Official Rules for Lightning Trials
Overview
In the Lightning Trials, each team demonstrates their book knowledge by answering questions regarding characters, setting, the plot, or other details from the eight battle books.
Team members will:
• Answer questions about the books
• Earn points by providing more correct answers than incorrect answers to the questions asked within a theme.
Lightning Trials - Set Up
1. All teams will be organized in rows (usually five teams across) using mats on the floor.
2. Upon entering the room, each team will take a position on any unclaimed mat, place their team placard on the floor, and face the announcer.
3. Each team is provided with a write-on white board, an eraser, and two markers.
4. Each team is provided with two Extra Life Tokens and a basket.
5. Judges stand at the end of each row and will judge the answers of the teams in their row.
About Lightning Trials
1. The Lightning Trials consist of five (5) standard Lightning Trials and one (1) Power Trial.
2. Each trial has six questions each.
Lightning Trials - Rules of Play
Standard Trials
1. Once the teams have gathered, the announcer states the theme for the first trial.
2. The announcer reads the first question twice. Once the question is read, teams have 20 seconds to confer and write down an answer on their white boards. The use of a team captain or team scribe with legible handwriting is encouraged.
3. A timer will chime with 20 seconds are up. At the sound of the chime, all teams must place their white boards on the floor in front of them and stand quietly.
4. Once all boards are down, the announcer will provide the correct answer to the question.
5. Judges will walk down their designated rows and indicate whether each team's answer is correct or incorrect.
6. If the answer is correct, the team is handed back their white board. They can erase it in preparation for the next question. The team remains standing.
7. If the team's answer is wrong, if the board is blank, if the judge cannot read what is written, or if only a partial answer is provided, the judge will call it as incorrect. When the team is told that their answer is incorrect, the team must turn in an Extra Life token to their basket. The team is then handed back their white board, and they can erase it in preparation for the next question. The team remains standing.
8. The announcer moves on to the next questions with the same steps being followed.
9. If a team has an incorrect answer and has no Extra Life tokens left, then the entire team must sit down and cannot submit answers to any further questions in that trial.
10. The decision of the judge is final. Team members cannot discuss or dispute answers with the judge.
11. Once all six questions have been asked and the judges have completed their judging (and any extra life tokens are played), the announcer will state "This concludes Lightning Trial #1."
12. Teams that are standing at the end of the trial receive ten (10) points. For each Extra Life token that is not used, the team is awarded three (3) points. Thus the maximum possible points a team could earn per standard Lightning Trial is sixteen (16) points (10 plus 6 if they did not use any tokens).
13. The judge and scorekeeper will record each team's score in Lightning Trial 1. Scorekeepers will raise their hands when they have recorded all scores for their row of teams.
14. Once scores are recorded, the announcer will ask all teams to stand up and reclaim any Extra Life tokens from their baskets to re-set for the next Lightning Trial. The announcer will share the theme and begin the next round.
15. Play proceeds in this manner until five standard Lightning Trials have been completed.
Power Trial
1. The announcer will ask all teams to resume standing and re-set with Extra Life tokens in hand. The announcer will announce the start of the Power Trial.
2. The rules for the Power Trial are the same as the standard trials except that finishing the trial is worth fourteen (14) points. For each Extra Life token not used, the team is awarded three (3) points. Thus the maximum number of points a team could earn for the Power Trial is twenty (20) points (14 plus 6 if they did not use any tokens).
3. The questions in the Power Trial are of higher difficulty.
4. Once all six questions have been asked and the judges have completed their judging (and all tokens played), then the Power Trial is complete.
Lightning Trials - Scoring
Standard Trial 1 - 16 points
Standard Trial 2 - 16 points
Standard Trial 3 - 16 points
Standard Trial 4 - 16 points
Standard Trial 5 - 16 points
Power Trial - 20 points
5. Each of the five standard Lightning Trials is worth a possible sixteen (16) points. The Power Trial is worth a possible twenty (20) points. Thus each team's total points for Lightning Trials is out of a possible one hundred (100) points.
* Official Rules for Lightning Trials updated 2/11/2024 for the 2024 Battle of the Books Tournament.