Romance Lovers for the Challenge-Impaired discussion

Feedback
With only 1 week left of our Round 2 of the RLftCI Dance Party, the moderators would love to hear what you thought of the experience! If/when we have the next round, we are thinking of making it much shorter, say 4-6 weeks instead of the 8 weeks it has been this round. Other changes that have been suggested so far, and which sound like a good idea for the mods would be to get the song suggestions on sign-up, rather than from each team...
I've set some questions up here which could help us in possible future rounds, or you can just leave your general impressions... We're wanting to make this as fun and interactive as we can, and we need your help to do that!


1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?
4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?
5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?
6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?
7. Would you be interested in playing again?
8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?
9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?

I'll go first. I'm real opinionated.

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
Finding a book was easy, finding a high point book I wanted to read and had access to get quickly...not always. But I wouldn't change that, its part of what makes this a great "challenge".

2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
I hate to call it inconsistent but the names were not always the same rules. They are the only thing I'd say I would want thrown out ahead of time. Once the cheat sheets were up I always felt more corralled towards a specific type of book, than letting my mind think outside the box. Note* I understand why the names had different rules each week, but that was the only thing I was really unsure about band names and real names etc.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?
I think some may have been due to the new point system over last round. There was more pressure, this round, which I liked, but it may not have been right for everyone.

4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?
I think 5 is perfect

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?
Well, I think we all would have liked to have "seen" more of the Elf himself, but the other Mods were great.

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?
I would only suggest changing the weekly points for when the team finishes. I was real lucky that I was on a team of fast readers. But I would hate to be the 1 slow reader on a team of fast readers. I think less emphasis should be put on the fastest team. It shouldn't be about trying to finish the first day. I think there should still be points just as drastic. Maybe something like:
1-2 days =4 points
3-4 days =3 points
5-6 days =2 points
7-8 days =1 point

or
1-3 days 7 points
4-6 days 3 points
6-8 days 1 point

7. Would you be interested in playing again?
Absolutely!

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?
I like them. I miss the one singular post from the first round though that showed all the teams together

9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?
Big Thanks to all the mods for all the blood, sweat and tears that went into this game. I know it took a lot of work and you are all awesome for doing it!

Thanks for breaking the ice, Dawn!! Good idea about the team points and fair comment about the name link inconsistencies.
Just a clarification: you preferred not to have the cheat sheets out before you made your decision on a book? Is that right?

I had forgotten about having all the dance cards together!

Yes, I liked when all the dance cards were all together, too.

And, of course, I'd like to see more of Online Elf, too. But, I believe I mean it in a different way. ☺

CaroB wrote: "Just a clarification: you preferred not to have the cheat sheets out before you made your decision on a book? Is that right?..."

I'm probably the only one who thinks like that. But yes, if I went with my inrerpretations of the song I came up with a braoder selection. But then when I knew what would be accepted I looked for only those things. It didn't really limit me it just guided what I looked for.

I see from a mod point of view it would save time answering lots of questions, so by all means don't stop just for me. I can choose not to look.

Lisa Kay wrote: "
And, of course, I'd like to see more of Online Elf, too. But, I believe I mean it in a different way. ☺"

That is too bad because I meant in the naked way...

Lol! Why do you think the Yellow has been so popular of late? ShoSho is looking after us purvy ladies!

Lol. Maybe I should have suggested that ShoSho is required to post motivation for us all.

*Sneaks in*
Somebody needs motivation?? I'm here to provide eye candy for all!

I was real busy today but I'll get to your question sometimes tomorrow

That would be lovely, thanks ShoSho

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?

Songs were fine and I liked the variety of years and themes (although maybe we shouldn't go as far as the 60s.) Like Dawn said, finding books was easy, the difficult part was finding high point books (but that's why it's a challenge.)

2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?

I think the cheat sheet should be published and should include what's accepted and what's not if it comes up for discussion. Finding high point books takes time (I spent more time than I should have doing this) and having to ask clarification on each point makes the process take even longer. At the same time though, I think players should be able to ask for interpretations. I also wish for consistency regarding the rules. For instance, we had two war related songs with visible smoke in both videos but smoke was accepted in one cover but not the other.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better? I think the pressure of having to finish very fast got to some people. I think Dawn's point suggestion for finishing fast could alleviate some of this but I think it should be made clear to players that this is a competition (even if it's a friendly one) and players want to at least have a chance to win. If you know you have problems finishing a book a week or if you are a mood reader that gets in a theme every week and cannot get out of it, then maybe you shouldn't join.

4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players? 5 is good.

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ? Yes! Great support.

