CANADIAN INQUISITION RULES
(As adopted at the January 2003 captains' meeting.)
These are guidelines, to be interpreted in a spirit of generosity.
A START OF GAME
A1 CHRISTMAS TREE RULE
- Game normally starts at 7:45
- Game start should be delayed if the QM or an expected player has not
arrived, but normally not later than 8:00
- Captain of team whose expected player is absent may waive right to delay;
opposing captain may consent to further reasonable delay beyond 8:00
- If QM has not arrived by 8:00, organizers should be consulted
- QM or organizers may allow a further delay based on knowledge of some
special situation
- A break will be taken after playing 5 rounds
A2 LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBRAIN RULE
- Bar pickups are eligible
- Substitutions are allowed between rounds and should be recorded by QM
A3 EDDIE GAEDEL RULE
- A team normally has five players, but can play with as few as one
- If a team is short one or more players at start of game, they designate
which seats are empty
- If captain is absent, an acting captain is designated
A4 EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES RULE
- If one team fails altogether to appear by the start time (i.e. 8:00
if no further extension is allowed), the other can collect a 0-0 win
and go home, or elect to play out the game
- If it is played out, questions are asked in normal sequence (since some
questions may depend on earlier ones)
- Questions that would have gone to absent team can be answered for fun by
the playing team, but no points are scored; otherwise QM just reads answer
- Playing team gets only one try at their own challenge round questions
(see below) for 2 points, but can answer absent team's questions for
1 point
A5 WIND IN THE FOURTH QUARTER RULE
- After empty seats are designated and before start of game, captains will
do a coin toss
- Winner selects which player (must be in an end seat) will get the first
question
A6 BLOOD FROM A STONE RULE
- Entry fee is charged per brain, per game
- Only players who play, pay
- Fee is $3 (as of this writing)
- Of fees collected, $10 (as of this writing) is kept by QM
B QUESTIONING
B1 WHERE SHE STOPS NOBODY KNOWS RULE
- The game is 10 rounds of 10 questions, one question to each player
in each round
- For rounds 1-9, each round has a specific category; these will be in
different general areas such as history, science, literature, etc.;
one of these areas will be Canadiana
- Category for round 1 is current events
- Round 5 will be an audio round
B2 ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK RULE
- Odd-numbered questions go to successive players of one team in order;
even numbers go to the other team, starting from the same end
- For rounds 6-10, original progression is reversed: #10 player becomes #1,
#9 becomes #2, etc.
- If rounds must be played out of order (e.g. due to audio problems),
each question still goes to whoever would have had it if they had been
played in the normal order
B3 JOE LAMANTIA RULE
- For most rounds, player has 60 seconds after QM finishes reading question
to give up to 2 answers
- First answer is for 2 points and must be given without any help from team
- If first answer is wrong, or voluntarily forfeited ("I'll go to team"),
or if help comes from a team member, team discussion is allowed
- Player whose question it was can then answer for 1 point (or defer
explicitly to another player, e.g. "What she said")
- QM tracks the time, giving warnings when 30 and 10 seconds remaining
(or something like that)
- At end of 60 seconds, QM asks for a quick answer -- no further discussion
is permitted -- player whose question it is must give an answer, or not
B4 CULTURAL MOSAIC RULE
- For audio rounds, time allowance is 30 seconds after the clip ends
- For challenge rounds, see below
- Question setters may specify timing for unusual rounds (e.g. audio
challenge questions)
- Question setters may occasionally provide an unusual round where
a 1-point bonus is available on each question, e.g. by answering a
subsidiary question, answering with only part of the question read,
or getting a number exactly right instead of within a given range
- Question setters must specify whether bonus points are available
for team answer or empty-seat answer
B5 MARLON BRANDO RULE
- Player or a teammate may ask for part or all of a question to be reread,
but clock keeps running (unless QM or both captains agree it was misread
or inaudible the first time)
- Audio clips should be replayed only in case of technical difficulties
B6 BOBBY'S RULES OF ORDER
- Before 2-point answer, teammates cannot prompt the player with anything
that could be considered a hint -- e.g. "you've been there", "this is
easy for you", "this was on Jeopardy! last week", "the key word in the
question is...", "he also wrote Hyperion", "the answer is 42"
- Otherwise random babble is permitted
