Remote Possibilities

Remote Possibilities Rulebook

Table of Contents

Object

Score points by answering questions, completing phrases, and completing words. To win, have the most points at the end of the game.

Game Summary

Remote Possibilities is played in rounds. During each round, a Round Leader controls the Main Unit and asks questions to the other players, each of whom controls a Remote. A player can earn points either for being the first to RING IN and answer a question correctly; or by ZINGING a question to an opponent, who then answers incorrectly.

The First Time You Play

Carefully pull the protective strip from the back of each Remote, and discard it. This will activate the batteries in the Remotes.

Installing Batteries in the Main Unit: Loosen the screw on the battery compartment door, located on the back of the Main Unit, then remove the door. Insert 3 "AA" size batteries (we recommend alkaline), making sure to align the + and - symbols with the markings in the plastic. Then replace the door and tighten the screw.

The Remote Batteries: Each Remote includes two button-cell batteries. See Replacing the Batteries in the Remotes for instructions on how to replace them when necessary.

A Look at the Main Unit

PAUSE/ON/OFF Button: Press to turn game on or to "wake up" the game; to pause and resume play. Press and hold to turn game off.
YES Button: Press to confirm the number of players, and to verify a correct answer.
Advance Button: Press to start a game, or to advance to the next screen or question.
NO Button: Press to indicate an incorrect answer.

A Look at the Remotes

Answer Button: Press to Ring In to answer a question.
Zing Button: Press to pass a question to another player.

Important: If this game malfunctions, push in RESET or try new batteries.

Caution: To Avoid Battery Leakage

Be sure to insert the batteries correctly and always follow the game and battery manufacturers' instructions.
Do not mix old and new batteries, or alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc) or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium) batteries.
Always remove weak or dead batteries from the product.

Caution

As with all small batteries, the batteries used with this game should be kept away from small children, who still put things in their mouths. If they are swallowed promptly see a doctor and have the doctor telephone 202-625-3333 collect.
Make sure the batteries are inserted correctly and follow the game and battery manufacturers' instructions.
Do not mix old and new batteries, or alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc) or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium) batteries.

Getting Started

Press the ON button on the Main Unit. The game will play an introduction, then say: To begin, take the Main Unit and press the Advance button.

One player takes the Main Unit, then presses ADVANCE.

The game will say: In turn, everyone press one of the buttons on your Remote Controller.

All players, including the player with the Main Unit, now register by pressing either ANSWER or ZING on their Remotes.

The game will announce the colors of all players who registered, then say: Is this everyone?

The player with the Main Unit presses YES to confirm the number and colors of players in the game. If more players still need to register, the player with the Main Unit presses NO, to let all players register. (If 6 players register, the game will skip this step.)

Playing a Round

Each game consists of several rounds of play, depending on the number of players:

3-player game = 6 rounds;
4-player game = 8 rounds;
5-player game = 5 rounds;
6-player game = 6 rounds.

As each round begins, the game will choose a Round Leader by color, then say: Take the Main Unit and press the Advance button.

The Round Leader sets his or her Remote aside, takes the Main Unit, and presses ADVANCE. All other players get their Remotes ready for the round to begin!

The Round Leader Asks a Question

During each Round, the screen will display three types of questions, at random: General Knowledge questions, Complete the Phrase questions, and Complete the Word questions. The boxes at right explain each type of question.

General Knowledge

This category includes questions of varying difficulty, from really easy to fairly challenging. To introduce a General Knowledge question, the screen will show: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION

The Round Leader reads this aloud, then presses ADVANCE. The game will say: Ready? Go! and show the question - for example: WHAT COMEDIENNE IS FAMOUS FOR SAYING "CAN WE TALK?" The Round Leader reads the question aloud, pressing ADVANCE whenever an arrow appears, to move to the next screen.

Complete the Phrase

These are well-known expressions, idioms, proverbs, or quotes. To introduce a Complete the Phrase question, the screen will show: COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING PHRASE

The Round Leader reads this aloud, then presses ADVANCE. The game will say: Ready? Go! and show the phrase - for example: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE one word at a time. The Round Leader reads each word aloud, as it appears.

Complete the Word

These are 4- to 8-letter words. To introduce a Complete the Word question, the screen will show: COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING WORD

and will then show the number of letters in the word. The Round Leader reads this aloud, then presses ADVANCE. The game will say: Ready? Go! and show the word - for example: JOKER one letter at a time. The Round Leader reads each letter aloud, as it appears.

Players RING IN to Answer

As the Round Leader reads the question, the players with Remotes race to "ring in" first with the correct answer. (Players can "zing" to pass the question to other players. See Zing! for an explanation of this special feature.)

