# Anyone else read Trivial Pursuit cards for fun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 6, 2001, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831 "2001-11-06T18:51:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/1 "2001-11-06T18:51:02Z")
I just bought the Genus 5 edition of Trivial Pursuit. My girlfriend thinks I am nuts for doing this but I like to read the cards and see how much I know. I take a stack with me before I go to bed and I keep reading until I have answered 4 out of 6 correctly - I just find it interesting. At first she thought I just wanted to know all the answers for when I played the game next but I really don’t care about ever playing the game again. I just like trivial information. I figured you all would be familiar with the concept. Anyone else do this? I’m not even trying to get on a game show! Useless information = GOOD. Tibs. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/2 "2001-11-06T18:58:28Z")
Before the bars had the [NTN boxes](http://www.ntn.com), some of my college buddies and I would pass the time blowing through a stack of T.P. cards and a few pitchers of beer. “I’ll take useless information only I know for a thousand, please, Alex.” ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/3 "2001-11-06T19:04:09Z")
So what’s so weird? \*\* TruePisces \*\* has a quiz machine on a keychain, and when we play (maybe every week or two) we hold the card after we ask a q, and use it until all the categories are used, pulling another if we need an unused q on a topic. This can leave us with 3 or 4 cards at the end, and we just ask each other the remaining qs. I like trivia. Have to find another of those NTN places - last one I knew near me stopped doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/4 "2001-11-06T19:05:32Z")
A visit to [Trivia at Uselessknowledge.com](http://www.uselessknowledge.com) is probably in order for you, then. And, as we know, Trivial Pursuit is not the best source of accurate information. [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_092.html) [speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_172.html) on [this](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_061.html). ---
**Author:** ![Palmyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/57b2e6/32.png) [@Palmyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palmyra)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/5 "2001-11-06T20:02:33Z")
**lurkernomore** , darn near every TGIFriday’s in Dallas has NTN systems. During breaks between games when they run the national rankings, there seem to be quite a few Friday’s and other chains that do NTN nationally. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/6 "2001-11-06T20:19:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Palmyra \* > \*\ ***lurkernomore** , darn near every TGIFriday’s in Dallas has NTN systems. During breaks between games when they run the national rankings, there seem to be quite a few Friday’s and other chains that do NTN nationally. \*\* Palmyra, The ones here don’t. I’ve seen some chains that do NTN, some don’t. I assume they are franchises. I know the UNOS in Schaumberg IL did last I was there, the most of the ones by me don’t. (Both franchises - the original UNO’S frowns on pizza skins, which I like…). [sub] As a NYer, when I am out of town and need pizza, I REALLY try to go to UNO’s. Most regional places suck. Been to like 10 or 15 UNOS. At least I can get deep dish. [/sub] Anyway, when I was posting the first, I checked out NTN and found a barfinder. May have to try it. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/7 "2001-11-06T20:24:34Z")
There’s a small group of restaurants in the Miami area, Flannigan’s, that has these cards, and we always quiz each other when my group of buddys go to dinner there. We are virtual fonts of useless information. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/8 "2001-11-06T20:58:42Z")
I used to, but I know all of the answers now. Maybe it’s time for a new version, eh? I miss NTN. I used to play it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Edwardina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Edwardina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwardina)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/9 "2001-11-06T22:57:27Z")
I thought I was the only one who read Trivial Pursuit cards for fun! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by thinksnow \* > \*\*“I’ll take useless information only I know for a thousand, please, Alex.” \*\* I used to say something very similar to this. I picked it up from a comedian’s routine a million years ago and don’t remember who the comedian was anymore, but the line was: “Hi, I’m Brainiac from the planet Smart, and I’ll take **Things Only I Know** for $200, please.” In high school they used to call me the Goddess of Useless Knowledge. In my English class, the teacher used to divide the room in half and we’d compete at answering Trivial Pursuit questions for candy bars. By the middle of the semester, the rest of the class was complaining that whichever team I happened to be on was sure to win, so she let me play the entire class by myself. And I still won. Drawback: information only sticks if it’s useless. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/10 "2001-11-06T23:05:07Z")
I do this all the time. If I get bored or frustrated at the video games, I’ll start reading the cards to see what I know. If I’m _really_ bored, I’ll even play a game against myself, playing the green piece against the orange piece. That’s right, I play board games _by myself, against myself_. I do this with Monopoly (the Marvel Comics Edition) sometimes too, playing the Hulk, Spiderman, and Wolverine pieces against each other. ---
**Author:** ![HerMajestyLorna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7cd45c/32.png) [@HerMajestyLorna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HerMajestyLorna)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/11 "2001-11-06T23:17:56Z")
I read the cards for fun. I love useless information, and whenever I can get my hands on a few cards, I go at it. ---