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved? I liked the points system. I agree with Dawn about a different points for finishing fast.

7. Would you be interested in playing again? Definitely...but not right away, LOL!

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game? I liked them. They were really cute!

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
Song choice was fine, looking for books that worked is fine, it's the trying to find a book that you can connect all links to for a high points wasn't as easy. And sometimes I feel I spent more time looking then needed, also a few duds due to high points, but hey it's suppose to be a challenge.

2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
I like getting a cheat sheet, because there are times when people have asked about things and get told it wouldn't work, we all see things differently. I think the cheat sheet posting with the song will help move things along better.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?
For some I think it was real life was just too busy, for others I think they felt they had to read fast, as in be done within the first 2 days and have a high scoring book with it. Which made something that was suppose to be a fun challenge something that seemed more like a chore and not fun.

4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?
I think the size was fine.

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?
Yes you guys did a wonderful job. But like others I would like to see more of Mr. Elf ;)

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?
Points is fine, I think Dawn's suggestion is good.

7. Would you be interested in playing again?
Yes of course. :)

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?
I like them.

9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?
Yes, for one more Mr. Elf; cupcakes for all threads and and of course eye candy for all. Team Yellow is a rather lovely place to visit. :)

Oooh, I've always got opinions! :)

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?

As others have said, it was pretty easy to find a book, more difficult to find a high point book.


2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?

As others have said, more consistency is good. I like the cheat sheet being posted. It's never stopped me from asking questions about a link I think is there that's not on the sheet, it just enables me to not have to ask about things I'm thinking about that are on there.

One thing I was thinking about is maybe having the players picking songs also suggest certain links, like maybe plot and/or setting. I know when I submitted my song I had definite things in mind and I would have been somewhat disappointed if the mods didn't allow them. And It would make people think twice about nominating a song they like that's difficult to match. I know it's a challenge but it's also for fun.

It wouldn't have to be a novel. For example I submitted Poker Face by Lady Gaga. I thought the plot could be an "indecent proposal" type plot and the setting could be a casino/gambling hell. I also thought about Live Forever by Oasis - plot could be where friendship is central or (more literally) about an immortal. Mods would have final say of course, just a thought I had.


3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?

Weeeel, I do think there was a lot of pressure to read faster or find a higher point book. I do tend to stay away from challenges that are simply speed reading because I don't personally enjoy those and I can't always do it right away. I also think that some people are just more competitive and seem to have more time to check in on all the other teams threads and constantly update what every one else is doing. But I don't really have a solution on how to fix it, people are different. I do think the pressure decreased after the mods posted the "hey take it easy everyone" post.


4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?

I think the size was good.

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?

Yes, I know there are a lot of time zone differences but I never felt like I had to wait for an answer.

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?

I like some of the modifications to the speed part above. But I'm also OK as is.

7. Would you be interested in playing again?

Probably, it depends on the timing. I do think a shorter round may be nice.

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?

I like them. Except when I looked one day at work and someone asked "why do you have a cartoon pole dancer?" :)

9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?

Running anything with teams is very difficult and I appreciate everything the mods do to make this a fun and interesting challenge!

And now, I think I've said enough! :)

Dawn (Kat N Hat) wrote: "That is too bad because I meant in the naked way..."


**chuckles** Ditto!

Thanks for the motivational eye-candy, ShoSho!

I agree with you about #2, D.G.

Carrie wrote: " Team Yellow is a rather lovely place to visit. :)"

**sigh**

Yes, Karen, I was thinking along the lines of your #2 answer, too. It would save us time and understand what the submitter saw. (A make sure we had the right video!)

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
Choosing a book wasn't a problem. I just waited to see what others are reading :) As others said, it was easy to find a book, but harder to find high point book. I found myself going through my list whole Friday.

2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
I liked getting cheat sheets. I'm one of those people who rarely see meaning in the song. And not to mention everyone can see things differently.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?
I'm one of those back-ups. First week I've done fast reading (had to make good impression on my teammates :)). Then I noticed they don't care about speed, so I could eased little. Maybe those who dropped out were slow readers in the team of fast.
Maybe next round you could make teams based on how fast someone can read a book (of course that doesn't count if real life gets in the way).

4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?
5 is fine.

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?
Mods were great :)

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?
I vote for Dawn's suggestion.

7. Would you be interested in playing again?
Yes, especially if I get the same team. :)

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?
Dance cards are fun. I liked them.

9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?
I'm gonna miss those daily cupcakes. :) And those yellow motivators.
Mods, you've done great job. Thank you. :D

❀Tea❀ wrote: "Yes, especially if I get the same team. :)"

LOL! Thanks, ❀Tea❀!

