if you fail, the card is given to a player of your choice. Alternatively, summon up your best Frank Abagnale impression, confidence and a winning smile broad enough to convince everyone that you do know and there’s no reason to challenge your answer. Remember, Quirky is a game where anyone can win, regardless of knowledge or pesky facts.
Fixing The Jury
As a party game, Quirky can be limited by it’s low player count. More than six players can slow the game down to a crawl and Quirky does not work with teams because the first answer is the one accepted. Having said that, it is excellent for small gatherings or as an after-dinner game, even as an icebreaker for new friends. Quirky is suitable for ages 10+, but not because of any rudeness (the questions are all clean), more about reading ability and the quick-fire nature of the game. A lot of the questions are written in a confusing manner, this is intentional to eat up player time, and can make reading or answering quickly difficult for some players. Maybe use a phone timer for 60 seconds for younger players to give them more of a fighting chance?
The game style can rub some players the wrong way, as some questions feel more like a popularity contest than a quiz game. The jovial nature of Quirky usually balances this, but it can be rather annoying when you know that Superman can fly but everyone else says he can’t, so you lose.
Quirky Qualification
Dom & Andy both thoroughly enjoyed Quirky, as did their friends. The game is best approached with a sense of silly fun and good humour, rather than as a serious quiz game. The smartest person may not win, you will definitely have to charm your way through more than one questions, but you will certainly have a lot of fun. One of our favourite aspects of this game is that there is no idle time for players.
Even when you are not the questioner or answerer, you can still challenge or act as the jury for other players, this means no one is just sitting around waiting for their turn. Everyone is involved, all the time. Quirky is one of those games that accomplishes what it set out to do, it is an entertaining party game that will have all your friends laughing, and we strongly recommend you give it a try!
