Anonymous Challenge Guessing Game Discussion

[elvet]

It is getting close to our next challenge.
The last discussion had some good suggestions about how to run the 'guessing game' part. Daysman has already submitted the new theme and topic. Having the winner do this shortly after the contest ends lets us start the next one on time.
Here's what we need to decide.
Option 1:
Do we have 1 month open for entries (May 1 - 30), then guessing for June 1 - 15?
Option 2:
Continue with submissions from May 1 - June 15, then guessing for a specified period of time.
Option 3:
Give Farntfar's game a try

The guessing 'rules' as they stand are:
Post the winner and the list of participants when the vote closes
Only the host gets to correct the guesses.
The game is called when participation falls off

However, we were discussing some changes including:
- a secondary reveal thread for those that want to know and don't want to guess
- Having tagged authors confirm or deny their work, though this can make the game easier.

Let me know what you'd like to do.

 

[Wayne Mack]

I slightly lean towards option 3, Farntfar's game.

I am personally neutral on the suggestions, though I have a bias towards trying something new to see how it works out. The main attraction for me is the writing prompt aspect; I like the opportunity to try something new in my writing with a minimal commitment to length. I have not been actively involved in the guessing game aspect, but I am respectful towards those who do enjoy it and will agree to whatever the guessers' may prefer.

 

[Provincial]

I think @farntfar ’s suggestion sounds like fun.

 

[BT Jones]

Let's give @farntfar's suggestion a go. if it doesn't quite work, we can always change or tweak it.

 

[elvet]

I slightly lean towards option 3, Farntfar's game.

I am personally neutral on the suggestions, though I have a bias towards trying something new to see how it works out. The main attraction for me is the writing prompt aspect; I like the opportunity to try something new in my writing with a minimal commitment to length. I have not been actively involved in the guessing game aspect, but I am respectful towards those who do enjoy it and will agree to whatever the guessers' may prefer.

I think @farntfar ’s suggestion sounds like fun.

Let's give @farntfar's suggestion a go. if it doesn't quite work, we can always change or tweak it.

Farntfar's game is more fun for guessing, but it does mean that the job of hosting is rotated, and it may be hard to get people to volunteer to run the challenge. The participants that play the guessing game are few compared to the total number of members who submit stories.
Another question - does it run for 6 weeks or 4 weeks? If we adopt Farntfar's model, the guessing can technically continue unto the second challenge so we could have entries for the longer period. I am partial to the longer time frame if we continue with 4 challenges a year. We had entries last time coming in right up until the last minute.
Lastly, a reveal thread or PM should be considered for those participants who don't want to guess, but would like to know who they voted for.

Last months challenge was a great success. Whatever we do, it is important to keep the basic entering process consistent and clear so that members aren't scared off by thinking they have to do extra stuff at the end.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Put me down as preferring the longer period for entries. My muse often goes on holiday after 300 and 75 words, so that couple of extra weeks makes all the difference, as can be seen by the quality of my entries

 

[paranoid marvin]

I would say only start the guessing game after the voting has been done. Otherwise you end up with a mixture of nominations for votes and guessing in the same which would be a bit messy.

I do think it's a good idea to announce the winning author straight away rather than at a later date, as I suspect that some (most?) who don't play the guessing game will just want to congratulate the winner, thank those who shortlisted/voted for their stories and move on. I think that would have to be done in a separate thread

In regards to the guessing game, I think it would be a good idea before it starts to get a list of the participants at the start , and maybe even how many entries they submitted. That way there is some basis for judging stories by author style and in comparison with other entries.

 

[BT Jones]

Farntfar's game is more fun for guessing, but it does mean that the job of hosting is rotated, and it may be hard to get people to volunteer to run the challenge. The participants that play the guessing game are few compared to the total number of members who submit stories.
Another question - does it run for 6 weeks or 4 weeks? If we adopt Farntfar's model, the guessing can technically continue unto the second challenge so we could have entries for the longer period. I am partial to the longer time frame if we continue with 4 challenges a year. We had entries last time coming in right up until the last minute.
Lastly, a reveal thread or PM should be considered for those participants who don't want to guess, but would like to know who they voted for.

Last months challenge was a great success. Whatever we do, it is important to keep the basic entering process consistent and clear so that members aren't scared off by thinking they have to do extra stuff at the end.

Okay @elvet, well I can't speak for anyone else, but I would not be able to play host (sorry). I barely have enough time to enter my challenges and then read everyone else's. So, whether that influences my vote for which way to proceed, I don't know...

