The Rounds

Pub quizzes, you turn up and get the same format week in, week out.

Bar Wars is different. We have a base format so you can always expect general knowledge and current affairs but we've also developed a number of inter-changeable rounds so the quiz has a slightly different flavour from week-to-week.

Each Sunday teams battle through six rounds of trivia to win the beer followed by the Final Fling where they play for the money.

Here’s a taster of what you can expect from the Wars.

General Knowledge

The staple of any pub quiz. Bar Wars starts with 10 questions of general knowledge to ease you in to your evening of trivia. GK first appeared at Bar Wars on 27th Feb 2000.

That Was The Week That Wars (TW3)

In Cheltenham the second round of the Wars was always Sport. Not so for the move to Hereford. Since January 2004 round 2 is 11 questions on the proceeding week's current affairs. Home, abroad in even in Hereford its self. The twelfth question will always be a flashback question testing your knowledge on that day in history.

Since January 2017 we often refer to this round as 'What's Trending?' You know, to be like down with the kids.

54321

Question 1 is worth 5 points, question 2 is worth 4 points etc. Each question has 5,4,3,2 or 1 part(s) depending on how many points it's worth e.g. Name the five members of Steps. This is why we call it 5,4,3,2,1! (First appeared 27th Feb 2000)

5Squared

10 questions split into two blocks of 5 questions on 2 different specialist subjects. Can be literally anything from bridges to James Bond or food to Formula 1. Nominate your chosen specialist subject for future inclusion by tweeting @barwars First appeared at Bar Wars in 2010.

Wipeout

Ten questions of general knowledge with a sting in the tail. If you get just one question wrong the round is wiped out – you get a big fat zero. We do award bravery though – if you go for it and get 10/10 we’ll award 5 bonus points.

Alphabetti Quizetti

New for 2020 it's a General Knowledge round but all the answers are in alphabetical order.

Bar Wars Blast

Just two minutes to put a list of ten answers into the correct order. It could be the ten top-grossing movies, ten characters from Game of Thrones or the UK's ten longest rivers. This fast paced round first played at Bar Wars in January 2017.

The Beat Goes On

The music round, we play ten clips you have to identify the song and artist. There are variations where you have to name the film from a sound track song or name the advert that used that music.

Occasionally we will run a verbal version of 'The Beat Goes On' and delve into the world of pop music. 10 verbal music questions and 5 mystery lyrics.

Identity Parade

A sheet with pics of celebrities on - all you do is identify them. Simple? Not when they've been distorted! We also run a lot of themed versions of this round – name the film from the poster, the location from an aerial photo or even the catchphrase from a ‘Dingbat’.

Clued Up

We have 5 clues to a mystery object, person or film. If you identify it on clue 1 you get 10 points, clue 2, 8 points and so on until clue 5 which is worth 2 points.

Trick or Tweet

In a round that is nothing like Clued up we read 5 tweets from a mystery celebrity Twitter account. If you identify them on tweet one you get 10 points, tweet two, 8 points and so on until tweet five which is worth 2 points. First used at Bar Wars on 26th October 2014.

MMTV

A staple of the Cheltenham Bar Wars but not used so much in Hereford. Music Movies & Television. 10 questions on the latest films, music and television shows. Sometimes we will do a variation such as the popular 'Kids TV' specials and 'Sitcom' Specials. This round usually includes a Stop question where teams can get 5 bonus points.

Trivia Trail

10 questions General Knowledge style but with the last last of an answer providing the first letter of the next one. (Premiered on 7th March 2004.)

Which Came First?

Debuting in March 2020 we name two people, inventions or things and you have to guess which came first. The Beatles or The VW Beetle. Doctor Who or Dr Dre? You decide!

Quiz Links

Five questions of general knowledge but for a bonus point what is the link between all the answers? We've had tube stations, signs of the zodiac and breeds of dog. What will be next? First appeared summer 2005.