- Teammates can discuss current question among themselves without helping
player, e.g. by whispering or passing notes
- If, after QM reveals answer, it turns out correct answer was said by
a teammate, opposing team can ask QM to adjust score; QM's decision
is final
- No team discussion of answers during challenge round
B7 OWN GOAL RULE
- No penalty for giving an answer or using a hint given by an opponent
B8 CHARLES LINDBERGH or CONE OF SILENCE RULE
- In general, players should not attempt to anticipate specific questions
so they can tip off teammates with the answers in advance
- On rounds where it is obvious (e.g. due to a handout for visual questions)
what questions are likely to come up, Cone of Silence will be declared
- This means no hints or discussion that might affect future questions are
allowed -- e.g. if asked which river is marked A on the map, you can tell
a teammate that A is not the Amazon, but cannot say you know this because
river B is the Amazon
B9 INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE RULE
- Round 10 of each game is a challenge or individual round
- Question setters will provide 2 questions each in 6 categories
(this may occasionally be varied, but there must be at least 2
questions in at least 5 categories)
- Category titles should not be so cryptic that players have no idea
what the topic is
- Each player chooses a category where at least one question remains
- Player gets 30 seconds to answer for 2 points
- If player gives wrong answer, runs out of time, or chooses to pass,
question immediately goes to corresponding opposing player (e.g. players
in #3 and #4 positions are corresponding) who now gets 20 seconds to
try to steal it for 1 point
- No points allowed for any answer if a teammate helped with it
- Questions left over after the 10th player's turn are not used in the
game, but can be read and answered for fun
B10 INSUFFICIENT INDIVIDUALS RULE
- If a team is shorthanded, then before the categories are revealed
they must designate for each empty seat a player who will answer
for it
- If a team is more than one player short, they make a separate choice
for each empty seat and may choose the same person more than once
- At the empty seat's turn, the question category is not chosen by the
player answering, but by the opposing team
B11 DYSLEXIC MQ RULE
- If QM gives away an answer and no alternative solution is available,
the player gets the points for free
- Captains may agree to an alternative solution, or the question setters
may provide spare questions in case of this eventuality
C ANSWERING
C1 SMITH RULE
- Unless a first name is specifically asked for, the last name of a person
is sufficient for an answer
- If first name is given when not required and is wrong, answer is wrong
C2 JOSEF KOMPELA RULE
- Unless specified otherwise, the QM has discretion to prompt for "more
specific", "less specific", "missing key word", etc.
- When answer is of a type likely to lead to such responses, question
setters should provide guidance to QMs
C3 CHRISTMAS RULE
- You will know the answer to every question in the round except yours
C4 CLIFFORD OLSEN RULE
- When an answer is ruled wrong, the player giving it may protest that
it correctly answered the question
- Protests may include a reasonable amount of explanatory information
- Protests may be delayed until the end of the round; the details should
be written down by the time the game ends
- The organizers should rule on protests before the following game if
possible
- After the game and either before or after the ruling, the protesting
team may provide or cite documentary evidence
- Where there is any doubt or where it is established that the question
as written had no correct answer, the decision of the question setter
is final
C5 JEAN BELIVEAU / JACQUES PARIZEAU RULE
- When an answer is ruled wrong, and the expected answer has been revealed,
the opposing captain may decide that the answer given was in fact correct
(or close enough), and award the points
C6 DOUBLE JEOPARDY RULE
- If a 2-point answer is ruled wrong at the game, but upheld on protest,
any score for a 1-point answer is nullified, no matter whether it was
the same player with team assistance or an opponent with a challenge
round steal
- That is, in a particular game, at most one answer given to a particular
question can score any points
C7 NO DOUBLE JEOPARDY RULE
- All points awarded at the game stand, except where a 2-point answer
supersedes a 1-point answer on a protest
- Protests made at one game do not affect the scoring of other games
- That is, if a player in one game protests a question and the expected
answer proves wrong, players in other games who gave it still keep
their points
C8 AL PACINO RULE
- The question is out of order, the round is out of order, the game is
out of order, the season is out of order, etc.
