Okay, so this is a game I've played before, but not with swimmers. It was the major characters from the tv show LOST.
It's a very democratic game that centers around the giving and taking away of points.
For examples' sake, let's say we have five swimmers:
Dara Torres
Michael Phelps
Rowdy Gaines
Mark Spitz
Mary T. Meagher
Now, let's give each one 10 points.
Dara Torres - 10
Michael Phelps - 10
Rowdy Gaines - 10
Mark Spitz - 10
Mary T. Meagher - 10
Next, let's say a player has two points. He can give these two points to someone, he can take two points away from someone, or he can give one point to someone and take one point from someone else. Let's say this player wants to take away 2 points from Phelps:
Dara Torres - 10
Michael Phelps - 8
Rowdy Gaines - 10
Mark Spitz - 10
Mary T. Meagher - 10
Then let's say a bunch of players basically dogpile on Phelps. Eventually, Phelps gets down to this:
Dara Torres - 10
Michael Phelps - 0
Rowdy Gaines - 10
Mark Spitz - 10
Mary T. Meagher - 10
Once a swimmer gets down to zero, he's out! He can't come back into the Points Game until the next game starts (if that ever happens).
You can use any criteria you want for the giving or taking away of points. You can give or take based on simply liking a swimmer, or simply thinking he or she is the best of all time or better than others on the list, or whatever other criteria you want to use. But you have to play by the rules!
The winner is the last swimmer standing! (or is that swimming?)
Rules
1. After you give or take points, you may go again only after 4 other forum posters have taken their turn after you. Based on how active the game is, I may modify, with forewarning, this rule to 3 or 5 or other numbers if necessary.
2. You may add a swimmer to the list, but only if s/he has not already been in the game and eliminated. Adding a swimmer takes the place of playing points, so it's either/or, you can't do both in one turn. Once you have added a swimmer, you may not do so again until you have gone another 3 turns.
3. You may only use a total of 2 points in one turn, so you can use your points in one of 5 potential ways: 1.) +2 , 2.) -2 , 3.) +1 +1 , 4.) -1 -1 , 5.) or +1 -1 .
4. When you play points, please don't just repost the swimmer list with your change(s), but also say how you played your points at the bottom of your post. So, if you take 2 points from Dara Torres, change the swimmer list accordingly and post it anew, and then at the bottom, state, "-2 Dara."
5. Sometimes this game can get really hot and active, so I reserve the power, as game host, to PAUSE the game in the event that I feel the swimmer list is not accurately reflecting point changes. This usually happens because two or more players "stumble" over each other, posting and playing points at the same time. Once I have reviewed recent point-plays and made the sure the list is correct, I will RESUME the game.
6. Last but not least, you can't add anyone that posts here. Things would get nasty if points started getting subtracted from a fellow forumite.
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Sound good? Alright! Let's get started. We will begin with these ten swimmers:
Johnny Weissmuller - 10
Mark Spitz - 10
Matt Biondi - 10
Rowdy Gaines - 10
Michael Phelps - 10
Janet Evans - 10
Dara Torres - 10
Tracy Caulkins - 10
Natalie Coughlin - 10
Mary T. Meagher - 10
I will go first.
Johnny Weissmuller - 8
Mark Spitz - 10
Matt Biondi - 10
Rowdy Gaines - 10
Michael Phelps - 10
Janet Evans - 10
Dara Torres - 10
Tracy Caulkins - 10
Natalie Coughlin - 10
Mary T. Meagher - 10
-2 Johnny. Your vine's getting short, Tarzan!
Former Member
I think the rules need a tweak. One problem is that the number of swimmers who can be added is virtually limitless (unlike the cast of Lost, which formed the original version of this game). Swimmers could be added forever. In fact, if I added a swimmer right now, it would take the concerted effort of five people to eliminate that person. Before they were done, I could add still another swimmer.
So Proposed New Rule One: I think you might want to slim the cast down to the current leaders on the board, maybe those with more than fifteen points, and allow no new entrants.
And Proposed New Rule Two: I agree with previous post that you have to force people to cast negative votes, if you want anyone to be eliminated. There's something about swimming and other individual sports that makes it easier to embrace characters you like than to develop a loathing for those you do not. Personally, i think the presence of Vladimir Salnikov - just as an example, I'm sure he is a nice guy - on this list is kind of silly, but I don't see any need to work toward his removal. I mean I don't find the guy as grating as, say, Lebron James or the Dallas Cowboys.
And I think that's why after eighty-six posts, no one has been eliminated and only two characters have fewer points than they began with.
