<p>From the looks of the <a href="http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Encore,thesongfilledsingoffgame.PDF" rel="nofollow">rules</a>, ways of solving this issue are rather limited. This appears to be a normal roll and move trivial pursuit type of game of the music variety. Your solution is probably the best solution, <strong>just don't use single player spaces</strong>. In any game that requires a single player from a team to answer a question, it can be awkward if that player is completely stumped. In a game like this, where you want collaboration, I see no need to force single players to compete against each other.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-19T18:23:03.180Z
Since this has turned out to be the most practical, actionable solution, I'm accepting it.
Jadasc
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-14T14:38:52.700Z
2012-05-14T14:38:52.700Z
user1873
<p>Just ignore it! We always play team vs. team on every square.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-01T01:46:57.233Z
Hi, RobinR, and welcome to the site! This looks a lot like the accepted solution posted above, so it's not as helpful as it could be.
Jadasc
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-01T01:44:45.300Z
2015-12-01T01:44:45.300Z
RobinR
<p>Few squares in <strong>Encore!</strong> are more dreaded by our play group than the "Vs. Player" squares — "Team vs. Player" and "Player Vs. Player." It's not just that they're harder; they're palpably less fun, and kill the momentum that's generated by the game. They remove the collaborative element that's a big part of the game's appeal, and have the potential to cause tension. (Instances where the chosen player gets a word that they blank on,  or when the rest of the team has to sit in silence as the "best" player seizes the spotlight for a while or a stymied teammate struggles with a word that his or her friends can think of half a dozen songs for.)</p>

<p>Here are some steps we've taken to try and fix the problem:</p>

<ul>
<li>On XvP squares, the "player" is not necessarily chosen in advance; rather, it's the person on the singing team who begins the first song after the timer starts running. This means you'll never be completely without a song unless no one on your team had one.</li>
<li>At our last <strong>Encore!</strong> party, I served as timekeeper and as the "player" — XvP became "challenge the host." This worked well for the team challenge, but Player vs. Me had many of the same difficulties as Player vs. Player.</li>
</ul>

<p>We like <strong>Encore!</strong> and play it regularly, but it seems that this one element is more likely to cause awkwardness in the game than any other. How can this be reduced or eliminated?</p>

<party><encore>
Fixing the "Vs. Player" squares in Encore!
Jadasc
# Fixing the "Vs. Player" squares in Encore!

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-05-14)

Few squares in **Encore!** are more dreaded by our play group than the "Vs. Player" squares — "Team vs. Player" and "Player Vs. Player." It's not just that they're harder; they're palpably less fun, and kill the momentum that's generated by the game. They remove the collaborative element that's a big part of the game's appeal, and have the potential to cause tension. (Instances where the chosen player gets a word that they blank on, or when the rest of the team has to sit in silence as the "best" player seizes the spotlight for a while or a stymied teammate struggles with a word that his or her friends can think of half a dozen songs for.)

Here are some steps we've taken to try and fix the problem:

* On XvP squares, the "player" is not necessarily chosen in advance; rather, it's the person on the singing team who begins the first song after the timer starts running. This means you'll never be completely without a song unless no one on your team had one.
* At our last **Encore!** party, I served as timekeeper and as the "player" — XvP became "challenge the host." This worked well for the team challenge, but Player vs. Me had many of the same difficulties as Player vs. Player.

We like **Encore!** and play it regularly, but it seems that this one element is more likely to cause awkwardness in the game than any other. How can this be reduced or eliminated?

**Tags:** party, encore


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-05-14. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

From the looks of the [rules](http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Encore,thesongfilledsingoffgame.PDF), ways of solving this issue are rather limited. This appears to be a normal roll and move trivial pursuit type of game of the music variety. Your solution is probably the best solution, **just don't use single player spaces**. In any game that requires a single player from a team to answer a question, it can be awkward if that player is completely stumped. In a game like this, where you want collaboration, I see no need to force single players to compete against each other.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Since this has turned out to be the most practical, actionable solution, I'm accepting it.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2015-12-01. Score: -2

Just ignore it! We always play team vs. team on every square.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Hi, username_2, and welcome to the site! This looks a lot like the accepted solution posted above, so it's not as helpful as it could be.  

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