Oh, I did finally have an idea on the team pressure thing. It might be more work for the mods (sorry :( ) but maybe in addition to a team winner there could be an individual leader board. In looking at the excel sheet it wouldn't be that hard to track. That way if your more competitive/have more time than the people on your team you can still win something?

That's an idea, Karen. Maybe even one of the team members who is good with spreadsheets could keep track for all of us.

Or the people who care about such things could have a separate thread to track their own points/progress? It could be an optional thing to sign up if you want to go for an individual points thing? Just thinking out loud...

Thinking aloud is good. ☺

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
I would say yes, simply because after looking through the books I had on hand each week, I would normally just give up and steal ideas from other teams. As for the songs, most of them were ok - I would have preferred a more restrictive time period - like say 80s to now.

2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
I personally liked the cheat sheet. My interpretations of things aren't the same as others', so I liked having guidelines.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?
Stuff happens - I think it was a mixture of both personality and real life responsibilities. I don't think there's any way to manage it better without making players take personality quizzes or only allowing people who have the time to play. And that would just take the fun right out of it.

4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?
I liked the size. 5 is a good number.

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?
Definitely. My questions were answered in a timely manner.

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?
Maybe instead of daily points, make it first team to finish gets 5 pts, 2nd gets 4, etc... Or the first 3-5 people to finish gets 5 bonus points, the next 3-5 get 4 and so on. That seems harder to keep track of though.

7. Would you be interested in playing again?
Sure, but I'll probably sit out the next round. I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with things at the moment.

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?
I liked them. It's a nice and fun way to keep track of the points.

9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?
This was super fun! I look forward to playing again.

** chuckles over personality quiz**

Some really great and useful comments, ladies. Thank you!
Karen, I really liked the idea of just having team points based on position, not time. It would be a lot less work for the scoring mod...
Alley, I think a more restrictive timing for song choices would work... I'm a big fan of 60s music, so I have a weakness there, but the more modern songs did seem to be more open to interpretation...

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?

This was pretty easy and the songs were fine. (Even found a few I never heard before that I now enjoy!) As somebody said above I would like to see a year span set on the song choices like from the 80's to present because like when I couldn't match the actual setting of a book I would have to try to go with the year and it's a bit harder to find a book set in the 70's and back that I would want to read.


2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?

I would prefer to have the cheat sheet up front when the song is posted because I think it would save time and also because I am not a good interpreter. LOL I can't think right off what name of song was but I loved the beat but had no idea what in the world to look for.


3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?

I believe some of it was real life things came up and got in the way and even with our best of intentions things happen beyond our control sometimes. I think they did the right thing by bowing out and not slowing the team down. As also mentioned in a post above folks should understand going in that although friendly, this is a team competition of sorts and your team counts on you.

Some folks are more competitive than others and I think that is a bit of it as well. Maybe on the next rounds sign up we could provide a choice of what kind of team the individual would like to be placed on (Casual or Competitive). The scoring and all would stay the same but I think this would take alot of the stress off folks on both sides because the casual folks could still be a part of the challenge and not feel as rushed and the competitive folks ...well they could be competitive. LOL


4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?

Team size was great!


5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?

Mods were great! Thank you all so much for putting together this fun challenge! Like Dawn said though need more Mr Elf dancing around! hehehe


6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?

Points system was fine but think Dawn had a great idea on those.


7. Would you be interested in playing again?

Heck Yeah! Bring It On!


8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?

I do like them but I liked them better all together instead of in the individual threads.

Like you "competitive vs casual" idea, Jennifer. The only problem with that is all the "go-getters" would be on one team. LOL!

Lisa Kay wrote: "Like you "competitive vs casual" idea, Jennifer. The only problem with that is all the "go-getters" would be on one team. LOL!"

LOL No I meant like still have several teams but break them into Casual or Competitive Teams.

Ah!

JenniferJ wrote: "Lisa Kay wrote: "Like you "competitive vs casual" idea, Jennifer. The only problem with that is all the "go-getters" would be on one team. LOL!"

LOL No I meant like still have several teams but ..."

I love it! I need the "over 40 rec. league" version of the challenge and not the NBA.

JenniferJ wrote: "Lisa Kay wrote: "Like you "competitive vs casual" idea, Jennifer. The only problem with that is all the "go-getters" would be on one team. LOL!"

LOL No I meant like still have several teams but ..."

I think that would still be not fair to the casual teams, they still would like to have an idea that they could be the winning team.

What if there was no reward for the fastest team? So no one would feel the pressure to finish hours after the song was posted. Just have a points system based on links.

