Saturday 5 December 2015

IQ 2000 @ The Colony

(but also Kits)
Where: Colony Main, 2904Main Street  and Colony Kits, 3255 West Broadway

When: 8 PM Mondays for the Main Street Edition, 8 PM Wednesdays for Kits

Web Presence: You can follow IQ2000 on Facebook, for all your IQ2K needs

Team Info: Team limit maxes at seven, ostensibly

Prizes: Various cool prizes to be won. Free beers for successful and loud teams, augmented by local prizes ranging from salsa to piercings.

Format: Four rounds of about ten questions

Food and Drink: I seem to recall standard upscale pub food that fancies itself better than it actually was. You'll find something for everyone on the beer list, from affordably priced domestics to local craft offerings.

I'm kind of cheating here, doing two reviews at once. I think that every bar should be given a fair shake, even when the quizzes are run by the same folk. That said: These quizzes are pretty much the same, from the stylish host to the Donnelly-lite decor of the gastropubs that contain them. I thought for quite some time on how I could write a substantively different review for each experience, and, through my own faults as a writer, came up empty-handed. The differences boil down as follows: There's slightly different flavouring in the prizes, and the Main Street event traditionally attracts more teams. Also, there's no big screen at the Kits location to support IQ 2000's fantastic visual presentation.

To be honest, though you might actually think I'm getting two reviews for the price of one, the truth is, I'm getting two for the price of none. We're big fans of IQ 2000 at Vancouver Pub Quiz, as you probably noticed. Since we've reviewed his quiz so many times, we will point to in the direction of our review for the erstwhile Mr. Brownstone, now the location of Colony Main. Take that description, drop it into the slick confines of a Blueprint Group property1, and there you have it.


TWICE AS NICE:  It's an IQ 2000 quiz: lots of hooting, hollering, good questions, and an excellent presentation. If I had to choose between the two, I'd say the Main Street location is the better of the two, mostly due to its superior attendance, competition, and features the visual show as well.

Gotta get that Royal Jelly


1 Unfamiliar? Imagine a the restaurant equivalent of any recent song by The Weeknd

Wednesday 2 December 2015

The Empire Strikes Back!

Looks like there has been a change of heart in the Death Star or USS Falcon or whatever they fly in space these days, and the Star Wars Quiz at Venue has been cancelled. But don't feel bad, young Jar-Jar, because IQ 2000 has stepped up to play Dash Rendar and save the galaxy yet again! Announcing... Star Wars Trivia Part 2 at the Biltmore! With the barest amount of ado, see the below poster for details:

John Williams Fanfare



Sunday 22 November 2015

Star Wars, But With Ants

If you haven't noticed, the last year has really been a good time for Intellectual Property-themed pub quizzes. Fans of Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and more have all had the chance to flex their brains and demonstrate their in-universe superiority. For whatever reason, this list doesn't even mention the monthly nostalgia overdose that is Simpsons trivia. Whatever your opinion on these quizzes are, we've got two more coming down the pipe. Fans of giving the executives at the Walt Disney Corporation and 21st Century Fox money, rejoice! Quizzes on Star Wars and Archer are on their way in the next two weeks!

This time, I'm going to let the pictures do the talking, since they're all the information I have anyways. Cheers!




Sunday 8 November 2015

Trivia Night With the Riddler @ The Army, Navy, Air Force Club

Where: Army, Navy & Airforce Veterans Unit 298, 3917 Main Street (at 23rd)

When: 7:30 PM, Sundays.

Web Presence: Nope!

Team Info: Most teams seemed to be of about four or five people, but I don't know if there is a limit or not.

Prizes: Prizes galore! Mostly cash based, but there is also an auction at the end of the evening where you can use "Riddler Bucks" to bid on all sorts of things. More on those later.

Format: A complete gong show, in the best possible way. See the body of the review.

Food and Drink: Cheap drinks, as is the style at veteran's clubs around the country. Microwave popcorn available. Cash only.

It is kind of hard to explain Trivia Night with the Riddler in any meaningful capacity. I've only been once, and it is my understanding the quiz has a very amorphic structure. As such, I can only tell you what I saw, and how I felt about it. Spoiler warning: I had a fucking blast.

