The elixir of life, indispensable to all creatures, mighty in its power yet pliant and flexible - vand, neer, shui, mizu, Agua, thanni... the all accepting solvent.
Presenting a Quiz on Water - in all its myriad forms and shapes and sizes - from the Angel falls to Zam Zam, From Hot springs to Glaciers, From Dams to Aqueducts. This is a 48 Q - 6*4*2 general quiz but with 12 water themed quads where I hope to explore topics not usually covered in leagues or friendlies.
I look forward to Rajat's sets, whether they're friendlies or just quads for league games. Like Pravin and Zubaer, Rajat's reading habits are quirky and they result in very refreshing quiz subjects. And perhaps uniquely, Rajat has an eye for questions with 'descriptive' answers. I particularly like these because they are a rare sight in the world of online league quizzing, where guessing is penalized and so questions usually need to be very direct and clear. This is unfortunate because such questions used to be really common back in Infinite Bounce days, they’re just unwelcome in competitive Mimir games.
Friendlies are different though. You can get away with such questions in friendlies, and the World of Water set has a bunch of them. Get yourself a good reader who allows for a few 'free shot' questions (i.e. click Pass for wrong answers) and you've got yourself a very fun game.
I also really like that the choice of theme for this set basically refutes any attempt to run away from ‘scary’ topics. Usually, every time a themed set comes out, there are always people who’ll avoid it, often with a message like “Oh I don’t know anything about [THEME]” as if the only reason one takes part in a quiz is to win it. This theme works well because people are unlikely to admit to “not knowing anything” about water 😂
Karnataka: One state, many worlds. This set barely scratches the surface of all that Karnataka has to offer, but you are welcome to join us on this journey that takes you through a bit lot of its origins and history, abundance of natural wealth and culture, and full plate of lipsmacking thindi (snacks)!
If you've closely followed the Karnataka elections this year, you may think that coalitions don’t work. Not so in the case of the setters: a triple engine team of Kiran, Arpita and Maitrey (we don’t call it KArMimir for nothing)
I need to confess some bias here, I was already in love with this set before it was even announced, simply because it is such a community effort. It started with Akshay Gurumoorthi creating a Tamil-themed Mimizh, which inspired Utkarsh Rastogi to create an epic 80-question quiz on Uttar Pradesh, which in turn inspired this!
Maitrey started the effort, targeting the Karnataka elections as the perfect release date, but the addition of Kiran and Arpita worked out wonderfully, dramatically increasing the breadth of topics covered. Some very nice things have been said about this set already, with the gist of most reactions being that the questions are wonderfully researched. The effort really comes through.
I’m also looking forward to what happens next. There was a small note at the end of the last question, asking for the scoresheet to be shared with Arpita after the quiz. She’s probably going to do some kind of analysis, and I’m hoping the resulting analysis system is something we can all use!
3. Bollywood and I by Vivek Tejuja
In his own words:
Bollywood and I. This one is a special one for me. A very special hemimir actually because it is about the men in my life. My life, and the 32 Bollywood songs that came with it. The ones that have been imprinted by the memories, by people, by people who matter or mattered, so much. It is personal but layered with the impersonal as well, I think. It will take longer than 30 minutes to play this but be patient since the questions are longer and written with love and tenderness, so please bear with me and hear me out.
Each answer is a Bollywood song, and each question has an image. Chances are you might know the answer even before the question begins, but please be patient and let the question be over. Thank you.
Another set I knew I’d love before it even came out was Vivek’s extremely personal essay/quiz, which is not a term you get to read often. Vivek is pushing the boundaries of the format itself by doing the first autobio-Mimir, or a set that delves deep into the setter’s own experiences and mines them for questions.
The result works perfectly as a standalone Bollywood song quiz, with Vivek usually managing to squeeze the operative hint for answering most questions into a single word or phrase, and using the rest of the question text simply to bare his heart.
But the fact that it ‘works’ as a quiz is also completely beside the point. What matters here is that someone is using the quiz medium as a form of self-expression, intended to share feelings and evoke emotions, in a way that no other quiz has really even attempted. This set isn’t trying to be a quiz at all in the usual sense, and most players will probably stop paying attention to the hints and the scores and instead just enjoy the experience as they would enjoy a solo performance of a play.
