Game Night's Gloomy Game of the Year discussion

Chat about the tasks, your planned books, etc.

Sally,

I'm about to head off to bed. Do you want mod status so you can approve team members as they find the group?

Hi guys - found my way here already - as I am in a different time zone I am heading for bed soon - had a look at the first round. And I can read the following depending on which bit of turf we go for:

If we go for Alice Springs - I can read Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi - #44 on Best Retellings of Alice in Wonderland List -

If we go for Lake Eyre - I can go read a book with pink cover The Wicked Wager by Anya Wylde

And then if we go for Kimberly I can read - Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn #12 on the Earl Sizzles list

Where are the challenges posted? I can't seem to find the list of prompts!

Checking in.

Emily wrote: "Where are the challenges posted? I can't seem to find the list of prompts!"

These are posted in your team's thread over at the Game Night group. I'll post them over here for easy reference.

As a team, you are going to want to discuss which turfs you'll want to focus on. You can choose to split your reading across all turfs, read for all turfs but give priority to one or two, or put all eggs into one basket, etc.

Discuss those options in this thread, or perhaps, even set up a poll to get an idea what others' thoughts are. Everyone has the ability to set up a poll in this group. Also can make someone a mod if they want to take on organizing this group and such.

The turfs up for grabs this round are:
Kimberley (found in the yellow section of map)
Lake Eyre (found in lime green section of map)
Alice Springs (found in orange section of map)

Yellow section: This is Western Australia. There are 9 turfs in WA. It may be difficult to get all the turfs since there are so many. However, if your team collects all turfs of Western Australia, there are 6 bonus points added to your team's score.

Lime Green section: This is Victoria. There are 4 turfs in this section. It may be easier to get all the turfs since there are fewer than any other section. Perhaps the other teams thinks so as well, so gotta weigh that into your decisions. If you team collects all turfs of Victoria, there are 2 bonus points added to your team's score.

Orange section: This is Northern Territory. There are 5 turfs in this section. Bonus points if claim all turfs will be 3.

Discuss, Discuss, Discuss.

Oh, interesting. Should we try to go for the larger section and try to complete that, or is that what the other teams will do? Focus on the smaller sections, but try to get them all?

Let's see what I can read for each territory

I don't recall how we "win" a turf. If there are 9 in WA and 5 in the Northern Territory, I assume we can get more than one territory each week? Otherwise obviously it would take at least 9 weeks to win all 9, so does anyone know how we win all of the turfs in one section?

I am able to read for any of the sections. We also need to decide if we want to go for the spellouts or which tasks, if we'll focus on one task or spread them out. I definitely don't really know how to strategize for this challenge (which turfs to get and when) but I'm very participatory! I personally will always shoot for a .04 multiplier or .03 multiplier. We have one day, thirteen hours to figure it out and, of course, we want some time left to figure out and get any books we'll need for the week. LOL

I have options for each, and will read for whichever territory we pick.

For Lake Eyre:
Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn
384 pages - #15 on the Derivatives of Jane Eyre listopia

For Kimberly:
One Night for Love by Mary Balogh
375 pages -#115 on the Earl, Sizzles listopia

For Alice Springs:
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
162 pages - #12 on the Best Retellings of Alice in Wonderland listopia

How many books can we read per person per week? If one of us reads a book, does that mean that no one else on the team can read that book? I should post these in the team hangout thread.

Understanding the multiplier

🚩 Kimberley ()
.01 multiplier: Any book of choice which doesn't fit any other multiplier task option
.02 multiplier: As a team spell out highlighted words/phrases in this turf's area of list.
.03 multiplier: A book that is #1 in a series
.04 multiplier: A book found on the Earl, Sizzles! listopia

For this turf I have
from the Earl list:
The Proposal 311 pages x .04 = 12.44

#1 series
Jon's Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case 309 pages -- reorder to 930 x .03 = 27.09

So...the highest multiplier is not always the best option. Correct? Is it just better to look for books that have 7,8,9 in the page count and see if they fit?

