Only Connect

Only Connect is a long-running BBC TV quiz show much loved by nerds. See Wikipedia for details.

The PBM version is played over three postal turns. In each of these there is activity in all four of the rounds that comprise the TV show. Any number can play, and players can join late but will be assumed to have scored zero in the previous turn(s).

The TV show is famed for being one of the hardest quizzes on TV. In the postal game players have a long time to think about the questions, and research is permitted, so the questions will be difficult and search engines may help a bit, but not give away the answer.

In the postal game, players each have three shield tokens. When a shield is played it allows the player to guess again next time on a connection or sequence if not correct, have extra lives on the wall, or take a guess on a missing vowels question without losing a point if wrong.

Round 1: Connections

In this round, players must identify the connection between four clues.

• Turn 1 - the first two are revealed (3pts for guessing)
• Turn 2 - the third one is revealed (2pts for guessing)
• Turn 3 - the fourth one is revealed (1pt for guessing)

There will be four questions, one of which is pictures (no music question in the postal version).

Round 2: Sequences

In this round, players must work out what comes fourth in a sequence of four clues.

• Turn 1 - the first one is revealed (5pts for guessing)
• Turn 2 - the second one is revealed (3pts for guessing)
• Turn 3 - the third one is revealed (2pts for guessing)

There will be three questions, one of which is pictures.

Round 3: Connecting Wall

I the postal game, everyone gets the same one wall and solves it together. There are 16 squares each containing a word, name or very short phrase.

There are four categories / connections and four squares belonging to each category, but beware, as with the TV show there will be red herrings to trap you.

• The same wall stays up for all three rounds.
• Players may have as many guesses as they want on any round but they only have three lives.
• In the first and second rounds, connection guesses are only processed if the group is correct. On the third round, points are awarded for connections without getting the group members, as per the TV show.
• In each round, a player's first guess (group and its connection) is made at no risk. Each subsequent incorrect guess uses up one life.
• For each guess, one life is lost if either the group or the connection is wrong. If both are wrong the cost is still only one life.
• Guesses are adjudicated in the order they are given, and if a player runs out of lives guesses after that point will not be processed.
• Shields can be used to buy extra lives, including bringing a player "back from the dead" when all lives have gone. Lives must be bought unconditionally, but do persist if not lost.
• The zine will report results in order, e.g. Alice made two guesses, #1 had the correct group and connection (+2pts) and #2 was incorrect (group wrong, -1 life)
• Players earn a bonus of 2 points for getting everything right.

Round 4: Missing Vowels

In this round the questions are in the form of a phrase to decode with all the vowels removed.

• Turn 1 - three questions with a common theme, 1 point for each correct, -1 point if wrong
• Turn 2 - another three questions with a common theme, 1 point for each correct, -1 point if wrong
• Turn 3 - another three questions with a common theme, 1 point for each correct, -1 point if wrong

In the postal game, to make it harder, the GM may choose to obfuscate the theme, for example remove the consonants!

Example Scorecard

X indicates excluded from further guesses on question
SR = Shields Remaining

Notes

The winner is the player with the most points, in the event of a tie, the player with the most unused shields remaining is the winner. If this is equal the glory of victory is shared.

The GM is encouraged to make dry witty comments but not rude jokes about Michael Portillo.