Fantasy wedge/token ideas

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for creativity and such, but we do need to maintain at least some level of realism here. And most of these suggestions would not fly on the real show, for one reason or another...


To ADD variety? Half the wheel is $500 already. Besides, barring the odd piece of cardboard, there's no significant advantage to using this. On the other hand, Josh's 2 for 1 token he uses on his shows adds a little more earning power.


I tried something like this on my own shows a long while back. It was pretty quickly retired due to being too broken and powerful for the player who held it.


Considering that every other source of income on the show has to be earned by solving a puzzle, this seems awkward as all hell.


I believe one or more of the international versions has instituted something like this. If memory serves, I seem to recall the Philippine and Spanish versions having this, but I'm not 100%, it's been a while.


There's absolutely nothing to be gained by this wedge. If you don't know the puzzle, you lose your turn. If you do, you either have to sacrifice your turn and hope it comes back or solve and give up the chance to spin for more money.


Given that buying vowels is one of the core mechanics of the game, I don't like the prospect of forcibly taking that ability away.


This one... isn't bad. Though I still prefer the Double/Half wedges that the Spanish version uses (and that Josh has employed on his shows).


Given that the show loses gameplay time more and more each season, this would just suck even more of the game out of the show. Conducting a vowel auction would take just too damn long.


This has been done in fangames before (by a person who shall remain nameless), though it was given a set starting value instead of being a $500 space. Not a bad gimmick, but poorly balanced - it is often either next to useless or totally gamebreaking.


Which may keep another player from getting to start a round at all. In a worst-case scenario, this could stop a player from getting to spin the wheel once in the entire game. On a show called WHEEL OF FORTUNE. 'Nuff said.


Too situational. If you absolutely had to have this, you could give that power to the Wild Card instead.


This one, I actually don't mind too badly. However, it could also fall prey to being too situational.


Just to conclude, whether you meant for these to be taken seriously or not, you should consider seriously just what effect these would have on the players and the game as a whole. Wheel of Fortune is at its best when it moves and flows quickly, and most of these gimmicks would do little more than break that flow.

I have a few ideas:

ONE MILLION DOLLARS: A one-peg-wide space next to a Bankrupt with a two-peg-wide Bankrupt opposite it (essentially, the MDW if the center space were on the left and the whole thing was clockwise from a regular Bankrupt). Call a right letter, and you'll have three seconds to solve the current puzzle. If you do, you leave immediately with the Million and your opponents play the rest of the game. If you don't, it acts as a Bankrupt, although either way the wedge is taken out of play.

RETURN TRIP: Similar to the Return Trip on Jackpot! -- solve the puzzle after claiming the wedge, and if you win the game you'll come back on the next show regardless of Bonus Round result. Sure it can screw over contestants on, say, a teams week or Military Spouses and can tell continuity to go screw itself if the next show is an America's Game taping or is from a week taped six months earlier...but who cares about any of that amirite?

START ALL OVER: If hit, the puzzle solution is revealed, and a new round is begun with the same Wheel layout. Any money and cardboard picked up in the "old" round is forfeited.

STRIP!: Give a correct letter, get $500/consonant; give a wrong letter, lose a piece of clothing. If you end up too nekkid for broadcast TV, you're ejected from the game with any winnings up to that point. Removed clothing is not restored between rounds, and "null" cycles count toward the ejection.

SURPRISE: No, not that Surprise, although it looks exactly the same with the bonus of awarding $1,500/consonant. If claimed, after the Bonus Round (regardless of who picked it up) the player who claimed the wedge has their total dropped to $1,000.

TONGUE TWISTER: Same as Strip!, except a wrong letter requires you to say a tongue-twister within five seconds or else it acts as a Bankrupt.

TROLLFACE [picture of a Trollface underneath]: If hit, all three players are told whether or not the current puzzle is an instance of Harry Friedman trolling.


The show has a completely pointless first Toss-Up and a score-inflating guaranteed prize. If you keep Vowel Auction in Rounds 1-2, this might actually work out. (Or, y'know, just increase the vowel price to $1,000.)

...I seriously don't know what you're talking about, Scott.

There's nothing criminal about the tokens that Pannoni suggested.

As Scott implied, WarioSajak's just being a *puzzle reveal chimes*-job about this (how it fits with the difficulty of the "JOB" bonus puzzle). He even posted a "trollface" in the spoiler.

But I do agree that this fits in the Real Wheels section.

I know that none of my ideas will ever happen, but I have thought of two.

First, a Daily Double token. If it is landed on, the contestant must call a letter to pick it up. Then at any point in the game, instead of spinning the contestant can use this to wager any or all of the money they have earned in that round. Just like on Jeopardy, if the contestant is correct that amount is added to their score, but if the contestant is incorrect that amount is taken away from their score. You do not get more money for multiple letter occurences.

Second, a Showdown wedge. If it is landed on, the contestant must call a letter and has only 3 seconds to solve the puzzle. If they don't solve the puzzle, the next contestant must do the same thing. Basically, it's a speed up round with spinning. If the Showdown wedge is landed on during this, it acts as a $500 wedge. If the contestant does not call a letter that is in the puzzle when it is hit the first time, then the game continues as usual.