You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

The Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Roll the Dice: http://www.random.org/

Toppler Tasks: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Team 5 reporting thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Team 5
Dawn
Elsbeth
Gail
Marie
Marie Claude
Marnie
Paakhi
Pragya
Rebecca
Sharon
Tasha (Canada)
Tejas Janet

My first roll is 29. So someone has a chance to read: 29 = Foursquare (Social Media edition) – I don’t know what most of the social media icons stand for, or what they mean. A lot of them have only existed for a few years, so read a YA book.

I can read a YA book, unless someone else wants to. I don't mind which I do, so long as it's not from the perspective of a dog, because I don't have any books from a dog's perspective.

My random number is 18, for whoever wants to do this one:

18 = Kew Palace (Monarchopoly) – Read a historical fiction book that features an actual historical person.

I can be the person who keeps track, if you like. I can make a table with everyone's names and the numbers they generate, and the accompanying tasks, and who completes them, and with what book (I'm guessing that is what the tracker does?).

I've been assigned to team 5,too. My random number is 38.
38 = Luxury Tax – Read a book in a genre you haven’t read before, or one that you rarely read.

Oh, thank goodness someone else wants to keep track of things. I just want to read! :)

We have lots of time before the toppler starts so we could wait to see what everyone rolls before assigning tasks?? Or at least most of them??

I'm in for 18 or 38 though, I have books that would work for either.

My random number is 36. I don't really know what the square means - it's "Do you feel lucky, Punk?"

If I can figure out what these hamster rules are, I will try to read two books that meet requirements in this time period.

That means that J-mom chooses: Landing on "Do you feel lucky?" (Chance and Community Chest) means I will use the fruit machine to see what card you draw. Some will be good, only a couple will be "meanie", and the others, well, I guess they could go either way.

Hi Team "High Five" - Ready to rock and roll, I mean read? Please check in. Report numbers/get more info if needed.

Here are our team members and random numbers so far reported (I think):

Dawn 29
Elsbeth
Gail 18
Marie
Marie Claude
Pragya
Tejas Janet 36
Rebecca 38

Tejas Janet wrote: "My random number is 36. I don't really know what the square means - it's "Do you feel lucky, Punk?"

You are feeling lucky! Although you might want to wait and choose after everyone else has their number. Then you can pick something someone else wants.

Move to the space of your choice

The "Do you feel lucky, Punk?" spaces are my version of chance and community chest. I have card comments and I use the fruit machine to see which card you draw. Some of them have you move somewhere else, and some don't. If they don't, I will tell you what your card says, and then tell you to generate another number. Top Hatt3rs won 10 points when they landed on Feel Lucky!

All tasks will be worth 10 points, so don't worry about strategizing for points. This is complicated enough as it is.

I am not sure how many books I'll be able to read without being able to pre-plan. I managed 8 last time, I think, so I'll try for that again.

I'm kind of getting it...

The game is not quite afoot, but I'm game nonetheless!!

Dawn wrote: "We have lots of time before the toppler starts so we could wait to see what everyone rolls before assigning tasks?? Or at least most of them?? ..."

Yes, that makes sense. I'm happy to do any the numbers. I have books that could fit most of the tasks, so I'm happy to do any.

One thing I don't quite get. Say I were reading a book from your number and you were reading a book from my number. When I finish reading my book, do I then get another random number? Or do I have to wait for you to finish your book, because your book was my number? In other words, how do I know when it's my turn to throw the dice again, as it were?

My roll is also 29.
I'm not really fit today, so I don't really know what happens next.
I love reading historical books, so I'll volunteer for that one! 18 that was, I believe.

I already found a book I own, which fits the description of #18: Forward to Camelot: 50th Anniversary Edition - it is about the assassination of JF Kennedy.

I also have loads of YA books, so I could do 29 (the 29 of Dawn, not of myself...).

Ah, I think you have to do the random number thing again if you get the same number as someone else. 'If two team members land on the same space, one will need to generate another number.'

I got 20 ie Free Parking - Read the book of your choice

I can do 18... or 20... I have Princess Elizabeth's Spy waiting for me :)

Elsbeth wrote: "My roll is also 29.
I'm not really fit today, so I don't really know what happens next.
I love reading historical books, so I'll volunteer for that one! 18 that was, I believe."

Gail's answer in post 19 is correct. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Gail wrote: "Ah, I think you have to do the random number thing again if you get the same number as someone else. 'If two team members land on the same space, one will need to generate another number.'"

Ah, okay, I missed that one ;) So here comes another one: 37

Tejas Janet wrote: "Hi Team "High Five" - Ready to rock and roll, I mean read? Please check in. Report numbers/get more info if needed.

Here are our team members and random numbers so far reported (I think):

Dawn ..."

'High Five' - I like that as a name!

Marie Claude wrote: "I can do 18... or 20... I have Princess Elizabeth's Spy waiting for me :)"

You won't be able to do task 20 - for the first roll you can't complete the task you land on. But one of your teammates is going to be very happy.

Ok, so does that mean that Tejas Janet cannot use her "Move to the space of your choice" either?

I am confused on how it will work for the second round though since some people read a lot faster than others, and our access to the site is really variable...

