HCASC Game Format
The game is being updated to a faster-paced format. The entire game is played in categories. There are four new categories in each round. The new format features four player teams, but in each game only three play. There will be four rounds in each game.
Rounds 1, 2 and 3
Toss-Up questions are replaced by Face-Offs. In each round, a different player from each team handles Face-Offs, which means only s/he may answer. Face-Offs are worth 10 points. If a player answers a Face-Off correctly, the team gets a bonus. Answer it wrong and there is no longer a 5 point penalty, but the question is still turned over to the other team. There are no longer "interrupts." Players must wait until the end of the question to signal. Bonuses are all worth 20 points. The last player to correctly answer a Face-Off picks the category for the next Face-Off & Bonus pair. Rounds 1, 2 and 3 are each 4 minutes in length.
Round 4
The last round is called the Ultimate Challenge. It is the last chance for each team to win. Each team can earn up to 250 points in this rapid-fire round. The team that is behind at the end of Round 3 goes first. From 4 new categories, they select one to play. They have 60 seconds to answer up to 10 questions worth 25 points apiece. Whether a team gives a right or wrong answer or “passes” on a question, the moderator keeps moving to the next question. As long as there is time left on the 60 second clock, the moderator will go back to questions that were missed for additional tries. Next the opposing team picks from the remaining 3 categories and again, has 60 seconds to answer up to 10 questions at 25 points apiece. The team with the most points at the end of the Ultimate Challenge is the winner. Ties are broken by the play of Face-Off questions until one team answers a Face-Off correctly. Teams playing a tie-breaker select which player is in the center position to play the Face-Off(s).
How Games are Distributed
For your campus tournament and other uses, initial games will be distributed on a CD which contains the Game Play Databaseand played on a computer. This eliminates printed questions and allows players to see the questions as they are played. The only requirement is a computer (laptop or desktop) with a secondary monitor. Additional games will be sent electronically later in the year and imported into the database for use with your HCASC Club and team practice sessions.
About the Questions
This format is exciting to watch and fun to play. The questions maintain the HCASC focus on core academic topics, general knowledge and African American-centric material. In our new question style, the categories serve as clues, enabling us to write shorter playable questions and to have more questions played in each game.
Before each game, the teams are given the categories titles (and descriptions) for each round. This enables the coach to determine which player should play the Face-Offs in Rounds 1, 2 and 3, pairing their knowledge base with the categories.
Note that of the four members of your team, only three play in each game.
For more information on the new format consult these pages: