The Challenge Factory discussion

ROUND 15: SUPER SPEEDY SERIES CHALLENGE

✸ This is a team challenge that requires 2 books a week . The object of the game is to roll the die and move along the board. To win a team must roll past 100. Teams will roll on Thursdays & Sundays.

✸ R15 Super Speedy Sign Ups are open 02/04 through 02/11. Then teams will be formed and the game will officially start on 02/15.

✸ Teams are formed at random.

✸ Teams will roll the die by clicking going to "https://www.random.org/dice/" on Sundays and Thursdays once their team has completed their reads. Please note you will have to change the dice to ONE die.


**VERY IMPORTANT**
A team CANNOT advance if all the reviews are not complete and in by the deadline. Reviews are due at the latest by end of day on Thursday and Sunday respectively - 11.59pm Central Time. Without a free pass to cover a review still missing by deadline, the team will have to sit out the next roll. That being said, players should have their reviews in on Wednesday (for the Thursday roll) and on Saturday (for the Sunday roll). Your team captain cannot roll until ALL of the team reviews have been posted.

❖If a player fails to have their book done two times throughout the game (excluding a prearranged absence) they will no longer be a part of the team.

✸ Prearranged absence must be requested from the moderator in charge by pm or in your team thread before the team rolls for the period you need to skip.


HOW TO PICK A BOOK:
✸ Books are based on the spot you're on, not the roll of the die.
If you land on single digit spot, for example let's say you land on spot 5, then you have to read a book that's #5 in a series. For double digit numbers, for example you land on spot 48 you can read either a #4 or a #8 in a series.
✸ Standalone books can be used for a 1 or a 0
✸ First in a series can be used for a 1
✸ I don't expect anyone to read a series out of order and for people that don't read series books that still want to play there will be an alternate option. There will be an alternate option for each spot.
✸ Half books: ½ or .5 count only if they meet the page requirement AND will be judged by preceding whole number numeral on Goodreads.
Example: Spot 8: A MacKenzie Clan Gathering (MacKenzies & McBrides, #8.5) would count for spot 8 because it meets the page limit.
✸ Books in multiple series can be used for ANY of the series. An example: Azagoth (1001 Dark Nights, #6; Lords of Deliverance, #5.5; Demonica, #10.5) can be used for spot 6 for 1001 Dark Nights, spot 5 for LoD or spot 10 for Demonica because it meets the page limit.


✸ There will be a separate thread for captains to post their place on the board after rolling and to post a link to the team's completed reviews.


FREE PASS
✸ Teams will have a chance to earn 1 Free Pass to roll. To earn your free pass your team has to complete their reads a day before the next roll. Once your team has done this you will have 1 free pass. The free pass will allow a team to roll if they are missing a review(s) before the cutoff. Once you've used it, you can't earn another one. It's a one-time shot.
NOTE:
✸ The free pass may not be used for the win.
✸ If the player whose review the free pass is covering for has already previously missed a deadline, they must submit the missing review within one day after the deadline if they wish to retain their place on the team.


BONUS POINTS:

✸ One point can be earned for reading three or more books in a series.
✸ One point can be earned for reading a book with >500 pages.
✸ One point can be earned for starting and finishing a series. There must be at least 4 books in that series. Series + spin-off totalling ≥4 books also counts. For series with >9 books, point will be awarded for reading books 1-9. For still ongoing series, all books published to date (OR up to #9 in longer series) must be read.~ No re-reads on this one.
✸ 2 in 1: One point can be earned for reading a book that fits both the series number and the alternate for the spot you are on.
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate list. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
✸ One point can be earned for always picking a book from the alternate list. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series OR the same series read by two different players.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.

How to use bonus points:
✸ Bonus points can be added to your roll to move you further along the board. Each bonus point can only be earned once and spent once.
✸ Bonus points may be used for the win. Example: Your team rolls and lands on spot 97. Your team has earned 4 bonus points. You can use your bonus points to move to spot 101 and compete for the win.
✸ You don't have to use all your bonus points at the same time.
✸ You can also use your bonus points earlier in the game. Example: Your team has earned 3 bonus points. Your team rolls and lands on spot 88. A team member doesn't havea book that is either #8 in a series or fits the alternate. They do however have a #9. Your team may decide to use 1 bonus point to move to spot 89 and have 2 bonus points remaining for later use.


