It's common for pub quizzes to have strict rules about team sizes. After all, it can take the fun out of an evening if your team of four has to do battle with a group three times the size. Nevertheless, this isn't universally the case (and is particularly uncommon here in Montreal). This got me thinking about what people think of team limit rules, and naturally that called for a poll.
Do you think there should be a team limit? And if so, how big should that limit be?
As someone who frequently competes in a team of two against fours and sixes, I'd like a handicapping system - bonus points for smaller teams. It'd be a good research project for a statistically-minded quizmaster to work out how to do that fairly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we're usually a team of two as well, which can make things a bit frustrating, although I also accept that quizzes are (or at least should be) designed for larger teams. Bonus points for smaller teams is something I've wondered about, but seems a very tricky problem to solve, particularly because people may grumble about something that seems unfair (even if it isn't). As it is I just take comfort from the fact that when we do win, we win a bigger prize per person, which in itself is something of a bonus for being a smaller team.
DeleteI tend to quiz in teams of four or five, but typically only two of us are (semi-)serious quizzers. Bonus points for smaller teams is only really fair if you assume everyone is equally good, which they're obviously not. (I realise I am trying to eat my cake and have it too, by wanting both a system that doesn't penalise me AND the opportunity to hang out with friends who don't take quizzing as seriously as I do. But dammit, I LIKE cake.)
DeleteName as many former American vice presidents as you have members on your team. If you write as many correct answers as you have members, your team gets five points. Any wrong answers = 0 points.
ReplyDeleteTake that, teams of 13. :)
This is beautiful.
DeleteMy first reaction to this was to see if I could name 13 former American vice presidents. Goddammit, quizzing has ruined me.
DeleteThat. Is. Genius.
DeleteBrilliant - permission to steal (both the question and the concept)?
ReplyDeleteGo for it! :)
DeleteCouple of blog posts might be of interest:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.quizquizquiz.com/blog/running-quizzes/common-quiz-night-complications-part-2
http://www.quizquizquiz.com/blog/pub-quiz/organise-yourselves-into-teams-of-4
and
Thanks for sharing these. Totally agree on bonus points - anything that isn't simply for the quiz is liable to just annoy/upset people (and don't get me started on bonus points for best team name...).
DeleteI can't believe that you guys liked the vice-pres thing. I have been hitting my head against the wall trying to find ways to incentivize smaller teamplay for months now, and that idea just popped in my head while I was reading these comments. I figured: "I'll write this here, because I don't have time to think about what the flaw is in the concept -- I'm sure someone will point it out!" Questions that scale are an experiment worth pursuing.
ReplyDeleteThis particular topic is important to me as I run one of the quizzes in Montreal. When I inherited it, there were no team size limits, and it has gotten a bit out of control. The flat $50 prize isn't disincentivizing the team size arms race, because there's an end-of-season prize of 60 drink tickets, so people can have their own private "keg party" type thing on an off-peak night.
The other thing is that I'm not an employee of the bar; I'm "entertainment," which means any change I want to implement has to go through them. My goal is to run the best quiz possible; theirs is to make the most tip-out possible. So there's naturally resistance to any situation that sounds like me saying "hey, can we make a rule where less people can come here and drink?" (note: I firmly believe we'd retain more walk-ins, and get more people referred, if they weren't playing against THREE teams of a dozen people)
My current plan: something I'm calling a "soft 6" cap. If you play with up to 6, you can win $50 and your points count towards the quiz playoffs. If you play with 7 because someone wanted to check it out and you're usually 6 or under, I'll turn a blind eye. If you're consistently over-cap, you can compete for the $50 but your points aren't worth as much towards the grand prize (or something like this -- plan's still in its infancy).
I hate "penalty points" but this way the "penalty points" are behind-the-scenes, which is more palatable I think.