I have nothing for Jane Eyre and Alice in Wonderland lists. I have at least 3, probably more on the Earls list.


I don't really understand the game yet, so I have no opinion on strategy.

Coming from last Turf Wars, here are some tips:

- Page count matters more than multiplier... a book that meets the .01 multiplier but has 999 pages will get more points than a .04 multiplier with 111 pages. Thus, you may not be reading many books that have low page counts during this challenge lol.

- We can win multiple turfs in a round, if we have more points than the other teams. The first few rounds will be a bit up for grabs, but as we get later, we will have to strategize more to decide which turfs we want to focus on.

- For this round, if we are feeling confident, we should probably choose two turfs we want to focus on, and read for those two. Maybe Lake Erie and Alice Springs, since it's easier to get a monopoly on all of those turfs?

- Anyone can read any amount of books and a book can be read by multiple players. For example, if a listopia list only has 10 books on it, we can all read all 10 books. You just can't read the same book for the challenge twice (I think).

Vicki wrote: "I don't recall how we "win" a turf. If there are 9 in WA and 5 in the Northern Territory, I assume we can get more than one territory each week? Otherwise obviously it would take at least 9 weeks t..."

Nine different rounds . . . . The order in which the turfs are presented was determined by random draw. You can view which battle round each is in by viewing each tab in the team spreadsheet.

Critterbee❇ wrote: "How many books can we read per person per week? If one of us reads a book, does that mean that no one else on the team can read that book? I should post these in the team hangout thread."
As many as you can fit within the round's time frame. Multiple team members can read the same book.

Susan A wrote: "Understanding the multiplier

🚩 Kimberley ()
.01 multiplier: Any book of choice which doesn't fit any other multiplier task option
.02 multiplier: As a team spell out highlighted words/phrases in t..."
Default edition page count something to take into consideration. If reading lower raw sum books at a higher multiplier, you just might get lower turf points than reading a higher raw sum book at a lower multiplier.

Emily wrote: "Coming from last Turf Wars, here are some tips:

- Page count matters more than multiplier... a book that meets the .01 multiplier but has 999 pages will get more points than a .04 multiplier with .04 multiplier with 111 pages. Thus, you may not be reading many books that have low page counts during this challenge lol...."

Can you check that I understand correctly?

A book with 109 pages actually can score a lot of points. Re-order it to 910 then apply the multiplier. For highest multiplier, 910 * .04 = 36.4. That's much more effective use of time than a 999 page book.

Furthermore, 109 pages always earns more than 200, 210 and 220 pages, no matter what the multiplier is.

910 *.01 = 9.1
200 *.04 = 8

If this is correct, then I think I should be looking for books with a 7 8 or 9 in the page count.

Sandi wrote: "Default edition page count something to take into consideration. If reading lower raw sum books at a higher multiplier, you just might get lower turf points than reading a higher raw sum book at a lower multiplier. ..."

Hmm..I thought I did find the default edition. I am not familiar with it yet, but I did read the directions. I'll look through it again.

I'm not saying you didn't Susan. Likely you did. I didn't take the time to search it at this point. Just giving the basics of why you might consider a lower multiplier than a higher one.

Sandi wrote: "I'm not saying you didn't Susan. Likely you did. I didn't take the time to search it at this point. Just giving the basics of why you might consider a lower multiplier than a higher one."

Thanks.
It's annoying I know. I'll have too many questions in the beginning, but then I'll settle in.

For those who haven't played before, the strategy my team used last time was to try to narrow the focus down to 2 turfs each round. For now, we can decide as a team which turfs we can all find the most books to read for. Then in the future, we'll choose turfs based also on getting an entire region also if we can.