Here’s a sample question for you. Yes, I’m spoiling one answer, but Vivek won’t care.
Being queer in this country and growing up in the 90s meant that I grew up on a staple diet of high camp, songs of love and longing, and songs that seemed to liberate the gay boy. It was 1989. The movie: Chaalbaaz. I was all of 6 years old, and wanted nothing else, but to be Sridevi. She was not only the hero of the film, but also the hero of my life. I wanted to be both, Anju and Manju. I wanted to hide my gay self, and show it to the world. The song I wanted to dance to the most (and did by locking my room) was the one Sri danced to in the rain, about the girl not being caught by anybody, and no one knew where she came from. Which song is this?
Answer: Na Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hain
PS: He also wrote two more Lit Sets last week. Just Vivek doing Vivek things.
4. Young Adult Fantasy Hemimir by Krishna Girish
In his own words:
Hear, hear! Slough away the doldrums of your imprisonment upon this mundane plane, for I invite you for a romp through realms uncharted in my latest friendly!
At its surface, the pool of young adult fantasy teems with cliche. Love triangles pulse their way, languid, through the unbroken water. The dystopia of this constructed world casts its long shadow from underwater, beckoning you in. An endless audience of dubious fan-fiction jeers from the sidelines. You must acquire a magical sword. You must unlock the power of friendship. And now, with these artefacts at your beck and call, the depths look warm and inviting. Do you dare dip in, and experience what this Mimir has in store for you?
Will you heed the call and become the Chosen One? Or will you hide away, for another, ages hence, to take upon your mantle and slay the beast within?
Presenting the Young Adult Fantasy Hemimir, written by the humble scribe, Krishna Girish! This set, designed specifically to be generally accessible, requires little prior knowledge of the genre, though having spent your childhood at the lambent altar of fantasy fiction certainly won't harm you.
I don’t have much to add to that epic write-up, but it suffices to say that it’s nice to see more Lit Sets come out (Vivek is extremely happy/proud), and I particularly that Krishna has made a real effort to ensure that questions are answerable without familiarity with the books in question.
I also learned that that works both ways since I had read one of the books on which he’s made a whole quad, but that didn’t help answer any of the answers 😅
5. MELA Old/New by Debanjan Bose
In his own words:
Jumping onto the resurrection bandwagon - announcing a MELA Mimir, which I'd originally written sometime in 2022. This also means some of you here may have already played it earlier. It's a 64-question set in the 2-directs-per-round format. MELA = Music, Movies, Literature and Arts.
Questions in Debanjan's MELA are so wonderfully framed, I feel like they're almost better suited for a format where random guesses aren't penalized. So very many ways for figuring out the answers. Incredible experience, as can now be expected from this whole Dhruv-Sourjo-Debanjan school of setters.
The ‘Old/New’ tag is just an indicator that while this set was written a while ago, it’s only now being shared with the B612 community. Many of us are quiz newbies, which means we didn’t really get access to wherever these sets were posted the first time, so it’s always nice to do re-releases.
6. Kinomir byZubaer and Srinath Sundareswaran
In their own words:
Enthralled and inspired by two glorious movie sets by Sourjo Sengupta, the QMs got to work on a set of their own that would reflect their love - nay passion! - for Cinema. Srinath and zubaer are very excited to present the Kinomir Quiz - 48 questions that dives deep into the Seventh Art. Happy quizzing!
More examples of quizzes begetting new quizzes, you have to love it. A quiz made especially for cinephiles, this one is unforgiving in scope. It’s got strong Sons of Lumiere vibes, which means the whole world of cinema is within range and you’re going to learn (or be reminded of) a ton.
As you’ve come to expect from Zubaer’s sets (and no surprise if you’ve seen Srinath in action), this set is in equal parts a game and a recommendation engine. Keep notepads handy and line up what you’re watching this weekend.
But why is it called Kinomir? You’ll find out during the quiz.
