Physiology Game Rules

Equipment

We are using Trivial Pursuit game boards, pieces, and dice for this game. Each randomly selected team will be given one playing board, one die, six player tokens, 36 scoring wedges, a Code Card, and a set of Physiology-related questions made by students.

Object of the Game

Players must correctly answer questions in each of the six categories by having landed in each of the category headquarters which are located at the ends of each of the six spokes. The play then proceeds to the hexagonal hub at the center of the playing board for the game winning question.

Start of Play

Each player selects a token and receives six scoring wedges, one in each of the six category colors.

Players roll the die, with the player rolling the highest number moving first. If two or more players tie, they roll again.

The player with the first turn rolls the die again and, starting from the hub at the center of the board, moves the token the indicated number of spaces in any direction. The first move for each player will end either in a category headquarters at the end of the spoke, if the die roll is 6, or in a category space, if the die roll is 1 through 5.

When a token lands in a category space or headquarters, the player is asked a question in that category.

The category spaces and headquarters are color-coded:

Blue Respiratory System Blue Cards

Pink Cardiovascular System Pink Cards

Green Neuromuscular Green Cards

Brown Gastrointestinal System White Cards

Yellow Renal System Yellow Cards

Orange Endocrine System Purple Cards

Each player will have questions and answers for the category they were assigned. Before class the instructor will shuffle all the cards by category and will then evenly distribute the category cards to each group of players. All but four cards of each category will be given to the individual in each group that wrote questions for that category. After all the players have their question and answer cards and are seated at the playing boards, the instructor will hand out the retained category cards to the person to the left of the individual who wrote the category question. For example, if you wrote questions for the cardiovascular system, the card with the question over the cardiovascular system you will be asked will be given to the person on your left.

The question for that space is asked by the person who wrote the questions for that category. If the person lands in a space on the body system they wrote questions for, then the person to their left will read them their question. The next question in the stack is the one that will be asked. After a question is used it will be placed upside down in the subject pile. Once all the cards have been used, the person asking the questions will reshuffle their subject question cards.

If a player correctly answers the question, the player’s turn continues with another roll of the die. If the player answers incorrectly, the turn passes to the player on their left.

With each die roll, a move can be made in either direction around the circular playing path or on any spoke paths. A combination move along the circular path and up a spoke path is permitted. Backtracking – a combination of forward and backward moves on one die roll – is not permitted. For example, if a player’s token is one space from a desired category space or headquarters and a die roll of 5 is made, a move of 3 forward and 2 backward cannot be made. A player must always move the number of spaces shown on the die.

Continuation of Play

Play continues until the player fails to answer a question correctly.

When a category requirement is met – a player has correctly answered a question in a category – the appropriate playing wedge is placed in the player’s token. Scoring wedges should be placed into tokens so that the contours of the wedges correspond to the contours of the token. This will prevent the wedges from becoming lodged in the tokens. If the player answers incorrectly, the token must leave the space on the next turn and anytime renter it for the player to attempt another question for credit.

A player landing in one of the 12 “Roll again” spaces continues the turn by rolling the die again.

When a token lands in the hub before the player has all six different wedges needed to win the game, the hub is treated as a wild-card space and the player chooses the category for the subsequent question.

Any number of tokens may occupy the same space.

Winning the Game

After a player has correctly answered a question in all six categories, the player’s token must make its way to the hub to attempt to win the game.

The token must land in the hub by an exact roll of the die. When a player overshoots the hub, he/she must answer a question in the category on which he lands and try again to enter the hub on an exact roll of the die, or wait for their next turn if the question is answered incorrectly.

When the token lands in the hub, opposing players select the category for a final question, by simple agreement or a vote, and the next card in that category is drawn.

If the question is answered correctly, the game is won. If it is answered incorrectly, the player must leave the hub on their next turn and later re-enter it for another question.

Because a correct answer always means another roll of the die, a player may meet the game-winning requirements on their first turn. If this happens, any player who has not yet had a turn is permitted a chance to duplicate the feat and create a tie.

NOTES ON PLAY

All six body systems are represented on the spokes at each die roll out from the hub. This means that a player who does not roll a 6 on the first turn, thus moving directly to a category headquarters, still may dictate the category for the first question. For example, is a 4 is rolled and the player prefers the digestive system, they may move their token down the spike with a digestive question as the fourth space out.

This also means that a player who overshoots while attempting to enter the hub for the game-winning question has five categories from which to choose the next question.

The rules contain no provision about how long a player may take to answer a question or about how precise an answer may be. Players decide what constitutes a reasonable time in which to come up with an answer. Similarly, they decide how exact an answer must be – whether, for example, an abbreviation like RBC may be used instead of saying Red Blood Cell.

Correct answers will be read aloud after a player has provided an incorrect answer.

The instructor is a tie breaker when players cannot agree. The instructor’s ruling is final.

All the question and answer cards will be picked up by the instructor after each round. The cards will then be re-shuffled and randomly distributed to the new teams.

SCORING

We will play two (2) different rounds. Players will be assigned to the same player groups for both rounds. Your score for each round will be the number of pie pieces/wedges in your token when that round of play is over. After both rounds are finished, the scores from each round will be totaled up. The player with the highest scoring points (see last paragraph) will earn 3 Bonus points for their grade. If 2 or more students have the same final score then only 2 Bonus points will be given to each winner.

Each question written is worth 0.5 points. Students are required to write 10 questions, thus 10 X 0.5 = 5 points for questions.

When 2 rounds are played, students will earn 1 point for each pie piece/wedge they earn during play. Everyone will be given 3 points to start with.

The student who wins the round at their table will earn one (1) extra point. This extra point counts as an extra pie piece/wedge when calculating the final scores for the game.

Students may write more than 10 questions. Students will be given 1 extra point for every 10 questions and answers they write over the required 10 questions and answers. There is a maximum of 30 questions each student may write. Students who wish to write more than 30 questions may but they will not be awarded extra points for doing so. If we run out of colored 3 X 5 cards, students may use white 3 X 5 cards and write in the ink color that would be the same as their colored cards. The students with white 3 X 5 cards will write their questions in black ink. All students will write on their colored 3 X 5 cards in either black or blue ink. Writing must be legible for the question to count. The question is to be written on the unlined side of the 3 X 5 card and the answers will be on the lined side of the 3 X 5 card.

Questions can be Multiple Choice (preferred), True-False, Fill in the Blank or Identification/Labeling. Questions must be on material covered in lecture. Questions should not be short answer or sequencing questions.

I prefer that you handwrite your questions and answers on the 3 X 5 cards, but if your handwriting is illegible or you want to use a figure you may type your questions and/or answers on a piece of paper and then glue the paper to your 3 X 5 cards. If you glue make sure the cards do NOT sick together and that the paper is securely attached to the card (no staples or paperclips).

The student earning the most scoring points will earn 3 Bonus Points. If 2 or more students have the same final score then only 2 Bonus points will be given to each winner. For scoring, but not for grade points, each wedge is worth 1 scoring point. A student will earn 1 scoring point for winning each round.