The Army, Navy, and Airforce Veterans Unit Taurus #298, as it is properly called (and henceforth shortened to ANA, not to be confused with the airline I just flew home on), is located in a whitesided building at 23rd and Main in the heart of Mount Pleasant. You may have been their for one of their excellent and lively karaoke nights, or their pinball machines, or just for some shuffleboard. The crowd it draws in is different from most places, packing in a lively crowd of veterans and old regulars. You'll find some stray skinny jeaned hipsters mixed in there as well, as befits the locale, but on average the crowd here skews about a generation and half older than most pub quizzes. The beer is fine, and priced very kindly. It is a members only club, so you'll need to sign in at the bar and abide by their rules, which includes doffing any cap you happen to be wearing.

I consider myself more or less a traditionalist when it comes to doing pub quizzes: I like having questions asked of me, for a certain number of points, which are then tallied up, and the team with the most of said points being declared the victors. Trivia Night with the Riddler doesn't play by those rules, really. I mean, there are teams. There is head to head competition, and prizes are involved. The questions are knowledge based. There are scores. But the similarity more or less ends there, as the Riddler gleefully deconstructs the notion of how you can have fun answering questions at a drinking establishment.

The quiz was broken up into five or six rounds, depending on how you're keeping track. It starts with some toss up questions, where the first person to shout out the answer gets two bucks in cold, hard, polar bear adorned cash. This was followed by a "match the company to the slogan round," for which points were doled out. These points were then wagered in the next round, Final Jeopardy! style, where each team got their own personalized question, while the rest of the bar spectated. The top score after two rounds of what are essentially double or nothing questions won the first half prize: money, both legal tender and the aformentioned Riddler Bucks.

The intermission saw us treated to feats of magic and prestidigitation, to set the stage for the second half. The second half was similar to the first, with another toss up round, but this one featuring audience authored questions — stump the crowd and the toonie is yours. This was followed by a "Guess the Snack Price" round, and then the "Brain Twister" round, which was pretty much standard trivia. Closest to the snack price wins the snacks, and top score wins the cash. After all was said and done, a small auction was held where you could use any Riddler Bucks your team had accumulated to wager on a small supply of prizes, which consisted of varied Canadiana. Think ANA articles of clothing, box sets of Corner Gas, and the like.

Riddle Me This: An unbridled delight. If you are sitting around on a lazy Sunday jonesing for some unorthodox trivia, this is the place to be.
It's that time of year

Sunday 25 October 2015

More Themed Quizzes

Hey there Intellectual Property fans, have I got some exciting quiz news for you. In honor of Halloween (I suppose), here are two chances to dress up and get quizzing!

First, on Wednesday October 28th, You Know Nothing - Games Of Thrones Trivia Night is being hosted by local host Lucas Meneses-Skoda at Venue Nightclub. Teams of up to 8 people, tickets $10 each. The grand prize is a frankly impressive $500, so bring your best Valyrian Steel trap minds. It appears to be primarily based on the HBO show, and less on the George R. R. Martin Book. Doors at 6, quizzin' at 7. Buy your tickets here.

If you're not tired out by that, The Manchester Public Eatery in Kits is hosting Harry Potter Trivia the very next night, starting at 7:30. Not as much information on this one, but tickets are $5 each, and teams can have up to seven aspiring wizards on them. Buy tickets here, although there will be some available at the door if you prefer to live on the edge.

Of course, both of these events will have an attendant costume contest, so come dressed for the occasion!

Thursday 3 September 2015

Nice Guys Trivia @ the Lamplighter

Bring your near-sighted brain.
Also, your astigmatic liver.
Where: The Lamplighter, 92 Water Street

When: 7 PM, Tuesdays.

Web Presence: Check the Nice Guys Trivia page for occasional updates.

Team Info: Not entirely certain, but I'd wager that you can bring as many as you like, per other quizzes at Donnelly pubs.

Prizes: Top three teams win a pitcher of beer, along with other prizes. Also a few games of "Heads Or Tails" could win you supplementary drinks.

Format: The standard 8 round Nice Guys quiz you'll see at Donnelly pubs across the city. A photo round to warm up, and a heavy emphasis on music. Be prepared for an "In the news" round, coming from that liner of composts across the city, The Province.

Food and Drink: I found the food to be pretty pub-standard, but I was very impressed by the beer selection. I mean, nobody will confuse it for the Alibi Room or 12 Kings, but the selection is vast, with a lot of good craft choices.

