Pop Solos - Rules
Game play
You will be placed in a match with 3 other people, where you will compete against each other over 5 rounds of questions over Zoom.
In each round each of the 4 players will face 3 questions and score 1 point for each one they get correct. Any questions that they get wrong or pass will be opened up to the other players as bonuses.
There are strict rules in deciding the order which the other players may attempt to get a bonus point. All players begin with 0 bonus attempts. Questions pass FIRST to the player who has had the fewest bonus attempts. If players are tied on bonus attempts, the question goes to the next player in order from the player who passed or wrongly answered their question. Here's an example:
- Player 1 gets their own question wrong
- Player 2 has had 3 bonus attempts
- Player 3 has had 3 bonus attempts
- Player 4 has had 2 bonus attempts
As player 4 has had the fewest bonus attempts, they get the first chance to answer for a bonus point. If they are correct they get a point. If they pass or get it wrong, as players 2 and 3 have both had 3 bonus attempts but player 2 is next in order from player 1, they, player 2, gets the next chance to answer for a bonus point. If they are right they get a point, if they are wrong or they pass then player 3 has the option to answer the question for a bonus point.
It is important to note that bonus attempts are added to a player’s score when they attempt another player’s question for a bonus point, regardless of whether they are correct or wrong. Bonus attempts are never added for a player’s own question, or if a player passes a question. For a player, guessing wrongly on their own question is “free” and does not have any negative impact other than eliminating an answer choice.
Questions
All the questions come in 'quads' so if you get a question on 1980s sitcoms then you can expect all 3 of your opponents to get a question on 1980s sitcoms, or some other link. Likewise, if one of your opponents gets a question on American Football then you know that you should be getting a question on American Football later in the quiz. Quads can have many different links, of course and are mainly intended to be internally balanced. One of the best things about this format is the gradual unveiling of the quads.
League structure
At the end of 5 rounds the quiz is over and the player with the most points is declared the winner and receives 4 league points. 2nd place gets 3 league points, 3rd place 2 and 4th place 1. A player gets 0 points if they fail to show for a match. In the event of a tie for 1st then the tied players all answer the same 3 questions to try and split the tie. If still level another 3 questions are asked and if still level then it's a nearest the bull question. If there is a tie for 2nd or 3rd then the players share the available points.
After 5 weeks of matches players will be ranked into groups of 16. The top 16 players will play for the Division 1 title, the next 16 for the Division 2 title and so on. After week 5, the matches will be single elimination with the top 2 in each game progressing to the next round until we get to the final of each Division.
Each player is therefore guaranteed 6 official games; they may arrange friendlies using the elimination round sets once they’ve been eliminated.
Organizing matches
Players will be given their opponent list for their next match on Monday and have to organize their match for some time by the end of the upcoming Sunday. Players should be as flexible as possible to try to ensure that a suitable time can be found for all players.
Players will then request a reader via the website. Once someone has agreed to read you will need to arrange a zoom call for the match to be played. A scoring tool will be used by the reader which will automatically submit the results to us. Please check that the scores are correct. If you have played your match that week, then you are free to read any games from then on and if you read a match you receive a $2.50 credit to be used for any future OQL fees. This is not capped so if you read often enough you could theoretically find yourself quizzing for free with OQL!