This is my understanding: The first book must be read by another team member. When you are finished your book you roll again and move forward from the space you rolled the first time.
Then you have the option of reading that book or putting it in the 'group pool'. In which case you would choose a different book out of the 'group pool' to read.

So right now that means we're just missing Marie and Pragya to roll their first numbers.

Marie Claude wrote: "Ok, so does that mean that Tejas Janet cannot use her "Move to the space of your choice" either?..."

I don't think so, as that was assigned to her as a random thing by jaxnsmom, as she landed on a 'do you feel lucky?' space. No one else landed on that particular space. You only have to roll again if you get the same number as someone already got.

Dawn wrote: "So right now that means we're just missing Marie and Pragya to roll their first numbers."

We also need Tejas Janet to tell us the space of her choice, although perhaps best to wait till everyone else has their numbers first.

I just thought of something - jaxnsmom, if you let someone move to the space of their choice, can that include a space already landed on by a team member, or does it exclude those?

I have made a rough draft of a table. I'll probably have to change it as we learn more about the rules, and if new people join our group, but here it is so far:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I've done 9 rounds, in case anyone reads 9 books, and I can add extra rounds, in case anyone reads more than that!

I hope it makes sense. If anything's not clear on it, just let me know.

When someone has read a book, I will highlight the 'done' square for that book, and at the end of the toppler week, we can count the highlighted 'done' squares to see how many books were read.

I rather assumed that Tejas Janet and Marie Claude will choose tasks that someone wants once we sort out all the rolls.

Yes, sorry, that's what I meant by waiting till everyone else has their numbers. I just meant we didn't know her number yet, so I couldn't put it in the table.

Perfect, that means we're on the same page! :)

Awesome spreadsheet by the way.

I have added the spreadsheet link to the first post so it's easy for everyone to find.

Dawn, I did not take it as I chosing, just telling what was possible for me ;o) as we did in other topplers...

Ok, so, if I understand well, we throw "the dice" when we finish our book and start from the square we landed on (in my case 20) even though we did not read a book for the task of that square... I guess that those who read really faster and more books than others will mostly end up using their own number once the first round is done...

Dawn wrote: "I have added the spreadsheet link to the first post so it's easy for everyone to find."

Thanks! You're the best! That will help a lot :o)

Yep, that's what the rules read like to me. I'm hoping J-mom will set us straight if we have it completely wrong. :)

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I added the link for the "Dice" to the first post for our convenience.

If anyone wants me to put anything else in the first post just let me know.

Ah, that's great to have the links in the first post.

I thought maybe we throw the dice again after our task has been read by whoever is reading it, because the book we are reading is from someone else's roll, not ours, so when we finish it, they roll again, but I'm not sure. It would probably be easier to keep track of if we were able to roll again after we'd read our book, in the way that you say, Marie Claude, because we may not be online to roll when the person reading our task has finished it. But then, I wonder, when we roll again, does someone else take our task or do we do it this time? But I asked jaxnsmom about this in the question thread and she said she will update with more info later.

I was thinking it didn't make any sense to restrict a fast reader because a slower reader has their first task.

It's a damn good thing we have 3 weeks to sort this out, I think it's J-mom's most complicated toppler yet! :)

I was thinking they wouldn't be restricted because they could take someone else's task. But I've just realised I'm wrong and that jaxnsmom did already post about this, which somehow I didn't notice before:

'Once a team member has finished their first task, they will generate another number. They will then have the option of completing that task themselves, or seeing if another team member wants it.'

So now it all makes sense. Sorry for confusing things!

Dawn wrote: "Awesome spreadsheet by the way."

Gail wrote: "Yes, sorry, that's what I meant by waiting till everyone else has their numbers. I just meant we didn't know her number yet, so I couldn't put it in the table."

GailI'm stealing your spreadsheet!

I don't think it's you confusing things, I think we blame it all on J-mom!! Who we love, even if she is crazy!! :)

Lol, yes, anyone can use my spreadsheet. I put the team members in different colours, so I can then use those colours again when I show which team member is reading each book, so it's easy to see who links to who.

Haha, Dawn, well, it is a very complicated game, but looks like it will fun. But I think I'll have to read the instructions again very carefully to make sure I don't miss anything else! There is a lot of info to take in.

This is my third team toppler and every one has been complicated and highly confusing to start but so much fun to play!

Well, I'm relieved I'm not the only one who finds it complicated!

Do we now have to do this: 'Select a leader, set up a topic for your team, name your team, and start plotting. Figure out who will be responsible for tracking, reporting, morale, bribes, spying, and any other necessary duties.'

That's why I said I'd do tracking, because I don't understand the rest of it! :-)

Nice spreadsheet, Gail!
Good that you made my name orange (our national colour ;)...)! Maybe it will bring me luck...

Ah, I'm glad that you like your colour - I was hoping no one would hate their colour! :-) I was doing it in rainbow order, with the names in alphabetical order. I'm not sure how it will work when new people join - I'll try to keep the rainbow order, and slot them where I can easily add a new shade of colour, but it might not be alphabetical any more!

I also didn't know that the Dutch had a national colour. I learn something new every day!