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 What's All This Then? |
| Many Monty Python sites have some sort of Trivia Quiz. Usually, it just a static series of questions that are either 'fill in the blank' or 'multiple choice'. Where's the fun? Where's the excitement? Where's the chance to totally humiliate your friends by outscoring them? Monty Python.net and onGames are bringing you the ONLY 100% live MontyPython trivia games on the internet. Even the media has caught on to the fun. Read all about it |
| How Does It Work? |
| It's simple. The games are run by a real, live, not-dead-yet host. He (that's me) asks a question about Monty Python. The question gets sent to all the players in the room and they try to answer it. If you get the right answer you get points. If you don't get the right answer you get.......well, nothing. You don't get cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril. You don't get attacked by the Rabbit of Caerbannog. You don't even get taunted by Frenchmen with ridiculous accents. You also get no points, so getting the right answer is usually a good thing to try to do. |
| How Long Does It Last? |
| That's a rather personal question! Oh, you meant the game? Well, the game itself lasts about an hour in which time we can usually do 30-45 questions depending on how much chatting and general silliness is happening. If you want to hang around and chat with your fellow Monty Python fans before or after the game that's entirely up to you. You'll get to meet and talk to Python fans from all over the world, so allow some extra time. |
| Who Can Play? |
| Anyone! Most of the trivia on the net suffers from 2 problems. Some places, like AOL are open only to members. If you don't have an account with them, you can't play. Others require lengthy registrations where you have to provide them with your entire life history just to get in the door. That's ridiculous! To play these games all you have to do is show up and have fun. No memberships! No registrations! You don't even have to have a major credit card! If you do and want to pass me the number that's fine, but knowing me, it's not recommended. These games will be free to anyone. |
| What Do I Need?? |
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All you need are a free hour, an internet connection (if your're reading this you have one) and an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Chat program. That's it! Sorry, I can't help you with the free hour, but I can help you get a good chat program.
If you're using Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT you can download Microsoft Chat 2.5. It's a pretty good chat program and best of all, it's completely free. If you don't like Microsoft programs, then use the 32-bit version of mIRC. That's the most common IRC program on the net.
For Windows 3.1 your choices are a bit more limited. Microsoft does not have a 16-bit version of their chat program, but mIRC does.
If you're on a Macintosh there are several highly-rated IRC programs available. You can find most of them HERE. I've never used any of them, so I can't tell you which is best, but all should allow you to play the games easily.
For Linux users, there are a lot of IRC Chat Clients available from Linuxberg.com. Pick the one that sounds the best since I don't know enough about them to steer you in the right direction.
For BeOS, you don't have a lot to choose from, but a few IRC Clients are available from Tucows.
For all other operating systems, you're on your own. IRC is popular enough that you should be able to locate some chat client for any O/S that can connect to the internet. Good luck.
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| Is This All Monty Python Trivia? |
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Yes and No. From the beginning, I'll be doing strictly Monty Python trivia. As time goes by, we might branch out into other topics like Fawlty Towers, 'A Fish Called Wanda' or other films starring the Python cast.
However, onGames runs a complete schedule of trivia and word games every night. The games cover hundreds of different topics and themes and you're sure to find something you like. You can check out their current schedule for more details. Like my Monty Python trivia all of the games at onGames are completely free and open to anyone.
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| When Are The Games? |
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Games will be held every other Saturday evening at 8pm Eastern Time in the United States. There will be occasional special event games when I have the time to write them or if a game gets submitted by someone else. All special game times will be announced at least a week in advance both here and on the weekly newsletter.
The Next Game is:
Next Official game is Pending - TBA at 8 pm EDT.
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| How Do I Get There? |
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That's quite simple. All you need to do is start your IRC chat program, connect to the chat server and then come into the room. If you're experienced with IRC, you need server name chat.netease.net and room/channel name #ongames. If you're not experienced you'll want detailed instructions. Here goes:
For Microsoft Chat 2.x: Establish an internet connection (sign on to your internet account). Start the program. The chat window will open up along with another box titled 'Chat Connection'. In the chat connection box there's a scroll-box labeled 'Server'. Scroll through the list of choices and highlight chat.annexcafe.com. If it's not already on the list, just type it exactly like that into the 'Server' box. All lower case! Click the button that says 'Go to Chatroom:' with an empty box next to it. Type #ongames into that empty box (you MUST use the #). Then click on 'Okay'. That's it. The chat program will connect you to the proper room.
For mIRC: Establish an internet connection (sign on to your internet account). Start the program. A little pop-up licensing box will appear. Since you're in the trial period (30 days) just hit the 'X' in the upper right to close it. When it closes another small box called 'mIRC Setup' will appear. Enter your Name, Email Address and your chat nickname (alias) in the boxes provided. Above that, look for a button labeled 'Add' and click it. You'll get a new box called 'mIRC Add Server'. In the 'Description' box, enter 'Monty Python Trivia'. In the 'IRC Server' enter chat.annexcafe.com and then click 'Add'. You'll go back to that original pop-up screen and now 'Monty Python Trivia' will be one of the choices in the server box. Highlight 'Monty Python Trivia' and click the 'Connect to IRC Server' button. The program will connect you to the proper server. Once you're connected, go to the 'Commands' menu and select 'Join Channel'. In the pop-up box that appears, type #ongames (again, you must include the # sign). That will get you into the trivia game room.
All other IRC chat Programs: All the programs work in a similar way. The important things to remember are that you're looking for server name chat.netease.net and room/channel name #ongames.
Chat through your browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 3.x and above support chatting directly through the browser itself. While the built-in IRC chat capabilities are quite basic and lack most of the features of a true IRC Chat client, it's the easiest way to get into the room for you technophobes. If you use IE 3.0 or higher, just FOLLOW THIS LINK. That will take you right to the proper game room. You might need to download and install a small (175K) chat control, but this will happen automatically when you try to get into the room. Note: This only works for Internet Explorer. It will not work for Netscape Navigator, Opera or any other browser. If you use Netscape (like me), you need to use a real IRC chat client. If you're using Windows 95/98/NT with either Microsoft Chat 2.x or mIRC and are having any trouble, you can . If you're using any other operating system or chat program, DO NOT come to me for help. If I don't use a program I can't provide support for it. Contact the manufacturer for help. The onGames website also has a list of instructions posted. You can also check their Information Page
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| What Can I Win? |
| Fame! Glory! Honor! Prestige! Your name on the Champions page! Huge Piles of Cash! (not really, but that got your attention, didn't it?). At this point, we're playing for fun, silliness and the pursuit of useless knowledge. If you want to win money and prizes, take a shot at Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. I'm working on trying to get some publishers to donate a few gifts like Monty Python CDs or books. If we can make these games a success, actual prizes are a distinct possibility in the future. Just play and have a good time and the prizes will take care of themselves. |
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