Program Guide Blurb
Based on one of television’s most popular game shows, The Fandom Pyramid pits two teams in a battle of quick wits and strategy, for a chance to face what’s been called the most dramatic minute in television – the Winner’s Circle, for a chance at some very lovely prizes. You must attend an audition during “Anime Pyramid Tryouts” in order to be considered as a contestant. Check your program guide and schedule for more details!
Internal Description for Convention Staff
This event is designed to provide an experience to attendees that mirrors that of “The $25,000/$100,000 Pyramid” TV game show. Using authentic music, sound effects, and graphics from the 1980s version, two teams of two attendees (or a guest and an attendee, if approved) compete in fast-paced word association to win prizes. This show has high energy and great “play-along” value to everyone watching.
Event Details
Content Rating
All ages.
Audiovisual
The host con will need to provide a projector with a VGA or HDMI connection, and a 3.5mm (headphone jack) connection to the room’s sound system. Three microphones — one at each table (see below), plus one wireless for the host, are required
Scheduling
Pyramid features two of your guests of honor, and is based on a popular currently-running TV game show. Depending on the featured guests, this show can attract a large audience. It’s recommended that the show be in your largest panel room, or main events room if available.
The show requires a tryout for contestants. Please schedule an hour-long panel (requires no AV, can be in any size panel room) on the same day as the show.
Other Considerations
- Pre-Con
- If the opportunity is available, the host will work with the convention’s Guest Relations staff to invite two Guests of Honor who are quick on their feet (improvisational actors and writers tend to do well) to be featured guests.
- Staging
- The show will consist of a total of five people: two teams of one attendee and one guest each, and the host. The teams will be seated at tables diagonal to the projector screen where one team member faces away from the screen. The host roams between the teams. There will also be a place set up near center stage with two chairs (one facing away from the screen, one toward the screen) for the “winner’s circle” portions of the game.
- Prizes
- This game offers prizes to winning players. Players who win the “Winner’s Circle” bonus game will earn ¥10,000 (approx. $90) or ¥25,000 (approx. $225) if they win the “Winner’s Circle” twice in one show. If your convention has a coffer of prizes (no promos or bootlegs), those can be used. In addition, companies may sponsor prizes; this will be arranged before the convention as per our policy of not asking dealers/artists at-con for prize considerations.
General Event Flow
The show has the look and feel of the 1980s Pyramid, and will use the 1980s rules, modified for a live event setting.
Main Game
Two teams will compete in a word-association game. The main game has three rounds, with each team choosing from a board of six categories. The titles of the categories usually have an anime, manga, or video game theme to them, but the words in each category will be able to be described without anime/manga/video game references. For example, the category “Buffalo Gundam Wings” may lead to a category clue of “deep-fried foods.” Each category has seven words that must be described without using any part of the word itself, or by using rhyming words.
In the event of a tie game after each team plays three categories, a tie-breaker game is played using two categories (words that begin with a specific letter). The team that created a tie will go first, and sets the bar for the second team by either score or time taken (if they get 7 out of 7). If the second team beats that score/time, they will go to the bonus round; otherwise the first team will go.
Each game has a bonus category hidden among the six. In the first game, the “7-11” bonus awards a 1,100 Dusty Dollar ($10) bonus for a perfect 7-out-of-7 round. In the second game, the “Mystery 7” bonus awards a special prize for a perfect round, but makes things slightly more difficult by omitting the category clue.
Bonus Round: “Winner’s Circle”
The winning team will come to center stage to play the bonus round. The clue giver will give a list of items that fit the category shown on the screen. For example, “things that are red” could be described with a list including a fire truck, a stoplight, an apple.
The team will have 60 seconds to identify six categories. As the team climbs the pyramid of categories, the difficulty increases. Either team member may say “pass” to move to the next category if they get stuck. Passed categories are revisited as long as there is time left on the clock.
Payouts for categories increase with difficulty (50-100-150-200-250-300). If the team manages to get all six categories, they win the top prize of 10,000 Dusty Dollars for the first win and 25,000 Dusty Dollars for the second.
Online Event Considerations
This event may be modified to be presented at an online convention. Modifications are as follows:
- We will need the ability to “black out” a player’s view of the presentation screen when they are guessing clues.
- Timers will be extended for the main game (60 seconds) and the Winner’s Circle (two minutes).