I dunno just an idea, most might not agree but I think the need to finish in a day or two took the joy out of this for some people.

I think she was meaning having 2 team challenges at once - competitive vs competitive and casual vs casual.

That might be fun.

Carrie wrote: "I think that would still be not fair to the casual teams, they still would like to have an idea that they could be the winning team.

I understand what your saying. I would be a horrible teacher because I am not good at explaining things (LOL) but when I said give folks a choice as to casual or competitive I was meaning the casual folks would be persons who didn't really care about points or winning they just simply wanted to basically participate and use it as any other challenge without the stress of competing.

Alley wrote: "I think she was meaning having 2 team challenges at once - competitive vs competitive and casual vs casual.

That might be fun."

Yes that could be great to that way it would be fairer play because you would have your more laid back players competing together and then your more competitive ones against one another.

I like the idea of having two levels for this, maybe something along the lines of Varsity and Jr Varsity?

Alley wrote: "I think she was meaning having 2 team challenges at once - competitive vs competitive and casual vs casual.

That might be fun."

Ahh, I hadn't realised that! Umm... from a mod point of view, that would be double the work on an already time-consuming game. Maybe different rounds for those two categories..? ummm... lots to think about...

Gisela wrote: "I like the idea of having two levels for this, maybe something along the lines of Varsity and Jr Varsity maybe?"

LOL and Mr Elf could totally cheer us all on. (wink)

I like the following ideas:
a) letting the song 'owner' interpret the song,
b) team points for finishing first, second, etc.

Carrie wrote: "What if there was no reward for the fastest team? So no one would feel the pressure to finish hours after the song was posted. Just have a points system based on links..."

*blinks*

I have no idea why that hadn't occurred to me. It seems like a brilliant idea... I think initially we were trying to make it fairer, so the people that only got the weekend as reading time might be able to read faster but not worry so much about link points, but it ended up going the other way... this might not be a bad option...

D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~ wrote: "I like the following ideas:
a) letting the song 'owner' interpret the song,
b) team points for finishing first, second, etc."

D.G. - That would definitely help to make the game more interactive.

Great suggestions, Ladies!

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
Some weeks were easier than others to find books. Overall I love the challenge of finding the highest point book that still interests me enough to read. I feel that the songs could have used more variety maybe instead of 60s to present songs we could pick from themes. Like changing the themes each week from country, blues, rap, rock etc. Or even having themes of love, friendship, breakup etc.

2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
I would interpret the songs differently all the time. What I thought would work most often didn't so I would love a cheat sheet.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?
I was a sub and from what I 'read' coming in after the fact, it was mostly due to perceived pressure, miscommunication and maybe not realizing that the challenge was basically a weekly thing. As for suggestions on how to manage that... I got nothing lol.

4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?
5 per team was perfect

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?
Very much so. No complaints here.

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?
It's ok. I agree that the whole fastest points system could use some work. Or just get rid of it all together. You could always add extra stuff that are worth points. I loved the different bonus words, that was fun to find. Maybe have a bonus item that relates to the videos? Or some kind of action happening that relates to the song/video. Example fighting, things blowing up, dancing, going to a concert...hopefully you get the idea.

7. Would you be interested in playing again?
Yes please!

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?
I like them.

9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?
Overall I had lots of fun playing with everyone. It was a great way to meet new people and find new books.

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
I admit that I developed a system for selecting books relatively quickly but that I wasn't necessarily focused on maximising my points (more on getting at least 10 points and trying something different each week). Having said that, I mainly did it to minimise time as I never 'pre-selected' my book, just waited for the final choice to announced.


2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
I must admit that I've come from a background of 'general guidelines given' then go do what you want with the onus for the justification of my choice lying with me when I hand-in.(with a suitable explanation going a long way) In a way I did use the cheat sheet but more to confirm what I'd already decided on. Basically, I'm pretty much in the middle on this.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?
I thought that it was mainly a 'life happens' as well as some personalities not meshing quite smoothly. My gpersonal opinion is it's unavoidable in any group of people and was inevitable to some extent. It just happened to be the number it was.

4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players?
5 was a good number. Not too many that anyone got 'ignored' but enough that people didn't feel forced to chatter if they didn't want to.

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ?
Absolutely

6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?
I have to agree that as quite frequently many people ended up reading the same book (and consequently obtaining the same link points) that the speed of a team finishing became a factor.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I do think it possibly applied some undue weighting to not necessarily choosing something you'd enjoy reading (but something new) but rather pick a book as quickly as you possibly can just so you can review it. So as not to dissapoint your team mates.

