Trivia. Werewolf. Two great tastes that were kept apart. Until now.
(Disclaimer: I played a playtest version of the game. My input had no effect on the final game.)
You Must Be An Idiot! is a trivia game with a twist. Each round, everyone but the question reader (the “Genius”) receives a card. The card is either an amusing photograph, or a big YOU ARE AN IDIOT! card. If you get an Idiot card, you’re supposed to answer the trivia question WRONG. Otherwise, you’re (probably) trying to answer it correctly.
The question is asked, and everyone writes down their answer on a piece of paper. The answers are revealed, the question’s answer is revealed, and everyone who got it right flips over their card. If you were not an idiot and got the question right, you get some points. If you were an idiot and answered the question correctly, you get nothing. You flip your card. Why would you do this? Well, sometimes you are an idiot, don’t know the answer, and happen to put down the correct one. Other times, the question is so easy that you couldn’t bluff not knowing it.
Why does that matter? Well, after the answers are revealed and the correct guesses out of way, everyone (including the Genius) can accuse someone of being an idiot. This is where it gets nasty (and fun.) If you guess an idiot correctly, you get some points. If an idiot is not accused, he gets more points. And if you accuse someone incorrectly of being an idiot? They get a point and you lose a point!
This leads to a number of interesting decisions as the game progresses. The question reader has several choices of questions to ask, which is an interesting choice: do I go for a question that everyone (or a specific person) should know and hope they’re an idiot, but risk everyone getting a lot of points? Or do I ask the hard question and hope no one gets it, but maybe give some idiots a lot of points?
And of course, one of the more interesting strategic decisions is what to write for your answer. If you’re an idiot, can you sucessfully convince everyone that you “genuinely” didn’t know the answer? Or even if you know the answer, can you write an answer that will make everyone accuse you of being an idiot and rack up a higher score? The game has some great moments in it as a result.
The whole game lasts 30-45 minutes. In many ways it is a family game, but I have played with “lighter” gamers (people who don’t play the heavy strategic german stuff that I’m used to) who had trouble grasping the scoring. This can lead to some serious frustration. Also, non-werewolf players seem to have more trouble grasping the concept. It’s one of my favorite trivia games (right up there with Wits & Wagers), but may not be easily grasped by all. I think it’s very easy and makes sense ruleswise, but make sure the group you’re playing with gets it before you dive in and have frustrated players.
And of course, the best part of the game? Saying, “You must be an idiot!”
I went looking for this specificcally here in England- and the GM made a point- that there’s an entirely different sub set of pop-culture trivia in a different country such as I live in. So they prety much need to go through and re write trivia games for the Brit. culture (and vice-versa for those originating here.) They love Looney Labs, BTW. Milena & I got 2 games, we’ll review them after we play em- one was an anagram game- like a boardless scrabble, stealing each other’s words.. and then a food chain ‘who eats who’ game. both educational in their own.
There’s not a whole lot of trivia that is specifically pop culture in YMBAI. Plus, these smaller publishers can’t really afford to bring out a localized version.
What are the names of the two games? And have you played Ridiculous Moose Game yet?