The Official Society of Super Quiz was started many years ago by Tom Gluteson-Hertfield and has since gained many followers. At it’s heart, Super Quiz is a trivia game, but as members of the OSSQ know, it is so much more!
In truth, Super Quiz is a game that Katherine, Joe, Lindsay and I found when we were upstate for Thanksgiving one year. We started to play, but the official rules of the game were missing from the box. We started to make up our own, and soon the game took on a whole new life. We now call ourselves members of the New Lebanon Region and whenever we go to the Hitchcock House B&B to visit Grandma and Ted, we have a “circle session.” Rereading our notes from the game is always incredibly entertaining (and perhaps I’ll put some of them up at a later time.)
Just for fun, I decided to put up the NEW set of rules we created for the game.
Super Quiz: The Guidelines for Membership
Published annually by the Official Society of Super Quiz
Revised July 1, 2006
This is the official members’ version of the Guidelines for being a member of the Official Society of Super Quiz. Please read through these guidelines and know them well.
The Super Quiz Mentality
Super Quiz is not a game. It is a state of mind. To enter into the Circle of Super Quiz is to enter into the highest state of enlightenment. In the Official Society of Super Quiz we call this Omni.
The Circle of Super Quiz
The Circle of Super Quiz consists of twelve sectors: Pot Luck, Geography, History, Leisure & Travel, Sports & Games, Words, Spelling, Famous People, T.V., Movies, Science, and Mostly Music. The sectors are arranged around the board, and are controlled by the Cabinet Members of the Society (all members of the Cabinet have a special category or categories that they “keep”). During your time spent in the circle, only Cabinet Members may read cards, unless a Cabinet Member offers you the chance to read.
There are many regions of Super Quiz, and each region has it’s own, separate Cabinet, and separate members. You may not be a member of two regions at the same time. If you need to switch regions, transfer forms are available from the president of your region.
Entering the Circle of Super Quiz
To be a part of the Circle, you must assume an identity. A good idea is to choose something that you are known for. (For example, one who sneezes a lot can assume the Super Quiz identity of Sneezer; however, the way you come up with your identity is solely up to you). If you would like to join in the Circle of Super Quiz, but cannot come up with an identity, the President of your Circle region will assign you one. Please note that a special card with your identity written on it must be worn whenever you are in the Circle.
There are different levels of membership within the society. The following are the types of membership that may be applied for, or earned:
Cabinet Members – only the true elite seekers of Omni may be in the Cabinet
Upper League Members – these people are very determined in their quest for Omni; if something should happen to a Cabinet Member, one of these members is voted to take over
Lower League Members (or General Members) – people who want to seek Omni, but do not yet have the determination to make it to the top
Junior Members – members who are just beginning their search for Omni. They do not actively participate in the question and answer sessions, but they can give questions a try if they so desire; mostly they spend their time observing the procedures and experiencing the aura of Omni; they are not meant to be as silent as simple observers, as they are often younger than most members and are excused for not having the maturity needed to achieve Omni yet
Observers – members who are interested in seeking Omni, but who are not allowed to participate in the answering of questions; these members must be present but remain silent; any interference or help with answering questions will result in expulsion from the Society
Guests are also permitted to enter the circle, provided the Cabinet Members approve. Guests are permitted to answer questions, and MUST wear their Guest Pass at all times when in the Circle.
The Rituals of Super Quiz
Rituals are important in the Circle of Super Quiz. They help to maintain the state of mind needed to achieve Omni. There are seven different rituals, and it is advisable that you learn the rituals before joining the circle.
Opening Ritual: Before any questioning can take place, members must unite and perform the opening ritual. Together, members clap hands ONCE, and then make a wide circle with their hands while chanting OM. At the end of the OM (and note that you say it only ONCE), the hands come together silently, and bounce slightly.
Correct-Answer Ritual: There is more than one way to celebrate someone’s answering a question correctly. However, the process is the same as the opening ritual. However, when someone gets a 3-point question correct, everyone claps three times before moving on to the hand circle and recitation of OM. When someone gets a 2-point question correct, everyone claps two times before moving on. When someone gets a 1-point question correct, the ritual mirrors the opening ritual, with just one clap.
Incorrect-Answer Ritual: When someone gets all three questions wrong, the ritual changes. Players make a thumbs up sign, bring the hand up and then down (keep in mind that you have to switch to a thumbs down sign on the way down). While doing this, players recite an elongated version of the word “CRAP,” so that is sounds more like, CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP. This happens until the thumbs return to the table.
Closing Ritual: When it is time to leave the Circle of Super Quiz, a goodbye ritual is in order. As in the opening ritual, members clap hands once, but then only wave the right hand in a circular motion, quickly. There is no speaking in the closing ritual.
