Anime Game Show Party combines the “gimmicks” of several classic game shows along with two large dice. Each round, three contestants play a minigame to earn points. The first player to win 50 points wins the game and goes on to a Bonus Game where they must predict how the audience will respond to binary questions (which do you like best, A or B?; have you ever done X at a con?; etc) in order to win the grand prize.
The Party Dice
The party dice control what we play and how much each round is worth. There are two six-sided dice.
Point Die
Three sides are worth 5 points; Two sides are worth 10 points; one side is worth 20 points. The more points a round is worth, the more difficult it will be to earn them.
Mini-Game Die
Each side has a different mini-game – 5 in total. The sixth side is “Wild Card.” If Wild Card is rolled, the player in control can pick any of the other categories to play. (If at any point we run out of material in a particular mini-game, that side of the die will become a Wild Card.) The categories are as follows:
ARRGH! Autocorrect
“I love my phone. We’ve gone through rough times together. After I dropped it on the sidewalk, my autocorrect feature hasn’t worked well…” The host reads a general statement about anime, manga, video games, conventions, or fandom, that should be able to be guessed by the average anime convention attendee. The last word in each sentence is out of place or incorrect. Players buzz in and guess the word that is supposed to go at the end of the sentence. As a hint to the players, the wrong and right words both start with the same letter. To earn 5 points, correct 1 statement. For 10 points, correct 2 statements. For 20 points correct 3 statements. In any case, the player who wins the points gets control of the Party Dice.
EXAMPLE: “Spirited Away was a film produced by Studio Google. (Replace Google with Ghibli.)
This minigame is based on a short-lived CBS game show “Whew!” which aired in the late 70s/early 80s.
Anime Dare
Players are read a prompt for a brief improvisational situation or skit. Starting with the player in the lead at the time (or from the left in the case of a tie), players act out the prompted skit. The best performance as determined by audience applause vote will earn the points and control of the Party Dice. The host may determine a tie if the vote is close; in this case all tying players earn the full value of the round.
This minigame is based on the “game show” “Whose Line is it Anyway?” found on both British and American TV.
Who Am I?
Players are given a riddle in which the host assumes the identity of a person, place, thing, title, or concept that should be familiar to attendees. Contestants may jump in at anytime to answer, but are locked out of the riddle if they are wrong.
This minigame is based on the question format used for the “Fame Game” section of “Sale of the Century,” seen on NBC during the 1980s.
By The Numbers
The host reads a question that has a numeric answer. Starting with the player in the lead, each player “bids” on the correct answer. The player closest to the correct answer without going over will win the points and control of the dice.
This minigame is based on the Contestants’ Row portion of the CBS game show “The Price is Right.”
“I Mean” Anime!
This is a word game. Players will be read a “crossword-style” clue, and will be shown a word or phrase that is an anagram for the correct answer. The first player to solve one to three (based on point value) anagrams will win the minigame and control of the dice.
EXAMPLE: The clue is, “anti-vampire video game franchise.” The anagram is VACANT AISLE, so the correct answer would be CASTLEVANIA.
This minigame is based on portions of the NPR weekly puzzle game show “Ask Me Another.”
Winning the Game
The player who reaches 50 points first wins the game. In the case of 2 players reaching 50 in the same round, the player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the host will roll the Mini-Game Die once and a 5-point sudden death round of the rolled mini-game is played among the players who tied.
The “Audience Decides” Bonus Challenge
The champion is entitled to play this final game in order to win the grand prize. The host will read a survey question with two answers (including yes/no). Before the convention, we will post a link to a Google Form survey, and will share it with your convention’s social media if approved. The champion is asked to predict how the survey respondents voted. The champion must correctly predict 3 times before missing 3 in order to win the grand prize.
Prizes
Runners up receive a small prize, valued at $3 or less – generally a box of Pocky, ramune soda, or a button or bookmark if venue rules limit food products.
The winner of the main game receives a prize valued at around $10-20, such as a T-shirt, value-priced DVD/BluRay, manga, or convention swag (T-shirt/hat/water bottle/etc.).
If the main game winner also wins the bonus game, they get a prize valued at $40-50, such as a box set of DVD/BluRay or manga, or a anime/gaming themed gift card (e.g. Right Stuf, Nintendo eShop). With prior authorization from the host convention, the grand prize will be a complimentary weekend badge to next year’s convention.