Who wants to play? This might belong in the game room, but I’ll start it off here since it’s a game from a tv show - from last night’s The Big Bang Theory episode “The Zazzy Substitution”.
Described by Amy and Sheldon as “We postulate an alternate world that differs from ours in one key aspect, and then pose questions to each other (it’s fun for ages eight to eighty).”
Examples from the episode:
Who wants to try? In our version, “isn’t it obvious” types of defenses are not allowed.
For extra credit you can try to solve the ones on this site.
Put the correct answer and explanation in a spoiler box. Feel free to delay posting the answer until players have warranted a few guesses.
Mine:
In a world where Fulbert of Falaise was impotent, what computer platform would have had a 14 year head start on it’s popularity?
In a world without dice, which flag would have one less star?
In a world where turtles evolved instead of humans, and radio drama first became popular in Hawaii, what is the catchphrase for the pulp hero with “the power to cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him.”
Warning: these are ridiculously obscure and/or groan worthy. I hope some of you will come up with some that are actual playable.
You are supposed to have an answer/explanation in mind. If you watch the video link, the question asker says “correct” or “incorrect” to the proposed answers. For example, Leonard came up with the answers “BLT” and “cinnamon” for the cheese danish one, and was told he was incorrect each time, despite a reasonable defense for his second answer. In any case, for the purposes of this thread, the question poser should have a ‘correct’ answer in mind. Although, as with lateral thinking puzzles, creative but plausible “incorrect” answers are welcome.
For extra credit, try to come up with an actual defense for the “tuned bayonets” answer.
Trying my above post cuz the edit time ran out on me.
The United States. Explanation:Without dice the seaside pirates of the 1700s would have no way of entertaining themselves while at sea, thus leaving more time for them to perfect their skills as sailors and warriors. By reading their charts they come upon Hawai’i, and because of their advanced skills of being warriors they easily overtake the native Aborigines making the islands their own. They aren’t however equipped enough to overtake the more populous civilizations of Central and North America so they reside in the south ocean in their country known as "The islands of the south
In a world without dice, which flag would have one less star?
[spoiler]The United States. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River from Cisalpine Gaul into Italy, he famously said “The die is cast”. In a world with no dice, his army has no motto to rally behind and is defeated by Pompey.
Caesar isn’t declared dictator for life, isn’t murdered by the Senate, Octavius doesn’t wage war and assume power and rename himself Augustus.
Augusta is the capitol of Maine, named after Augustus Caesar. No Augustus, no Augusta. Maine is absorbed by New Hampshire, leaving a US flag with only 49 stars[/spoiler]
If glass wasn’t transparent, what city would have the Statue of Liberty?
[spoiler]Seattle. Without the optical properties of eyeglasses to prolong the productive careers of European scholars, the work of the Renaissance would not have overtaken the technological developments of east Asia. As this area became the leader in global exploration, geographical isolation would have prompted Japan to establish an overseas empire. Geography and prevailing westerly winds would have naturally led them to establish a major port in the area we now think of as the northwestern United States, and it would be here that would be the main port of entry for eventual waves of immigrants.
Had this happened, of course, the resulting city would not have been named after a local tribal chief, but would more likely have been called “New Yokohama”. I use the name “Seattle” only out of convenience.[/spoiler]
OTOH it opens up an inevitable question of the ages:
Assuming an OP is equally relevant to all of the rooms, what is the priority of each room?
Also a great answer! Interesting that this is the one everyone is eager to answer. (And really, sincerely, heartfelt thanks for creatively participating instead of threadshitting).
Yay! A new entry! Actually I retract the OP’s optional option of waiting, and make it mandatory. I just couldn’t help myself and I looked under the spoiler tag. Let’s give ourselves at least 2 or 3 guesses before we reveal our answers… Because, yes, I give the rest of humankind the same credit I give myself, which is none when it comes to resistance to temptation from opening spoiler tags.