The best option is always to choose books with 7, 8, or 9 in the page count of the default edition which fit in the 0.03 and 0.04 multiplier tasks. There will always be a handful of books people read for that don't fit anywhere else, or have like 301 pages or something, but if everyone makes an effort to at least read a few with good page numbers and multipliers, we should do alright.

My vote for focusing on Kimberley and Lake Eyre. I have several options for each of those in the 0.03 or 0.04 multipliers.

I can look around more, but so far I dont' have any books for that one.

Ah! I found a book that is #1 in a series with 109 pages!
That would be 910 * 0.03.

I think I am getting the hang of this :D

I am awful with colors.

I know this works for pink:


but does this one work for pink?

Joanne wrote: "My vote for focusing on Kimberley and Lake Eyre. I have several options for each of those in the 0.03 or 0.04 multipliers.

I can look around more, but so far I dont' have any books for that one."

I have bunches for Kimberly - I think I can read earls all week. A few for Lake Eyre. I have nothing I'm interested in reading for Alice Springs

Hey, everyone checking in. I'm pretty confident that I can find books for all three. I like the idea of picking two turfs.

I took Sandi's advice and made up a poll with options as to how we want to organize our efforts for Round 1. Please go vote here so we can all start planning our books as soon as possible.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Joanne wrote: "I took Sandi's advice and made up a poll with options as to how we want to organize our efforts for Round 1. Please go vote here so we can all start planning our books as soon as possible.

https:/..."

Won’t we spread ourselves thin trying to read for 3 turfs?

But then I guess if we divide ourselves up and have a few read for each one.

I can only read one book a week - so my goal is to try and read those books that will give me the highest bang for my buck?

I have voted - but not with any strategy in mind - as I am not in the slightest bit strategic 😂😂

If we read for the kimberlies- the book I’ve got that fits would earn 15

The book I’ve got for Alice Springs would earn 16.24

And the book for Lake eyre would only earn 6.99

So my vested interest would be Alice Springs as I can earn more

Hi everyone! I am down to do pretty much anything. When I am free tonight I will try to investigate what I can read 😊

Hi all! Just popping in to see where everyone's head is on this before I vote on the poll. :)

Spreading ourself too thin is definitely a concern if we read for all three turfs but I wanted to include all options so everyone can vote for what they would like to do best. Personally I like the idea of reading for two of the options and then throwing a small amount of points toward the third one in case no one else goes for it.

My possible book choices:

Alice Springs:

384 pages - 843 X .03 = 25.29

Lake Eyre:

288 pages - 882 X .03 = 26.46

Kimberley:

468 pages - 864 X .03 = 25.92

Apparently I liked the .03 multipliers. I can spend some time tomorrow to try to find some books that may be more points but here's just an idea of what I will probably read for each turf.

I'm very flexible, but I think the best options are Kimberly and Lake Eyre.

We can also look for short spell outs for any books that don't fit anywhere else that we might need for other challenges.

I'm going to be out of pocket for the next few days (Labor Day weekend travels), but I will check in Monday evening and plan my reading and whatnot. I have a few books that I need to read for other challenges, so I'll probably (mostly) be contributing to spell outs, if that's ok.

My plans depending on what we end up doing:

Kimberley: (34.52 pts)

Lake Eyre: (25.29 pts)

Alice Springs: (24.84 pts)

I am also currently reading , which can go in for Kimberley at 24.96 pts. Otherwise if we decide not to do Kimberley we can use it for a spell-out for a 0.02 multiplier.

I've been looking through Audible escape and hoopla. At first I was looking at books on the earl's list for the multiplier .04.

For example, I found
When He Was Wicked - 34.53 points, 9 hours 53 minutes

Then I started looking for series #1 books with the .03 multiplier and realized that there are a lot of shorter audio books

Misadventures of a City Girl] - 26.13, 5 hours, 56 minutes
The Duelist's Seduction - 21.93, 3H, 6M

Total - 48.06, 9H 2 minutes

So in slightly less time, I can listen two books at the lower multiplier and gain more points

Wait have we decided yet what we are focusing on?

