Romance Lovers for the Challenge-Impaired discussion

Hi, Rosina! Hope you had a nice vacation.

I know we can only use one book per member, but can we read more than one book per member to be used as backup letters?

I'm envisioning a scenario where we read our one book per person, but then we can't find a place to put that word and perhaps can't find a way to make a shorter word work either. In that case, I could swap out a different tile using a different book read by one member.

I think we'd have to say those extra books couldn't be banked, because that would skirt the one-book-one-person rule, but it sure would be nice to have a backup or to have as many options as possible when playing a word in such a limited time window.

One more question:

Do we get seven new letters each week, or are we doing it Scrabble-style where we only get replacements for the ones we used in our word play?

Logan wrote: "...can we read more than one book per member to be used as backup letters?...I think we'd have to say those extra books couldn't be banked, because that would skirt the one-book-one-person rule..."

Yes, you may do this, as long as you don't plan on banking the extra or using more than one book per player.

Logan wrote: "Do we get seven new letters each week, or are we doing it Scrabble-style where we only get replacements for the ones we used in our word play?"

You get a new set of letters each week. You may, of course, bank letters read by a member. Also, exchanging cupcakes for a tile/letter that is unread/unused will be allowed.

This clarification has been added to the rules:

• Double and triple letter scores are counted first. Then the word value is doubled or tripled.

Great, thank you!

Seventh Team added, the Hook & Letter. Please note the change to ORDER TEAMS PLAY and, since we are starting a week early, the addition of a 7th week of play.

Since you have added a 7th week of play and there are only the 6 categories what are we supposed to do for the 7th week?

Jennifer ♔Princess Penguin♔ wrote: "Since you have added a 7th week of play and there are only the 6 categories what are we supposed to do for the 7th week?"

You may repeat another week of the category of your choice.

Scrabble Queen wrote: "Jennifer ♔Princess Penguin♔ wrote: "Since you have added a 7th week of play and there are only the 6 categories what are we supposed to do for the 7th week?"

You may repeat another week of the ca..."

Thanks

Can we duplicate the mix-n-match category or only the title, author, character, or series categories?

Jennifer ♔Princess Penguin♔ wrote: "Can we duplicate the mix-n-match category or only the title, author, character, or series categories?"

If all categories are used, you may duplicate another category once. So, Mix 'N Match may be used twice.

CATEGORIES that need to rotate each week:

- titles
- authors’ names (first or last)
- series titles
- characters’ names (first or last or nickname that is used in book)
- Mix 'N Match

You may choose two twice.

Q: May we re-read books for this challenge or something?

A: As long has it has been more than six months since you've read it and you don't skim, re-reads are allowed.

Q: I'm wondering, can team members read a second book to get the extra letters?

A: Yes, they may.

Please Note: We are distinguishing between "banking" and "carrying over" a tile/letter.

You may "bank" a book that is read and not used for any given week, if no other book has been read by that Team Member.

However, if you cash in your cupcakes to "carry over" a tile/letter you may want to use for a future week, you may not use the book that was read when your members 'doubled up' on their reading to cover all possible tiles/letters.

Does that make sense? Or do you need further explanation?

DISCUSSION: "Let me see if I have this right... if I read a second book this week to get the extra E, and we don't use it in our word, we can not carry it over, but if we don't use Edith's G, we could "carry" or "bank" it since she only read one book?"

A: Correct! If you like that "E" and think you may use it in the future, you may cash in cupcakes and "carry it over." Number of cupcakes to do so as yet to be determined.

Also, if Edith read two books - and you used neither, you could only "bank" one. However, the other letter she read could be "carried over," if you cashed in cupcakes. (Just the tile/letter.)

So if we use cupcakes to carry over a tile/letter we do not have to read that letter, correct?

Christina wrote: "So if we use cupcakes to carry over a tile/letter we do not have to read that letter, correct?"

Correct.

Please note that there are now two boards from which to choice: YELLOW or BLUE. You can see larger versions of them in the Game On! (Posting Thread), but here they are:

 

Since there will be so many words by the end of the challenge, we thought we would give you more options. The starting word is the same (B.O.O.K.). In the weeks after this, the gameboard will, of course, look different.

Captains, when you post your word, please clearly state which gameboard you wish to play: YELLOW or BLUE.

In the following weeks, you may use just one for the whole game and ignore the other, or alternate, as you wish.

It has been asked if Teams are the next in line to post, may they do so early. Certainly! Remember, once a word is posted in the Game On! (Posting Thread), it is FINAL.

However, the next Team to post may wait to do so in the their designated time.

In other words, if Team Triple Players posts at 5:01 p.m., Team Scrabbadabbadoos may post at 5:02 p.m. However, The Mighty ZYZZYVAS may wait to post until within their time period, say at 5:45 p.m.

Got it! Thanks, SQ!

Q#10: "Just checking since I couldn't find the info - for character names, do the characters have to be main or supporting or can it be some minor character also?"

A#10: They may be a supporting character. That's fine. As long as they have more than a "walk on" role. By this we mean, for example, a maid who is mentioned once would NOT count.

Nicknames are fine, as long as they are mentioned/used in the book, not one you associate with that character's name.

Q#11: "If we post our "carry over" letter(s) in the Game On! (Posting Thread), everyone will see it."

