Buzzin’ Games

Description

The Buzzin’ games are based on a traditional fastest-finger game-show with a buzzer-lockout system.  Teams listen to a question being read out by the host, but unlike the keypad game, where everyone gets to answer each question, only the fastest team to buzz in by tapping their screen get to give an answer. There are two variations of this game, Classic and Advanced.

Both variations are very competitive and create frustration and tension, with players, a lot of the time, knowing the answers to questions but, more often than not, getting beat to the buzz by the competition.

Warning: When hosting the Buzzin’ games with a large crowd of teams, you can expect to have to move around the room a lot. Therefore, your Microphone will need to be a Wireless model and because you will often need to move away from the laptop-screen, you are advised to use the optional Quizmaster’s handset.

Classic or Advanced?

Before you start, it’s important that you understand the difference between the Buzzin’ Classic and Advanced games.

Both games start the same with you (the host) reading a question from the laptop screen (or optional Quizmasters handset). Players then tap the buzzer graphic triggering their unique Buzzer ID sound to indicate that they wish to tell you an answer. This can be either after the question has been read out, or mid-question if someone chooses to interrupt.

In the Classic game it’s a simple case of the host marking the submitted answer Correct and awarding points. Or marking them Incorrect, in which case they’ll be penalised by being locked out from the remainder of the current question, as well as the whole of the next question.

When a team is locked out/excluded for answering incorrectly, then all other teams’ buzzers become active again, allowing the remainder of the question to be read out until another team choose to buzz in and give an answer. More than one team can be locked out/excluded from any single question.

In the Advanced game however, before marking the buzzing team’s answer Correct or Incorrect, you announce that team’s answer to the rest of the room, giving all remaining teams the option to either agree or disagree. This gives everyone a chance to score points (albeit only 50% of the available points) rather than just the team who buzzed in with a correct answer.

How to host a Buzzin’ Classic game

• With at least 2 devices connected, select a Buzzin Classic round.

• Clicking the Game rules button will display some instructions for you to read out prior to starting the round.

Tip: Whilst reading out the Game Rules, you can demonstrate (Sound Check) the correct and incorrect game sounds by using numbers 1 and 2 on your computer keyboard.

• Once everyone understands the game, hit the blue Start round button. You are now ready to read out the question loud and clear from the laptop screen.
• From the moment you commence reading the question, players can choose to interrupt, by tapping their device screen to buzz in. This triggers their unique buzzer ID sound. (Once interrupted, you must cease reading the question and locate the team).
• They must now immediately tell you an answer. (Failure to do so will result in you counting it as a ‘Pass’ and marking them Incorrect.
• When a team answers it is important that you announce it loud and clear so that all other teams/players are aware of the exact answer that has been given. At the same time mark it either ‘Incorrect’ using the red button, or ‘Correct’ using the green button.
• Once an answer has been marked Incorrect, remaining teams’ buzzers become active waiting for the next team/player to buzz in and give you an answer. (If you were interrupted mid-question you must remember to immediately continue reading out the remainder of the question either from the laptop screen or the quizmaster’s handset until another team buzz in, or you finish the question).
• This continues until a team eventually gives a correct answer or you move on to the next question because no one knows the answer.
• By default, 4 Points are awarded for a correct answer. For an incorrect answer, a team/device is locked out (excluded) from the following question as a penalty.

Tip: Holding down the white panel in the bottom section of the Quizmaster’s handset displays the question.

How to host a Buzzin’ Advanced game

Tip: This explanation of the Advanced game assumes that you have already read and are familiar with the workings of the Buzzin’ Classic game.

• With at least 2 devices connected to the host software in the teams list, open a Buzzin Advanced round.



• Click the Game Rules tab. This will display some instructions for you to read out prior to starting the round.

• Once everyone understands the game, hit the blue Start round button. You are now ready to read out the question loud and clear from the laptop screen.
• As with the classic game, from the moment you commence reading the question, the first team/player to tap their device screen triggers their unique buzzer ID sound. (If this happens mid-question you must cease reading and locate the team). They must now immediately tell you an answer (failure to do so will result in you announcing it as a ‘Pass’ and marking it incorrect allowing another team to buzz in. (This is where the advanced bit comes in, which is very different to the Classic way of doing things and it is easy to get this wrong if you are not careful).
• In the Classic game you would mark an answer Correct or Incorrect, but there is now an extra step which involves you keeping the answer secret a while longer. You still repeat the answer which the buzzing team have submitted for everyone to hear. However, whilst being careful not to divulge whether it is correct or not, you click the Blue button to accept their answer.
• If you were interrupted on your initial read-through, it is now important to make sure everyone has heard the whole question (repeating it where necessary).
• Once you are sure that everyone has heard the question you announce. “Remaining teams now have 10 seconds to either agree with the answer that has been given by tapping their screen, or disagree by doing nothing”. Now you hit the blue button again to start the timer.
• At the end of the 10 seconds you must now announce the correct answer at the same time as marking the answer which the buzzing team initially gave Correct or Incorrect.

Warning: It is easy to make a mistake at this point especially when you are required to announce the correct answer whilst pressing the red button to mark the submitted answer incorrect.

• At the end of this process +10 points (default) go to the buzzing team who submitted a correct answer, however the penalty for them if their answer was incorrect is minus 10 points. (Teams are not excluded from the next question in the advanced game).
• In addition to this, 5 points (half the main score setting) goes to each team who either agreed with a correct answer or disagreed with an incorrect answer.

Tip: In most instances you should keep a straight face and accept an incorrect answer allowing the game to play out. However in certain circumstances if a team buzzes in and gives a deliberately wrong answer you may want to class it as a ‘Pass’ hitting the red button to allow another team to answer sensibly.