Trivia Mania — Reference

Trivia Mania

Terms, Decision Guides & Quick Reference

Your complete reference for platform terminology, choosing the right settings, and key specs at a glance

Glossary: Trivia Mania Terms Explained

These are the exact terms used throughout the Trivia Mania platform. Use this glossary any time you encounter an unfamiliar term.

Branch

Your top-level account in the platform. Each branch has its own ID, secret, and credentials and contains all available products, instances, settings, and prizes.

Instance

A complete, self-contained activation setup within Trivia Mania. Each instance holds its own design, control settings, and prizing. Think of it as one full event configuration. Multiple instances can exist in one account.

Default instance

The pre-existing instance that is always present in every Trivia Mania account. It is the recommended starting point for new users.

Round

A complete trivia game within an instance — one full set of questions played from start to leaderboard. Multiple rounds can exist in one instance, but only one can run at a time.

Round Chaining

A feature that links multiple rounds in sequence so they play back-to-back automatically, without stopping and restarting the activation between games. This offers a cumulative leaderboard, but not cumulative prizing.

Game Mode

The setting that controls how stage progression works within a round: Manual (operator-controlled), Automatic (timer-driven), or On Demand (guest-initiated, asynchronous).

Flow Mode

The equivalent of Game Mode for transitions between chained rounds. Controls how the game moves from one round to the next when Round Chaining is enabled.

Stage

A distinct phase within a round. In order: Countdown Stage → [Question Number Stage] → Question → Question Reveal → [repeat] → Leaderboard.

Countdown Stage

The opening phase after Start is clicked. A timer counts down while guests prepare to play. Can display a QR code if the option is enabled in Design Settings.

Question Number Stage

An optional brief interstitial screen between the answer reveal and the next question, showing the upcoming question number. Off by default; variable duration is set to 3 seconds when enabled.

Question Reveal

The stage immediately after a question closes where the correct answer is highlighted for all participants. Duration is configured in Control (default: 3 seconds).

Move to Next Stage

The operator button that advances the game from one stage to the next. Required in Manual mode.

Start button

The button in the instance panel that initiates the trivia activation. Clicking it prompts a confirmation dialog before the game begins.

Live / Stop

The button that ends the current game session. Each Start-to-Stop cycle is recorded as one session in Analytics. The Start button becomes the Live/Stop button while the session is active.

Mainboard Link

The URL for the video board, TV, or projector display at your event. Designed to be opened in fullscreen on an external screen.

Participant Link / Mobile Link

The guest-facing URL and QR code that participants scan or click to join and play the game on their device.

Instances Column

The left-side panel in Trivia Mania that lists all instances and provides access to Start, links, and settings for each.

Three-Dot Menu

The vertical "…" icon next to instances and rounds that provides access to settings, edit, and delete options.

Control

The tab within an instance where rounds, questions, game modes, timers, and scoring are configured.

Design

The tab within an instance where colors, fonts, uploaded images, banners, dialogues, and layout settings are managed.

Prizing

The tab within an instance where Global Prizing prizes are attached and prize conditions are configured.

Analytics

The tab within the instance column where game session data and downloadable reports are accessed.

Global Prizing

The account-level prize library, accessed from Main Menu → Global Prizing. Prizes built here can be attached to any product activation. All prize reports are also accessed here.

Prize Vault

The guest-facing storage of received prizes, accessible from the mobile menu on participant devices (if enabled).

Distribution Type

A prize setting that controls when prizes are delivered: Automatic (immediately when the condition is met) or Manual (held until the operator releases them).

Condition Type

The rule determining who qualifies for a prize: Participation, Rank, Points, Time, or Games Played.

Splash Page

A full-screen image displayed before the game starts — while guests are scanning the QR code or waiting for the activation to begin. Disappears when Start is clicked. This covers all other Title/Welcome design elements.

Background

The image displayed on the mainboard or participant device throughout the entire game — from Start through the leaderboard. It is the bottom layer.

