Stage II
Stage II Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
Earn chips by first answering a series of trivia questions and then discovering what the answers have in common. Win by having the most chips at the end of the game.
Contents
- 1 wallet question-reader
- 12 decks of 28 cards - 3 theme rounds per card (that's 1,008 themes and 6,048 questions to answer)
- 150 chips (50 maroon; 100 white)
- 1 storage box for chips
- 1 instruction booklet
Game Set-Up
Length of game
A game consists of asking and answering 21 theme rounds. A theme round is made up of 6 individual questions and a corresponding theme. There are 3 theme rounds per card. Therefore, a game consists of asking and answering questions from 7 cards.
NOTE: each card in the deck is coded with a letter (identifying its deck) and a number (identifying where it belongs in a deck). The letter/number code is a quick way for you and your friends to keep track of which cards you've played!
Choosing a Moderator
Choose a player to be Moderator for the first theme round only. The Moderator is the player who asks the questions to all other players using the wallet question-reader. When a player is Moderator, he or she does not guess along with the other players!
Preparing the wallet for play
The Moderator takes the first 7 cards from Deck A and inserts them into the pocket of the wallet, as shown in Figure 1. The wallet is designed to hold a full deck of 28 cards, so if you wish to play several 7-card games you may want to insert the entire deck.
(Figure 1: the wallet, showing the red window, the pocket, Deck A inserted, and the cover card placed over the inserted deck so no one can sneak a peek at the questions.)
No peeking
To avoid seeing the questions on the cards in the pocket, the Moderator places one of the cover cards (each of the 12 decks has one) over the inserted cards in the wallet. This "protective" card should remain in the wallet throughout play to keep players from sneaking a peek at upcoming questions!
NOTE: the face-up side of cover cards displays the 7 possible categories of questions and their corresponding symbols. The Moderator may wish to turn one cover card faceup near his or her playing area and use it as a handy reference card to identify category symbols during play.
Question-asking - how to do it!
To start the game, the Moderator takes the top card (that's A1) from the deck in the pocket and slides the card into the slot on the top of the wallet. The first question of the first theme round should appear through the slot, as shown in Figure 2.
The Moderator then reads the first question aloud for the players to answer. To find the answer to the first question, the Moderator opens the wallet and looks at the red window (see Figure 1). The answer to the first question appears in the window!
To ask subsequent questions, the Moderator pulls the card up in the slot to reveal the next question and opens the wallet to see its corresponding answer in the window.
The theme of the 6 answers in a round always appears at the end of the 6th question. To view a theme answer, the Moderator pulls up the card until he or she sees the word "THEME" and then looks at the red window for the answer.
Completing a card
When 3 theme rounds on a card have been played, the Moderator pulls out the card and inserts it behind the other cards in the pocket. The top card from the deck in the pocket is then inserted as Card A1 was, and play continues.
7 Categories
Each deck contains theme rounds that are either multicategory or single category formats.
A multicategory round contains 6 questions from the following categories:
- History
- Geography
- The Arts
- Entertainment
- Sports
- Science
- Chance - could be any of the above categories
In a multicategory round, there will never be more than one question per category except in case of the Chance category. It is possible to have two questions from the Chance category in a round - but not more than two!
A single-category round contains 6 questions from one of the 7 categories. For example, 6 Sports questions or 6 History questions, and so on. Single-category rounds are sprinkled through the decks - look for them, they offer a player who is an expert in a particular field a chance to pull ahead or stay ahead.
The Moderator need not announce each question's category in a multicategory round unless requested to do so by the players; the Moderator should announce the category that is being "showcased" in a single-category round before the guessing begins.
The chips - and their distribution
There are 50 maroon chips and 100 white chips in the Bank. A maroon chip is worth 5 points; a white chip is worth 1 point.
Pick a player to be the Banker. The Banker gives each player (including the Moderator) 4 maroon chips and 5 white chips to start the game.
Paper and pencil - an option!
Players may want to jot down correct answers, as they are guessed - seeing the written clues can be an advantage to guessing the theme. Paper and pencils should be provided to players who want the added help.
Important - The Role of the Moderator
To make a round of play fun and challenging, the Moderator should do more than just ask the questions. Other duties include:
A. Defining answers. Many Stage II answers carry parentheses indicating that only parts of the answers are clues to the theme. For example, if the already-announced answer is Charlie (McCarthy), the Moderator would further define the answer for the players by saying... "Charlie is the answer you're looking for." Remember, anything in parentheses is not a clue to the theme!
B. Repeating questions and recapping answers. The Moderator must repeat any question and recap already-announced answers when requested to do so.
C. Deciding who answers correctly first. Stage II is a game of great spontaneity. Players shout out answers to questions and to themes at will - and they can answer more than once! The Moderator is the final judge in determining which player gives the correct answer first. No ties! The Moderator must always make the determination.