A#11: Good point about everyone knowing that you want to "carry over" your "___," if you post it in the "Game On!" thread. Instead, just eMail me which letters you want to "carry over" and the number of cupcakes you wish to use.

What is the deadline to make the decision about about carrying books over? Can we worry about that after we make our word posting?

Tomorrow (SUNDAY) is fine, Mary: HDLS. I haven't really come up with a time. Do you want one?

No. Tomorrow would be awesome. I have never been a scrabble player and hadn't really planned on being captain. So extra time to worry about that part would be good.

Thanks for stepping in as Captain, Mary: HD♥S. Yeah, I figured too much other thinking was going on on Saturday. So, Sunday before MN my time is now the official time to mail "carry over" letters.

It's also late for me. I am an early bird and by 10pm I am usually barely awake. (I know we can post early if the team before us has posted).

Mary: Harry Dresden's Love Slave wrote: "It's also late for me. I am an early bird and by 10pm I am usually barely awake. (I know we can post early if the team before us has posted)."

You mean it is after 10 P.M. where you are right now?

No it's 8:28pm here now. Our posting deadline is 9:40 pm which is late for me personally. I usually got to bed at 10. I have a large dog that thinks she's a rooster and is always up at the crack of dawn. It's hard to ignore 80 lbs of pit/lab mix when they really want you to get up.

But I am keeping an eye on the board and will post as early as I can. It's not that big of a deal that our time is later. I know it'll be earlier each week.

Ah! That is a pretty big lap potato. ☺

Yes. She's a spoiled brat too.

**chuckles**

We are almost done with the Points Spreadsheet, but we'd like to review it one more time before posting a link for you. (And make sure we don't have any secret info showing.)

BTW on "BANKING": If a book read by a TM was NOT used to spell your Team's word in Week #2, we have automatically "banked" it for you. Don't worry about posting it here or mailing it to us; we found them in your secret groups.

We only have one book NOT accounted for. And only one GRs glitch with a bookshelf, which we worked around. Pretty good for our first week!

BTW on "Carrying Over": We have officially heard from three Teams about "carrying over" letters for use/reading in future weeks.

Spellbounders
The Mighty ZYZZYVAS
Triple Players

They have been subtracted on page 2 of Scrabble Cupcakes Spreadsheet.

Sunday before MN my time is now the official deadline time to mail "carry over" letters to SQ.

★KEY POINT: If a Team doesn’t use all their members’ books, they may “bank” their book(s). For example, say a Team of four only posts a three-letter word; they may “bank” the remaining book for later use, following these guidelines:

Banking a Unused Book
• When “banking” unused books for a week, the Captain needs to clearly declare which book is to be used at the time of “banking” or “withdrawing from bank.”
• An unused book read by a member may be “banked” for any tile that a Team acquires in a future week. (Remember, you get new tiles every week.)
• However, there might be an exception to this last rule, in exchange for puzzles completed.
• A Team has until the end of the challenge to use these “banked” books.

An example :


Team A have banked .

Their letters are A C W O B Q D

They chose to go by character category this week .

They can use the banked book for D - Trehan Daciano . They don't have to read a book for D it's already covered .

But they also can't use another book read by that member that week correct?

Mary: Harry Dresden's Love Slave wrote: "But they also can't use another book read by that member that week correct?"

Yes, they may. A "banked" book was read in another week, so it doesn't count as read in the current week.

If a Team had "banked," (and they had the tiles) they could use it for:

S - Title (Shadow's Claim)
K or C - Author's Name (Kresley Cole)
D - Series Name (The Dacians #1)
T or D - Character Name (Trehan Daciano)
B - Character Name (Bettina & whatever her last name is; sorry, couldn't find it quick)

So, if I originally read the banked book, can I read another book for another letter and use both in the same word we are trying to spell that week. (I hope I'm making sense)

Huh?

Oh. You mean, if they use your "banked" book in Week #2 (from Week #1), can you read another book for another letter in Week #2. - YES!

cool

thanks

We have until the end of the challenge to use our banked book right? But in case of carried over letters do we have only one week to use them? Like if we carried over P & M from first week and we use only P in 2nd week then what happens to the M? Can we carry it over again? Just a doubt.

Arshiya wrote: "We have until the end of the challenge to use our banked book right? But in case of carried over letters do we have only one week to use them? Like if we carried over P & M from first week and we use only P in 2nd week then what happens to the M? Can we carry it over again? Just a doubt."

Arshiya, once you cash-in your cupcakes to "carry over" a tile/letter it is yours to keep until you need to (read &) use it. No further cupcakes needed, and no time limit on expiration.

Question about the banked book. We banked ...
as an S for title.
S is worth 1 point but we can use it as
"S - Title (Shadow's Claim)
K or C - Author's Name (Kresley Cole)
D - Series Name (The Dacians #1)
T or D - Character Name (Trehan Daciano)
B - Character Name (Bettina & whatever her last name is; sorry, couldn't find it quick)"


Now for the question... a B, C, D and K are all worth more points than an S. Is the tile/letter still only an S value because that is what we banked it as even though we could use it as a K?

Christina wrote: "Is the tile/letter still only an S value because that is what we banked it as even though we could use it as a K?"

If you get a "K" tile, you will receive the points for "K" = 5 points. If you receive and use a "blank tile" to spell your word, it becomes the letter you desire ("K" in this instance), but it will have zero points.

Does that answer your question, Christina?