Where to Buy Trivial Pursuit
Buying Trivial Pursuit Games
Where to Buy Trivial Pursuit Editions
When Trivial Pursuit first appeared, its high price was part of its apparent value. Board games were traditionally around $10, but early editions of Trivial Pursuit Genus Edition were selling for around $40. This was the 80s, when a high price indicated higher value. Remember the 80s, when we all had jobs and didn't mind shelling out a little extra cash for something? Must have been nice, but I can't remember.
Here's a quick guide to finding and buying various editions of Trivial Pursuit.
Where to Buy Trivial Pursuit Master Edition I
If you're looking for Trivial Pursuit Master Edition I, you won't have too much trouble finding it. This sorta new edition of Trivial Pursuit contains just 3,000 questions (on 500 Trivial Pursuit question and answer cards) but the catch is that every question is brand-new, never having appeared in a Trivial Pursuit edition before. The Trivial Pursuit Master Edition is about as tough as Genus II or Genus IV--not the hardest edition ever but certainly not the easiest. Hasbro acknowledges that this edition is not as tough as some Genus editions by saying right on the box that the Master Edition is for players 16 and up, unlike tougher Genus editions which say that the game is for "Adults."
There's another addition to the Master Edition that some Trivial Pursuit fans will enjoy--a timer. Players now have 60 seconds to come up with an answer, though for veterans of Trivial Pursuit, 60 seconds will feel like a lifetime. In Trivial Pursuit, you either know the answer or you don't. The timer is included to keep up the game's pace, but most players I know won't even need it.
The Trivial Pursuit Master Edition retails for around $40 brand-new in the box, and you can find it anywhere you buy board games. I've had lots of luck buying Trivial Pursuit Master Edition games for friends and family on eBay, brand new around $20-$25.
Where to Buy Trivial Pursuit Genus I
Ahh, the classic blue box with calligraphy script. This first edition of Trivial Pursuit is highly regarded among Trivial Pursuit addicts. The questions are tough (not as tough as the Silver Screen edition, but right up there), the board is retro, and just the sight of that giant blue box appearing at a party is enough to get people talking.
Trivial Pursuit Genus Edition appeared on the American market in 1981. The lack of cartoon characters on the packaging and the simple, understated box design was part of appeal for many people buying the game. Board games for adults weren't exactly common at the time--not like today, when games like Wits & Wagers or even classic board games like Stratego and Monopoly have a huge adult fanbase.
Finding Genus I copies would be really tough without eBay and other auction and resale websites. On any given day, there are dozens of copies (in various states of disrepair) of Genus I for sale on eBay--right now, as I write this, there are even a couple of bundled packages containing Genus I and the Baby Boomer edition or Genus I and the first edition of Trivial Pursuit Younger Player's Edition. No single copy of the first edition of Trivial Pursuit is selling for more than $9, even the ones in very good condition.
As a garage sale hound, I've seen dozens of copies of the Genus I edition of Trivial Pursuit for sale. Garage sales are great places to pick up vintage copies of board games because the prices are low and you can usually barter your way to a vintage edition for a buck or less.
Where to Buy Trivial Pursuit Steal Card Game
The reviews are in, and most people find the Trivial Pursuit Steal card game kind of a bomb. Then again, it is super-portable (composed of just two decks of cards) and would be the perfect diversion for younger trivia fans. There's not many questions, so the game doesn't have much replay value, but for long car trips or hot summer days, keeping a copy of the Steal card game around isn't a bad idea.
Trivial Pursuit Steal also happens to be the cheapest Trivial Pursuit game there is, with a suggested retail price of just $6. I've seen copies at Target and other big box stores for $5 or less, and the game is often on sale at big name toy stores and other retailers, especially around summer time.
Unfortunately, the official Hasbro Toy Shop online store isn't selling Trivial Pursuit Steal right now, but when they do they usually sell the game for just $4.99. Since the game isn't exactly flying off the shelves, you can expect to find it discounted from its already low price.
Where to Buy Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It
Bet You Know It is Hasbro's shot at turning Trivial Pursuit into a party game. Whether or not Hasbro succeeded is up to each individual Trivial Pursuit fan--personally, I find the game a little too easy and not quite enough of a party game for more than a single night's entertainment. Trivial Pursuit can be a fun parlor game all on its own--there's no need to mimic the success of other modern "party games" to turn Trivial Pursuit into a fun evening. But it seems like Hasbro was trying to draw in board game players who'd never taken a shine to Trivial Pursuit, and for those players maybe this could turn them on to the original version of the game.
Bet You Know It is on sale at the Hasbro Toy Shop for just $29.99, a departure from Hasbro's typical Trivial Pursuit pricing. Of course you can find used and new copies of the game for even less at online stores, at big box retailers, and at eBay.
If you're a board game collector or just prefer older versions of Trivial Pursuit, the Internet is about your only chance to pick up a vintage or older edition of the game. If Hasbro were to reprint other Genus editions, not only would it get the bad taste of the dumbed down Genus III and IV out of our mouths, it might renew interest in the game itself, in a way that revamped editions like Bet You Know It haven't been able to.
