Board games are a great pastime. You can get a group of people together for friendly competition while challenging your skills. One game known for its intellect is Trivial Pursuit. Through a series of tough general-knowledge questions, you have to move your piece around a board until you fill each slot in your game piece. Trivial Pursuit now comes in dozens of themes, from The Beatles to horror movies.
The best version is the Trivial Pursuit Master Edition because it creates the ultimate challenge with tough questions for a variety of topics.
In the standard game of Trivial Pursuit, six players move pieces around a circular track with different colors. Each player rolls a die to see how many spaces their piece moves around the board. The different colors represent different categories of questions and the scoring token has six slots that hold a small wedge piece. When you answer a question correctly, you get to place that wedge into your scoring token. You win the game once all six wedges are filled.
There are six categories of questions in a standard game of Trivial Pursuit: Geography, Art and Literature, Entertainment, History, Sports and Leisure, and Science and Nature. Each has its own color. When your game piece lands on that color, you’ll be tasked with answering a question from that category. Examples include “What’s the largest Japanese island?” (answer: Honshu) or “How many feet are there in a fathom?” (answer: 6).
Themed games have become particularly popular with Trivial Pursuit fans. There are dozens of pop culture themed games such as “Friends,” “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “Harry Potter,” Warner Brothers cartoons and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” There are also broader genres such as the 2000s, Horror Movies, Classic Rock and Greatest Hits. For the game’s 40th anniversary, manufacturer Hasbro released a version that uses premium components such as transparent ruby wedge pieces.
If you want a faster way to play, or just don’t have the space, look for a game with Quick Play. This mode doesn’t use the standard game board, but relies on just the question cards. For example, in the “Harry Potter” Edition, you draw cards from a stack to answer questions. If it's correct, you get to keep your card. Once you’ve collected six cards, you’ve won the game. This game type is great for road trips where you don’t have the space to set out a full board.
Look for Family Editions and Kid Editions if you want age-appropriate gameplay. These questions are much different than standard Trivial Pursuit cards. If it’s in the Entertainment category, it’ll focus on children’s TV shows and animated movies made recently. If you want an entire game with these questions, look to the Nickelodeon Edition or Family Edition. Each Trivial Pursuit box has a recommendation on the lid so you can be sure what age is appropriate.
Board games don’t get updated like digital games. If you want a new experience, you have to purchase another game. To get the most bang for your buck, look for a Trivial Pursuit game with more questions. The Master Edition has the most dense set of cards, with nearly 3,000 to choose from. This gives you hours and hours of gameplay to look forward to. The “Harry Potter” Edition, in contrast, only comes with 600 questions while the Family Edition has 1,200.
Trivial Pursuit games cost $17-$35.
A. Yes. For example, the “Harry Potter'' cards can be used on the Master Edition board.
A. You can find more than 100 editions of the game in at least 17 languages, including Spanish.
Trivial Pursuit Master Edition
What you need to know: If you’re a real trivia buff, Master Edition Trivial Pursuit is the game for you.
What you’ll love: This game has nearly 3,000 questions on 494 cards that make up the six categories of the original game. There’s a timer to speed up the game’s pace and it’s designed with faster gameplay in mind. There are two game modes included in this set.
What you should consider: This is the most challenging Trivial Pursuit game.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Trivial Pursuit Family Edition
What you need to know: This is a Trivial Pursuit game for the whole family, thanks to its easy-to-understand gameplay.
What you’ll love: It comes with 200 cards that feature 1,200 questions. There are kid-friendly questions as well as categories for adults. Play using six scoring tokens, 36 scoring wedges, die and complete instructions. You can play as individuals or in teams.
What you should consider: Some reviewers complained that too many questions center around pop culture.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Trivial Pursuit Wizarding World “Harry Potter” Edition
What you need to know: Test your knowledge of the “Harry Potter” stories with this comprehensive fan version of Trivial Pursuit.
What you’ll love: With 600 questions on 100 cards, you’ll have to remember specific moments from the films to be successful. There are six categories: The Dark Arts, Hogwarts, Magical Objects, Magical Spells and Potions, Magical People and Magical Creatures. Collect six cards by answering 12 correct questions to win.
What you should consider: This game does not include a game board.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan Beliles writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
