Game Show Extravaganza 2: December 8, 2014-December 14, 2014

Slight chance we only get former contestants on the actual show as the ones who play in the WoF Extravaganza.

Note from the host: If you've never seen this game before, you might want to read this post before Tuesday.


Four players, each represented by four colors--red (aka), green (midori), white (shiro), and blue (ao)--face a 5x5 board.

The object of the game is to take up as much territory on the board as you can. Each correct answer earns a square on the board, starting with #13 in the middle. Players must "attack" their opponents' territory by placing their color in squares adjacent to an opponent's box; if an opponent's square(s) is/are sandwiched by two of your own either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, they become yours.

So, let's say Midori (green) takes box #13 to start the game. The next player to get a question right can place their marker on any number in yellow, as seen below.
Let's say Ao (blue) attacks Midori on #8. This would set him up for a capture next turn, by taking number 18.
But if Midori answers the next question correctly, he can capture #3...

...and subsequently capture #8 as well!

The next player to answer correctly, if it is NOT Midori, may attack any of the yellow numbers seen above, because they have a capture option available on the next turn with the number directly across from it (e.g., above, 12-14, 2-14, 9-17, etc.). They may not capture #18, because there is nothing to capture on the next turn there. (It'd be a stupid move anyway, because Midori could take it right back if they answered the next question correctly.)

So, to sum up:

• You must capture an opponent's box, if you can.
  
• If you cannot capture, you must attack an opponent's box so that you may capture it on the next turn.
  
• If neither is possible, you may choose any number that touches something that is currently occupied.
  

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When 20 boxes have been filled, a bell will ring, signaling the Attack Chance.

The next player to give a correct answer will call their regular number first. So in this example above, let's suppose Ao wins the Attack Chance. Per the rules of the game, he has three legal plays, but the best play is #25. This surrounds both Midori's #15 and Shiro's #20, so the board now looks like this:

He will then call one additional (occupied) number, which will turn yellow--a neutral color. That square can then be captured by any player who can legally do so. Let's suppose Ao calls for #1 on the Attack Chance...

...if Ao gets the next question right, he will take the entire diagonal (7-13-19) and, with an additional correct answer, can steal the entire top row (1-5) away from Aka. (Midori and Shiro, too, could threaten the top row as well if they get to #1 first, as they both can legally make a capture there. Aka cannot recapture #1 until all his required captures on subsequent turns are exhausted--in the example above, he has two: 17 and 24, which may create additional capture chances after they are played.)

Play continues until the entire board is filled, at which point whoever has captured the most boxes wins and plays the bonus game. If there is a tie, there will be a sudden death playoff.

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BONUS GAME

All of the winner's captured boxes (and ONLY those boxes) are removed from the board, revealing a series of pictures underneath. These pictures form clues to one final answer--it could be a person, place, or even a year; I will explain what I am looking for ahead of time. The player has 30 seconds to view the clues, then an additional 5 seconds to give his answer.

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OTHER RULES

• If any player answers incorrectly during the maingame, he/she must sit out for two questions (unless otherwise stated by the host--see below).
  
• On visual questions without penalty, players may continue to buzz in even if they had previously answered incorrectly.
• Players may interrupt the question while it is being read--however, if a wrong answer is given, no other player may answer.
• If the question is read in its entirety before a player buzzes in, players may buzz in for up to five seconds after the question is read. If no one buzzes in during those five seconds, the question is thrown out.
• In the rare event that the player who wins the Attack Chance is the only player with territory on the board, he must convert his own box to a neutral color.
  

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If you have any questions about the rules, please feel free to ask! I enjoy this game the more I watch it (even if I can only understand a small portion of what is actually being said), and I hope you will too.

When you win the Attack Chance, you have to attack a box that someone has already taken control of.

If you're the only one who has control of any boxes, then you're SOL no matter what on the Attack Chance, but at least winning it gives you the choice of which box to give up.

Scott basically hit the nail on the head, but I'll elaborate even further--strategy-wise, even though you're not gaining any territory on the Attack Chance question, you can at least limit the potential damage you could take if someone else happens to capture that box you just turned yellow.

(I'm reasonably certain it's never happened on the actual show, so we may not even have to bother with that at all.)

And Bryce L.--that's basically what this is, except played on a much smaller board!