I am still trying to figure everything out, will start catching on when playing (I hope), so whichever strategy is fine with me.

Does spell outs have to be only teams?

~~Ambi~~ wrote: "Does spell outs have to be only teams?"

I would say so - one of the word is actually two words DUNALIELLA SALINA

Another is SAILING IN THE SKY

I’m not sure how it works but it does say team in the instruction so I’m guessing we all chip in and take a letter then each book get multiplied by .02 ( or we add up all the pages and multiple the total by .02)

I’m only guessing though have never played before. Will go and read the instruction better.

Team effort. One person could certain do it if they read however many books a spell out required. Examples above: 16 and 15.

I'm going to create a thread in this group dedicated to questions for me so I don't feel the need to sift through this thread.

My ignorance of Australia already shining bright (even with a map to guide me).

I notice at post #6, I typed the following:

Lime Green section: This is Victoria. There are 4 turfs in this section. If you team collects all turfs of Victoria, there are 2 bonus points added to your team's score

this is not true. Lime Green Section is South Australia and has 5 turfs in that section. Bonus points = 3

~~Ambi~~ wrote: "Wait have we decided yet what we are focusing on?"

No. We didn’t decide. I’m just researching what book I can read for the the different options

Did you respond to the poll?

Has everyone on the team made it to the secret group? Have we all voted? There is a clear front-runner in the poll so maybe we should just start planning our books so we can get a headstart.

For anyone who really wants to read for the third category, feel free to throw a couple of books toward it since we're gonna want at least a few points in that category.

There are 25 people on our team, and 13 have voted in the poll. I know sometimes I forget to look for a challenge that I have joined until I get a message, so hopefully Sandi will send out a group-wide message to remind players about Turf Wars.

Joanne wrote: "Has everyone on the team made it to the secret group? Have we all voted? There is a clear front-runner in the poll so maybe we should just start planning our books so we can get a headstart.

For ..."

We still have people who haven’t checked in to main thread or here. Looking through who checked in on main thread and here, I’ll post a list below.

Member Check In
Game Night thread and Private Group

Erin | Yes
~~Ambi~~ | Yes
Joanne | Yes
Maria Jo | Yes
Emily | Yes
✼Danielle✼ | Yes
Ashley | Yes
Sally906 | Yes
Pam from Maine | Yes
Miriam | Yes
bamaace83 | Yes
Vicki | Yes
Critterbee | Yes
Cyndee | Yes
Susanne | Yes
Susan A | Yes
Cinthia | Yes
Shorouk | Yes
Leslie Ann | Yes
Keri | Yes
Chafic | Yes
Suzy | Yes
Cecily | Yes
Chava | Yes


Erik | PM sent with links
Vanessa | PM sent


I’ll see if I can find their profiles from signup and send PMs. Sandi was very helpful and had signup messages in list for team.

I hope we decide soon I want to figure out my books and go to library if need be to get all i need for this first challenge. I have Kindle Unlimited, Audible +Audible Escape, hoopla,RBG digital, library and last resort purchase on my kindle. I like to be able to plan out as soon as possible we start tomorrow.

Oh yeah they but three of us in here with the name susanne,suzy,susan lol so if people need to be specific I am susanne B

With 13 votes in the poll, the top three chosen (so far) all include Kimberley, plus there is another vote to just focus on Kimberley:
Focus on Lake Eyre and Kimberley 8 votes, 61.5%
Focus on Kimberley and Alice Springs 2 votes, 15.4%
Read for all 3 turfs (Kimberley, Lake Eyre, Alice Springs) 1 vote, 7.7%
Focus only on Lake Eyre 1 vote, 7.7%
Focus only on Kimberley 1 vote, 7.7%

So if someone wanted to plan now, Kimberley looks to be a pretty safe bet, having gotten 12 out of 13 votes.