3 Movies

Last Updated: November 7, 2002

It's easy. You need two or more people -- with three or four being ideal.
One poor schlock is the Master of Ceremonies (or "MC"), and the lucky others get to be called Contestants.

The MC names some kind of movie element, and each Contestant has to name up to -- but no more than -- three movies that feature that element. I told you it was easy.

One-round example with one Contestant:

Master of Ceremonies: Set in a prison.
Contestant #1: Okay, this is easy. Shawshank Redemption. The Green Mile. Escape from New York.
MC: Ooo, I like it when you're clever!
C1: Knock it off, Frank.

One-round example with two Contestants. Watch now as the competition heats up!

Master of Ceremonies: Secret rooms or passages.
Contestant #1: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Contestant #2: Clue!
C1: Crap, I was going for that. Um... Oh, oh! Alan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold.
C2: Grr. I hate this category. How about Goonies?
MC: I will accept Goonies. That's 2 points each, so far.
C2: Woohoo!
MC: Let's continue.
C1: Crap, I don't know.
MC: You have 10 seconds. [Time passes.] Time's up!
C1: Crap!!
MC: Contestant number two, what is your third and final answer?
C2: Got it. X-Files: Fight the Future.
MC: Yep.

See? Easy as cake. (Pie. Whatever.)

A full-game example is coming soon!

Okay, a couple words about the rules of the road are in order, I believe.
Each round, play proceeds with the MC posing the challenge and each Contestant attempting to name up to 3 films which fit the criteria.

Whether you play in person or on the Internet in a chat room or whatnot, there are two general methods for Contestants to answer:

Barbaric. The first person to call it out, gets it. Nobody takes turns, everyone just starts shouting out movies! Each turn lasts no longer than 1 minute.

Civilized. Randomly choose one contestant to go first -- that's Contestant #1. Contestant #1 gets to name one movie. Play proceeds clockwise, to Contestant #2 and so forth, until everyone has three chances to answer. If a person can't think of a movie in 10 seconds, play passes onto the next Contestant. In the next round, play starts with Contestant #2, and so on. This way, everone gets their chance to answer questions first.

3 Movies limits what you can use in your answers, just to spice things up a little bit. Here are the standard answer limitations.

Once a movie is used by anyone, it's out of play. So if you play a game of some 10 challenges, once someone uses Star Wars, it's all used up. You can use it again when you play again some other time, but not in the same game.

One movie per movie series per round. So you can't, for example, use two Indiana Jones movies to reply to a single challenge. Once a movie series is mentioned in one round - by anyone - all other movies in that series are off-limits until next round!

When a Contestant uses one version of a movie, all versions of that movie are out of play. Otherwise, how many versions of Hamlet can be used? Nightmare! No, once someone uses any of the Hamlets, they're all used.

It's a movie only if it had a theatrical release. Some people might want to extend this to cover TV movies, TV miniseries, or direct-to-video titles, but "straight" 3M doesn't cover this.

The standard version of the game is as follows:
One point per movie named. First person to get to 21 points wins.

There are some ways to mix it up and make more mayhem!

All Or Nothing. Contestants only get a point if they name precisely three matches. (Recommended victory condition is 5 points.)

Pyramid Points. First movie named gets you 1 point, second gets you 2 and third gets you 3 points! (Recommended victory condition

Sudden Death! Here, you only looking for one answer per challenge, but if you can't name one, you're out. Last one left standing gets bragging rights.

New Age Woosie Play. Just play freeform for as long as you want.

Round and Round. At the end, total the scores, read 'em and weep.

The Wimbledon Variation. Two contestants go head-to-head, taking turns at being MC. One poses a challenge, the other answers. Then switch roles, last round's contestant becoming MC and posing a challenge to her competitor. Lather, rinse, repeat.

No matter which rules you play, make sure everyone knows what you're playing. We recommend the standard rules to start with.

Okay, now that you can see how the game is played, it's time to talk more about the Challenges. Challenges can occur in several categories. Here we go:
Movie Titles - Challenges covering the titles of films. Example: Movies whose titles contain the word "Star."
Scenes and Setting - Elements related to the setting of a movie, or types of things that happen in a particular scene. Example #1: Set in a prison. Example #2: Crossdressing.

Prominent Props - These things are objects which are found in movies. Example: Macintosh computers.

Story and Plot - This is a huge category, encompassing plot and story elements. Example: Death in the woods.

Actors and Ensembles - Challenges featuring movie elements related to actual actors or groups of actors. Example: William Shatner not playing Captain Kirk.

Characters - These are Challenges which cover the significant characters in a movie. Example: Post office employees.

Film Facts - This category covers random facts about the films as films. Example: Sequels which were arguably as good as or better than the original.

For a much larger list of example
challenges, check out the following
Master List of 3 Movies! Challenges!

There are bound to be rules problems. Here's our take on some of the sticky issues your group might have:
Q: Yikes! I didn't mean to mention that movie. I take it back!
A: **bzzzzt** Nope, sorry, buddy. Once you say it, it's out there.

Q: In Barbaric Mode, suppose two people mention the same movie at the same time. Who gets it?
A: Were they really said at exactly the same time, or was one person a split-second early? If they really, truly were said at precisely the same time, nobody gets credit for it! The film is off-limits for the round in which the tie occured, but it can be used in future rounds.

Q: What happens if I disagree with some lame-o answer?
A: If you question the rightness of a Contestant's choice, you can ask that they briefly explain it. If there is room for debate, the MC is the final arbiter. If the movie is deemed unsuitable, it is retracted but it is still counted as used, and is not available for later use.

Q: What's counts as a movie "series"?
A: If there is some debate about what constitutes a "series" or some other term in the rules, let the group decide. Or, if you're the Questioner and you don't give a damn, you decide. Fine by me.

Q: So, Jason, did you do all this yourself?
A: Nonsense. I would like to extend hearty thanks to the following playtesters who have encouraged the growth of this game over its history: Chris Hammock, Terry Tao, Jeff Morris, Tanya Klowden, Kevin Klowden, Eon Newquist, and Laylah Zurek.

We here at 3 Movies! would like nothing more than to talk with you about what you think. Does this suck? Should we organize some Internet games?
So let me know if you have comments, suggestions, or additional movie challenges! Send email to 3movies@nocturne.org today!