D. Deciding if everyone is stumped. It is possible that players cannot discover the correct answer to an individual question or to a theme. Only the Moderator can decide when all players are stumped.
E. Theme guesses - what's really correct? After a few rounds of play, you'll discover that theme answers are very specific. For example, British Poets might be the theme answer. If a player guessed "British Authors," the Moderator must decide if the answer is close enough to be correct. The Moderator is free to ask for more specific information from the answering player to further qualify the theme answer.
You are now ready for the Stage II challenge! The cards are in the wallet, the chips have been distributed, the Moderator has been chosen and the first round is in the slot ready to be guessed. Have fun!
Game Play
Ante up
Before guessing begins, each player (except the Moderator) puts 1 white chip into the center playing area to form a pot. The player chosen to be the Banker adds 1 maroon chip to the pot from the Bank's supply of chips. If there are less than 6 white chips in the pot, the Banker will add the necessary white chips from the Bank to bring the pot up to 6 white chips. NOTE: it is legal to have more than 6 white chips in the pot - and this will occur when more than 7 people play Stage II.
Guessing answers to the 6 questions
The Moderator reads aloud the first question of the first round. Players shout out their answers and can guess more than once. The play is spontaneous with all players guessing at once!
The player who answers correctly first, takes one white chip from the pot as a reward. There is no penalty for incorrect answers to individual questions.
Getting stumped - if no player can answer the question, the Moderator reads the answer aloud.
After an answer is either guessed correctly or announced by the Moderator, the Moderator will ask the remaining questions in the round in the same manner as the first question was asked.
Guessing the theme
Any player at any time during the asking and answering of the 6 questions can guess the theme. To make a guess at the theme, a player just shouts out an answer.
An incorrect theme answer will cost a player a penalty - one white chip from his or her supply to be added to the pot. A player can make a guess at the theme more than once - but each incorrect guess will cost one white chip!
The first player to correctly guess the theme answer wins all the chips that are presently in the pot! If a theme is guessed before all of the 6 questions in a round are asked, the Moderator continues to ask these "unguessed questions" to finish off the round. Any player who correctly answers such a question, receives one white chip from the Bank. IMPORTANT: the earlier you guess the theme correctly, the more chips you win, since the pot is diminished by one chip with each question answered correctly. Of course, the pot does get replenished during a round if players continue to guess the theme incorrectly - with each incorrect guess, a white chip is tossed in!
Getting stumped - if no player guesses the theme correctly, the Moderator reads the correct theme answer aloud. The chips that are presently in the pot remain there for the next round of play.
Running out of chips
It is possible that during a 7-card game, someone will run out of chips. Such a player remains in the game and continues to play by either borrowing chips from the Bank or from another player. A record of the borrowed amount is kept and when points are totaled at the end of the game, the scores are adjusted accordingly.
Switching the Moderator
When a player guesses the theme correctly, he or she becomes the Moderator for the next theme round of 6 questions. The new Moderator takes the wallet question-reader and begins play.
If no one guesses the theme correctly, the present Moderator retains his or her role as Moderator for the next theme round. At the end of such a round, if again no one guesses the theme, the Moderator relinquishes his or her role as Moderator and passes the wallet question-reader to the player to his or her left - this player then becomes the Moderator. No one can ever be Moderator for more than two successive theme rounds.
How to Win the Game
When all 21 theme rounds of the 7 cards have been played, the game is over. Players count up the points their chips are worth. Remember, a maroon chip equals 5 points; a white chip equals 1 point. Whoever has the most points wins the game!
Other Fun Ways to Play Stage II
Stage II is a versatile game that allows you and your friends to create your own house rules. Here are some alternate play suggestions.
The Moderator plays, too!
In this version, the Moderator asks the questions and then takes a turn at guessing them, too! The unique design of the wallet allows the Moderator to read the question without seeing its answer (the red window keeps it a secret).
Here's how to play. The Moderator reads the first question in a round. All players (including the Moderator) write down one answer to the question. The Moderator then opens the wallet and announces the answer. The remaining 5 questions are asked and answered in the same manner. No one guesses the theme until all 6 questions have been asked. Players write down their theme guess just like the answers to the individual questions. The Moderator then looks in the wallet window and announces the theme answer.
NOTE: if two or more people have the same correct answer to an individual question, no one is rewarded with a white chip; but if two or more people have the same correct theme answer, split the pot evenly among such players (the Bank will add necessary chips to even-out the pay-off).
Team play
Stage II is a fun party game that can accommodate many players challenging each other individually or as teams. Team play can be as unstructured as team members sharing a supply of chips and consulting with each other before shouting out an answer. Or team play can be as structured as declaring two distinct teams that alternate turns guessing individual questions - theme guesses from teams can be shouted out at anytime!