Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Mentor: Amanda


✴ Sandy ~ Captain
✴ Chris Davies ~ Co-Captain
✴ Andrea ~ Co-Captain
✴ Aminko
✴ Amy J
✴ Caroline
✴ Erin
✴ June
✴ Kerri
✴ Melissa
✴ Rachel
✴ Samantha
✴ Shan

✴ Amy
✴ Heather

Battleship Board

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

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Sandy - wobble
Chris - wobble
Andrea - wobble-2016
Aminko - 2016-wobble
Amy J - wobble
Amy - wobble
Caroline - wobble
Erin - wobbley
Heather - wobble
June - wobble2016
Kerri - wobble-books
Melissa - wobble
Rachel - nbrc-wobble
Samantha - wobble_challenge_2016
Shan - wobble-wobble

Note: Please only put your completed books for the wobble challenge on these shelves. If you want to keep track of potential books to read for the challenge, please make a different shelf. Thanks!!!!

DracoLizardsSpreadsheet

PostREADbookshere

TeamRankings

Start of Emerge The Victor

End of EVT-Wobble

EMERGE THE VICTOR

About this Challenge
◈ Emerge the Victor is the sizth of six challenges within our W.O.B.B.L.E Event
◈ Emerge the Victor will last 4 weeks

General Rules
◈ Follows General Rules of Wobble Event
◈ All Questions go to Captains/Co-Captains who have majority in decision making
◈ Any questions Captains/Co-Captains cannot answer may be taken to mods BY Captain/Co-Captain only

Emerge the Victor Rules
◈ Teams may look at their opponents inventory and stats.
◈ Post spreadsheet problems into the RPG Spreadsheet thread so whichever mod is on can assist.

Points
◈ 30 Points per Weapon Level
◈ 45 Points per Hero Level
◈ 2 Point per Gold Remaining
◈ 5 Points per Potion Remaining
◈ 30 Points per Tournament Knockout

Book Sales
Any book may be sold for the following price:
◈ 100-400 pages - 1 Gold
◈ 401+ pages - 2 Gold

Banked Books
Books before the end of Labors may be exchanged for 1 Gold piece each for use in Jack and Jill's Store.

Milon/Omni Bonuses
Each may only be chosen once. Request via mod account PM.
◈ Free 3 Gold
◈ Free Greater Health Potion
◈ Free Damage Potion
◈ 1 Free Book (any book on GoodReads can be used)
◈ Duplicate one book read by someone on your team during Wobble

Health

◈ Your hero starts with 20 HP
◈ Your hero gains 5 HP every level
Example:
Level 1: 20 Max HP
Level 2: 25 Max HP
Level 3: 30 Max HP
...

◈ Levels are gained by getting XP from quests or monsters.
◈ When a hero levels to the next level, their HP are healed to their new max health.


Levels
Level 1: Starting Level
Level 2: 10 Experience Total
Level 3: 20 Experience Total
Level 4: 40 Experience Total
Level 5: 70 Experience Total
Level 6: 120 Experience Total
Level 7: 200 Experience Total
Level 8: 275 Experience Total
Level 9: 375 Experience Total
Level 10: 500 Experience Total

EMERGE THE VICTOR - CONTINUED

Weapon

◈ Your hero has a weapon.
◈ The weapon starts with 10 Attack.
◈ The weapon levels up 1 attack each level.
◈ Levels are gained by reading progressively longer "series" of books.
Example:
Level 1: #1 in Series book (11 Attack)
Level 2: #1 and #2 in Series book (12 Attack)
Level 3: #1 and #2 and #3 in Series book (13 Attack)

Potions
Notes:
Health will never go above maximum health. For example, Max Health 20, Current Health 18, a minor heal potion will only heal 2 health.
Poison affects the person/monster affected at the beginning of their turn.