Ryan Lochte - 8
Pieter van den Hoogenband - 6
Duke Kahanamoku - 15
Johnny Weissmuller - 13
Mark Spitz - 11
Matt Biondi - 21
Rowdy Gaines - 15
Michael Phelps - 15
Janet Evans - 17
Dara Torres - 15
Tracy Caulkins - 14
Natalie Coughlin - 12
Mary T. Meagher - 18
Gertrude Ederle - 13
Tom Jager - 15
Vladimir Salnikov - 12
Alexander V. Popov - 14
Popov +2
With the LOST game, after a point of about two weeks, we all decided to create an "endgame" where all you could do was take points away. So what if there were a slightly similar endgame here where we had a +1, -1 scenario? And then when we would schedule the endgame?
The point about the number of great swimmers being virtually limitless is a very good one. I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps by the theoretical endgame, then swimmer additions could be stopped, too?
What does everyone think?
Ryan Lochte - 8
Pieter van den Hoogenband - 6
Duke Kahanamoku - 15
Johnny Weissmuller - 13
Mark Spitz - 11
Matt Biondi - 21
Rowdy Gaines - 15
Michael Phelps - 15
Janet Evans - 17
Dara Torres - 15
Tracy Caulkins - 12
Natalie Coughlin - 12
Mary T. Meagher - 18
Gertrude Ederle - 13
Tom Jager - 15
Vladimir Salnikov - 12
Alexander V. Popov - 10
+2 for Salnikov, because, until Grant Hackett came along, there was no better distance swimmer in the world. He broke a mental/swimming barrier not unlike the 4:00 running mile.
That gets me thinking I need to add Hackett in four more posts before the possible rules change comes into play.
Ryan Lochte - 8
Pieter van den Hoogenband - 2
Duke Kahanamoku - 15
Johnny Weissmuller - 13
Mark Spitz - 11
Matt Biondi - 21
Rowdy Gaines - 11
Michael Phelps - 15
Janet Evans - 17
Dara Torres - 15
Tracy Caulkins - 14
Natalie Coughlin - 12
Mary T. Meagher - 18
Gertrude Ederle - 13
Tom Jager - 15
Vladimir Salnikov - 12
Alexander V. Popov - 14
Ian Thorpe-8
-2 to PvdH to see if forumites are willing to vote someone off the list
Ryan Lochte - 8
Duke Kahanamoku - 15
Johnny Weissmuller - 13
Mark Spitz - 11
Matt Biondi - 21
Rowdy Gaines - 11
Michael Phelps - 15
Janet Evans - 17
Dara Torres - 15
Tracy Caulkins - 14
Natalie Coughlin - 12
Mary T. Meagher - 18
Gertrude Ederle - 13
Tom Jager - 15
Vladimir Salnikov - 12
Alexander V. Popov - 14
Ian Thorpe-8
-2 to PvdH. BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
Ryan Lochte - 8
Duke Kahanamoku - 15
Johnny Weissmuller - 13
Mark Spitz - 11
Matt Biondi - 21
Rowdy Gaines - 11
Michael Phelps - 15
Janet Evans - 17
Dara Torres - 15
Tracy Caulkins - 14
Natalie Coughlin - 12
Mary T. Meagher - 18
Gertrude Ederle - 13
Tom Jager - 15
Vladimir Salnikov - 12
Alexander V. Popov - 14
Ian Thorpe-8
Aaron Peirsol - 10
Added Aaron Peirsol. C'mon? Who doesn't like the guy?
Ryan Lochte - 8
Duke Kahanamoku - 15
Johnny Weissmuller - 13
Mark Spitz - 11
Matt Biondi - 21
Rowdy Gaines - 11
Michael Phelps - 15
Janet Evans - 17
Dara Torres - 15
Tracy Caulkins - 14
Natalie Coughlin - 12
Mary T. Meagher - 18
Gertrude Ederle - 13
Tom Jager - 15
Vladimir Salnikov - 12
Alexander V. Popov - 14
Ian Thorpe - 6
Aaron Peirsol - 10
Ian Thorpe - 2 ... I knew a guy named Ian, he had a cute sister.
Ryan Lochte - 8
Duke Kahanamoku - 15
Johnny Weissmuller - 13
Mark Spitz - 11
Matt Biondi - 21
Rowdy Gaines - 11
Michael Phelps - 15
Janet Evans - 18
Dara Torres - 15
Tracy Caulkins - 14
Natalie Coughlin - 12
Mary T. Meagher - 18
Gertrude Ederle - 13
Tom Jager - 15
Vladimir Salnikov - 12
Alexander V. Popov - 14
Ian Thorpe - 6
Aaron Peirsol - 11
+1 for time spent @ UT-Austin ... though, really Aaron should get +4 and Janet +1 (or so)