Inquizitor
Inquizitor Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
- 165 question cards
- 110 "Kaum zu glauben" ("Hard to Believe") cards
- 165 cards with rescue questions
- 1 game board
- 6 pawns
- 2 dice
Goal of the Game
The players try to answer as many questions as possible and, with the help of correct answers and a little luck with the dice, be the first to reach the target field on the game board.
Game Materials
The Game Board
During play, the colours of the fields on the game board determine which question card the player must answer.
- RED, ORANGE, YELLOW and GREEN fields: the matching questions are found on the question cards, in the category of the same colour.
- BLUE fields: "Hard to Believe" questions.
- VIOLET fields: if a player's pawn stands on a violet field, the player may choose any question category.
The Cards
1. Question Cards
Question cards carry four different colour markings (red, orange, yellow and green), which identify the respective question category.
RED – Entertainment (Unterhaltung)
The questions are about films, musicals or books. The card contains a short summary of the content or a quotation. The correct answer is the corresponding title of the film, musical or book.
Example: Film: A luxury steamer collides with an iceberg and determines the fate of a young love. Answer: Titanic
ORANGE – Estimating (Schätzen)
These questions come from the areas of nature, science and the world of superlatives and records.
The answer is always a number. The player's answer may be accepted if the number they name deviates from the exact solution by no more than 20%.
Example: How much does a newborn kangaroo weigh? Answer: 1 gram.
YELLOW – Word Definition (Worterklärung)
The questions are mostly about expressions that have fallen into oblivion from certain areas of the German-speaking region, or terms of official language, as well as foreign words.
These expressions, terms, idioms or foreign words are to be explained.
Example: What is a "Pappkamerad"? Explanation: It is a human figure made of cardboard for shooting practice.
GREEN – Anagrams (Anagramme)
The letters must be put into the correct order and the correct solution word must be stated. The answer is always a noun.
Example: WAEIELSSRTUNG Solution: Wasserleitung (water pipe)
2. "Kaum zu glauben" ("Hard to Believe") Cards
The questions revolve around curiosities from all over the world. Each question has three potential answers, but only one is correct.
Each "Kaum zu glauben" card has different questions printed on both sides. The letter of the correct answer is on the reverse side of the respective question.
Example: What is a "Pfoad"? A. A Pfoad is a harness for a plough horse. B. A Pfoad is a traditional costume shirt. C. Pfoad is a name, used in earlier centuries, for a mountain road. Answer: B
3. Cards with Rescue Questions
Each card shows six different questions from the subject areas of politics, culture, nature, geography, history and technology.
Example: Which American president was murdered in a theatre? Answer: Abraham Lincoln
Setup
The game can be played by two to six individual players or by teams.
Place the game board in the middle of the table.
Shuffle the cards separately and place them face down on the table, with the answer side facing down.
Each player or team chooses a pawn and places it on the start field of the game board that matches its colour.
Sequence of Play
- The youngest player begins. Play proceeds clockwise.
- In the first round, each player chooses a question category.
- In each subsequent round, the question category is determined by the colour of the field on which the player's pawn stands.
- The player whose turn it is is read the corresponding question by the player seated opposite. That player draws the top question card, or a "Hard to Believe" card, from the stack and reads the question aloud.
Note: The correct answer is printed on the reverse side of the card. When reading the question aloud, the reading player must make sure that the answer side of the card is not visible. Each "Hard to Believe" card has different questions printed on both sides; the letter of the correct answer is on the reverse side of the respective question.
- If the player answers the question correctly, they roll both dice and move their pawn forward as many fields as the sum of the two dice shows.
- The next player then takes their turn.
- If the given answer is wrong, the player may answer a rescue question. Before this, they roll one die. The player seated opposite draws a card from the stack of rescue questions and reads out the question that corresponds to the number rolled.
- If the rescue question is answered correctly, the player may move their pawn forward by the number shown on the last die rolled.
- If the player also answers the rescue question incorrectly, or does not know the answer, the pawn remains where it is. In the next round, the player receives a question from the same question category. (If the pawn is still on the start field, the player may, if they wish, choose a new category instead.)
- The next player then takes their turn.
End of the Game
The game ends once the round in which a player's pawn or a team's pawn first lands on the target field has been completed. That player or team wins the game.
If there is a tie, the players concerned play a tie-breaking question. The one who gives the correct answer more quickly wins.
Advanced Variant: Taking Over a Question
If one of the players knows the answer to a question that was asked of another player, there is an option to take over the question if that player answers incorrectly.
The player who knows the answer immediately calls out loudly "Inquizitor!". This must be called before the player is asked a rescue question.
If the player whose turn it is answers incorrectly, the player who called "Inquizitor" may answer.
They state their answer and roll one die. If the answer is correct, they may move their pawn forward the number of fields that corresponds to the die result.
If their answer is wrong, they must move their pawn back the corresponding number of fields. The player who gave the wrong answer does not receive a rescue question.
The next player then takes their turn.
Rules for 2–6 Teams
With the exceptions listed below, the rules of the basic game apply to teams.
- The questions are read aloud by a player from the team seated opposite.
- Team members may quietly discuss their answer with each other.
- When taking over a question, the members of the relevant team must discuss their answer and also agree on whether they want to take over the question at all. The members cannot decide individually about taking over.