◈ Minor Heal Potion - Heals 5 HP
◈ Heal Potion - Heals 10 HP
◈ Greater Heal Potion - Heals 15 HP
◈ Cure Poison - Cures poison

◈ Damage Potion - Increases weapon attack by 5 Attack for one round
◈ Greater Damage Potion - Doubles weapon attack for one round

◈ Poison Potion - Damages opponent 3 damage every round until healed or opponent is knocked out
◈ Greater Poison Potion - Damages opponent 6 damage every round until healed or opponent is knocked out

◈ Shield Potion - Halves damage taken by the next attack

Cards

◈ Every day at 11 am London Time the spreadsheet will automatically draw cards until you have five in your hand.
◈ A card may be dismissed at any time if it is not wanted but will not be re-drawn until the daily draw time.
◈ If a card is completed, it will be immediately redrawn.

Monster Cards
◈ Monster cards have monsters that can be fought for experience and/or items.
◈ Monsters are fought using health, a weapon and potions.
◈ Hero health is the same whether in a tournament or monster battle.
◈ A Hero always attacks first unless otherwise noted.
◈ If a Hero is knocked out during the battle, the monster heals to full health.

Example
Mod Hero: 10 Attack 20 HP
Plush Zombie: 5 Attack 15 HP

Mod Hero Starts
Mod Hero hits Plush Zombie for 10 Attack.
Plush Zombie has 15 HP- 10 HP = 5 HP
Plush Zombie hits Mod Hero for 5 Attack.
Mod Hero has 20 HP - 5 HP = 15 HP
Mod Hero hits Plush Zombie for 10 Attack.
Plush Zombie has 5 HP- 10 HP = 0 HP
Plush Zombie killed.
Mod Hero gains 2 Experience.


Quest Cards
◈ Quest cards have quests that can be completed for experience and/or items.
◈ Quests may be submitted through the spreadsheet.
◈ Quest rewards (both experience and potions) are proportional to their difficulty.

EMERGE THE VICTOR - CONTINUED

Tournament Rounds

◈ The first week will not have a tournament to allow teams to gather supplies, level and train.
◈ Starting the second week each team will be assigned a tournament partner.
◈ Each round lasts 16 hours, then the round transfers to the partner.
◈ The team with a less experienced hero starts.
◈ During a round a hero may use an unlimited amount of potions and attack once with their weapon (unless another rule overrides it)
◈ If a hero is knocked out (0 HP) the opponent receives 30 Points.
◈ If a hero is knocked out (0 HP) they may heal their next turn using potions or by leveling.

Jack and Jill's Store

◈ Minor Heal Potion - 2 Gold
◈ Heal Potion - 3 Gold
◈ Cure Poison - 2 Gold
◈ Damage Potion - 2 Gold
◈ Poison Potion - 5 Gold

RES

Ohh, I'm the first to drop by. Hello, team!

Good Morning and Welcome to Team Draco Lizards!!! Your co-captains, Andrea and Chris, and I are excited to get things started!! I know we'll all have a fun time over the next few months and I look forward to getting to know you all!

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from? What do you like to read? Any interesting hobbies? What other challenges have you done? Have you read any great books lately?

I'm your captain, Sandy. I'm from Southern California. I love to read (I'm guessing we all fit this one, right?) and mostly I read erotic romances, although for challenges I'll read other stuff if we need a book to fit a category or task. I'm divorced and have 3 dogs (who I think of like my kids.) I love to travel - last summer I got to go to Italy! No plans right now, but I'm always looking for someplace new to visit.

I'll be sending friend requests to everyone and I encourage you to friend your fellow teammates (Lady Lizards? :-)) as well!

Hello! I'm Kerri and I'm excited to be on this team! I love lizards. I actually had a pet iguana when I was younger :)

I currently live in Ohio, but I grew up in the military. I was born in California, then moved to (in order) Germany, Florida, Arizona, and Ohio. My dad retired here, so I've actually lived here the longest. That's about to change, though, because I married a military man and we'll be moving to New Mexico next month! Looking forward to being back in the Southwest.