✸ Re-reads are allowed ( ~EXCEPT on Winning Spots, no re-reads to win)
✸ Page limit: min. 140 pages
✸ When using an anthology you may use any of the numbers in the book except for the .5 since this means ½. But you must read each story in the anthology. The same applies to short story collections.
✸ Series # will be based on how GR has it listed.
✸ Comics, graphic novels and manga don't count for this challenge
✸ Deadline cutoffs are based on US Central time zone

✸✸✸ Any questions please feel free to ask!

Round 15 SSS Sign Ups

ALTERNATE LIST:
**titles exclude leading articles (a, an, the)

1. Cover Item: Hands/Arms/Feet/Legs (no other body parts visible)
2. Title 'K'
3. Published before 1950
4. Cover: Red
5. Award Winner (must state which/when)
6. Published 2011-2015
7. Cover: Purple
8. Author uses a pseudonym
9. Author 'M'
10. Set on an island
11. Cover Item: Jewelry
12. Cover: White
13. MC has at least one child
14. Title 'H'
15. Re-read
16. Non-Fiction
17. Cover: Orange
18. Cover Item: One person
19. GR average rating >4.0
20. Published 2022
21. Cover: Blue
22. Title 'Y'
23. Number in the Title (Third Grave Dead Ahead or Every Fifteen Minutes)
24. Several authors
25. Set in space
26. Cover: Green
27. Author 'R'
28. South America
29. Young Adult/New Adult
30. Set in the 20th century
31. Title 'V'
32. Book to Movie/TV (must state how book qualifies: listopia, imdb, precis)
33. Four or More Words Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
34. LGBTQ+
35. Mystery/Thriller
36. Cover Item: Book
37. Published 2023
38. Seasonal Theme (i.e Christmas, Halloween etc)
39. Title 'F'
40. Set in the future
41. Cover Item: Mode of Transportation
42. Fantasy
43. Asia
44. Cover Item: Water
45. Debut Novel or Debut Author
46. Cover Item: Weapon MC
47. Published 2021
48. Title 'G'
49. Cover Item: Animal
50. North America
51. MC travels by airplane
52. Cover Item: Food/Drink
53. MC travels by train
54. Author 'G'
55. Cover Item: Sun/Moon
56. Author uses their middle name/initial (e.g. Robert J. Sawyer, Rita Mae Brown)
57. Book with a wedding in it
58. Cover Item: Money or other form of payment
59. Science Fiction
60. Author 'L'
61. Published 2016-2020
62. Cover Item: Umbrella/Parasol
63. Title 'E'
64. Cover Item: Furniture
65. Title 'L'
66. Published between 1950 and 1999
67. One Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Witness or Divergent
68. Cover Item: Hat/Helmet/Other Headwear
69. Title 'C'
70. Cover: Pink
71. Oceania
72. Romance
73. Author 'W'
74. Set in a place you've visited
75. Set anytime between 1600-1900
76. Title 'T'
77. Two Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) Deadly Silence, The Hunger Games
78. Originally published in a language other than English
79. Title has a subtitle
80. Cover Item: Lamp/Candle
81. Africa
82. Author 'S'
83. Cover: Black
84. Cover Item: Two or more people
85. Author 'B'
86. Europe
87. Title 'N'
88. Published the year you were born
89. MC is older than 60
90. Set in a Fictional Location/Universe
91. Less than 100 ratings
92. Set sometime before 1600
93. MC has a pet
94. School/College/University setting
95. Book with a funeral in it
96. Title 'J'
97. Cover: Yellow/Gold
98. Three Word Title (excludes articles like A, An, The) Behind Closed Doors or Etched in Bone
99. Book that a teammate rated 5 stars
100. Author 'I'
101. Cover: Brown
102. Cover Item: Building
103. Favorite Author
104. Title 'Z'
105. Author 'O'
106. MC is in their 20s
107. Published 2001-2010
108. Title 'P'
109. Author 'D'
110. New to You Author
111. Title 'B'

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

★ You can use any edition of the book you read.
★ Books must be started after your team has rolled.
★ Review posts MUST include the following: Book title, author, cover, how it qualifies for the spot you're on, date finished, rating, review (min. 3 sentences)

Alternates:
★ Publication years: any edition so long as it is published in the given year
★ Cover Colour: must be at least 50% (see guidelines in post below)
★ Cover Item: must have the given item on the cover
★ Locations: book must be set at least partially in the given location
★ Author letters: author's first, middle, or last name must start with the given letter
★ Title letters: first word in the title starts with the given letter, excluding the lead ARTICLE (The, A, An...)

FOR THOSE PLAYING BOTH
★YES, you can use the same book in both challenges.


