Guide
Scorched Earth — the quiz where you have to dig deeper
Scorched Earth is the depth mode of Genioz, a free online trivia game for 2 to 8 players. The idea: one category (“African capitals”, “chemical elements”, “Pixar movies”) and three waves. Each wave, everyone names a valid answer — but any answer already given is burned for good. The obvious ones go in the first wave; surviving the third takes real depth of knowledge. The glory moment: pulling out Lesotho when everyone else is blank.
How does a Scorched Earth round unfold?
1. The category appears. Each wave, you have 15 seconds to type ONE answer from the category — in secret, everyone at the same time.
2. The wave resolves all at once: valid, unique answers score (3 points in wave 1, 4 in wave 2, 5 in wave 3), duplicates within the same wave get charred (0 points, but you survive), and all those answers are burned.
3. Giving an already-burned answer, an invalid answer — or no answer at all — gets you torched: you watch the rest of the round as a spectator. Surviving all three waves earns a 3-point bonus.
The reveal: you leave more cultured
At the end of the round, the reveal shows everything that was found — and a sample of what was LEFT to find. It’s the most instructive part of the game: you discover the capitals, elements or movies nobody thought of.
Strategic bonus: in a Total Recall round (end of game), a category can come back for double points — those who remembered the reveal start a move ahead.
Strategy: manage your reserve
Don’t fire your rare answers in wave 1: the obvious ones (Paris, hydrogen, Toy Story) will burn on their own — and worse, they risk a charred duplicate. Keep your gems for the expensive waves.
Anticipate duplicates: if an answer comes to you in one second, it probably came to the others too. The ideal answer is the one only YOU know — that’s exactly what depth of knowledge means.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if two players give the same answer?
Duplicates in the same wave are “charred”: nobody scores, but nobody is eliminated — and the answer is burned for the rest of the round.
Does spelling count?
No: accents, capitals and articles are ignored, and common alternative names are accepted (“Myanmar”/“Burma”, “Tallinn”/“Tallin”…).
Does getting eliminated lose you your points?
No: points scored in earlier waves are yours to keep. Getting torched only costs you the remaining waves and the survival bonus.