Let's see... I love to read (of course :)), I dabble in video games (though I don't have the attention span to finish them...), I love Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead (the only two TV shows I religiously watch), and I'm a huge animal nerd. We have three cats right now and I really want a dog, but my husband and I agreed that would have to wait until we own a house. I love to travel though I don't get to do it as often as I would like. I have two awesome kiddos, my 9 year old daughter and 2 year old son. Annnnd... I work as a medical laboratory technician, which is an awesome job that most people have never heard of, lol.

As for what I like to read, I tend to gravitate towards fantasy and sci-fi. Lately I've been getting into the historical fictions. Really, I'll give anything a try as long as it sounds interesting! I'm relatively new to the challenge game. The only other one I've done was TTIV and it was an absolute blast! I'm really looking forward to this one. So many different games and a chance to kick me out of my reading slump!

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

Hi, I'm Melissa

I'm married and have 3 older boys 15, 18, 24. I work part time, go to school part time (for accounting). I'm working on an associates now and we'll see what happens after that. I have 5 classes left so this coming year is the final stretch after going off and on for years and years. I'm outside of Chicago.

I'm a gamer, video games, rpgs, board games.. I'll play anything. I'm working on my first cosplay for GenCon this year, I'm doing Wonder Woman.

I'm not a big physical reader, I'm slow at that and get distracted easy, but I can listen to a book in 2 days while working. So I've been doing more of that recently. I love horror, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy. I'm listening to Game of Thrones right now. I also read comics. I have an awesome library that I can find anything I'm looking for at.

I'm up to reading anything I can for this challenge. This is my first one.

Melissa

Hi!!! My name is Samantha. I'm also in Southern California, although I was born and raised in Iowa. Besides reading, I love listening to music (rock is my fave, but my taste has grown to other genres as well). I'm also getting married this September, which will add some interesting excitement as this challenge goes on. The planning has been going really smoothly so far and I have the entire week off before my wedding to hang out with all my friends and family flying in, so that's really exciting :)

My favorites to read are fantasy and thriller/mystery. I do have a huge Stephen King collection, but I have to admit I haven't read all of them yet. I'm willing to read other genres, but non-fiction is probably the hardest for me to get through. An exception that I can think of to that is The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.

I did the LRPG a few months ago, but this is my first team challenge! I'm pretty excited to see how this goes :) I'm currently reading The Name of the Wind, which I'm completely in love with right now!

@Melissa - I'm just getting into the audiobook game, myself. Any suggestions? I'm up for any genre, but I've heard a lot of people say the narrator can make or break the book for you.

@Samantha - Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! The Name of the Wind is currently chilling on my bookshelf waiting for me to pick it up, heh. I have too many books and not enough time!

@Kerri - I'm not sure how it will go with Wobble, but I'm breezing through this book because I'm so hooked! The only thing that stops is when my eyes get tired :)

It looks like we have a bunch of Game of Thrones fans in this group so far! I'm up-to-date on the show, but need to get working on the books - I've only read the first one and part of the second one so far.

I really enjoyed the books! The last two were my favorite, so far, and now I'm patiently waiting for the next one. I love the show, but I've definitely started loving it as it's own entity rather as an extension of the books. The first few seasons were pretty faithful to the books, but it's gone off in it's own (still awesome!) direction.

Kerri wrote: "I really enjoyed the books! The last two were my favorite, so far, and now I'm patiently waiting for the next one. I love the show, but I've definitely started loving it as it's own entity rather a..."

That's what I've kind of gathered from other sources too (that it's gone on its own tangent) which I think is important for a show in order to keep people interested and not bored with the same story they've already read (assuming they've read it). The show makes me want to read the books because I know there's just a huge amount of details in the books that are being skipped over or omitted in the show :)

Samantha wrote: "The show makes me want to read the books because I know there's just a huge amount of details in the books that are being skipped over or omitted in the show :)
"

The show is actually the reason I read the books, as well, and for the same reason :) That happens to me a lot. I see something (a TV show or a movie) and find out it's based off of a book and then I have to read the book. I usually like the book better because, again, you get more detail which movies don't have the time to show you.

