Trivial Pursuit Rules: How To Play Trivial Pursuit

For such a classic game of comprehensive knowledge, Trivial Pursuit rules are quite easy to follow, trace your way around and across the board and answer the trivia card questions to earn wedges. 

This versatile, multi-edition game has been an absolute favorite in most of our families. The gameplay has some similarities with other trivia games such as Beat the Parents or Battle of Sexes, but it can be played in more than two teams or simply with six individual players. The standard of the questions is also pretty high.

Unlike Wit and Wagers or Balderdash, there is no scope of guessing in Trivial Pursuit. You have to come up with a definite answer.

Curious enough to learn more about how to play Trivial Pursuit? Let’s quickly jump into the complete set of rules, instructions and more.

What is Trivial Pursuit?

Trivial Pursuit is a trivia game at heart. You can pick any classic, retro, or modern edition – the game cards will contain around 2,400 questions of different difficulty levels from altogether six categories. 

Move your pie from the central hexagonal hub of the board and make your way around the track while answering trivia as correctly as you know. Once you collect all 6 pieces of the pie, return to the hub and try to crack the final winning question. And that in a nutshell is Trivial Pursuit.

Number of Players: 2 – 6 (Teams allowed)

Ages: 16+

Length: 45 – 90 minutes

Difficulty: Medium

Similar to: Beat the Parents, Wit and Wagers, Jeopardy, Battle of the Sexes, Pictopia

Main Objective: Be the first player to answer all the category headquarter questions correctly, collect all 6 colored wedges, return to the hexagonal center hub, and answer the final question accurately to win the game.

Why We Love It: Trivial Pursuit is a quizzer’s dream game. This classic is also a family game night entertainer, encompassing a lot of learning as a bonus. Kids will really love the special themed editions like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel Universe, The Lord of the Rings. 

An Overview of Trivial Pursuit’s History

Trivial Pursuit has been in the board game race for a long time now. Chris Haney, a Canadian journalist from Montreal, first developed this game with his friend in 1979. 

Since its first publication in 1981, the license has passed from Selchow and Right to Parker Brothers and finally, now to Hasbro Gaming. 

In 35 years, the game has sold over 100 million copies in 17 languages across 26 countries. 

Starting from the Genus edition, innumerous editions focusing on specific categories, cultures, and decades, countless licensed versions and junior editions were launched on the market. 

For instance, Star Wars Classic Trilogy, Baby Boomer, All-StarSports, the 2000s, Classic Rock, Harry Potter, Friends TV Series, and hundreds of other editions. 

Over the years, the game has been adapted in several TV programs. The Family Channel in the USA aired a version of Trivial Pursuit hosted by Wink Martindale (1993-95). In the UK, BBC Television produced a game show based on Trivial Pursuit. 

Aside from this, Trivial Pursuit has been the source of inspiration for several arcade games, online games, and video games.

What You Need to Play Trivial Pursuit

As we’ve already mentioned, a diverse range of editions of Trivial Pursuit are available on the market now. If you’re playing with the Classic Edition, published by Hasbro Gaming, the set will include the following: 

• Gameboard
• 400 trivia cards
• 1 die
• 36 scoring wedges
• 6 wedge holders
• Trivial Pursuit rules and instruction sheet

Do you miss the older version of Trivial Pursuit you grew up playing in the 80s and 90s? The 1960’s Master Game by Parker Brothers and the 1990’s Edition with game pieces designed as 90’s memorabilia is exactly what you are looking for.

You can also install this app called Trivial Quiz-The Pursuit of Knowledge from Google Playstore. 

Trivial Pursuit Game Setup

Unfold the game board and lay it out in a spacious area. 

Shuffle and place the two decks of cards in their corresponding holders. 

Each player picks an empty colored scoring token/ wedge holder and puts them on the hexagonal hub at the center of the board.

Keep all the wedges handy near the board. 

Before beginning, you can straighten up some house rules, such as the time limit for answering one question, and the accuracy level of the answers. 

Now you’re ready to start playing Trivial Pursuit. 

Trivial Pursuit Rules and Gameplay Instructions

Everyone rolls the die once and the highest roller takes the first turn. Turns pass clockwise. 

The game starts from the hexagonal hub at the center and the players move down the spokes towards the circular track. On the track, they can go either clockwise or anti-clockwise.

