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Saturday, November 23, 2002

By Gretchen McKay

When the Enron accounting scandal broke, Tim Graf was working as a tax consultant for Arthur Andersen LLP. With job security suddenly shaky, most people would start scanning the want ads. But Graf had had enough of the daily grind. His response was to "give in" to his creative, risk-taking side and do the one thing he'd always dreamed of doing: design a board game.

"Everyone wants to know the back story on celebrities," says Tim Graf of Highland Park who had that idea in mind when he created the board game ScandalMonger Trivia Game. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette) Test your gossip knowledge 1) Mick Jagger claimed that his 1991 marriage on what island was invalid? 2) What "Mustang Sally" singer ran down an 86-year-old woman while high on cocaine in 1992? 3) What Kansas City Chiefs lineman killed himself and a passenger while speeding on rain-slicked roads in 2000? 4) What muscular French tennis star did Martina Hingis call "half a man" in 1999? 5) What caused wacky comic Andy Kaufmann's 1984 death at age 35? 6) What Columbia University professor was at the center of the 1959 quiz show scandal? 7) Dennis Tito paid Russia $20 million to become the first tourist to do what? 8) What attorney represented Fred Goldman in his 1996 civil suit against O.J. Simpson? 9) President John F. Kennedy was shot as he passed through what downtown Dallas plaza? 10) In what branch did Dan Quayle serve during the Vietnam War? Answers at the end of the story

It wouldn't be just any board game, mind you, but one that tests how well we remember -- or have forgotten -- the salacious details of the many pickles our politicians, actors, rock stars, athletes and even ordinary people (does the name John Wayne Bobbitt ring a bell?) have gotten themselves into over the years.

Scandals, Graf concluded, are the news stories that seem to resonate most with the public, and the seamier or more titillating the story, the better.

"Take a look at how long the O.J. story played out in the media," says Graf, who grew up in Ben Avon and earned an MBA from Pitt's Katz Graduate School of Business in 1998. "Everyone wants to know the back story on celebrities."

The result, ScandalMonger Trivia Game, which the 32-year-old started marketing nationwide this month, plays on that fascination. A cross between Trivial Pursuit and the National Enquirer, the game has players working as "reporters" for ScandalMonger, an American tabloid, trying to assemble the next day's front page with stories in each of five categories (politics, Hollywood, rock 'n' roll, sports and miscellaneous). Answer a question correctly and you complete one of the stories. The first reporter to make it back to the newsroom with all five stories wins the game.

Though the format is familiar, Graf feels the colorful tabloid environment created by Pittsburgh artist Jeff Wood is different enough that people will feel like they're playing a new game. In addition, each of the six reporter playing pieces comes with a bio.

"I wanted to be something beyond just people throwing questions back and forth at one another," he says

Graf, who quit his job in January to work on the game full time, spent about 10 months honing the final version. That included more than two months of paging through almanacs and scouring the Internet to come up with the game's 2,000 questions, which range from fairly easy (Who did Amy Fisher shoot in 1992?) to more difficult (What serial killer was convicted in 1967 for virtually every violent crime except murder?). Then there are the ones no one could remember (What American teen's Singapore caning dilemma inspired President Clinton to request clemency?). Answers at the end of the story, or on the Web site, www.scandalmongergame.com, which was designed by Graf's wife, Karen.

"We tried to make it challenging enough that people who consider themselves news junkies or news buffs are stumped from time to time," says Graf, "but not so much that people who are more casual observers feel excluded."

Because it's almost unheard of for a novice to sell an idea for a new game to a major manufacturer like Hasbro or Mattel, Graf figured his best shot was to produce and market the game himself -- a venture that ended up costing about $45,000. So while he's delighted ScandalMonger has made it onto shelves in time for the holidays, his ultimate goal, he says, is to introduce the game in February at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.

"We're hoping to make a big splash," he says.

Answers: Mary Jo Buttafucco, the Boston Strangler and Michael Fay.

1. Bali; 2. Wilson Pickett; 3. Derrick Thomas; 4. Amelie Mauresmo; 5. Lung cancer; 6. Charles Van Doren; 7. Visit space; 8. Daniel Petrocelli; 9. Dealey Plaza; 10. National Guard

Scandalmonger Trivia Game, which retails for $29.95, is available at all S.W. Randall stores, Games Galore in Moon, Knickerbocker Toys in Mars, Games Unlimited in Squirrel Hill and at the Downtown YMCA. You also can also buy it online atwww.scandalmongergame.com/.