Rotating Nominations - Discussion Thread
Hey Members!
What does everyone think of the idea of creating a rotation for picking books for the club? We used to do this when we first started, and I felt it worked well. We started by all rolling a D20, and that set the order. Then each month, it was one member's turn to pick a book for everyone to read, and people got on board (mostly) and read that book. When picking the book, it was normal to start a thread nominating a few and seeking support, then finally picking one.
Do club members like this idea? If not, do you have an alternative method to propose? If we go this route, would you like to be in the rotation?
Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Chris
Comments
Sounds like a good idea!
I think this is a good idea. BC
I kind of miss it, so yes to both.
I'm willing to bet a lot of club members feel that way. Maybe we're too hard on books!
Very true. We don't all agree, and that's a good thing when it comes down to it.
I have said this before! After the debacle with Pride of Chanur...
> I have said this before! After the debacle with Pride of Chanur...
Sounds intriguing but before my time I think
I can think of worse debacles - The Name of the Wind, for example, when we finally coaxed a lurker into nominating a book, and nobody read it, and he posted a discussion starter, then I posted my opinion (which wasn't altogether favourable) and nobody ever posted in that thread again, and the guy never came back. He was a nice guy, too, from the Roludo forum. I felt really bad about that one. Still do, obviously.
The Name of the Wind thing was before my time.
@Michael_S_Miller , @rossum and @Ray_Otus Are you guys in? No reason we can't change the rotation later or even interrupt it occasionally to fit someone in on a less regular basis, if anyone doesn't want to commit right now.
I thought I had been here since the beginning, but I don't remember Name of the Wind!
@dr_mitch - that's right! You did! I had forgotten!
Sure, if you can stomach my progressive, low-conflict space opera and still want me in the rotation, I'm on-board!
(Sorry for the delayed response. It was a rough week at work.)
You will note, @Michael_S_Miller, I was effusive in my praise!
And I was measured. Certainly, it wasn't the progressive or low conflict aspects I objected to - it was more the derivative nature of the setting and language (which isn't unique to this book, but endemic to the current state of SF&F publishing, I think). But @Michael_S_Miller made a great case for its value to gaming, which is really the whole point! Michael, you always contribute insightful observations about books that nobody else does, so I'm really glad you're in!
> Sure, if you can stomach my progressive, low-conflict space opera and still want me in the rotation, I'm on-board!
>
> (Sorry for the delayed response. It was a rough week at work.)
Personally I like the low-key conflict aspect (though as mentioned with A Long Way etc I felt that in that case potential friction and interpersonal conflict was resolved too quickly, perhaps out of a sense of characters and readers wanting not to be too anxious). One of the main reasons I have gone right off historical fiction is many authors go for a kind of gore-fest in the name of being historically accurate about weapons and such. Which I can't be bothered with!
OK, let's go for it. Here's a dice-roller for those who want one. Roll a single D20. Highest roll goes first, and then in descending order. Ties to be broken by post order. diceroller.co/d20roller
My roll is: 16
But she let me down and gave 1
Ah well.
I score.... 3! Yep, just like an RPG session.
In BRP, that just might be a crit!
I used random.org and ...
C'mon, baby. Papa needs to read LeGuin's The Farthest Shore
...I got a 12.
By the way Apocryphal, your links on the site e.g. http://diceroller.co/d20roller above all point me to http://www.http.com, e.g. http://www.http.com//diceroller.co/d20roller. Something about the http:// prefix I guess.
@BarnerCobblewood Fixed.
@clash_bowley & @NeilNjae still to roll. I'm guessing @rossum and @Ray_Otus will join us later.
I got a rock... no, wait! It's a 7!
It would be a bit naughty to roll a d20 in BRP though.
Come to think of it, a 3 on a D20 in BRP is, I think, the dreaded 'Left Leg'.
I got 8.
So, we've got (assuming we start right away):
Barner Cobblewood (17): September
Apocryphal (16): October
Michael Miller (12): November
NeilNjae (8): December
Clash (7): January
Dr Mitch (3): February
Richard (1): March
Feel free to swap with someone if, for some reason, your month won't work.
For September let's read Recursion by Blake Crouch. Haven't read it, but it's got good reviews, and I think might have a gameable premise. If a lot of people prefer I'm open to choosing Always Coming Home by UKLeGuin, which despite having read, do not know whether I like or dislike. Perhaps some discussion would clear that up for me.