Grumbleweed
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2016 3:57 pm
This is a silly but rather addictive game that we've been playing on the Tube Challenge Forum. It was suggested that it might work on this forum, so I'm trying it out. If enough people are interested in taking part then I might start a game tomorrow or later in the week.
OVERVIEW
Grumbleweed is a game of prediction and risk. The aim is to predict the time of the next post in the thread. Players gain or lose points depending on whether their predictions are successful. For the purposes of the game:
A post is just any post in the thread. There are no restrictions on what can be posted as long as it's (at least vaguely) relevant to the game.
A valid claim is a post containing a line saying "X point(s)", where X is any positive integer from 2 to 60. In making such a claim, a player is predicting that the next post will be at least X minutes later. The claim must not be posted during the hours 00:00 to 05:59 inclusive. A player may not make two successive claims without another valid claim between them (see rule 3 below).
A successful claim is one that is not followed by another post within the number of minutes specified. If the claim is successful, the player gains the points. If the claim is unsuccessful, the player loses the points.
The winning-post is 300 points, but a 100-point lead also guarantees a win. If neither has been achieved after 7 days then the winner is the player in the lead at that time.
SAMPLE GAME
Player A claims "20 points" at 12:00.
Player B claims "30 points" at 12:22. Player A gains 20 points (more than 20 minutes have elapsed since A's claim).
Player C claims "10 points" at 12:50. Player B loses 30 points (fewer than 30 minutes have elapsed since B's claim).
Player D posts "This game is stupid" at 13:02. Player C gains 10 points (more than 10 minutes since C's claim).
Player C claims "10 points" at 13:05. Invalid since player C made the last valid claim for points.
Player A claims "20 points" at 13:20. No points scored (last claim invalid).
Player B posts "Bad luck!" at 13:39. Player A loses 20 points, etc.
RULES IN FULL
(1) Subject to the rules below, any player can post a claim for points at any time, in the form "X points" where X is any positive integer from 2 to 60. The player starting the game may not make the first claim. The claim must appear in a separate line from any other material in the post.
(2) If the time difference between a claim for X points and the next post in the thread is X minutes or more, the player gains X points. If the time difference is less than X minutes, the player loses X points. All posts in the thread are deemed to "stop the clock", apart from those during "downtime" (see rule 7). Subject to rule 7, time differences are calculated according to the timestamp (in hours and minutes) on the post, not the actual time elapsed. Seconds are ignored.
(3) No player may make two successive claims for points without another valid claim between them. Consecutive posts by the same player are allowed as long as they are not both claims.
(4) There is no score or penalty for invalid claims.
(5) Scores, comments and queries relevant to the game may be posted in the thread. They stop the clock like all other posts. They may be included in claim posts as long as the claim appears on a separate line. If a player wishes to stop the clock without making a claim or making a comment, he/she can simply post "spoiler" or something similar.
(6) Editing of claims is forbidden. Any player found to have edited a claim will forfeit 60 points plus the number of points that appear in the claim (if any), irrespective of the time of the next post. Editing of lines that do not contain claims is permitted.
(7) The period of time from 00:00 to 05:59 inclusive is regarded as "downtime" and all claims within this period are regarded as invalid. Posts during downtime do not stop the clock. If the expiry time of a claim would otherwise fall within this period, then 6 hours is added to the expiry time. E.g. a claim of 20 points made at 23:50 is deemed to expire at 06:10 the next day, not 00:10.
(8) The winner is either:
•the first player to 300 points, or
•the first player to gain a lead of 100 points over the second-placed player, or
•the player in the lead after 7 days have elapsed from the start of the game.
The winning-post is deemed to have been passed as soon as the allotted time is reached. E.g. if a player is on 290 points and claims 10 points, then that player is deemed to have won as soon as 10 minutes have passed without another post.
Any queries about the rules before continuing?
OVERVIEW
Grumbleweed is a game of prediction and risk. The aim is to predict the time of the next post in the thread. Players gain or lose points depending on whether their predictions are successful. For the purposes of the game:
A post is just any post in the thread. There are no restrictions on what can be posted as long as it's (at least vaguely) relevant to the game.
A valid claim is a post containing a line saying "X point(s)", where X is any positive integer from 2 to 60. In making such a claim, a player is predicting that the next post will be at least X minutes later. The claim must not be posted during the hours 00:00 to 05:59 inclusive. A player may not make two successive claims without another valid claim between them (see rule 3 below).
A successful claim is one that is not followed by another post within the number of minutes specified. If the claim is successful, the player gains the points. If the claim is unsuccessful, the player loses the points.
The winning-post is 300 points, but a 100-point lead also guarantees a win. If neither has been achieved after 7 days then the winner is the player in the lead at that time.
SAMPLE GAME
Player A claims "20 points" at 12:00.
Player B claims "30 points" at 12:22. Player A gains 20 points (more than 20 minutes have elapsed since A's claim).
Player C claims "10 points" at 12:50. Player B loses 30 points (fewer than 30 minutes have elapsed since B's claim).
Player D posts "This game is stupid" at 13:02. Player C gains 10 points (more than 10 minutes since C's claim).
Player C claims "10 points" at 13:05. Invalid since player C made the last valid claim for points.
Player A claims "20 points" at 13:20. No points scored (last claim invalid).
Player B posts "Bad luck!" at 13:39. Player A loses 20 points, etc.
RULES IN FULL
(1) Subject to the rules below, any player can post a claim for points at any time, in the form "X points" where X is any positive integer from 2 to 60. The player starting the game may not make the first claim. The claim must appear in a separate line from any other material in the post.
(2) If the time difference between a claim for X points and the next post in the thread is X minutes or more, the player gains X points. If the time difference is less than X minutes, the player loses X points. All posts in the thread are deemed to "stop the clock", apart from those during "downtime" (see rule 7). Subject to rule 7, time differences are calculated according to the timestamp (in hours and minutes) on the post, not the actual time elapsed. Seconds are ignored.
(3) No player may make two successive claims for points without another valid claim between them. Consecutive posts by the same player are allowed as long as they are not both claims.
(4) There is no score or penalty for invalid claims.
(5) Scores, comments and queries relevant to the game may be posted in the thread. They stop the clock like all other posts. They may be included in claim posts as long as the claim appears on a separate line. If a player wishes to stop the clock without making a claim or making a comment, he/she can simply post "spoiler" or something similar.
(6) Editing of claims is forbidden. Any player found to have edited a claim will forfeit 60 points plus the number of points that appear in the claim (if any), irrespective of the time of the next post. Editing of lines that do not contain claims is permitted.
(7) The period of time from 00:00 to 05:59 inclusive is regarded as "downtime" and all claims within this period are regarded as invalid. Posts during downtime do not stop the clock. If the expiry time of a claim would otherwise fall within this period, then 6 hours is added to the expiry time. E.g. a claim of 20 points made at 23:50 is deemed to expire at 06:10 the next day, not 00:10.
(8) The winner is either:
•the first player to 300 points, or
•the first player to gain a lead of 100 points over the second-placed player, or
•the player in the lead after 7 days have elapsed from the start of the game.
The winning-post is deemed to have been passed as soon as the allotted time is reached. E.g. if a player is on 290 points and claims 10 points, then that player is deemed to have won as soon as 10 minutes have passed without another post.
Any queries about the rules before continuing?