Here we are again, at another quiz in a Donnelly pub run by the kind fellows at Nice Guys Trivia. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but let's recap for those at the back. Here you'll find lots of pop culture questions, with almost half the points coming from music and current events. The quizmasters are fairly brisk about proceedings, moving along at a much faster pace than I had previously experienced with Nice Guys. If there is one thing I really don't like about quizzes, it is when the hosts artificially drag things on. I understand that the quiz is here to get us to buy food and drinks and otherwise patronise a place we maybe wouldn't, but I can't stand it when places are downright shameless about it. Anyways, not a problem this time around. Perhaps someone reads my occasional bitching? A nice thought.

No, my son is also named
the Lamplighter
The tenor of the questions seemed quite similar to what I've seen at The Biminithe former Calling, and other similar pubs, so I think it is a very safe bet to say most quizzes are a long the same lines here. Nothing unusually dumb, but also nothing overly difficult. A good sense of standard quiz knowledge, acronyms, and picking the least-likely sounding multiple choice question will take you a long way here.

The bar's a big one, so chances that you'll find a seat. The Lamplighter's website claims that it is "The biggest pub quiz night in Vancouver," although I dispute that particular claim. They definitely have a large and busy space, but based on the number of teams I've seen there, I don't think it is the biggest by a long shot. Even though it isn't packed to the rafters with teams, there is still a good number of regular teams that show up to do battle every week, which is the sign of a healthy quiz. They mostly seemed nice, and were gracious in defeat.

WELL:  Probably the best location I've been to yet for a Nice Guys/Donnelly quiz. Good sized crowd, and moves along at a decent pace

Sunday 2 August 2015

Quiz News!

Here's some piping hot quiz news for you, straight from the ovens that produces all news:

  • Deb, aka the Quismistress is taking lucky key trivia to The Brighton Pub, in Hastings-Sunrise. Wednesday nights at 8 PM, with a $40 bar tab on the line. Great to see a quiz pop up in that neighbourhood.
  • IQ2000 is spreading to the suburbs, running a quiz on Thursday nights at Townhall public House in Coquitlum. The festivities start August 13th.
  • The quiz at Darby's continues under the watchful eye of Carin, every Thursday night
  • Decoda Literacy is hosting their second annual Literacy Team Trivia Challenge, this time at Red Card Sports Bar. It was good fun last time around, and if you want a crack at the oversize trophy, well... *cracks knuckles, blows dust off fingernails* you'll have to come through me to get it. Come on down, and support a good cause while answering some questions. 


Tuesday 28 July 2015

The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen

It was the end of an era in Vancouver quizzing last week, as Katie ran her last quiz at Darby's on Thursday. Katie had been a mainstay of the Vancouver quiz scene for the last five years, running over 200 quizzes from her base at Fourth and MacDonald in Kits. I would take in Katie's quizzes frequently, and it was always a great time. She had an excellent sense of topic and knew her crowd well. The quiz at Darby's was a tightly-run ship, with well-researched questions, practised delivery, and impeccable promptness. There's no wondering why Quiz night at Darby's had such a large and dedicated following, and easily the best competition of any quiz night in town.

So, thanks for all the great quizzes, Katie! It was truly a pleasure. I hope that you inspire some bored young person to start Prince Rupert Pub Quiz dot com.

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Will Never Lead Me Anywhere But Here

While we're all reeling over the breakup of Canadian indie darlings The Weakerthans, I figure I may as well slip in some quiz news, good and bad:


  • Quiz at the Bottleneck is on hiatus until September
  • Yagger's Downtown is starting to fill up, so show up early for quiz if you want to grab a spot
  • Quiz at Darby's will continue, but longtime host Katie will only host two more quizzes (Tomorrow and July 23). If you want to stop in and bid farewell, you'd better do it now. I know I'll be there. Look for the enormous team split in two if you want to say hi. 


Shout out to some astute readers who shot me this information a week ago, I'm sorry it took me so long to update the site.

Monday 8 June 2015

I Quiz! I Die! I Quiz Again!

Friends an enemies of pub quiz, I've got some news on the ins and outs of pub quiz in Vancouver.

