Well, okay, I don't, that isn't true. But we hear it a lot. We understand. Trivia games, quiz shows, pub quizzes: they aren't everyone's favourite thing. For some people the prospect of playing a game based around answering questions is a nightmare! They can bring back the worst memories of school, of family games sessions, of all sorts of horrors.
Trivia games and pub quizzes put you under the spotlight. They are all about you, and what you know. Or for many people they are about the fear of what they don't know. Nobody likes to get things wrong and playing games around your knowledge exposes you to being wrong. And in some trivia games, they expose you to being wrong a LOT. Which can be frustrating, embarrassing, humiliating. "How did you not know that!?" I bet that's been said to you when you've played Trivial Pursuit?
I'm sure you've said to yourself, "I know it, but I can't think of it"? We have. Which is why, when we created Strong Point, we wanted to find a way to keep those people who say, "I'm rubbish at trivia games, I don't know anything," interested and involved. In Strong Point, you don't have to know all the answers to win. It helps, sure, but if you have a pretty good idea of what the other players know, you might be good enough (or lucky enough) to win anyway. We can't promise, but we've tried to build into the game the opportunity for success for everyone.
Another way we have tried to do this is through our category choices. There are 200 of them in the game with more coming soon (ssh, don't tell anyone I said that, we haven't got a date for the release of Expansion Pack 1 quite yet). We believe in you. All of you. And we believe that everyone has their Strong Point. Everyone has something that they know a lot about. It might not be Shakespeare Plays or The Periodic Table (yep, those categories are in there), but it might be you know everything about One Hit Wonders or Woodland Animals (also in there). We tried when we created the game to put a range of categories in it that included almost everyone. And if your specialist subject isn't in the game and you'd like it to be, let us know! Drop us a message and we'll see if it can be included in future expansions.
The predictions are in...
I think our dream game of Strong Point would be one where at the end of the game everyone has the same number of total points and the winner has to be decided by who has collected the most Strong Points for their correct predictions. We have even included the golden 10 Strong Points card as an automatic victory condition. Predict correctly 10 separate times and you win. Even if you've not answered a single question correctly! We don't know if anyone has ever achieved that impressive feat, but we would absolutely LOVE to know if you have! It would totally make our day!
The other bug bear many people have with certain trivia based games that shall remain nameless (I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it), and it is connected to what I've already said, is that in many families and groups it is nearly always the same person who wins at trivia games. It is a thing we hear from people when they sprint past our exhibition stand with a look of fear in their eyes: "There's no point us getting that, (insert name here) would win all the time anyway"!
It can be frustrating playing with someone who always wins. We play a lot of games and honestly, I almost never win. Gill beats me. Almost every time. I read the rulebook, I watch how to play videos (more on that shortly), I learn the set-up, I do the set-up, I explain the game as best I can to her. She says, "It's fine, I'll pick it up as we go along". And then she proceeds to kick my ***. So, I feel that pain.
Gill pointing out that she has won another game...
But, we think Strong Point has enough things different about it that maybe, sometimes at least, someone new in your house can win. Again, let us know if the same person always wins when you play, it's information we can use to improve the game. Our minds are always working at seeking to improve and grow. If there is anything we can do to make your experience of playing the game more enjoyable, we will look into it. We think it's imperfectly perfect, so will always try to make it it better!
We know that some cards have errors (in the race to meet print deadlines our proof-reading genie was asleep in their bottle) and these have already been corrected for future print runs of the game. And if you've contacted us to let us know you've spotted a mistake, then genuinely, we thank you! When the time comes for the release of Expansion Pack 1 we will be shouting it out all over our socials so keep your eyes peeled and hopefully we can find a way to express our gratitude. Despite the mistakes, the most common thing you've told us is that you still love the game. We're extremely fortunate to have such a fantastic community of Strong Point players already.
Now please, go out and spread the word. Tell those people who hate trivia games that there might just be a game for them after all.
Back to How to Play videos. If you play games and want to learn how to play, or if you have a new game you need to learn, then go to Rodney Smith at the Watch it Played Youtube channel, it is highly likely the game you want will be there. And Rodney is a legend in the board game community!
Next month we will be exhibiting at AireCon, a large tabletop and board game convention taking place in Harrogate, and Rodney is planning to be there! Can not wait! If you want to be there too, follow the link to find out more:
Thanks for reading all of my waffle, keep playing,
Si