Good game rule changes?

[SRIV94]

"Tattletales" originally had the spouses behind the wall tell stories from just a few cue words by their other half in the audience.

Wouldn't this go in the other thread, then?

I don't think so--the all-quickie format (which wasn't the original format) improved the pacing and structure of the game.

[SRIV94]

And I loved the "no opposites" rule change on P+.  Some will disagree.

[TLEberle]

I don't think so--the all-quickie format improved the game.

Aw, Doug, you were doing so well up to this point.

What makes the Quickies version of Tattletales substantively different from Celebrity Newlywed Game?

[SRIV94]

The Gong Show: the contestant would perform for thirty seconds before getting gonged.

Technically went from 20 to 30 to 45.

I liked it too, but it helped having a better director (in John Dorsey) who excelled in reaction shots (very few times did Dorsey miss having a camera on a celebrity wielding the mallet).

[TLEberle]

Classic Concentration: a player could save a Take for later in the game. A Wild Card revealed three frames.

But first the contestant had to win a pricing perplexity.

Scrabble: the daily tournament the producer finally settled upon.

Whether or not you like the tournament format, the execution was terrible. In the old days matches took as long as they took, and you wouldn't hear the time-up bell when the second crossword game was tied at one each. I wonder if you could get around the time issue by cutting out one of the Scrabble Sprint sections and play 'em both in the same act. Crossword, ad, crossword, ad, Sprint, short ad, Bonus Sprint-close.

[SRIV94]

What makes the Quickies version of Tattletales substantively different from Celebrity Newlywed Game?

It doesn't, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in my world.  The pacing was much improved--sometimes it took two minutes to get the story and the one or two-word clue.  And nine times out of ten, the "right" celebrity mate buzzed in.  And inevitably they'd have to repeat the question to get another couple to play.

At least with the all-quickie format, everyone played a minimum of four times.  And it allowed the mates who were "on" to stay (instead of having to turn their monitors off) as a part of the round and interact.

[TLEberle]

It doesn't, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in my world.  The pacing was much improved--sometimes it took two minutes to get the story and the one or two-word clue.  And nine times out of ten, the "right" celebrity mate buzzed in.  And inevitably they'd have to repeat the question to get another couple to play.

Excellent defense even though I preferred the original idea. What's interesting is that you look at the basic idea (using a clue word to trigger a memory in your partner) really feels Goodson-ish. Like it would have felt contrived if done by just about anyone else with the exception of Bob Stewart.

[rjaguar3]

Allowing contestants on Greed to interrupt the Terminator question.

[SRIV94]

It doesn't, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in my world.  The pacing was much improved--sometimes it took two minutes to get the story and the one or two-word clue.  And nine times out of ten, the "right" celebrity mate buzzed in.  And inevitably they'd have to repeat the question to get another couple to play.

Excellent defense even though I preferred the original idea. What's interesting is that you look at the basic idea (using a clue word to trigger a memory in your partner) really feels Goodson-ish. Like it would have felt contrived if done by just about anyone else with the exception of Bob Stewart.

I can't argue with that.  I'm just not sure how the pacing could have been improved with that format, though.

[Ian Wallis]

I'll chime in with a thought on Tattletales:  I agree with what both sides have presented, but I preferred the original format of stories and quickies.  To me, it added more variety to the game.  The all-quickie format got a bit repetitive after a while.

[Twentington]

Shopping from Wheel is a good answer. I've got two more from Wheel:

Ditching "Buy a Vowel" early on was a good move. (Why did they even have it if you could buy a vowel at your discretion anyway?)

I also think the Toss-Ups were a great addition. They add 3 more puzzles per show, and they distribute the control a little more evenly. Previously, it was red-yellow-blue-red. This meant that red had a slight advantage by getting to start two rounds, and often yellow as well. And even then, sixth rounds were rare.

Granted, the Prize Puzzle often imbalances things unless someone gets lucky on $3,500 or nabs the $10,000 mystery prize, but one problem at a time.

[pyrfan]

And I loved the "no opposites" rule change on P+.  Some will disagree.

For me, it's a case of "great idea, wrong version." I think this rule would have worked better on the CBS or ABC versions, where there were no puzzles. When it came to "Password Plus," it was no fun to watch them try to give four (or sometimes six, in earlier days) non-opposite clues for a word like SISTER. If one of the non-puzzle versions had the same rule, I doubt SISTER, WRONG, and such words would have been used in the first place.


Brendan

[TLEberle]

When it came to "Password Plus," it was no fun to watch them try to give four (or sometimes six, in earlier days) non-opposite clues for a word like SISTER.

Why is it fun for a team to retain control of the game by intoning "Brother" properly and swishing the layup?

[Adam Nedeff]

And I loved the "no opposites" rule change on P+.  Some will disagree.

My objection to it was that it could be a little confusing. There's an episode I just watched recently where they completely hold up the game because Bill Anderson couldn't understand why "Husband" and "Wife" were considered opposites, but "Adam" and "Eve" weren't. I also recall an Alphabetics where "Nail" was the password and David Letterman, IIRC, kept saying "screw" over and over again and hesitating when he tried to say anything else. My theory was he wasn't sure if "hammer" was an opposite.

[Dbacksfan12]

non-opposite clues for a word like SISTER. If one of the non-puzzle versions had the same rule, I doubt SISTER, WRONG, and such words would have been used in the first place.

Sibling, Female.  If you feel lucky, give it in one.  If you feel unlucky, pass, and hope the other team blows it.