On Your Turn:

Roll the die and move your token down a spoke that many spaces that you have rolled. 

Now another player will draw a card from the front of either of the decks and read the question that is color-coordinated with the space you have landed on. 

For example, if you roll a 6, you will straightway land on one of the category headquarters and attempt to score a wedge of that color. 

Answers to the questions are given on the back of that card. Return the card behind the card pile when the question is answered, right or wrong. 

Right Answer

If you answered the question correctly, you are allowed to roll again and move around the board. You can keep rolling until you give a wrong answer. 

Wrong Answer

With one wrong answer, your turn ends and the play passes to the player on your left. 

6 Color-coded Categories of Questions

1. Geography – Blue
2. Entertainment – Pink
3. History – Yellow
4. Art and Literature – Purple (before it was Brown)
5. Science and Nature – Green 
6. Sports and Leisure – Orange

Moving around the Board

• As your primary goal is to land on the category headquarters and score all six wedges, you can decide which direction you want to move on the circular track.
• But it has to be one way. On the same move, you cannot retrace your steps back. For example, if you roll a 4 you cannot go 2 steps forward and then 2 backward. On the next roll, you can change the direction of your move if you want. 
• It’s fine if two players land on the same space. 

Moving across the Board

• To reach the other side of the board, you can skip rotating along the circular track and cut across the board through the spokes. 
• You can either go straight across the hub or turn back and move down another spoke. 

Roll Again Spaces

If you land on one of the 12 roll-again spaces, you get to take one more turn, roll the die, and move. If that takes you to another roll-again space, continue rolling until you reach a question or wedge space.

Category Headquarter (Wedge Spaces)

There are 6 spaces on the track with 6 colored wedge signs. These are the category headquarters. When you answer a category headquarter question correctly, you earn the corresponding colored wedge and put it in your token. 

For a wrong answer, though, you have to step out of the headquarter on the next turn. On the turn after that, you can try re-entering the same headquarters, or else you can go another way and come back later. 

If you have already bagged a wedge and come back to that same headquarter again, you treat it like any other ordinary space. 

Winning the Game 

Have you collected all 6 pieces of your pie? Great! Now make your way back to the hexagonal center hub. 

But you have to land on the hub by exact count. If you overshoot and move past the hub, then keep playing and answer the question for that space. Try to roll an exact count on your next turn to reach the hub. 

When you finally hit the hub, other players will decide for you the game-winning category question from the next card in the box. Answer correctly and you are the winner!

But if you fail, on your next turn, you will have to leave the hub, play an ordinary space question. Again on your next turn, try to re-enter the hub by exact count and attempt the winning question, decided by others.

Note: 

In some rounds, a player may answer all the questions subsequently, collect all the wedges, and pass the winning question, all at one go. 

In such cases, Trivial Pursuit rules allow one chance to the players who didn’t get a turn to replicate the feat and call the game a tie. 

How to Play Trivial Pursuit – Video Tutorial 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4VfDkkXefQY

Frequently Asked Questions About Trivial Pursuit

What kind of knowledge do you require to play Trivial Pursuit?

There is really no one way or topic to focus on to cope with this game. It demands in-depth, vast knowledge of random trivia and facts from 6 different categories. It’s easier if you have a habitual knack for quizzes and trivia. 

Will kids enjoy playing Trivial Pursuit?

These questions are quite a high standard, more suitable for teenagers aged 16+. Get the Family Edition of Trivial Pursuit that has two separate decks of cards containing questions ideal for kids and adults. 

What are the Trivial Pursuit rules for 6+ players?

There are no unique set of Trivial Pursuit rules for more than 6 players. But you can always form teams; in this way, up to 24-30 people can be included. Disperse the stronger players evenly on all groups; each team chooses a team leader who will deliver the answer after discussing with other team members.

Alternative Board Games You Might Like 

Trivial Pursuit can take up a lot of time and isn’t something you can finish quickly like some other games. Try out more fast-paced and quick thinking games like Name 5, Pictureka, 5 Second Rule for children’s parties. 

If your family is very fond of trivia games, try Beat the Parents, a battle of knowledge between the kids and the adults. 

Alternatively, if you are looking for board games more appropriate for adults, consider Battle of the Sexes. Quite obviously, it’s played in two teams, men vs. women, and the questions are more gender-oriented.