The Drop

2013 saw the addition of the most complicated round of Bar Wars ever. The Drop, much like the TV show Million Pound Drop, invites you to gamble your points on multiple choice question courtesy of the specially designed answer sheet. As the round takes longer to explain than play it's a rare feature at the quiz.

Hot Spot

We draw team names out at random. The teams drawn have 30seconds to verbally answer as many questions as the can.

And The Winner Is?

If there's a recent awards ceremony we take advantage by basing a whole round on it. We read out the nominations - you tell us the winner

Spellcheck

A round of general knowledge put the first letter of each answer spells out a word... what is it? First appeared Xmas 2004.

Mastermind

12 questions, Q1 is worth 1point, Q2 is worth 2 points etc. You have one joker to play and if you get that question right it doubles your points.

Who wants to win Bar Wars?

15 Millionaire style questions, as soon as you get one wrong you're knocked out. The team to get the furthest wins the round. This round was popular in the Cheltenham Bar Wars but in Hereford has been adapted for the annual round of Who Wants to Win a Mini-Egg?

False Or True

We read out 15 statements, you simply decide if we're lying or not?

Porn Or Pony?

Is the name we read out a recognised racing horse or is it a porn star? You decide!

Cocktail Or Codswallop?

Another variation on False or True - is the name a cocktail according to bartender's bible 'sauce magazine' or did we make it up.

Dead Or Alive?

Are the names of the people we read out dead... or alive. Simple huh?

Group Or Poop?

Are the names we read out genuine singles chart acts or have we made them up? (Groups must have charted somewhere in the top 75 since 1952 to be classed as genuine. First appeared October 9th 2005)

Lyrically Speaking

Identify songs from spoken samples of the lyrics.

Screenplay

Identify films from spoken samples of the script.

Blast The Cast

We name a TV show and you have to guess all the characters that feature in that show.

Bar Wars Bingo

All teams are given a Bingo sheet and have to cross off the random question number as it comes out. The first to get a line wins!

Where In The World

Bar Wars' periodical Geography round.

Sudoku

The numerical logic puzzle that's taken the world by storm debuted at Bar Wars in summer 2005. It crops up occasionally and upon completion can earn you 20 points!

Blockbuster

Based on the TV show we ask a question but give you the first letter of the answer.

Mind Blower

Very rarely done, we read out 40 general knowledge questions rapid-fire & don't repeat them, the team to get the most wins.

Gaggin' For It

We read out the start of 15 jokes and you have to provide the punchlines

Specialist Rounds

A round devoted to a certain subject previous rounds include: 007, Simpsons, The Beatles & Friends. If you have a suggestion tweet us now!

Observation Round

We play a five minute clip of a film then ask you 10 questions about what you just viewed. (To date this round has only been used at Park Campus Bar Wars in Cheltenham.)

Cheesely Cheerful Chart Challenge

Back at FCH in 2000 we used to run this round quite often. We'd name a topical news story you had to come up with a list of records that could relate to it. We then run down our top 5 of your suggestions.

Anagram Round

We provide you with 15 anagrams and you have to unscramble them. Can be on any theme but tend to be sports related.

Commercial Breakdown

We play a ten second snip of a commercial while you have to guess the product being advertised. Debuted July 2007.

Tanked Up

One fish tank, 10 objects you guess if they sink or float.

Final Fling

The last round decides the grand winner of that week’s competition. 15 questions of tough General Knowledge. If any team gets more than 13 answers correct they win the cash, if not we play an End Game... (First appeared 27th Feb 2000 and is the only round to feature in every single Bar Wars ever so far!)

Retired rounds

Sport - 15 questions on sport from Football to tiddly winks. We've stopped doing this round as we strongly feel it alienates 50% of the audience who don't give a toss about sports. We do, however, understand there are still sports fans in the quiz so sporting questions regularly appear in general knowledge, wipeout and final fling.