EXAMPLE OF AN ACCEPTABLE POST

Week 2: Roll 2
Spot: 13

Book: Hell & High Water by Charlie Cochet
Qualification: THIRDS #1
Finished: 11 Jun 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Review:
Testifying against his partner and getting him locked up for murder leaves Detective Dex Daley deserted by his friends and colleagues as well as his boyfriend, a repeat target of violence, and on his way out of the job at the Human Police Force he loves. Instead of fired, however, he is recruited to join the elite Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron (THIRDS), working side by side with shapeshifters as a Defense Agent. Tossed right into the middle of a murder investigation, Dex has to get accustomed to his new situation quickly - and the fact that his new team is still reeling from the loss of one of their own and not at all happy to integrate his replacement really doesn't help. Neither does the fact that Dex's new teamleader may be a jerk, but he's a very attractive one.

These books have been on my TBR for ages, and I'm glad to finally get around to reading them. It took me a while to get into the story, familiarise myself with the universe (I'm really, really not a fan of "let me explain the entirety of my worldbuilding to you textbook-style" prologues, so I was immediately a little dubious about the whole thing), get to know the characters and pick up the terminology, but after a few chapters I was thoroughly hooked. Looking forward to continuing this series.

When using the alternate that involves cover items, colors, or publications years, please be sure to link the correct edition to show how the book qualifies.

Guideline for Alternate Category Cover Colour

Cover colour alternates tend to be a little tricky, since it can be very hard to tell whether something is 50% a certain colour. Here's a handy little 3-step guide for figuring out whether your chosen book qualifies.

1) Use your own judgment. If a book cover is quite clearly overwhelmingly the colour in question, you don't need additional verification.

Examples:
Blue:
Grey:
Yellow:

2) When in doubt, you can use this tool "http://labs.tineye.com/color/" to check a cover. If TinEye confirms your cover is at least 50% the colour in question, go ahead and use it.
Note: You may need to uncheck "Exclude background color from extracted colors" to get a proper result.

Example:
White: (50.3% white according to TinEye)

3) If it's a close call (say, 40-49.9% the right colour according to TinEye), or TinEye gives you a result you vehemently disagree with (apparently it does that sometimes, unfortunately), or you have trouble using the site/ would generally prefer a human opinion, post the book cover in question to the discussion thread and ask me. I reserve the right to overrule TinEye in cases of a close call or dodgy result.

Examples:
Grey: (44.9% grey according to TinEye. I chose to overrule and let the player use it.)
Orange: (41.1% orange according to TinEye. I would probably choose to overrule.)

*reserved

Hi Denise! I just wanted to make sure — for read a whole series — that I can read out of order. I messed up and didn’t read #1. So can I start with #2 and read #1 when /if we get a 1? 😬. Might have to use a bonus to get a 1 but I’m just making sure I don’t start on this path if we have to read in order. Thanks! 😊

You can read out of order, no problem. :)

Denise wrote: "You can read out of order, no problem. :)"

Thanks! 😊

Denise, how do we determine the page count for audiobooks?

Lanelle wrote: "Denise, how do we determine the page count for audiobooks?"

Generally, I'd say just go with whatever the first edition (I believe sorting by number of ratings is the default setting) to list page numbers says.

Denise wrote: "Generally, I'd say just go with whatever the first edition (I believe sorting by number of ratings is the default setting) to list page numbers says."

Thank you :)

Would Facing Us - Kids of The District #0 - count for spot 50?

Ela (Mouse333) wrote: "Would Facing Us - Kids of The District #0 - count for spot 50?"

Yes, you can use it for the 0.

Hey Denise — we have currently earned 3 bonuses. With my completion today I earned another — the full series. My question is can I use that bonus in this roll or do I need to wait until next roll? Thanks in advance.

Maddielucy(Patti) wrote: "Hey Denise — we have currently earned 3 bonuses. With my completion today I earned another — the full series. My question is can I use that bonus in this roll or do I need to wait until next roll? ..."

You can use it in this roll.
If you're earning either (or both) of the bonus points that are awarded when you roll past 90 (never reading from the alternate list/ always reading from the alternate list), you can also tack those onto your roll immediately. Just make sure you mention all the bonus points you earned/used when you post your new spot. :)

Denise wrote: "Maddielucy(Patti) wrote: "Hey Denise — we have currently earned 3 bonuses. With my completion today I earned another — the full series. My question is can I use that bonus in this roll or do I need..."

Ok great! Thank you!

*** Attention everyone: We have a winner!! ***

With an impressive display of speedreading (patting myself on the back here - good job, self), Team 1 managed to snatch out the victory from under Team 3's noses at the last minute - well done, everyone!
Thank you all for playing this round, I hope you had fun! :)

Congratulations!!