IN: Harry Potter Quiz is returning to The Sunset Grill on Wednesday, June 24th. At 7:30 PM, come on down and take your O.W.L.s and your N.E.W.T.s, and have a lot of fun answering questions about the world's favourite teen wizarding sensation. I can't back that last statement up with fact, but take my word for it. Tickets can be purchased here. The last event sold out, so get on it before it is too late. 

OUT: After several years of quizzing patrons on Commercial Drive, the trivia night at Falconetti's has shut its proverbial doors. I'll miss it, but the gentlemen from Smarty Pints Trivia continue at The Five Point,  where you'll find them every Wednesday evening. 

IN: My, IQ 2000 is keeping busy. On top of their weekly quizzes at the Kings Head and the two Colonies (Main and Kitsilano), there is a truly staggering array of niche quizzes hosted at the Biltmore Cabaret. If Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings wasn't your thing, then perhaps mid-90s and early 2000s television is more up your alley. You'll find IQ 2000-hosted quizzes on Seinfeld, Friends, and The OC, all in the next month. Goodness.

Thursday 28 May 2015

Vancouver Craft Beer Week Trivia Giveaway!

Well, I haven't mentioned it on my blog yet, since it has been sold out since before I found out, but Colony Main Street will be hosting What the Hop? Beer Trivia on Saturday, May 30th, from 2-6 PM as part of Vancouver Craft Beer Week. The event will be hosted by IQ 2000 Trivia, and entry comes with rounds of craft beer to taste, as well as appetizers for the team.

Why am I mentioning this now? I already said it was sold out. Even if you had the sixty dollar entry fee, you wouldn't be able to get a ticket. Am I just rubbing it in your face? Of course not! The kind folks running the show have provided me with a table to give away to one lucky reader. So here's what we're going to do. If you want to go (and trust me, you do), send me an email at vancouverpubquiz@gmail.com letting me know what your favourite craft beer is, and I'll pick a winner, and you'll have a chance to get day drunk and answer some trivia questions. 

I realise it would be more germane for a quiz blog to ask you a quiz question for a contest, so I'll make this a bit more interesting. I'll give priority to whoever gets this question right: In what local district municipality will you find the main brewery for Four Winds Brewing? 

Once again, send your answers to vancouverpubquiz@gmail.com to get yourself and some friends a spot at Vancouver's first craft beer quiz. 

Wednesday 20 May 2015

The Portside Pub: Reloaded


Yet again, the quizmasters at the Portside have changed. Now Mondays will find it being hosted by IQ2000 trivia, with the exact host unconfirmed at press time. 

Where: The Portside Pub, 7 Alexander

When: 7:30 PM Mondays

Web Presence: Quizmaster Katie usually provides some hints on her Facebook page

Team Info: Max team size of seven, so if you have more, get ready to break them down into two teams

Prizes: $60 in bar credit for first place, $40 for second, and there's even a prize for team who finished second to last.

Format: Two halves, with three ten-question categories each. There was a lightning round that gave beer to the winners as well, which is a fun diversion.

Food and Drink: Much the same as before, but the beer selection seems to have grown in their variety. If you've got a sweet tooth, they've got a tasty ice cream sandwich, made with ice cream from the impeccable Earnest Ice Cream.

Alright! You may recall that I recently did a review of the Smartside Trivia at the Portside, but forget about that! It's old news! The Portside has revamped their quiz by tipping the fantastic Katie, of Darby's notoriety, to host the show. As you may have expected given her previous body of work, it was a smart choice.

The linear quarters of the Portside haven't changed much in the last six weeks, but the trivia sure has. The quiz starts around 7:30 PM, and moves along at a decent speed. The content is classic: heavy on the pop culture, themed rounds, with a willingness to ask some legitimately tough questions. There's an enjoyable music round, some matching, and even a few new twists to Katie's formula. The lightning round between halves is a great way to hand out some free beer. Identifying random things as fast as you can is a better beer dispersal mechanism than heads or tails anyways. I suppose you shouldn't complain about free beer, but I don't see why I can't rank my preferred methods of handing it out.

