Hi everyone! I hope you are as anxious as I am for fall tour to start!

I want to thank everyone for participating in our prediction game summer tour! And just an update on summer tour prizes...My new dyes had came in the mail yesterday so I plan to get some whites soaked this afternoon and start tying and dying this weekend!

I've come to the conclusion the game is just getting to be too much to handle. With all the new players and the long list of songs we pick I thought it was time for a change. This would make it easier to play and much easier to score as well as avoid any controversy there may be. Straws brought to my attention a new version of a set list prediction game. Which I think will be great! I thought I would share with you and as a whole so we can make the changes we see are needed.

The new format will be to pick a 1st Set Opener and Closer; 2nd Set Opener and Closer, and of course an encore! Plus we decided to add some bonus picks in the mix to help get more points!

This is where I need your help.
How many bonus picks do we want? 5, 7, or 11? Also next to your bonus pick do we want to be able to guess the set it will be played in or extra encore for an extra point?

Here is an example of what it should look like.

1O} Jack Straw
1X} Deal
2O} Help on the Way
2X} Not Fade Away
E} U.S. Blues


Bonus
1} Loser (Set 1)
2} Terrapin Suite (Set 2)
3} Franklin's Tower (Set 2)
4} Birdsong (Set 1)
5} Looks Like Rain (Set 1)

All correct answers in the correct spot will be worth 2 points and everything correct but not in the correct spot will be worth 1 point. Does anyone want to change this?

Also I think it will be good to set some ground rules so we are all on the same page. Like....
-Do we want to count Jam as a song?
-Reprises count or no?
-Terrapin should count for all parts of the song?
-Sunshine Daydream does not count if played after Sugar Magnolia (it does if on it's own).
-WRS doesn't count if just Let it Grow was played.
-ETC

Please feel free to give your input! This is a community project after all!

I love the opener/closer/encore part. Reminds me of the Ratdog Fantasy game, which I used to love playing. Much simpler.

Bonuses I would say give 5. Keep it simple.

As for the point system, it might get difficult with the bonuses as some people will put "set 1, song 2" - can that be addressed? I would prefer for the bonuses to just be "set 1" or "set 2" or "encore." That way, it's easier to tally up by saying "you get 2 points for Sugar Mag because they played it in set 2 like you guessed" or "you get 1 point for Estimated because they played it, but not in the encore slot" (haha wouldn't THAT be cool?).

Split Sugar Mag, full Terrapin, reprises...all that gets to be too particular and I would imagine it becoming tedious and less fun, because they don't split Terrapin all the time, if only just once in 3 years (I don't have the stats for that, so I might be wrong). I say, the less rules the better. If you list 5 and 5 (set 1 O/C, set 2 O/C, encore and 5 bonus songs), that's your prediction and if they don't play your predictions, you don't get points.

OR!!!! If you want to say "someone listed Sugar Mag, but they split it" - give them 2 points if they play both sections. Because really, if they play a full Sugar Mag but in different parts of the show, they still played the full song. As for Terrapin, that would get MIGHTY confusing. I am assuming Furthur will always play a full Terrapin, even if they play one half at one end of a show and one half at another. Just give 2 points if they played the full Terrapin at least SOMEWHERE in the show, as with Sugar Mag. Same with WRS suite: if they only play Let it Grow, you get 2 points if you listed LIG and 1 point if you chose WRS Suite (and vice versa, including 2 points if they play the whole suite and you listed WRS Suite).

Don't list jams. The song that opens the show is the song you write in your slot. They will ALWAYS jam.

YES!! This is the format I was alluding to in my rants

Simple is better.

No to counting Jams (ignore it in the official setlist) otherwise you would always pick Jam as set 1 opener right??
No to counting reprises (ignore in the official setlist)
No to splitting Sugar Mag and Sunshine Daydream, as in I wouldn't choose Sunshine Daydream as a song in this contest
If only Let it Grow is played then no to counting it as WRS
I like patches statement about Terrapin. If someone chooses it as say set 2 opener OR set 2 closer AND they split it up that way similar to Bethel, that everyone who chose set 2 opener or closer would get 2 points, keeping it simple!

Thanks so much!

I like it, I would stick with 5 bonus points and require the set in which it is played to get 2 points. What about double encores?

dr bakes wrote:


I think if you feel they will play a double encore add that pick to your bonus and put encore. I forgot to add you can pick extra encores in your bonuses too!

Thanks for opening up this discussion. The choice to pick set openers, closers, the encore, and 5 bonus picks ought to simplify the game for all involved. Sandwich picks such as the Viola Lee Blues triple-decker can still be identified as bonus picks. With about half as many points available, scoring will be lower, and the pack will be probably be tighter. This seems like a fine scenario to me.

Sustainabill wrote:


Interesting advice on Viola lee! I like it! Apply that to all sandwich situations!

Im getting hungry reading this thread. I honestly dont participate due to the deeply involved process of picking 2 entire sets a night for 2-3 weeks, would love this new format and would love to participate (emily's dyes definitely sweeten the pot),
please switch to a new, more user friendly version?

FurthurFlower67 wrote:


Thanks a bunch for keeping the original format going for 2 additional tours after I started it. It is IMPOSSIBLE to maintain - I agree but it was so fun to also watch the game (from the pit) while ON tour. The original plan still remains. My bro-in-law was supposed to put the format on a website to make it REAL easy to enter, and have automatic scoring. Lets hope he gets his act NOT TOGETHER so he can do this for us. I think he promised - but maybe in time for the new year. Again thanks to you and Sue for rocking this thing. It was up to more than 15 actives during one show - thats great. If we make it all clickable - it could take 2-3 minutes to put in your pics on line. Lets see if we can take this game Furthur! Peace

Denver Man wrote:


Well said. I concur