NMG-HSH: Rules

The co-hosts will invite a number of netizens that have connections with the internet game show community. They include, but are not limited to, net game hosts, authors of game show fan sites, etc.

Look for a contestant call here on the NMG-HSH website as well as Net Games Yahoo! Groups. In the call, you'll will need to e-mail the host making the call with the following...
\Your name
\Your e-mail address that you wish for the hosts to send you NMG-HSH-related e-mail
\A sentence or two about yourself (like real game shows)
\Your answer to a qualifying question. The question will have a numerical answer.

If however you participated anytime within the last three episodes, please sit on your hands and let someone else play (unless you're the champion). This way, we give as many people who want to get in on the action as possible. This rule excludes any audience games and tournaments of champions.

The two potential players closest to the actual answer to the qualifying question play Part 1 with the winner facing the champion in Part 2.

Any ties for closest to the actual answer to the qualifying question are broken by determining who e-mailed the host first.

Part 1: "Match Game"

The "Match Game" (MG) half of the show will be played like the PM version of "Match Game" with six stars, two players and three rounds of play. In the first round, the player who came closest to the secret number makes the first pick. With each new round, the player in the lead makes the first pick; if a tie, whoever didn't go first in the last round picks first.

The host will read a statement; the statement will have a << BLANK >> in it somewhere. The object of this part of the game is for the player to match as many stars as possible. There will be three rounds played for the contestants to match each star.

Once a player matches a star, the player cannot match that star again for the rest of the MG part. Each time a player matches a star (s)he earns CY$100 or a total of CY$1000 for all six stars matched. The player with the most cyber-cash wins and goes on to play in Part 2 ("Hollywood Squares") against the returning champion.

Note: The winning score from MG doesn't carry over to HS.

MG Tie-breaker: If both players match all six stars before the third round, the remaining round(s) serve(s) as the tie-breaker. The match count is reset to zero (as both players build on CY$1000 or perhaps CY$2000 each), all six celebrities are back in play and gameplay continues as normal. Since the players would (obviously) be equal in score, the player who didn't start the previous round picks first.

If the score is tied after the third round, we'll break the tie with a short fill-in-the-blank question. The players will be given a short phrase with a <<BLANK>> in it and four choices to complete the phrase. For example, <<BLANK>> WAY, and (1) THE GREAT WHITE, (2) MY, (3) ONE, (4) ANY. The player having first selection in Round 1 will pick first for the tie-breaker. While the players select from the four choices, each celebrity e-mails the host with one answer (no multiple choices will be made available to the MG panel).

After everyone's answers and selections are in, we'll check the answers from the panel. Each time a player matches a celebrity's answer, the player scores one point. The first player to four points -- or the high scorer after all six of the celebrities' answers are revealed -- wins the tie-breaker and moves on to Hollywood Squares. If the tie-breaker ends in a tie, we'll play a new tie-breaker.

The winner of MG collects a bonus of CY$500 on top of other MG winnings -- which do not affect the score in Part 2...

Part 2: "Hollywood Squares"

Three more stars are brought in for The "Hollywood Squares" (HS) half of the show. The champion will be represented by the X's, the winning MG challenger by the O's.

This part of the game will be played much like the most recent revival of HS. Contestants win a round by getting three squares in a row across, down, or diagonally -- or by capturing any five out of the nine squares -- whichever comes first.

A player captures a square by picking a star in the square and either agreeing or disagreeing with their response to the question at hand. (If a star fails to respond to a question in an allotted time, the question will be posed to the player in multiple choice, true/false, or yes/no format, and the player must answer the question correctly to get the square.) If the player responds correct, (s)he captures the square. An incorrect response means his/her opponent captures the square -- unless it would give the opponent a win by default (a round of HS must be won with a correct decision).

Each time a player captures a square (and wins a round), (s)he wins cyber-cash as follows...

In Round...	...a square is worth...	...and winning the round pays...
1 and 2	CY$500	CY$2000
3	CY$1000	CY$4000
4	CY$2000	CY$8000
5 and on	CY$4000	CY$16,000

The champion gets to pick first in odd-numbered rounds (Round 1, 3, 5, etc.). The challenger picks first in even-numbered rounds (Round 2, 4, 6, etc.).

The second round of every HS segment features a secret square worth a progressive jackpot of cyber-money. Winnings from the secret square jackpot do not affect the score of the game.