Kerri wrote: "Samantha wrote: "The show makes me want to read the books because I know there's just a huge amount of details in the books that are being skipped over or omitted in the show :)
"

The show is act..."

For sure. Sometimes I'll read the book first before watching the movie (for example, The Hobbit) so I can kind of compare the two (Ya, I'm one of those kinds of people). The Hobbit was a bad one to read the book before the movie just because I heard a lot of people who didn't read the book really enjoyed the movie. With me reading the book first, I found myself almost hating every moment of the three movies -.-

Samantha wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Samantha wrote: "The show makes me want to read the books because I know there's just a huge amount of details in the books that are being skipped over or omitted in the show :)
"

T..."

That is probably really true. I read The Hobbit, but I read it sooo long ago, I went into the movie without really recalling a lot of the book besides the basic storyline. That's probably why I actually enjoyed the movies, though I know it strayed from the book quite a bit. Also, I have a weird crush on Martin Freeman =X

Kerri wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Samantha wrote: "The show makes me want to read the books because I know there's just a huge amount of details in the books that are being skipped over or omitted in ..."

I think some movies are getting better about being more true to the story though. Such as Gone Girl and the Hunger Games trilogy. With the Hunger Games trilogy, I have to admit its been a while since I've read them, but I felt that the movies did a good job of putting the book into a visual medium considering how much inner monologuing when had from Katniss in the books.

I haven't read much fantasy, but I'm thinking I'll have to read Game of Thrones to see what you are all talking about! Maybe you'll convert me! :-)

Sandy wrote: "I haven't read much fantasy, but I'm thinking I'll have to read Game of Thrones to see what you are all talking about! Maybe you'll convert me! :-)"

Come to the dark side ;) I will say, they are involved, but they are so engaging!

Samantha wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Kerri wrote: "Samantha wrote: "The show makes me want to read the books because I know there's just a huge amount of details in the books that are being skipped over ..."

I agree, I really enjoyed The Hunger Games movies. I thought they fleshed the stories out well and that kind of action just translated to the screen really well.

Hehehe - I'll try Kerri! LA has a great selection of books in Overdrive, so I just put a hold on the first book.

Sandy wrote: "I haven't read much fantasy, but I'm thinking I'll have to read Game of Thrones to see what you are all talking about! Maybe you'll convert me! :-)"

The thing about Game of Thrones is that its very dense. There's a lot of characters in it and multiple storylines (very much like LOTR books). I've found that it's easier to read the books (both GoT and LOTR) after watching the show/movies because I can put a face to the name.

For an introduction into the fantasy genre, I'm really enjoying The Name of the Wind right now. It's easy to read, really engaging, and has that magic feel to it. I also really enjoyed the first few books of the Narnia series, and (of course) Harry Potter. I can never get enough of Harry Potter. Ever.

I just went to Universal Studios Hollywood and was completely geeking out the entire time I was in "Harry Potter World". I was geeking out to the point I thought I was going to have a heart attack because I was so excited.

I did really like Harry Potter - I listened to it on audiobook and it was great. I'd like to actually read the books at some point - too many books, not enough time!!

Hi everyone! I'm Chris and i have recently returned to living in Phoenix - Land of Lizards :-). I was a military brat and spouse and was fortunate to live in lots of places. Im a widow with two daughters and four grandchildren. I am retired from a tax software company and now have tons of time for reading and crafts (I love to spin and knit). I have two spoiled Boston Terriers that keep me busy.

I was a History major and love historical fiction. A good murder mystery or thriller tickles my fancy, too. When I look at my "Read" shelf, it appears that I really like romance, too. So, I guess I'm all over the place with preferences. I listen to about a third of my books, and usually have both an audiobook and a print going at the same time.

I think I've participated in all of the Tower Team challenges, and have have enjoyed them all. You get to meet such fun people and learn about so many books!

Kerri, are you at Wright Pat? My husband was stationed there before we were married, and we used to go visit friends in Dayton.