If you're a player with a Remote, listen carefully as the Round Leader reads the question, the words in a phrase, or the letters in a word. As soon as you think you know the answer, ring in by pressing the ANSWER button on your Remote. You can ring in any time after the game says: Ready? Go!

The game will wait about 20 seconds for a first player to ring in. (If no one rings in during that time, the Round Leader must press ADVANCE to go to the next question.) After a player rings in, other players with Remotes have only about one second to do the same - so any other players who want to ring in must hurry!

The game keeps track of the order in which players ring in. When time is up, the game will call on you. For example, if you're the Purple player, the game will say: Purple, do you know the answer?

Now the game will give you 15 seconds to answer the question. (If time runs out before you answer, the game will call on the next player who rang in; or, if no other players rang in, the game will ask the Round Leader to advance to the next question.)

The Round Leader Verifies the Answer

If you're the Round Leader, compare the player's answer to the game's answer (the answer shown on the screen).

If the player's answer is correct, press YES. The game will acknowledge the correct answer, and the player who answered correctly will earn one point.
If the player's answer is incorrect, press NO. The game will ask the next player who rang in for an answer, and so on, for every player who rang in.

After a player answers correctly, or all players have answered incorrectly, the game will say: Press the Advance button.

Press ADVANCE to read the next question.

Rereading a question: If a player rings in before you've advanced to the final screen of a question, this player must answer the question immediately, without hearing the rest of the question. If the player answers incorrectly, it's only fair that you read the entire question for any other players who rang in. To reread a question, just press ADVANCE to return to the beginning screen. Then press ADVANCE to view the answer.

The "Close Enough" rule: Answers to General Knowledge and Complete the Phrase questions should be ruled correct if a player's answer basically matches the answer on the screen, even if the wording isn't exact. For example, if a phrase reads: "Let the chips fall where they may," and a player answers: "Let the chips fall where they might," you should accept the answer as correct.

Zing!

Each player can "zing" a limited number of times during a game, to pass a question to another player.

To zing, press ZING on your Remote after the game says: Ready? Go! The game will call on you in the order that you zinged. For example, if you're the Purple player, the game will say: Purple, who's getting Zinged?

Now you announce the player you want to zing (the Zingee). The Zingee must press ANSWER on his or her Remote. For example, if you zing the Yellow player, this player must press ANSWER on his or her Remote. The game will then say: Yellow, do you know the answer?

After being called on, the Zingee must answer the question.

If the Zingee answers correctly, he or she gains one point, and you (the Zinger) lose one point.
If the Zingee answers incorrectly, or does not answer before time runs out, he or she loses one point, and you (the Zinger) gain one point.

Additional Zing Rules: You cannot zing the Round Leader, or any player who has already been called on to answer the question. If all other players have already tried to answer, the game will call on you to answer the question instead!

Players who ring in, but get zinged before they can answer, do not get a second chance to answer the question.

Remember, you have a limited number of Zings per game. If you press Zing after that, you'll be called on to answer the question.

Ending a Round

After the game has asked 5 questions, the round ends. The screen will show how many points each player has earned so far in the game, and will show how many rounds remain in the game. Then a new Round Leader is chosen, and the next round begins!

How to Win

After all rounds in a game have been played, the player with the most points wins the game! The game will announce the winner.

Breaking a Tie: If two or more players tie for high score, the screen will show: EXTENDED PLAY

The Round Leader presses ADVANCE, looks at the scores, and announces who the tying players are. Now only the tying players will play one round of extended play. The game will choose a non-tying player as the Round Leader. (If all players are tied, the Round leader is chosen at random.) The first player to score a point wins the game! If no player scores during extended play, the game is a draw.

Strategy Hint: Extended play is a great time to use up any Zings you might have left!

Pause/Automatic Shutoff

To pause the game, press PAUSE on the Main Unit. To resume play, press PAUSE again.

If no buttons are pressed for 5 minutes (10 minutes in Pause mode), the game will "go to sleep," to save battery power. To "wake up" the game, press the ON button on the Main Unit to start a new game.

Maintenance

Handle the game carefully.
Store the game away from dusty or dirty areas.
Keep the game away from moisture or temperature extremes.
Do not disassemble the game. If a problem occurs with the Main Unit or the Remotes, use a household tool to push in RESET; or remove and replace the batteries.

Replacing the Batteries in the Remotes

Each Remote requires two #357 button-cell batteries.

To replace the batteries, loosen the screw on the battery compartment door, and remove the door. Remove the two button-cell batteries, then insert two fresh ones "+"-side up, as shown. Replace the door and tighten the screw.

Storing Your Game

Done playing for now? Keep your game parts together by clipping the Remotes onto the Main Unit as shown below. Now the game will be handy when you're ready to play again!

(Diagram labelled "Reset" on the back of the Main Unit.)