As a relatively young quiz, the Portside doesn't yet have the crowds of regulars that some quizzes have. The night we were there had about seven to eight other teams, and a few tables that weren't participating. Personally, I find it interesting to see a quizmaster who is used to packed houses and rapt attentions hosting at a smaller level. Katie does a great job engaging the teams, and it looked as though even the teams who hadn't come out explicitly for quiz were having fun. Gastown is in need of more pub quizzes, and Monday has always been one of my favourite nights to go to a quiz. The week's just started, but there's still a reason to look forward to Mondays. Forget what some cats may say, if they even exist. Anyways, hopefully the word gets out that there's good times and great prizes to be had here, and the ranks of quizzers will swell.

Judgement Day: An excellent Quiz Night With Katie quiz, in a convenient downtown location, with excellent prizes. May as well get in on the action at ground level.


Mixing my sequel signals 2: Electric Boogaloo

Saturday 18 April 2015

A Most Noble And Ancient Quiz

Are you a crazy for Cuneiform? Mad for Mithras? Loony for Lammasus? If any of that made sense to you, or even if it didn't, you may want to head down to Koerner's Pub on the University of British Columbia campus for a quiz night in support of From Stone To Screen. The event is being held by the UBC Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies, and I'm positive they'll put on an excellent quiz. It starts at 6 P.M. on April 22nd, costs $5 per person to enter, and promises fun, excitement, door prizes, and if you're lucky, some questions on Galen, Gibbons, and Gaius Valerius Flaccus — the original "GGG." But why take my word for it? From their facebook page:

Challenge your professors & TA's in a battle of wits and trivial knowledge! This is general knowledge trivia, not specifically Classics or Archaeology related. Invite your friends from other departments or outside of UBC! 

Door prizes, raffle and a 50/50 draw! There will also be a special prize for the best team name, as decided by our Trivia hosts.

Proceeds will go toward From Stone to Screen’s conference travel and digitization equipment, and help fund the 2015 CNERS Graduate Student Conference, Total Recall: The Manipulation of Memory in the Ancient World (ubccnersgradconference.wordpress.com for details).

Monday 13 April 2015

The Impending Madness

I didn't need to to do this last year, so I'm glad to announce it this year: THE CANUCKS, PEACE BE UPON THEM, ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS. THIS MAY FUCK UP YOUR FAVOURITE QUIZ NIGHT, SO CHECK AHEAD OF TIME.  Sometimes the quiz will be cancelled, sometimes it will be wedged in between periods. In any case, don't get caught off-guard.

In other news, East Side Craft House's quiz has been pushed up to 7:30 PM every Friday,and  it looks like there may be a quiz at Seven Dining Lounge in Mount Pleasant.

Go Canucks!

Monday 6 April 2015

The Kings Head (cancelled)


Alas, the King is dead. Find IQ 2000 at various other quizzes about the town on their facebook page.

Where: The Kings Head, 1618 Yew Street in Kitsilano

When: 7:00 PM Sundays, Weekly

Web Presence:  You can follow IQ2000 on Facebook, and get yourself a few free answers every week

Team Info: Maximum team size of seven

Prizes: Prizes to be won include pitchers of beer, gift certificates for pizzas from Uncle Fatih's, and salsa party packs from Fresh is Best Salsa. Prizes aren't only for winning teams. It just wouldn't be an IQ 2000 quiz without the shrill howls of teams trying to win free drinks by making noise.

Format: 2 Halves of 20 questions, nominally divided into rounds

Food and Drink: Bar food. The nachos weren't very good the night we were there, but the beer specials were excellent. I think their priorities are in order.

The Kings Head is located in a quaint building, which dates back to 1897, which makes it ancient by Vancouver standards. This "Tudor-style" edifice was a fish market and beauty parlour before taking its current form as a purveyor of inebriants in 1973. As its aged exterior suggests, the interior is a confounding warren of tables, nooks, snugs, stairways, and almost certain fire code violations. Within these Borgesian corridors, however, you are likely to find some friendly faces, cheap drinks, and at least 6 TVs tuned to the same sporting event. The beer is cheap, the food average, and the staff friendly.

I don't have all that much to say about the quiz itself, as my enjoyment of IQ 2000 quizzes is well documented, and the quiz at the Kings Head is no exception. Unfortunately, the Kings Head lacks a proper audiovisual setup, and the most essential part of IQ2K's charm, the wonderful multimedia presentation, is not present. The questions are still excellent, but it lacks in comparison to previous nights.