I wish I could get into audiobooks. I feel like I would be getting through my TBR if I did more listening. I tried The Language of Flowers as an audiobook, but only got about halfway through because it was hard for me to keep track of what was going on in my head. Does anyone have recommendations for what to go for on audiobook? I kind of want to give it a second chance.

All you brides! Congrats and how do you find time to read?

Is George RR ever going to finish the next book? I think I've been waiting at least 5 years. I enjoyed the shows, but liked the books better, too.

Chris wrote: "All you brides! Congrats and how do you find time to read?"

Wedding planner :) I hired her right after we got engaged (all the way back in January of last year) because my work schedule at the time was insane and I figured I wouldn't have enough time to do any of the stuff that needed to be done. I was working 12-10pm 4-5 days a week and at least one weekend a month (Friday 12pm all the way through Monday morning which would add up to about 45 hours). Because of her I've had almost zero stress about the wedding. The only thing that has been stressing me is the guest list/getting RSVPs back.

@Samantha - I have a hard time listening to audio books at home, but they are a lifesaver in the car (with LA traffic and all!) I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription and there are some books on KU that also have free audio, so if I don't like the book, its not problem to not finish. Also you can download audio books through Overdrive for free as well, although I haven't done that yet.

Sandy wrote: "@Samantha - I have a hard time listening to audio books at home, but they are a lifesaver in the car (with LA traffic and all!) I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription and there are some books on KU..."

It's always a misery whenever I go to LA DX. The only other place I've been to with horrible traffic is Chicago, but it doesn't even compare to LA traffic on the 101/5. Audiobooks must be your best friend in the car :) I'll have to check out Overdrive. I think my library has that as well.

@Samantha - Next time you are in LA, go to one of the libraries and get a card so you can use the LA Overdrive - it's got so many more books than the other libraries in SoCal. I don't mind paying for books - that's how authors make a living. But I have a tough time paying over $5 for an e-book. So I tend to use it for the more expensive ones or books for challenges I normally wouldn't read and don't want to spend money on. I do read a lot and have to stay on some type of budget!

Sandy wrote: "@Samantha - Next time you are in LA, go to one of the libraries and get a card so you can use the LA Overdrive - it's got so many more books than the other libraries in SoCal. I don't mind paying f..."

Will do! I should've thought of that when I was up there this past weekend. I'll have to remember for the next time. I'm trying to use the library more now because 1)weddings cost a lot of money and I gotta save and 2)I just cleaned out my bookshelf a few months ago and I'm trying to keep it somewhat the same and only buying books I know I'll re-read.

I also have a hard time paying so much for an e-book. A lot of times the e-books cost almost as much as the physical copy! It's bizarre to me.

I'm with you all on libraries. Phoenix has a good audio selection, and I also use the military library for ebooks and audio. I was sick when Scribd changed from allowing unlimited reading.

Samantha wrote: "Hi!!! My name is Samantha. I'm also in Southern California, although I was born and raised in Iowa. Besides reading, I love listening to music (rock is my fave, but my taste has grown to other genr..."

Where in Iowa? I was born and raised in NE Iowa, near Decorah

Amy J. wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Hi!!! My name is Samantha. I'm also in Southern California, although I was born and raised in Iowa. Besides reading, I love listening to music (rock is my fave, but my taste has gr..."

No way!!! I'm from Clinton, but I went to Luther College! How crazy is that?! :)

@Chris - I am at Wright Patt! My dad retired here and I've been in the area ever since, except for a small stint in Texas when I joined the Reserves. I see you're in Phoenix! We were stationed at Luke for about 4 years. I loved it there :)

Sandy wrote: "I haven't read much fantasy, but I'm thinking I'll have to read Game of Thrones to see what you are all talking about! Maybe you'll convert me! :-)"

You'll love the conversion! They are so addictive.

Samantha wrote: "Amy J. wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Hi!!! My name is Samantha. I'm also in Southern California, although I was born and raised in Iowa. Besides reading, I love listening to music (rock is my fave, but ..."

