Get on Board: Mr Lister's Quiz Shootout

One of the hardest aspects of these trying times is the lack of socialising. You may have seen Facebook acquaintances hosting their own video chat quiz nights. If you want the same for yourself but with minimal preparation, look no further than Quiz Shootout.

It’s amazing how many games can be played via video chat with a bit of imagination. In this case one player takes on the role of quizmaster Mr Lister while the rest split into two teams. In a Covid-free landscape you could have relatively large teams but in quarantine it’s possible to have three smaller teams. Each team needs a pen and paper and the game can begin.

Mr Lister will pick a card from the deck and read out the question. For instance, “the 11 items of Heathrow security’s baggage restrictions poster. List ‘em”. Each team now has a brief amount of time to list as many answers as they can. After the time is up, the first team will fire off an answer, with the next team shooting right back with their own response. Every time a team answers they will score a hit or a miss depending on what answers are written down on the card. Each team tries to score three points. However, some of the harder and more obscure answers get you a golden star, which automatically wins you the round. A tie-breaker question resolves any draws.

On winning a round a team gets given a card with a picture of an old-timey alcoholic beverage, and they need to have five completely different drinks in front of them to win the game. You may end up with multiples of the same drink, but these can be traded in to either confiscate another team’s drink, or swap it for a drink you need. This element works really well as it allows a losing team to get back into the race, and keeps the game running longer.

Quiz Shootout is essentially an updated Family Fortunes but with much better questions that cover a vast variety of topics. Questions such as “10 cities with the most skyscrapers’’ or “the first 10 letters in the Nato military alphabet” really get everyone’s brains working hard. The rules aren’t exactly set in stone, which can cause a bit of debate, but also allows for manoeuvrability. So, depending on circumstance, make sure you have your ground rules set before starting the game.

With some creative camera angling, and a bit of extra set-up, you can have the same experience miles apart as you would in the same room and games night can be back on.