How to choose quiz topics for a mixed-ability group

Ask about interests, not who is “good at quizzes”

Before opening the topic selector on the homepage, ask each person for a subject they enjoy and one they would rather skip. This produces a more useful shortlist than asking everyone to rate their general knowledge. Someone who avoids history may still love a round about a country they know well.

Look for overlap first. If two people suggest travel and another enjoys landmarks, Geography gives you several starting points. If interests do not overlap, take turns choosing separate short matches. The app uses one selected topic per match; it does not build a custom schedule of different rounds inside one game.

Balance familiar and specialist rounds

A useful evening might start with a shared interest, continue with one player’s specialist choice, and finish with a subject suggested by someone else. These are separate matches that you organise as a group, not a built-in tournament mode.

For a group meeting for the first time

Offer two or three broad choices and let everyone say which sounds most inviting. Avoid assuming that the same television, sport, or school curriculum is familiar to all players.

For friends with one strong specialist

Let that person have a short specialist round, then hand the next choice to someone else. Changing subjects is often more helpful than making every round harder.

For a group with a shared hobby

Choose the closest listed topic, or describe a narrower custom subject. Agree the intended scope beforehand, while allowing for generated questions that do not match it perfectly.

Use the first round to choose difficulty

Choose multiplayer and your topic on the homepage, then start with easy and 10 questions in settings when you are unsure. Create the room once its settings are ready; the host starts the match after everyone joins. Afterward, ask whether players understood the questions, found the subject familiar, and had enough time to read. A low score caused by unfamiliar vocabulary calls for a different topic; it does not necessarily mean every player needs a lower difficulty.

Move to medium when the group wants more challenge. Reserve hard for subjects players actively want to tackle. Difficulty is a generation setting, not a standardised ability test, so two topics at the same level may feel very different. Scores from different generated matches are not a reliable comparison of knowledge.

Choose a pace everyone can follow

Live questions allow 10, 15 or 20 seconds to answer. Start with the default 20 seconds for a mixed group. That makes lengthy calculations, unfamiliar technical notation, and very specific custom topics less suitable for a relaxed mixed group. Ask about reading comfort and device size before picking a demanding subject.

The host can adjust the question timer before a match, but there is no untimed mode or option beyond 20 seconds. If someone needs longer, be open about that limitation. You can agree to care less about speed scores, but doing so does not change the timer or prevent a question from advancing. Choose another activity if the format excludes a participant.

Make room for curiosity, not just ranking

Ask everyone to remember one answer they want to discuss after the match. The short reveal is useful for seeing the answer, but it is not a good place to pause for a long story because the room continues automatically.

Treat a surprising explanation as a starting point for checking a fact. Automated checks can catch some formatting problems, repetition, and answer conflicts; they do not prove every answer correct. If a question is disputed, verify it using an appropriate source and report the problem rather than treating the game as the authority.

Change one thing for the next match

After the results, change either the topic, difficulty, or length based on what the group says. Keeping the other settings steady makes it easier to tell what improved the experience. The host can adjust the settings while preparing a rematch.

End while people still want another game. A short evening with a fair spread of topics is a better reason to return than a long session where one person chooses every subject.