The game will continue until the host signals that time is up. The player with the most money when time is called will go on to play "The CY$50,000 Super Match".

HS Tiebreaker: If both players have the same amount of money when time is called, the board will be cleared, and the player whose turn is next will pick a square.

If this player correctly agrees/disagrees with the celebrity, he/she goes on to the super match; if incorrect, his/her opponent goes on to the super match.

Part 3: "The CY$50,000 Super Match"

The first part of the "Super Match" is the "Audience Match". An Internet audience will be polled for its best response to a short phrase with a blank in it (e.g. GIVE IT [BLANK] or [BLANK] MORRIS). Anyone and everyone can respond to this question.

The three most popular answers will be taken for this poll. The player can then call on as many as three celebrities for assistance to complete the phrase (to ensure the player will get three different answers to consider, each celebrity must e-mail the host with three different answers). Then, the player fills in the blank as best as s/he can. If the player picks the most popular answer, it will be worth CY$1,000. The second most popular answer will be worth CY$500, and the third most popular answer will be worth CY$250. If the player's answer is not among the top three, the player will still get CY$100.

The second part of the "Super Match" is the "Head-to-Head Match". Each of the nine stars will have a hidden multiplier card. The player picks a star, who reveals his/her multiplier card. Four stars will each have a multiplier of 20, four stars will have a multiplier of 30, and one star will be so fortunate to have a multiplier of 50. The amount won in the "Audience Match" times the multiplier number of the selected star will be the amount of the HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCH BANK. (Hence, winning CY$1,000 in the "Audience Match" and picking the star with the multiplier of 50 means that the player will be playing for a HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCH BANK of CY$50,000.)

The star that is picked will be given a short phrase, similar to the "Audience Match". The player will then give his/her response to that same phrase. If they match exactly, the player wins the HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCH JACKPOT, and we all wave our hands in the air as if there are no repercussions (:)).

After the Super Match, the champ returns to the next episode and is represented by the X's in Hollywood Squares.

Champions' Special

After a player's third super match, (s)he retires as an undefeated champion. As soon as three champions retire undefeated and/or collect at least CY$100,000 in winnings during their reign, we'll hold a champions' special. The seeding will be determined by how much cyber-cash each retired champion won. Further details and the current champions' special leaderboard can be found as you click here (a new web browser will open up).

Cyber-Phone Match

At anytime in any episode, we could play a cyber-phone match -- our audience game. The call coule be made in one of two ways...

The host will then pose the question to the player and celebrity (s)he selected. If the celebrity and player e-mail the MG host with answers that match exactly, the player wins CY$5000.

Note: When the call for the cyber-phone match is made, it's open to all netizens -- except NMG-HSH staff members, players and panelists on the episode in question.

If a star does not respond to one question in a round of "Match Game", s/he will be out for the other question in the same round; a match for that star on the previous question in that round will be thrown out. If a star does not respond to a question in a round of "Hollywood Squares", the question will be posed to the player in multiple choice (not more than 3 choices), true/false, or yes/no format. If a star picked by the player fails to respond to the "Audience Match", the player's first remedy is to pick someone else. If there is not a minimum of three stars who respond to the "Audience Match", well, we're sorry, but there is nothing else that can be done. (:() If a star picked by the player for the "Head-to-Head Match" fails to respond, the player will pick another star, and play will resume.

If a player does not respond to picking a question in a round of "Match Game", a question will be chosen for him/her at random. If a player does not respond to a question in a round of "Match Game", s/he will not receive any matches for that round. If a player in a round of "Hollywood Squares" fails to pick a square, one will be picked for him/her at random. If a player fails to agree or disagree with a star, it will result in an incorrect response and loss of the square. (That is, his/her opponent would get the square as long as it wouldn't automatically win the round for the opponent.) If a player fails to respond to the "Audience Match", the player will receive CY$100 (equivalent to giving a response not among the top three responses). If a player fails to respond to the "Head-to-Head Match", the player forfeits the HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCH BANK, and we all cry in our beer. (:()

The responsibilities of the hosts are to give the questions, judge whether answers are right or wrong (or matching), determine whether a player or star has submitted a response in time, and otherwise administer the game as timely as possible. If the game is lagging, it's probably our fault, not the stars' or the players'. (:/)