7. Would you be interested in playing again?
Certainly

8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?
I enjoyed looking at them but I didn't feel that they impacted the game either way. They were just part of it iykwim.

9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add?
sorry my mind is blank.

I do like the idea though of all players in future rounds submitting a song (together with suggested interpretation). I know that when I proposed a song I had a particular 'bent' in mind for it and I imagine that having a considerable 'bucket' of songs to use the randomiser on would be advantageous.

I did have a heap of fun playing though.

Manvir wrote: "Maybe have a bonus item that relates to the videos? Or some kind of action happening that relates to the song/video. Example fighting, things blowing up, dancing, going to a concert...hopefully you get the idea."

Love this idea!!

Alley wrote: "Maybe instead of daily points, make it first team to finish gets 5 pts, 2nd gets 4, etc..."

I like that! seems easy to do too.

CaroB wrote: "Ahh, I hadn't realised that! Umm... from a mod point of view, that would be double the work on an already time-consuming game. Maybe different rounds for those two categories..? ummm... lots to think about... "

I don't think it would add that much more work if both sets do the same song. The only difference would be the competitive teams would still have the extra bonus points for finishing quickly.

1. Was it easy to choose a book every week that linked to the songs? Were you happy with the songs to choose from?
Yes and no. I spent way too much time looking for some songs but I tend to do that with a lot of challenges. Part of the fun of them for me is searching out the books. I didn't make myself read anything I didn't have an interest in reading just to get more points. I didn't buy anything it all for this. They all came from the library or my own TBR.

I love old songs but I think it should be 80's or newer. Those were the easier ones. Or maybe there should be a requirement that the song at least have a video of some kind that can have connections made to it. More than just the performers on a stage. Some of the songs had no videos as all. I purposely didn't recommend a couple that had no videos when I had my chance to submit. I just didn't think it was fair. I put a lot of thought into the song I suggested and picked one that had easy connections to make to it.

2. Did you like having to get validation from the DJ, or would you prefer a more autonomous way of choosing your books for each song link (eg. cheat sheets offered with the song choice)? Any other suggestions on link validation?
I think the cheat sheet should just be put up to begin with when the song is put up. Then people can ask for additions, elaborations or if they're book works for this or that.

3. Do you think the player swaps had more to do with personality clashes OR new year = new circumstances? Can you offer any suggestions on how we could manage this better?Probably a combo of things. Maybe 8 weeks it too long for many. To me it was obvious that I was joining a team challenge and that reading the best point book I could easily find (that I wanted to read) and reading it fairly quickly was needed. I wouldn't have joined if I didn't think I could do my best to help my team do it's best. To me that's the whole point of joining a team challenge. To do my best to help that team. If I knew I couldn't read a book a week for this than I wouldn't join. (obviously sometimes unexpected things get in the way-I was slow the last 2 wks because I've been sick but overall I knew I could do it)
4. Were the teams a good size? Would you prefer more/less players? I think 5 is good. Maybe the teams could just need to have 4 of the 5 finish to get their card stamped? Then if a player gets behind the whole team isn't held back?

5. Did you feel this game was well supported by the mods / DJ? Yes Maybe put the cheat sheet up right away.
6. What did you think of the points system? Was it fair or could it be improved?On the fence on this one. On the one hand, like I said before, I kind of feel like if you join a timed team challenge you should expect to read quickly. Or don't join. But life does get in the way and I appreciate that no perfect time can be picked for everyone to be on at the same time to see the song and pick a book quickly. There was a song or two where I delayed a day because I had nothing that worked and had to go to the library.
7. Would you be interested in playing again? Yes but I need a break
8. Do you like having the dance cards? Do they add or detract from the game?I like the cards
9. Any general suggestions of comments you might like to add? I was kind of wondering how this would work as kind of a bingo game. Maybe the songs could be preselected and put onto bingo cards. The first team to get 5 in a row, all read reviewed and stamped would win. Give a list of what connects to each song and people only have to connect 1 thing. No points to worry about. If someone doesn't finish one week it's not as big a deal. They can catch up as the game progresses. The only pressure would be when a team got the 5th song they needed for Bingo called to finish before any other teams with a possible bingo. Or maybe instead of preselecting the songs: have the spots be like Disco, 70's, 80's, Heavy Metal, Hair Band, Country etc.., Then people have to just come up with a book that connects to a song from that category. Ex: The Song Summer Breeze would work for the 70's and books with Breeze or Summer in the title or published in the 70's or written by someone names Seals or Croft.

But maybe that would make the game too different from what it is now. Just an idea.