- This rule does not exist
D SEASON
D1 AFTER FALL COMES SPRING RULE
- There are three seasons each year
- Each season, by advance agreement, one or two teams withdraw from play
and serve as organizers and question setters
D2 APRIL/PIKE/KIRK/PICARD/SISKO/JANEWAY/ARCHER RULE
- Before each season there is a captains' meeting where any business
relating to the league can be discussed, and votes taken
- Non-captains may attend but only one player from each team can vote
- Financial statements for the previous season must be presented at the
captains' meeting
- To change any playing rule, a majority vote at the meeting suffices
D3 NORMAL MEANS WEEKLY REGULARITY RULE
- In each season there are normally 10 weeks of play followed by a 3-way
Final game for the league championship
- Games are normally played on successive non-holiday Mondays
D4 IT ISN'T EVERYTHING RULE
- The primary basis of the standings in each division is the teams'
record in terms of wins, losses, and ties
D5 GREG IOANNOU RULE
- The team that scores the most total points in the season, regardless
of the standings, gets into the Final for "most points"
- In each division the team finishing first in the standings gets into
the Final
- If the team with "most points" also finishes first in their division,
then the second-place team in the same division gets into the Final
- In other words, there are always three teams in the Final: one with
the "most points", and the one in each division that would be in first
place if the "most points" team dropped out of the standings
D6 JEFFERSONS RULE
- After each season, normally the first-place team in the Jaworski
Division moves into the Torquemada Division and the last-place team
in the Torquemada moves into the Jaworski
- When teams enter or leave the league, or when an organizing team from
one division is followed by one from the other division, the rule is
adjusted as appropriate to balance the divisions
- New teams normally start in the Jaworski Division
D7 KING SOLOMON II RULE
- Standings ties are broken using the following criteria:
1. Most total scoring points
2. Results of games between the tied teams
3. Most wins
4. Results of games within same division
5. Highest cumulative margin of victory/loss
6. Random choice
- Ties for "most points" are broken in the same manner, omitting step 1
- Determining the team with "most points" takes precedence -- ties for
"most points" are broken before standings ties
- "Results of games" refers to the win-loss-tie record; the margin of
victory/loss is irrelevant
- If "results of games" need to be compared where the teams have played
different numbers of relevant games, the comparison is based on the
winning "percentage", or equivalently, on the ratio (W + T/2) / (W+L+T)
D8 KING SOLOMON III RULE
- In case of a multi-way tie, criterion 1 is applied across all the tied
teams; then criterion 2 across all teams still tied; and so on down
the list
E REGULAR SEASON PRIZES
E1 ART ROSS RULE
- In each game, the total number of 2-point answers (deuces) given by
each player is tabulated
- This does not include answers given on behalf of an empty seat (when
a team is shorthanded in the challenge round)
- Any bonus points are also ignored for this purpose; each question
either does or doesn't produce a deuce
- For each player, his/her 8 best game totals (assuming 10-game season)
are added to produce a total score for the season
- At the end of the season, in each division the player with the most
deuces wins an Individual Scoring Prize
- Both winners' names are engraved on a plaque on the Christmas Cup
- Each winner gets custody of a prize mug until the following Final
(and is responsible for bringing it to the Final)
- Prize is $25 (as of this writing)
E2 PEPE LE PEW RULE
- After each regular season game, the organizers determine in which round
the fewest total points were scored in all games; this is designated the
stinker round
- For each team, the total points scored in stinker rounds are tabulated
- The team with the best record, other than the 3 teams in the Final, wins
the Stinker Prize
- Prize is $25 (as of this writing)
E3 PIERRE BERTON RULE
- For each team, the total points scored in Canadiana rounds are tabulated
- The team with the best record, other than the 3 teams in the Final, wins
the Canadiana Prize
- Prize is $25 (as of this writing)
E4 RULE TWO POINT ONE ZERO
- For each team, the number of questions in rounds 1-9 where they do not
score a point is tabulated.
