Top Ten Quiz Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components and Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Start of a Round
  • Bidding
  • Having Guesses
  • Special Tile
  • Opposing Team
  • End of a Round
  • Summary
• End of the Game
• Notes
  • Build Your Own Sets
  • Top-Ten-Charts
• High Bid Variant

Game Components and Setup

Components

• 98 Top-Ten-Charts of 7 categories (society, sport, nature, worldwide, people, economy, and fun), in 2 card boxes with cover (Set 1-7 + Set 8-14)
• 14 divider cards, used to cover the top task
• 10 blank cards (each game includes blank cards for your creative use)
• 3 special tiles for each team
• 10 bidding tiles for each team (1-10, green and black)
• 7 winner tiles with 1-7 points
• 1 tiebreaker tile

Setup

1. The Top-Ten-Charts are presorted into two decks, so that you may start playing immediately. Each deck contains seven sets of Top-Ten-Charts from mixed categories. Remove the plastic foil from the cards and put them into the corresponding card box without shuffling them. Return the first card of each deck (showing a flag) back to the game box. For each game you will use seven Top-Ten-Charts (= one set). Start your first game simply with set 01. Return the other card box to the game box.
2. Form two teams (team Green vs. team Black) of at least two members each.
3. Give each team its three special tiles and the ten bidding tiles of its color.
4. Stack the seven winner tiles in ascending order ("7" at the bottom, "1" on top).
5. Flip the tiebreaker tile like a coin, so it lands on the table with a random side up, and place it next to the winner tiles.

Also, you need a smartphone or similar device as a timer.

Playing the Game

The game is played over seven rounds.

Start of a Round

Put the topmost winner tile in the center of the table at the start of each round. The winning team of this round will gain it as their reward.

Then, each team chooses their captain. This role will change in the following rounds from one player to the next within each team.

Bidding

Any of the team captains takes the top divider card, and sticks it behind the top card. Both team captains look at the top task (at the task only, not at the answers) and read the category aloud. Then, without reading the task aloud, each captain provides an estimate for their own team. How many correct answers will their team members give?

Both captains take their bidding tiles into their hand, select one tile, and place it face down in front of them. The number on the selected tile is the number of correct answers of the team estimated by the captain. After both captains have selected their tile, they reveal these simultaneously. The team whose captain has selected the higher number is the active team during this round. That team must try to give as many correct answers as their captain had estimated. The tile remains in front of the captain. The other team is the opposing team of this round.

If both captains have selected the same number, the team whose color is shown on the tiebreaker tile is the active team. In this case only, turn the tile to its other side (not automatically at the end of the round).

Example: Ella is the captain of team Green, and thinks her team will give five correct answers. Mia is the captain of team Black, and thinks her team will give only four correct answers. Ella has won the bidding, and now she and her team must try to give five correct answers.

Having Guesses

The captain of the opposing team takes the topmost Top-Ten-Chart from the card box so that they (and they only) can see the answers. Then, that captain reads the task aloud, and subsequently starts the timer (smartphone or any other suitable device), preset to 2 minutes. It should be in good view of all players.

Note: Before you start the game, you may adjust the timer to your group's pace, for example 90 or 150 seconds.

The active team

1. All members of this team (except the captain) must give as many suggestions for correct answers as possible. They do so by consulting each other and telling their captain their suggestions. They also may mention how sure or unsure they are concerning their suggestions.
2. It is the captain's task to pass any answers they think to be correct to the captain of the opposing team. This means an answer is only taken into account once the captain has passed it on. The captain may only pass answers given by their team - not any answers given by themself. The answers must be included in the Top-Ten-Chart, but their order is not relevant. The captain may give instructions to their team, but no hints.

The opposing team

3. The captain of the opposing team determines if the given answers are correct. First, they place their ten bidding tiles in numerical order in front of them. If an answer is correct, the captain flips the tile with the number corresponding to that answer's position in the Top-Ten-Chart. This way it is easy to follow which and how many answers have been given already.
4. The other members of the opposing team watch the timer, and may think of correct answers as well (they may consult each other in a very hushed tone).