An even shorter version: A fun quiz, although I missed the multimedia cavalcade I had grown used to. Probably the best pub sign in town.
Daedalus would be proud

Sunday 15 March 2015

Chain of Command

I blundered earlier this week! There are actually FOUR literary-themed quizzes coming up in Vancouver. The same folks who brought you Game of Thrones Night at the Ancient House of Biltmore (which was a blast - ed.) are now bringing you A Night In Middle Earth, full of Tolkein trivia. Expect to be quizzed about Tolkeins from J.R.A. to J.R.Z. Drinks, costumes, and burlesque is all in the offering, so light up some Old Toby, then head on down to the Prancing Pony! No word on whether or not Blind Guardian will show up.

Saturday 14 March 2015

Book Report

Alright bookworms, I've got some quiz announcements for you today. A literary-themed quiz? Nope! Two literary-themed quizzes? Nope! THREE literary-themed quizzes? Yup! Since I've wasted your time with this little guessing game, let's go straight to the good news: 

First up, we have another night of Harry Potter Trivia, this time at the Sunset Grill in Kitsilano on Wednesday, April 8th at 7:30. Five dollar entry fee, loads of prizes, and a costume contest! You can buy your tickets ahead of time through brown paper tickets. Who will win this Triwizard Cup?

Next up, The Friends of the Coquitlam Library are hosting their second annual quiz to raise money for the library on Friday, April 10th. Tickets are $25 dollars per person, and teams are of up to 8 people. I didn't get a chance to attend last year, so hopefully I can make it out this time around. The fun starts at 7:30PM at the City Centre branch. 

Finally, the North Shore Writers Festival's 3rd Annual Literary Quiz Night, hosted by CBC's Grant Lawrence, will take place a week later, on April 17th. The show starts at 8:30, and is located at the West Van Memorial Library this year. Last year's was a blast, so I highly recommend that you come down and try and wrest the trophy (really!) from the staff at Black Bond Books. Teams of up to six people.

So, if you like quizzes and books (and quizzes about books), you just might find your schedule quite packed next month. 

Sunday 8 March 2015

Smartside Trivia @ The Portside Pub



THE QUIZ AT THE PORTSIDE IS NOW ON MONDAYS AT SEVEN PM. Furthermore, it is being run by Katie of Quiz Night With Katie fame. The review below is kept as an archive, but is not accurate anymore. Look for an updated review sometime soon.

Where: The Portside Pub, 7 Alexander


When: 8 PM Wednesdays

Web Presence: It merits an occasional mention on the Portside's web page, but not much else

Team Info: Seems to be "bring 'em if you've got 'em"

Prizes: Gift certificates and beer to be had! It looks like they will sometimes give away Canucks tickets, but with the playoffs looming, that possibility is getting less and less likely.

Format: A beefy quiz, with three rounds divided into several sub-categories, probably around 60 questions in total.

Food and Drink: The nautically-themed bar features nautically-themed food, which makes sense. I had a pretty tasty lobster chowder, and everyone's favourite arthopod shows up more than a few times across the menu. There's a selection of fairly standard pub food, but vegetarians may have a tricky time finding something they actually want to eat for dinner. If you're feeling generous, you can even buy Save-On-Meats sandwich tokens to distribute on your way home. The bar is as you would expect, with a better than average tap list and $4 Jameson. You've been warned.

The quiz at the Portside is run by the former hosts at 131 Water, a nearby Gastown establishment whose quiz I quite enjoyed. I hadn't the chance to attend when they were hosting there, so this was my first experience with their quiz. If you are wondering why I keep using the plural third-person possessive, it is because I forgot their names. I'm sorry Vancouver, but you don't always get the pub quiz blog you deserve,

The confines of the Portside were cozy and pleasant, evoking the nautical air that one would expect of bar near the waterfront. Being found in the trendy locale of Gastown meant that you were more likely to find house music than sawdust, more chic clothes than salty dogs. It was a good thing that the tables weren't terrible either, since the quiz started an hour late. In their defense, it was one of the first nights there, and they apologized profusely for the delay.

The quiz itself was an immense one, easily one of the largest in town — if you are looking to maximize the number of questions you get asked, then look no further. There were three rounds, each containing between 20 and 30 questions. The rounds were subdivided into 2-5 categories. A sampler: Food & drink, matching a world leader to their country, movie scenes with actors replaced by cats, and a well-curated music round, evoking classics such as D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does It Feel)."  A nice, broad selection of questions.