- The team with the best record in this respect (lowest number of 0's),
other than the 3 teams in the Final, wins the Fewest Zeroes Prize
- Prize is $25 (as of this writing)
E5 ALFRED NOBEL RULE
- Except for the Individual Scoring Prizes, all prize amounts shown are
total amounts for the entire team
- Team members divide prizes as they deem appropriate
- In case of a tie for any prize, the amount is divided into equal shares
- Each prize is awarded independently
- Prizes are dispensed at the Final
F THE FINAL
F1 AD INFINITUM RULE
- The Final starts at 7:30
- Captain of each team tosses a coin; keep tossing until one result is
different from the other two; that one wins
- Winner selects which player (must be in an end seat) will get first
question
F2 MARCH MADNESS RULE
- The Final is 10 rounds of 15 questions, one question to each player
in each round
- Each of rounds 1-9 may be on a general category with specific subtopics
for different groups of 3 successive questions
- There should still be a current events round and an audio round, but
rounds 1-9 can be in any order
F3 ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS SIDEWAYS, THREE STEPS BACK RULE
- Within each round of the Final, the ordinary procedure is generalized so
that each team gets every third question, taking the players in order
along the team from the starting end
- Successive questions go to teams in clockwise rotation
- Unlike the ordinary procedure, the team whose end player gets question 1
also rotates clockwise for each round
- This means that the team whose player is picked to start the game also
starts rounds 4, 7, and 10; the team on its left starts rounds 2, 5,
and 8; and the one on its right starts rounds 3, 6, and 9
F4 SHORT TIME RULE
- For normal questions in the Final, time allowed is 40 seconds
- For audio and challenge questions, normal timing applies
F5 VETO RULE
- Any variation that in a normal game would require concurrence of the
opposing captain, in the Final requires concurrence of both opposing
captains
F6 CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS RULE
- For round 10 of the Final, question setters will provide at least
3 questions in each category
- Procedure is as in the regular season, except for stealing
- If a correct 2-point answer is not given, corresponding player on next
team in rotation has first chance to steal for 1 point; if this player
also does not give correct answer, question goes to corresponding player
on 3rd team, also for 1 point
- For example, question to #4 player can go to #5, then #6; question to
#5 player can go to #6, then #4; etc.
- 20-second time allowance for a steal applies separately to each player
- If a team is shorthanded(!), the usual procedure applies, with choice of
category for empty seat made by team preceding them in rotation
F7 THEY GET THE GLORY BUT I KNOW THE ANSWERS RULE
- When nobody scores points on a question in the Final, the organizers
should not reveal the answer for the time being but should direct the
question to the audience
- Audience members play in teams and each team produces a list of written
answers
- Organizers collect and score these answers after round 9 (or so), after
which correct answers can be read aloud when the players miss
F8 IT'S THE ONLY THING RULE
- Winning team's name is engraved on a plaque on the Christmas Cup
- Winning team takes custody of the Christmas Cup until the following
Final (and is responsible for bringing it to the Final)
- Winning team gets $125 (as of this writing)
- Second-place team gets $75 (as of this writing)
- Third-place team gets $50 (as of this writing)
- Audience team with the most correct audience answers gets $25
(as of this writing)
F9 THE ONLY ONE ONLY THING RULE
- Question setters should provide one or more tiebreakers of some
form in case of a tie in the Final
- If tiebreakers are exhausted, the tie stands
G GENERAL
G1 DIAMOND JIM BRADY RULE
- Keep in mind that we play in the various pubs on sufferance
- Everyone should pay their bill, and if someone doesn't, the team
should cover it before leaving and settle up with the player later
- A reasonable quantity should be purchased at the table
- Staff should be tipped for their time -- it takes them as much work
to serve water or coffee as it does beer
G2 DEFENSE OF FUMING RULE
- Games may be played in non-smoking areas at the option of the home
team
H CRETAN RULE
H1 THERE IS NO RULE H1