OK enough people have had creative guesses. The “official” answer:
A: Chicago
Defense: Without dice, kids would not have been playing craps in a barn in Chicago, ran off to avoid being caught, and knocked over a lantern, starting the Great Chicago Fire. Chicago’s flag has 4 stars, the second of which symbolizes the fire. It would now have only three.
Q: In a world where turtles evolved instead of humans, and radio drama first became popular in Hawaii, what is the catchphrase for the pulp hero with “the power to cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him.”
A: "It’s not how you play the game that counts, it’s whether you win or lose that matters.”
Defence: This is the catchprase of Barney the Invisible Turtle, a sadly-lost-to-history comic book hero who would have won the sponsorship of Blue Coal, had his own radio drama and pulp series and featured in a bad Alec Baldwin flick were it not for pesky humanity worshiping The Shadow instead.
Alternate answer: something to do with “Shadow Turtles” and sewers, but let’s not get into that.
Alternate alternate answer: The “Shadow Aspect” of the Green Turtle Totem (Green Turtles are native to Hawaii) invokes finding strength instead of pain in your past. So the slogan would be something like “Who cares what evil lurks in the pasts of men? The Shadow Aspect Doesn’t!”
I posted this in the thread about the episode itself.
Wouldn’t a world lead by beavers who inspire massive dam building (trapping large amounts of water in lands above sea level) actually decrease sea levels, ensuring the creation of the cheese dainish?
In a world where Fulbert of Falaise was impotent, what computer platform would have had a 14 year head start on it’s popularity?
The iPad
Defence:
The Apple Tablet was first released in 1990 as a medical device, but it didn’t succeed. Why not? Let’s blame William the Conqueror, grandson of Fulbert of Falaise. Without him, the English legal system would be significantly set back, including development of the concept of intellectual property and the 14 year patent rule. Mumble mumble mumble. So you see, with access to this feature, we have a successful Apple Tablet boosting acceptance of iPaD popularity with a 14 year head start.
If Hitler died of syphillis as a starving young artist in Vienna, what actress doesn’t get her Oscar?
Hitler would not have risen to power in Germany, the Holocaust would not have occurred, Anne Frank would not have written her heartbreaking diary, and Shelly Winters would not have won her 1960 Oscar in The Diary of Anne Frank.
If King Henry V survived to take the French throne, how would Americans be healthier?
Henry V has a long reign and his sons and grandsons do the same. French culture becomes more and more absorbed into English culture, and we don’t refer to anything as “French.” French fries never become popular, and the American fast food scene is transformed forever.
Neglected to post my other two answers (brace yourself for overcomplication and groanworthy punning!)
In a world where Fulbert of Falaise was impotent, what computer platform would have had a 14 year head start on it’s popularity?
A: Apple
Defense: Fulbert would never have a daughter, who would therefore not sire William the Conqueror. Robert d’Isigny would have stayed in France, and his eventual descendant Walt Disney would not have created an American entertainment empire. Lemmings would never have falsely taken on their pop culture status as avatars of conformity and Apple would have come up with a better Superbowl commercial in 1985 rather than failing to come up with a successful marketing idea for the game until 1999.
In a world where turtles evolved instead of humans, and radio drama first became popular in Hawaii, what is the catchphrase for the pulp hero with “the power to cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him.”
A: “Who knew what evil lurked in the hearts of turtles? The Honu.”
D: In a world of turtles where radio drama was based in Hawaii, The Shadow would have been called “The Honu” for the Hawaiian word for turtle combined with it’s being a pun for “Who Knew? The Ho knew.” (Maybe I should have said horny turtles).
If glass wasn’t transparent, what city would have the Statue of Liberty?
Awnser:
Dublin
Defense:
The lack of glass windows prevents the church from building impressive cathedrals resulting in a slower growing clerical power, therefor the landflight of religious supressed people from ireland to the us doesnot happen resulting in the war of north ireland beeing faught with much more manpower on the irish side causing the french to see the potential to hurt the english there more than in the colonies so they come to aid the irish defeating the english on the island and gifting theire brothers in arms with the state of liberty…which is darkgreen now btw.