However, there was one round which I feel compelled to say something about. The premise was as follows: Order these ten cities from warmest to coldest. The cities are: Hell (Norway), Yakutsk (Russia), Harbin (China), Fort Vermilion (Canada), Fort St John (Canada), Ulaan Baatar (Mongolia) and others. You get the point though. They are all improbably cold places. Is Siberia colder than Mongolia? Than Northern Alberta? Than Northwestern China? It is almost like asking if Seattle or Vancouver or Burnaby gets more rain. How do you even measure it? Coldest single point in time? Average chilliness? How cold it is right now?  We, like most teams, bombed it. It was the toughest matching round since "match the NASCAR driver to their sponsor," which I didn't mind so much. At least that had some facts backing it up.

The takeaway from all this complaining? First off, don't make "put these in order" round. They're awful, one mistake can ruin an entire round for a team. Secondly, if you have to, make the differences fairly obvious, or at least have a few sets that can be ordered in and of themselves. Finally, use a ranking that has an actual definition, or at least say but what metric you're measuring. This smells quite similar to the article Mike wrote on why you don't ask questions about city size.

I hate to end on a complaint, so here's a paragraph break leading into the final summary. Did you know the paragraph symbol () is called a pilcrow? Now you do! Also, even though I didn't like that one round, I thought this was a really fun quiz with a lot of potential. I'll definitely be heading back there sometime soon!

The Cold Hard Facts: I just said it! A fun quiz with a great music round, and will hopefully only keep getting better.
It was cold here once

Tuesday 3 March 2015

The Beat Goes On

Good Evening! Even more quiz updates. In standard point form:

Saturday 21 February 2015

Quiz Digest: Year of the Sheep edition

Happy new year, to those of you inclined to a lunar calendar! I've been quite busy lately, so I apologize for the lack of updates. The plus side is that I get to share a whole bunch of news with you today.


  • First off, congratulations are in order for Quiz Night With Katie, who recently hosted her 200th quiz! It is one of my favourites, and at this point probably the longest-running quiz in town. May she host 200 more. 
  • Following up on the heels of their Harry Potter trivia night, The Biltmore is getting into the action with two quizzes this week: The second coming of Punk Rock Trivia, and a Game Of Thrones night, hosted by sometimeblog contributor IQ 2000
  • And speaking of IQ 2000, there's quite a bit of news coming from his direction. This Tuesday will mark the final quiz night at Mr. Brownstone. But fear not! Mr. Brownstone's is merely changing owners, and after a period of renovation, should be back with a new name and the same quiz.
  • IQ 2000's Sunday night gig at Rowan's Roof has shifted venues, and you can now catch his impeccable slideshow at The King's Head in Kits.
  • I got the chance to go to the Portside's quiz, and I'll hopefully have a review up in the next few weeks.
  • Finally: Once again, I wrangled up a team of friends to head to Geek Bowl, North America's largest pub quiz. Geek Bowl IX was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was once again an excellent time. It was a white knuckle ride featuring the Dan Band, a Dance Round (!), and more beer than normal. In the end, we cracked the top 10, and came in ninth place out of 140 of the top quiz teams in North America. Don't believe me? Check out the official standings. Next year, we're gunning for a podium finish!

Saturday 3 January 2015

Godt Nytår!

Since the Danes have been eliminated from the World Juniors, maybe let's leave it at Happy New Year. I hope it finds you well or miserable, as you prefer. I've got some ideas as to what makes the perfect start to a year, but I'm not going to waste your time with any, save one: new quiz announcements! I've got one new recurring quiz, and a one-off spectacle for you. 

First off, The Portside Pub (7 Alexander Street in Gastown) has recently started a weekly quiz, Wednesday at 8PM. Highlights include free canapés during the quiz, and a pair of Canucks tickets as a grand prize. That's some quizmaster largesse right there. I'll try to get a review up in the next month or so. 

Secondly, the Biltmore will be putting on the one-time event "Harry Potter and the Hall Of Inebriation" on Wednesday (when else?), January 21st. Tickets run eight dollars apiece, Butterbeer and Firewhiskey will be served, and the ultimate Harry Potter trivia master will be determined. We're a long way from Hogwarts, so this might be your best chance to nab a Nimbus 2000, Sorting Hat, or Time-Turner.