 

[Provincial]

I would like to suggest that we have submissions from May 1st to June 15th, voting from June 16th to June 20th (that takes in a whole weekend, I don’t know if weekends are better for voting or not), winner announced and named on June 21st while the complete list of who-wrote-what-story is published in a separate thread on the same day, and guessing going on from June 21st onwards. The next host in the tag team would start the next challenge on July 1st, which gives the winner from the previous challenge ten whole days in which to come up with a suitable theme and genre, if they’re up to the challenge; if they time out, either the runner(s)-up decide (if there are more than one, on a first come, first served basis) or the current host chooses what they are and passes them on to the next host.

Alternatively, one host could do every challenge if volunteers are in short supply by having the guessing game only running until the end of the month.

I do like the idea of people responding on their own behalf when someone links a story to their name, but the response might be rather patchy if those who don’t take part in the guessing game stop following the thread completely and don’t log in to Chron for a few days, in which case the host would have to step in I guess. On the other hand, it might possibly encourage more interest...?

 

[elvet]

If switching hosts is only so I can have a chance to guess, it is not something I'm worried about, especially when it means getting new hosts on a regular basis (which may be problematic). This was most of the point of Farntfar's game, as well as keeping the winner a secret.
There were a few people (from the Challenge Discussion Thread) who liked the idea of announcing the winner as soon as the Poll ended. Now that there are multiple submissions per person, I think that this is not as much an advantage as it would have been when there was only one entry allowed. So the guessing game is still difficult. The duration of the game can really be flexible. As long as people want to continue guessing, there is no need to 'call it'. I do think for those participants that do not want to play, they should have access to the 'spoiler' list of submissions to see who they voted for.
As for tagging authors, maybe that could be an option or variation depending on difficult that particular challenge is. Let's say that one week into the game and guessing is flagging, we could play the TAG card to garner more interest.

 

[farntfar]

A couple more suggestions, on the basis of people's expressed preferences.
The complete list of authors and entries could be published as soon as the voting is closed, but in a SPOILER entry.
People could look at it if they like or ignore it to play the game. (If anyone wants to cheat by looking AND playing the game, well let's hope they get a big thrill out of it. There's nothing to stop them.)
The guessing game could continue in the discussion thread, or we could even start a thread dedicated to guessing, and in either case it could go on as long as people wish it to.

I have time on my hands for the next few months, I think. So I'm happy to run the challenge or the guessing or whatever for the next challenge.
As for how long each one lasts, my suggestion to go back to calendar month challenges was to allow more (8) challenges per year, without conflicting with the 300, which was part of our original remit. It seems many people prefer a longer, 1 1/2 month challenge 4 times a year. So that works too, especially with the new possibility to make multiple entries during the longer entry period. I found the possibility to make several entries very stimulating.


Edit. I see that Elvet has just suggested the same idea of a spoiler list. Great minds, etc.

 

[JS Wiig]

I like the idea of more challenges per year, as these give me practice and a reason to write when I may be otherwise finding reason difficult.

 

[farntfar]

JS
With the possibility of making multiple entries, you can probably do as many stories in a 4 x (1 1/2 month) periods as you could 8 x 20 day periods.
I like the chance to make several entries on a single theme, so that I can try out using different ideas and styles to see which ones I like best of my own stories. (I still never get any votes though. )

 

[mosaix]

My view is that if it involves more hosts we need to make sure we have enough volunteers into the future to make it work.

 

[JS Wiig]

@farntfar thanks I hadn’t really considered the multiple entry angle. I’ll have to give that a try!

 

[elvet]

The challenge will start tomorrow. I am going to keep the challenge format the same for now:
Multiple entries submitted over 1 1/2 months. The winner must submit the next topic/theme within 1 week of their victory.
I am happy to see volunteers for rotational hosting, but like @mosaix, I am worried that this may wane as time goes on. If the idea was for me to take a break, or to get a chance to guess, don't worry about that. I enjoy hosting, and have got into a rhythm with setting it up. However, it is always good to have backups. I do have a detailed written set of guidelines for running the Challenge if and when the time comes.

As to the guessing game, we can still tweak things.
For now:
After the poll closes, the host posts the winners name, and a list of entrants.
A spoiler Reveal Post will be included in the discussion thread listing the names of authors and their stories for those who do not want to participate in the Guessing Game, and for use after the Guessing Game is over.
The Guessing Game will remain open as long as the members participating want it to, and the host will do corrections.

I don't think we came to a clear decision on author tags.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Thanks elvet. I'm sure that I speak for everyone when I say that the work that you do running and managing this competition is much appreciated.

 

[Wayne Mack]

I guess this means that we should refrain from posting thank yous for votes and mentions until guessing is complete. Or maybe the thank yous may serve as extra clues for guessing?