IQs:
- Are you one of several players for the Miami Dolphins to be in the NFL Hall of Fame?
- Are you the other one?
- Did you win an Academy Award (Oscar) for Star Wars (1977)?
Botticelli: The Rules, An Explanation, What-Have-You
How does this work?
One person, the host, is thinking of someone and gives an initial (“I am B.”). Could be a real person, could be fictional, could be an animal or other non-human, initial could start the first name, initial could start the last name, whatever. Everyone else is trying to figure out who it is. Players first ask indirect questions (IQs), usually three per post, about people with that initial (“Did you paint a picture of Venus on a giant clamshell?”) and the host answers them (“I am not Botticelli.”).
What if the host is correct?
Nothing happens.
What if the host doesn’t know the answer?
The player gets to ask a direct yes-or-no question (“Real?” “First name begins with B?” etc.). Note that direct questions (DQs) can be reserved, and asked later.
Does a correct answer have to be who the player was thinking of?
If the host answers with a person who was not who the player had in mind but who still correctly fits the question–e.g. thinking of Beethoven, asking “Were you a German classical composer,” and getting the response “I am not Bach”–the question has been correctly answered and again nothing happens.
How long does this go on?
Until twenty direct questions have been answered (usually it’s best for the host to continually post an updated list.). Then players get any other earned direct questions in and people who have earned at least one DQ can get in one final direct guess at who it is (“Are you…?”).
Whoever guesses the person correctly (whether by indirect question or final guess) gets to host the next round.
Where does the name of the game come from?
Because the person has to be reasonably notable, as least as well-known as Botticelli. That being said…
What if nobody guesses who the person is?
If it’s someone players have heard of, the host goes again. If none of the players have heard of the person, the previous host goes again.
Ooh, ooh! If I’m the host, can I go with, for example, Madonna but say “I am C” because, y’know, her last name is Ciccone? I am so clever.
No. We’re going by the names people are best known by to the general public, not birth names. Unless, of course, the birth name is as well-known as the stage or other current name.
What about middle names?
Middle names (and middle initials) count if the person is always referred to as such (e.g. if the letter is P then you can ask about John Philip Sousa).
What if a name has two or more parts? What about people with only one name?? What about names outside of the usual personal name-family name set up???
Again, we’re going by how the names are best known to the general public. If you say “last name starts with…” whatever, it’s assumed that you’re referring to the letter the whole last name starts with. Charles de Gaulle, for example, would be guessed under “D”, not “G”, because his last name was “de Gaulle”. Ludwig van Beethoven, however, would be under “B”, because when referred to by last name he’s just “Beethoven”. People with mononyms get “Only name begins with…” (which is, of course, a hint in itself.). Of course, the first initial is always acceptable–Crazy Horse, for example, would obviously be covered under “C”. Going beyond this, it’s best to be specific–e.g., if doing Crazy Horse under “H”, saying “second part of name begins with ‘H’”.
How do you get your numbered lists to line up like that?
In the posting set-up with the post composition on the left and the preview on the right, type a backslash between the “1” and the “.” (just the 1 is fine), like this:
1\.
2. etc.
(To toggle the set-up with the preview, click the blue slider in the upper left of the post composition area so it’s on the left, showing a capital “M” and down arrow.)
Another tip, especially if you’re hosting:
If you quote an entire post (like some asking IQs), and it is the last post, the Discourse software will delete it from your reply. You can get around this by quoting almost the entire post and then adding in the bit (like, the first letter) you left out.
Just one more thing…
“America”, in questions or answers regarding the person’s home/nationality, means the US. “North”, “South” or “Central” must be added for other countries.
(SunUp, did you create this list? I’ve made a few minor changes to it.)
L
1. real
2. last name begins with L
3. male
4. dead
5. American
6. known for the Arts
7. died after 1950
8, known for the perforning arts
9. died after 1988
10. first names begins N-Z
DQ x3
(Presumably IQ1 should read “two players”, not “several players”.)
No, I did. The current version (to which I just added the multi-name question part) can be found here.
You are correct, it’s just two players.
- Larry Csonka
- Larry Little (both were on the 17-0 team)
- Marcia Lou Lucas (nee Griffin, ex-wife of George Lucas; won an Oscar for Best Film Editing)
3 DQs reserved
And thanks for reposting the rules.
- Lori Loughlin
- Ludwig von Beethoven, yes, correct
- Leonardo
- Died before 2007?
- Known for Movies?
- Did you have a whirlwind romance with Julia Roberts?
- Did you set records for the number of times you (a woman) climbed Mount Everest?
- Are you a major character in The Da Vinci Code?
IQs:
1. Did you co-create Seinfeld and create and star in Curb Your Enthusiasm?
2. Are you the former Robert Prevost and current Bishop of Rome?
3. In the Universal Studios Orlando Halloween Horror Nights house “Dolls: Let’s Play Dead”, were guests “shrunk to doll-size” and faced with the mutilated creations of you, a disturbed little girl who liked to take apart, rebuild, and otherwise torture her toys?
L it is.
IQs:
Was a fort named after you in central Penna.?
Did you sometimes sleep outside your boss’s door with a blanket and a big knife?
Did you build Hildene?
IQs:
- Was your father Alvin Tostig?
- Were you the territorial attorney general in Blazing Saddles?
- Did you play Catwoman in the first Batman movie?
DQ x3
DQ x3
not Ligonier
DQ
DQ
DQ
DQ
Not Lee Meriwether
L
1. real
2. last name begins with L
3. male
4. dead
5. American
6. known for the Arts
7. died after 1950
8, known for the perforning arts
9. died after 1988
10. first names begins N-Z
11. did not die before 2007
12. known for movies
Okay – that puts us up to around 30 DQs, so no more IQs, please. With that many DQs out running around loose, let’s say 2200 Eastern Tue 27 Oct as the deadline.
A quick count shows SunUp, EH and the Prof each have two DQs remaining, DLR and Eureka each have three, knoodler has four, and kitap has disappeared again 
. Please ask all earned DQs by 2200 Eastern Tue 27 Oct.
- Lyle Lovett
- Lhakpa Sherpa (11 times, set a new record many of those times. I know about her from the 2024 Documentary *Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa)
- Robert Langdon
3DQs reserved
DQs:
First name begins A-M?
Died before 1999?
2 DQs reserved
DQs
- Known for horror?
- Last name starts with La-li?
1DQ reserved
L
1. real
2. last name begins with L
3. male
4. dead
5. American
6. known for the Arts
7. died after 1950
8, known for the perforning arts
9. died after 1988
10. first name begins N-Z
11. did not die before 2007
12. known for movies
13. not known for horror
14. last name starts La-Li
DQ10. Try again.
DQ11. Try again.
Lionel Richie had a hit with All Night Long.
Correct on Lancelot Link.
Lee Hazlewood had two duets with Nancy Sinatra.
DQ: known for comedy?
1 DQ reserved.
Levon, from the Elton John song
That’s Hedley Lamarr
Correct
2 DQs reserved.