Media Frame

The decorative border and background that surrounds uploaded images within question slides. Can be disabled per question using the Disable Media Frame toggle.

Timer Text

A display option for the question timer: shows either the remaining point value (decreasing score) or the remaining time in seconds.

Timer Type

The visual shape of the question timer: Linear (a depleting bar across the screen) or Circular (an animated ring inside a hexagon shape).

Timer Animation Fill

The color of the timer bar or ring. Set in Design → Color. Applies to both the question timer and the countdown stage circular timer.

Sequence

A question order setting that shows questions in the order they were arranged. Required for Manual and Automatic modes to keep the video board and devices in sync.

Random

A question order setting that randomizes question sequence. Only safe to use in On-Demand mode.

Marketing Banners

Rotating sponsor or promotional images that display at the top of participant devices throughout gameplay. Must be uploaded at an 8:1 aspect ratio.

Dialogues

The customizable text displayed on each game stage — countdown title, question number header, game title, and leaderboard title.

Mainboard Margins

Percentage-based padding applied to the content area of the video board display. The background fills the full screen; all other content stays within the margins. Each section is out of 50%.

Custom Mainboard Editor

An advanced layout tool in Design Settings for customizing the look of every screen in the video board output.

Decision Guides: Choosing the Right Setting

Use these guides when you know what you want to accomplish but are not sure which platform setting to use.

Which game mode should I use?

Will a host, MC, or staff member control when the game advances?

→ Use Manual mode. The operator clicks Move to Next Stage to move the game forward at their own pace.

Should the game run on its own after clicking Start, with no one managing it?

→ Use Automatic mode. Set your timers and the game runs itself.

Should guests be able to start the game themselves at any point during an extended window?

→ Use On-Demand mode. You click Start once; guests initiate individually whenever they are ready.

Is it a booth, kiosk, or self-service area?

→ Use On-Demand mode.

Is it a lobby experience, social campaign, or multi-day activation?

→ Use On-Demand mode.

Do you need the activation to take up a precise amount of time?

→ Use Automatic mode.

Is it a halftime show, watch party, or live event with an MC?

→ Use Manual or Automatic mode.

Should I use one instance or multiple?

Same visual design, different question sets for different segments of the event

→ One instance with multiple rounds (play rounds individually, not with Round Chaining).

Different visual designs for different events or venues

→ Create a separate instance for each unique design.

Running the same setup at different times or dates

→ One instance — each Start-to-Stop cycle is its own session in Analytics.

Need two or more games to run simultaneously – A live Automatic game while an extended On-Demand game is running

→ Use separate instances — Only one round per instance can be live at a time.

Should I enable Round Chaining?

There is only one game (one question set) in this activation

→ No — use a single round without Round Chaining.

Multiple distinct games should play back-to-back with the same visual design and a cumulative leaderboard

→ Yes — enable Round Chaining and create one round per game.

Multiple games need completely different visual designs

→ No - Use separate instances instead of Round Chaining.

Should I use Automatic or Manual prize distribution?

Game mode is Manual or Automatic (not On-Demand), any condition type

→ Use Automatic distribution — prizes are delivered as soon as the condition is met when the game is complete.

Game mode is On-Demand, participation prize

→ Automatic distribution is fine — every guest who completes the game receives the prize immediately.

Game mode is On-Demand, rank-based and consolation prizes

→ Use Manual distribution — prevents the first guest to finish from automatically winning before others have played.

You want control over exactly when prizes are released regardless of game mode

→ Use Manual distribution.

Splash page vs branded background — which do I need?

I want a branded holding screen before the game starts, while guests arrive and scan the QR code

→ Upload a Splash page — it disappears when you click Start.

I want a branded image throughout the entire game

→ Upload a Background — it is visible from Start through the leaderboard.

I want both — a pre-game holding screen and a branded in-game background

→ Upload both. They can be different images.

Quick Reference Tables

Upload specifications

Game mode comparison

Default values — all configurable settings