Maybe you two were twins separated at birth :-)

Kerri wrote: "@Chris - I am at Wright Patt! My dad retired here and I've been in the area ever since, except for a small stint in Texas when I joined the Reserves. I see you're in Phoenix! We were stationed at L..."

Luke is a great base. I can't get over how much it has changed in the last 15 years - Phx, too.
I was born here a really long time ago before A/C when sensible people stayed much further North.

Hey! I'm Caroline from Cleveland and I love caving and camping :-) I'm an Environmental Engineer and I like to spend as much time outside as possible. I'm happily single, childless and debating if I want to take on the responsibility of a few windowsill herbs.

I read mostly Nonfiction and Literary Fiction, but I try to read as diversly as I can. This year Im trying to read as many of Bowie's Most Influential Books and books from as many different countries as possible. Im also still doing the Around the World Challenge and did TTIV. About 2/3 of the books I read are audiobooks because I can listen to them at double speed while driving, working, running or drawing.

In my opinion, audiobooks aren't much different from other formats. You may prefer hardcover, paper backs, ebooks or audio, but they're all the same story, just different levels of convenience. Just like there are some fonts that make a book unreadable or unbelievably beautiful, there are narrators that you will love and hate, but most fade into the background. The problem with audiobooks is that it's very difficult to go back and reread, so poetry, intricate plots or lots of similar sounding names can be more of a challenge. I'd recommend starting with a book that you're more interested in saying that you read than in actually reading and listen to it on a car trip. You'll be able to get the plot, language and major themes without worrying about missing any minor details. Where audiobooks really shine are books like Uncle Tom's Cabin or Wuthering Heights that have fairly simple plots, but are written in vernacular. When spelling and grammar gets to crazy in print, I struggle to understand it, but in the audiobook it just sounds like an accent.

Caroline wrote: "Hey! I'm Caroline from Cleveland and I love caving and camping :-) I'm an Environmental Engineer and I like to spend as much time outside as possible. I'm happily single, childless and debating if ..."

Thanks for the audiobook tips Caroline! Wuthering Heights is on my TBR so I might give that a try first :)

Hi, I'm Amy. I'm so excited to be on this team, partially for a very silly reason. I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan. And a couple of weeks ago I got to meet the actor (Tom Felton) who plays Draco Malfoy in the movies. So, even though I know the team name has nothing to do with the HP character, this was one of the teams I was hoping to be assigned to.

I'm currently living in Kansas where I am a psychology professor. I teach a wide range of courses, including all those you might expect plus human sexuality and women's studies. I am originally from Iowa though I haven't lived there for over a decade.

I tend to favor Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror novels. But I also love Jane Austen and other Classics, as well as Paranormal Romance and Smut (Erotica). In terms of non-fiction, I tend more towards biological and social science. I have several non-fiction books that I need to read for a Women's Studies course that I am developing. I am willing to read any type of book except inspirational/religious.

I am not sure if I'm considered a big reader or not for this challenge. In the past, I've read over 150 books per year. But recently, I have been working to complete my degree and those numbers have fallen. The good news is that I graduated in May and now I have a lot more time to devote to reading.

I am currently reading A Clash of Kings, which is the second book in the GOT series . I would like to get the series finished by the start of Fall term, but I don't know if that will happen. I probably won't be able to use those books for this challenge since they're so long. But the good news is I like to read multiple books at once. I think I'll be done with A clash of Kings before the challenge starts and I'll assess what I need to read for the challenge before I start A Storm of Swords.

Because of school (teaching and taking classes), it's been about a year since I did a challenge. Before I went back to school, I used to do them all the time. I actually used to do several simultaneously. I think it'll be a lot of fun to do one again.

I like physical books. Though I do have both Kindle and Nook books. I also have an audible account with unused credits. But I find I can only listen to audio books when I'm driving across country. Otherwise the book becomes background noise to which I don't pay attention.

I have two small dogs: Sophia and Isabel.

I think you're right, Caroline. I particularly like when a foreign book is spoken in the accent appropriate to the country. Im not sharp enough to listen to them in their native language.