**Author:** ![Leonora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7bcc69/32.png) [@Leonora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonora)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/12 "2001-11-07T03:00:55Z")
I do that! Well, at least I do when I can find the boxes. I have 4 versions of the cards and I don’t think I’ve ever made it all the way through all the boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/13 "2001-11-07T03:42:37Z")
When the game first came out I got it for Christmas. I don’t think we EVER played the game. We’d sit around and read the questions instead. How else would a teen girl learn what cryptorchidism was? ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/14 "2001-11-07T06:11:03Z")
Oh my God, yes… Used to drive Dr. LindyHopper (and everybody I know, come to think of it) crazy with this. I’ve tried to stop now that I got (via eBay) the Genus 2, Baby Boomer, and Silver Screen editions. I learned this because I did this with the original Genus edition, and now it’s no fun to play with anymore, because I’ve got most questions memorized. PS– **Tiburon** : There’s a Genus _5_? Does it suck less than Genus 4? My experience with Genus 4 was that it was way dumbed-down; just too easy to be fun. And whatever happened to Genus 3, anyway? PPS–I sometimes…(guilt, guilt)…still do this with the RPM edition. Heck, no one will play that one with me anyway…😉 ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/15 "2001-11-07T06:13:18Z")
Oh, and **Crunchy**? I play Trivial Pursuit alone, using _all six pieces_. That’s right, I play board games against myself…_5 alternate versions of myself_. Bow to my geekiness! Bow, I tell you! ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/16 "2001-11-07T06:43:29Z")
Oh, great. People accuse me of doing this all the time, as if a stay-at-home mom doesn’t have better things to do with her time! Now I find out that there are people who actually _do_ do it! AAAAAAAAAARGH! I suppose that you read encyclopedias straight through as well! That must be how _that_ rumor got started at my elementary school… I have Genus 3. It must not have been a big seller. I asked for a Trivial Pursuit game when I was in college, and, for whatever reason, they were very, very hard to find at that time. Now, they are everywhere again. I like NTN, too. I cleaned up the last time I played. It was their “Passport” game and the subject was Finland. 🙂 I’m not so good at sports or music/movie trivia, though. I am, of course, **TAMEX** there, too. ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/17 "2001-11-07T07:15:26Z")
Just for fun, **Tiburon** , or for profit? I can see you at the coffee shops: “Hey, wanna play some Trivial Pursuit?” “Um…sure, okay.” “Okay…care to make it interesting?” 😉 I don’t do that on a regular basis, but if there’s an edition of the game somewhere, I enjoy reading through some cards. I’m a fan of useless information…heck, I’m a regular contributor of useless information. ---
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/18 "2001-11-07T15:16:11Z")
**Lindyhopper** , Yup, Genus 5 out - and I even saw a box of additional cards available (just the cards!!!) to add to the game. PLUS PLUS PLUS there is a book out called Trivial Pursuit Quiz Book. No kidding. Barnes and Noble is holding it for me right now. Ooooooohhhhhhh, it’s going to be a goooood lunch today when I run out and pick up that bad boy. As for if it is dumbed down…well, that’s hard to say. I guess it’s fair to say that it doesn’t have as much pop culture as Genus 4…but, well, here’s the thing: I’m 28. When Trivial Pursuit first came out, I had one hell of a time answering much of anything because so many of the questions were just beyond me. My father, however, was a pro - a lot of the questions on arts/entertainment were about movies that he saw at some point. I think the later editions of T/P have tried to pull in more pop culture so it appears dumbed down but I’m not sure if that is the term I’d use. Now, I can probably get about 4 questions right on a card - but I don’t know if that is because it is dumbed down, to be honest, or because I’m just older and have had a lot more education and experience. **SilentRob** , I hadn’t thought of that…hmm…maybe I should go earn some bucks over my lunch hour! \*\*Question for everyone: Is there one topic that just kills you?\*\* I can answer most of the science ones, quite a few people/places and arts/literature, and the wild card and history aren’t too bad. But the SPORTS KILL ME. I suck at sports trivia. OH! Has anyone checked out [http://www.trivialpursuitonline.com](http://www.trivialpursuitonline.com)? I can’t get there while at the office so I will have to check it out tonight. Anyone possibly up for a late night game? 🙂 And…care to make it interesting? Tibs. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/19 "2001-11-07T15:26:57Z")
Well, the other thing that bugs me about Genus 4 is that _they changed the categories_! Some of them anyway. Where are my beloved Geography and Arts & Literature? Now it’s “People & Places” and “Arts & Entertainment”. Feh. Wild Card is OK, though; I like general useless trivia. It’s a strength of mine. 🙂 Oooohhh, they’re selling just the cards again? Bliss! That was the third thing that bugged me about Genus 4; you had to buy the whole game. I already _have_ the board, pieces, and die! I _just need the cards_! ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831/20 "2001-11-07T19:18:22Z")
Tib, Entertainment is my problem. I get the science pretty well, sports fairly well, not too bad at history or geo. Movies, music, I have problems… Anyone ever gotten it in one turn - the 6 pieces and the center? Friend of mine did. Nobody will play with him any more. The rules say anyone who hasn’t moved can try to tie, BTW. [sub] and yeah, the guy is that smart. It isn’t memorizing cards [/sub] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-read-trivial-pursuit-cards-for-fun/91831.md?page=2)