In order to give everybody a fair chance at the following list thread games:
– Movie Marathon
– Topic Playlist
– Baker’s Dozen II
– TV Binge Watch
… might I suggest the following rules:
Any registered (guest or member) Doper can participate at any point in the game category, subject to the following:
No Doper may post twice in the same game category until at least five others have posted. This means that if you post entry number 2, you cannot post again, unless you make post 7 or higher. If you first make post number 8, you may not post again in that 10-entry category (post number 9 for Baker’s Dozen II).
If a game stalls, then after a 24-hour period in which no posts have been made to the thread, then Rule 2 is suspended, and the category is declared wide open, and any Doper may post, as often as he or she deems necessary, in order to conclude the category.
Notwithstanding rule 3, no Doper may submit more than one entry per post.
In addition to Rule 4, no Doper may submit back-to-back posts in any game.
If a game stalls, in spite of all of the above, the majority of regular participants in “The Game Room” forum may decide to alter these rules; to declare the game off, void, or null; and to begin a new game. Such decision to be made by regular participants in The Game Room, through discussion, in the thread in question.
What does anybody think? These seem to me to give all a fair chance at playing, but does anybody have any thoughts, criticisms, comments, or complaints?
I don’t think there has been so much abuse of common-sense etiquette as to warrant codification of such rules. If we did have rules, there is no way for a newcomer to know what they are. Would Atoz be under the same rules?
I thought about that, but decided to exclude Atoz. I didn’t want to exclude somebody who has an X answer (often difficult), simply because they had supplied a V answer, two posts above.
No, my suggestion is simply to give everyone a fair chance to participate. I’ve noticed that in some of the list games–Baker’s Dozen II, in particular–one poster will post five or six times in the same category. That means that seven or eight Dopers were not given the chance to participate in that category.
How many times have I seen a category in which I can participate? Many. But I find that I cannot, because one poster has posted four or five times out of ten, or six or seven times out of 13, and the category has filled up and thus closed.
If folks think this is fine, that’s okay. I’m just suggesting these rules so everybody has a fair chance at participating in the various list games.
I don’t have a problem with these suggestions. I’ll add one more of my own.
The person who starts a “difficult” topic list (which is fine! those can be fun and challenging) should have in mind at least 4-5 answers that fit. So many times when a list stalls out, I think to myself “why doesn’t the topic starter come back to help out?” I mean, you wouldn’t start a topic you didn’t have some idea how to fill it out, right?
I honestly hadn’t realized that this was a problem. There are many categories in which I have no knowledge or interest, and I sit these out. There are others in which I do have knowledge or interest, and I don’t limit my responses. My only rule has been to avoid consecutive posts. Now that I know this may be a problem, I’ll limit my posts accordingly.
I think that instead of your specific rules, it may suffice for us to be more aware of this problem in general, and to act accordingly. Having specific rules really complicates things unnecessarily, and may itself become problematic.
I appreciate your bringing this issue to our attention.
Not a big issue, but in my time zone, my first post of the day is at 10pm/US and my last is 6am. Even with 8 hours separation, I’d rarely be allowed more than one post a day while the rest of you are asleep.
Thanks. This may be the solution: no codified rules, but an awareness that others might like to participate also. Good description of what I was after. Thanks again!