Please note that all rituals should be performed by all members in the Circle, and not just by a few. Generally a vice-president of a region oversees the rituals. The Overseer of Rituals makes sure that all members perform the rituals, and in the proper form. He or she is the person to initiate each ritual. Members should always look to the Overseer of Rituals for their cues as to when to begin each motion.
The Elements of the Circle
Before players can begin their OMNI journey, the board must be set up. The circle is placed next to the Cabinet Members, who each sit in front of their sectors. (Generally, a Cabinet Member controls 3 sectors, but this depends on the number of cabinet members.) There is no set place for other members of the Society to sit, but they should be able to see the board so that they know the names of the sectors (note that members SHOULD memorize the names of the sectors).
The president of the society in which you belong should begin the game, unless he or she decides that someone else can start. The ritual of play is simple: when it is a member’s turn, that member chooses a sector. Each sector consists of cards with three levels of questions on them. The levels are as follows:
1. Freshman Level
2. Graduate Level
3. PhD Level
The Cabinet Member in charge of the chosen sector reads the level three question to the member (note, a Cabinet Member cannot read a question to his or her self — if they want to answer a question from their own sector, they may offer the reading to the other members, or another Cabinet Member reads). If the member answers correctly, they receive three points. If the member gets it wrong, they may try the level two question. If the member answers correctly, they get two points. If the member gets it wrong, they may try the level one question. If the member answers correctly, they get one point.
The goals are as follows:
· a player must get a star in 6 of the twelve sectors, which means that they must get a total of 18 points (three points earns you one star) – only ONE star may be earned in a sector
· a player must get five more points, called free points, for a total of 20 points
· the first person to get 20 points, with 6 stars, and 2 free points, is the winner
Generally, the president of your region will keep score, one copy to be kept by the region and one copy to be sent to the national headquarters for permanent recordkeeping. Records will be kept for each game played, recording who was in the circle and who was the first to get 20 points. It is also important that the Official Record Keeper (a vice-president) note anything out of the ordinary that happens within the circle.
Player Absence
Any players not present in the circle of Super Quiz MUST be noted in the record. Said player will not be penalized, as long as the reason for absence is on record and signed off on by the president of that region.
In the event that the President of the region is not present, the game may not be played unless there is written permission of the President, and the President has appointed one of the Vice Presidents the interim president for the game.
In the event that the specified Vice President is not present, permission will be granted to the next in line. Should THAT Vice President be absent, permission will be granted to the next in line, and so on. Please note that the Official Recordkeeper must keep the permission notices with his or her notes for the day.
In the rare event that the President and ALL Vice Presidents are absent from the circle at the same time, only an Upper League Member may take over. If all Cabinet members AND Upper League Members are absent, the game must be rescheduled, as the proper level of Omni will not be achieved.
Playing without permission of the president of the region will result in severe punishment.
Please note that, while not impossible, it is very difficult to achieve the proper state of Omni if more than three members of the region are not present at a given meeting.
Duties of the Official Disciplinarian
In every region, one of the Vice Presidents acts as Official Disciplinarian. This is an extremely important job, as discipline is essential to achieving Omni. Said person is in charge of all punishments, severe or otherwise, as he or she sees fit. It is the duty of this person to fill out a discipline action form in the case of punishment, and make sure that a copy is kept on record with the region, and sent to the Official Society to keep on file.
Though it is the duty of the Official Disciplinarian to hand out the punishments, a player may not be expelled from the region until approval has been given by the president of the region. When you are expelled from your region, you may join another region, however should you repeat your offenses in the new region, you will be expelled from the society, but only after official forms have been signed by the founder of the society.
Recordkeeping
The record keeper MUST keep track of the comings and going of the game. Record keeping is very important to determine the members’ moving up in the society. A well-kept record might cause a lower league member to become an upper league member, based on behavior and performance during the game, or vice versa.
Before the game can begin, all players must sign in, using only their Super Quiz Identity. The duties of the region’s Record Keeper are as follows:
· ensure that all players sign in before the game
· note the time the game begins and ends
· note the final scores of the game, specifically marking who the highest achiever was
· note anything strange that occurs
· note any member misbehavior, such as not participating in rituals
· keep an ongoing record of the scores obtained during play, and tally the totals for each member
The Star Cache
The officials records, typed up by the President of the region from the written notes taken by the Official Record Keeper will feature the Star Cache, a listing of all the stars received by the member in all his or her years of play. Though it is impossible to determine how many stars are needed to achieve Omni, each star in a player’s cache brings him or her closer to that goal.
Final Thoughts
Super Quiz is meant to be enjoyed. In the OSSQ, we do not embrace competition. Instead, we embrace togetherness. Super Quiz is meant to uplift and enlighten. We in the Society hope that you enjoy your time in the Circle, and we wish you luck on your quest for Omni.
Tom Gluteson-Hertfeld
Founder
Official Society of Super Quiz