Example: The timer runs. Ella's team (Green) is consulting and telling her some possible answers. The first answer that Ella passes to Mia is "Casino Royale". That answer is correct, and Mia flips the "5". In the meantime, her team is thinking about a correct answer as well.

Special Tile

If the captain of the active team has passed on a wrong answer, they may decide to use a special tile. In this case their team may continue guessing.

Flip the used special tile; it cannot be used again for the time being. If more wrong answers are given during this round, several special tiles may be used.

Important: If a captain (or both) are bidding for six correct answers or more, they may flip one of their used special tiles to reactivate it (if possible), regardless if they have won the bidding or not.

Example: "Goldfinger" is not one of the last ten movies. Ella uses a special tile, so her team may continue guessing.

Opposing Team

In two cases it is the opposing team's turn:

1. If the active team's captain passes on a wrong answer and cannot or does not want to use a special tile.
2. If the time runs out before the active team has given the required number of answers. Also, the active team may give up before time runs out if they cannot think of any more answers.

In these cases, by giving a single correct answer only, the opposing team can win the round. The members of that team (not its captain) have only ten seconds to consult. The active team may start a countdown from ten. Within ten seconds the opposing team must give an answer, which is checked by their own captain. When giving the opposing answer, no special tile may be used.

End of a Round

The active team wins the round if it has given as many correct answers as estimated by its captain before the time runs out.

The opposing team wins the round if it is its turn and the members could give one correct answer not passed on by the active captain yet.

The winning team gains the winner tile from the center of the table. In case the opposing team's answer is wrong, no team gains the winner tile and it remains where it is.

Put the Top-Ten-Chart of this round behind all other cards in the card box. Both teams choose a new captain, and that captain takes their team's bidding tiles. Place the topmost winner tile in the center of the table. In case there is one or more winner tiles already, all these can be won in the next round!

Summary

1. Place a winner tile in the center of the table.
2. Choose captains.
3. Look at the task.
4. Read category aloud.
5. Bidding.
6. Read task aloud.
7. Start timer.
8. Make your guesses.

End of the Game

The game ends after seven rounds. If no team wins the last round in the usual way, there is a final showdown. Starting with the active team and continuing alternately, one team member may give one answer (except the captain). The first team to give a correct answer wins this final round. After a maximum of three wrong answers was given by each team, the round ends in a tie, and no team will gain any winner tile(s).

Both teams add the points of their winner tiles. The team with the most points is the winner of the game. If tied, the team with more tiles is the winner. If still tied, the game ends in a tie.

Notes

Build Your Own Sets

The Top-Ten-Charts are presorted to make the game easily accessible. After you have played the game a couple of times, you can build your own sets. Shuffle seven cards face down, and put them in one of the card boxes with a divider card on top. It is best to either take one card of each category or seven cards of one category only (e.g. sport).

Top-Ten-Charts

Of course the Top-Ten-Charts will change in the course of time. The answers listed in this game were researched up to 2021 as best as possible. If the answers of any chart should have changed considerably when playing Top Ten Quiz, ask your preferred search engine if in doubt. The general rule is: the answers on the cards are correct!

High Bid Variant

The following variant adds a more tactical aspect: Instead of bidding once only for the number of correct answers, the captains try to outbid each other. The bidding tiles of both teams are on open display during the game in the center of the table in numerical order (from 1 to 10). After reading the category aloud, the captain whose team color is shown on the tiebreaker tile starts the bidding. At the start of each future round the tiebreaker tile is flipped, ensuring that the captains start alternately.

When starting the bidding, that captain pushes one of their tiles a bit forward, thus announcing how many correct answers they estimate their team will give. Then, the other captain can give a higher bid by pushing forward their tile which is exactly one number higher. Next, it is the other captain's turn again to increase their bid to the next higher number, etc., until one of them passes or has bid "10". In that case the other captain must pass. Once a captain has passed, the other team is the active team automatically, and now must give as many correct answers as indicated by its last bidding tile. The same rule applies as before: if bidding "6" at least, you may reactivate a special tile.

Example: Being captain of team Green, Ella starts the bidding by pushing the "3" forward. After reflecting only for a short while, Mia overbids her with "4". Ella counters with "5". Mia is in doubt that her team can give six correct answers, and passes. Now Ella and her team must give five correct answers within 120 seconds.