Playing Trivia
Anyone interested in playing Trivia can play. People can play by
themselves if they prefer, but most people find it more enjoyable to
play as a team. The teams are divided into on-campus and off-campus groups and scored in separate brackets, as both groups are not always asked the same questions. On-campus groups have played
all over campus and can be dorm residences, student organizations, or
any other group of students. Off-campus teams have played from as far
away as Japan, although most teams are based in the greater Fox Valley
area.
Trivia will be broadcast on the Internet exclusively this year, as Lawrence University's radio station, WLFM, has moved to an Internet-only format. If your team cannot arrange to listen over the Internet, please contact this year's Grand Master, Drew Baumgartner. In fact, direct all Trivia-related questions to the Grand Master.
Registration starts before the contest. To learn about the registration for
this year's contest, click on the Current Contest link.
The format of Trivia (except for the Credo itself) has varied over the years, but the contest always lasts from Friday at 10:00:37 p.m. to just after midnight on Sunday. Teams call in with answers to questions read on the air, receiving three guesses. A regular question is worth five points and should be answered in three minutes. No partial credit will be given for multiple-part answers.
In addition to the regular questions, on-campus teams participate in "action questions" (e.g. trying to compose the best love song or gather the most human hair), which are worth twice as much as regular questions and have variable time limits.
On Sunday night near the close of the contest, three very difficult questions, known as "Garrudas," are asked. Each Garruda is usually worth 25-50 points and must be answered in 10 minutes.
Finally, the contest ends as it begins, with a Super Garruda. The Super Garruda is worth 100 points and must be answered in 20 minutes.
The gods among men who read the questions, known as trivia masters, are chosen in the fall by existing trivia masters after a grueling audition; any Lawrence student is eligible, but those who've played in previous years have an advantage.
Presiding over all of them is the Grand Master, chosen by an outgoing Grand Master from the ranks of current trivia masters. The new Grand Master is named at the awards ceremony which marks the official end of Trivia Weekend. The word of the Grand Master is law, and overrules anything written on this page.