Jeopardy Game Documentation

Overview Page

The overview page is your game management hub where you can create, view, and manage all your Jeopardy games.

Creating a New Game

Click the "Create New Game" button to access three options:

• Upload File: Drag and drop or browse for a YAML/JSON game file
• Use Template: Start with a pre-made template (Easy, Medium, or Hard)
• Build Your Own: Use the visual game builder to create a custom game

Game Cards

Each game displays:

• Game title and status (New, In Progress, Completed)
• Progress indicator showing answered questions
• Team names and current scores
• Last played date
• Delete button to remove the game

Resuming Games

Click anywhere on a game card to resume playing. Your progress is automatically saved, so you can pick up right where you left off.

Game Board Page

The game board is where the action happens. It displays a classic Jeopardy-style grid with categories and questions.

Playing Questions

1. Click any blue question tile to reveal the question
2. Select which team is answering
3. Reveal the answer when ready
4. Judge the response as correct or incorrect
5. Points are automatically added or subtracted

Daily Double

When you hit a Daily Double:

1. The game displays "DAILY DOUBLE!" animation
2. The first team (or selecting team) must place a wager
3. Minimum wager: $5
4. Maximum wager: Current score OR highest question value (whichever is greater)
5. Only the wagering team can answer
6. Correct adds the wager; incorrect subtracts it

Undo/Redo

Made a mistake? Use the undo button (↶) to reverse any action. Redo (↷) restores actions you've undone. Every action is tracked:

• Answering questions
• Daily Double wagers
• Team changes
• Score adjustments

Menu Options

Click the Menu button to access:

• Teams: Add, remove, or edit team names and colors
• Settings: Toggle timer, sounds, auto-reveal, and negative scores
• History: View all actions taken in the game

File Format

Games can be created using YAML or JSON files. Both formats support the same structure.

YAML Format Example

title: "Your Game Title"

categories:
  - name: "Category 1"
    questions:
      - value: 200
        question: "Question text"
        answer: "Answer text"
      - value: 400
        question: "Another question"
        answer: "Another answer"
        dailyDouble: true
      - value: 600
        question: "Question text"
        answer: "Answer text"

  - name: "Category 2"
    questions:
      - value: 200
        question: "Question text"
        answer: "Answer text"

settings:
  pointValues: [200, 400, 600, 800, 1000]
  doubleJeopardy: false
  allowNegativeScores: true
  timerSeconds: 30

Required Fields

• title - Game title (string)
• categories - Array of category objects
• categories[].name - Category name (string)
• categories[].questions - Array of question objects
• questions[].value - Point value (number)
• questions[].question - Question text (string)
• questions[].answer - Answer text (string)

Optional Fields

• questions[].dailyDouble - Mark as Daily Double (boolean)
• settings - Game settings object
  • pointValues - Default point values (array)
  • doubleJeopardy - Double all values (boolean)
  • allowNegativeScores - Allow negative scores (boolean)
  • timerSeconds - Answer timer duration (number)

JSON Format

The JSON format uses the same structure with standard JSON syntax. See the example files for reference.

Game Builder

The visual game builder lets you create games without writing YAML or JSON files.

Creating Your Game

1. Enter your game title
2. Add or remove rows and columns to customize your grid
3. Click any cell to edit its question and answer
4. Use the checkbox to mark one question as a Daily Double (optional)
5. Export your game as YAML or JSON, or save it directly

Grid Controls

• Add Column: Creates a new category
• Remove Column: Deletes the last category
• Add Row: Adds a question to all categories
• Remove Row: Removes the last question from all categories

Editing Cells

When you click a cell, you can edit:

• Category Name: The category header (first row only)
• Point Value: The question's point value
• Question: The question text
• Answer: The answer text
• Summary: A short title for easy editing (not shown during gameplay)

Features & Settings

Teams

Support for 1-6 teams with:

• Custom team names
• Color-coded display
• Individual score tracking
• Add/remove teams during gameplay

Settings

Timer: Enable a countdown timer for answering questions (default: 30 seconds)

Sound Effects: Toggle buzzer and answer sounds (future enhancement)

Show Answers: Automatically reveal answers or require manual reveal

Allow Negative Scores: Teams can go below zero or stay at zero minimum

Game State Persistence

All games are saved to your browser's localStorage:

• Progress persists across page refreshes
• Full undo/redo history is saved
• Team scores and settings are preserved
• Storage is local to your browser (doesn't sync across devices)

Tips & Tricks

Creating Great Games

• Use clear, concise category names
• Write questions that have definitive answers
• Balance difficulty across point values
• Place Daily Doubles strategically (higher values are traditional)
• Test your game before playing with others

Gameplay Tips

• Use undo if you make a mistake judging an answer
• Check the history in the menu to review all actions
• Customize team colors for easy identification
• Enable "Show Answers" for casual play
• Disable "Show Answers" for competitive play

Organization

• Create separate games for different topics
• Use descriptive game titles
• Delete completed games to free up storage
• Export/backup game files for reuse

Troubleshooting

Game won't load: Check that all required fields are in your file

Storage full: Delete old games or clear your browser's localStorage

Questions missing: Verify your YAML/JSON syntax is correct

Need More Help?

Check out the sample game file in examples/sample-game.yaml for a complete working example.

For technical details, see the README.md file in the project root.