Here we go with another variation on the theme. Please read the instructions carefully as these are not the usual rules of the traditional game, nor are they the same as those on the previous thread: they may also be updated and refined in this post as we go. Hopefully everything is reasonably clear, but please do not hesitate to ask for help or clarification.

The rules

(i) The setter puts up the outline of a word or a short well-known expression in blank (so that all the other players know are the numbers of words and of letters in each word) together with an indication of the nature or category of the word/expression. An expression might be for example a book, play, film or music title or the name of a famous person or character, or perhaps a proverb or saying: it is entirely up to the setter.

(ii) Someone else posts at least two letters which he/she thinks might be in the word/expression.

(iii) The setter enters into the outline any correctly guessed first or last letter of a word. Any other correctly guessed letter is placed into the letter bank and will only be added to the outline if someone guesses its correct position. If a letter occurs more than once, a single correct guess will result in enough for all occurrences being placed in the letter bank (except insofar as any are placed directly into the outline as the first or last letter of a word).

(iv) Meanwhile the setter also starts to add the hanged person to the gallows with one step for each incorrectly guessed letter or position of letter. Seven steps are needed to complete the victim (head, body, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, face).

(v) Someone posts another two (or more) letter guesses and/or a guess at the position in the outline of at least one letter from the letter bank, and so on. There is nothing to prevent the same person from posting consecutive guesses, or even hogging an entire game, but please have some consideration for other addicts!

(vi) Players are allowed to try to guess individual words of an answer consisting of more than one word. However, such a guess will be treated as separate letter or position guesses for each blank space in the word.

(vii) Ideally, you should probably wait for the setter to let you know whether a previous guess is correct before guessing again, but it may work okay if there are two or three guesses oustanding at one time. However, tread carefully if only a couple of steps remain before the picture is complete!

(viii) At any stage anyone can try to guess the word/expression, but a wrong word/expression guess results in two steps towards the completion of the picture.

(viii) The setter wins if the picture of the hanged person is completed: otherwise the person to correctly guess the word/expression is the winner, and hopefully then sets the next word/expression.

Note for setters on creating the picture of the gallows and hanged person

The picture steps (kindly contributed by Pandora) are in a photobucket album on the internet which are accessed by using one of the urls (web addresses) below, and here's how you do it:

In the full reply screen one of the option buttons across the top is "enter an image" which then offers you a choice of various image positions to insert followed by a dialogue box for a url.

You just copy and paste the url you need, deleting and replacing as you go through the game and want to change the picture.

I have been using the position "non-floating image" and have not fully understand the difference between that and the varous "floating image" options. Feel free to experiment as it's just a bit of fun!

The urls

The gallows, in place at the start of the game
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/G4.gif

Step one, the head of the condemned person
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H1.gif

Step two, the body
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H2.gif

Step three, the right leg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H3.gif

Step four, the left leg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H4.gif

Step five, the right arm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H5.gif

Step six, the left arm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H6.gif

Step seven, the face of death
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H10.gif

Here's one that I think/hope will be a relatively easy one to start us off under the new rules:

S L A V E * T O * T H E * R H Y T H M
(4 words 5,2,3,5) music title - guessed by Haroula


Letter bank (correctly guessed letters waiting for someone to guess their positions in the outline): A
Wrongly guessed letters: BDC
Wrongly guessed answers: Dance to the Rhythm
Wrongly guessed positions for correct letters:

Wrong guesses remaining: 2

A E

Well, I'd better open this one up then!

Both correct.

Lex, you forgot to place the A.

My choices are B, T, H.

Hi Curly: two out of three correct, but the A doesn't get beyond the letter bank yet (under the new rules).

R, Y, M

Three good contributions to the letter bank from someone who obviously knows the answer!

Actually, I should have entered R and M as first and last letters of the last word!

D C

If so, 1st letter and last letter of first word.

Not my first word, Flo: I'm afraid they are two misses!

ok, R and M 1st and last letter of last word.

Correct guesses of two positions of letters from the bank!

Actually, I should haver entered those in the outline when MxM guessed them: apologies for not following my own rules...

Dance to the rythm

I think that you are making the same mistake as Flo: that is not the title!

However, I will treat it a correct guess of the position of Y in the final word.

Slave to the rhythm

Spot on Haroula!

I'll do a couple more to make sure the new regime is working, and here's the next one:



P O N T I A C * F I R E B I R D (two words 7,8) vehicle - guessed by Jema


Letter bank (correct letters awaiting position guesses): ENAOT
Wrong letter guesses:
Wrong letter position guesses:
Wrong answer guesses:

Number of wrong guesses remaining: 7

C and E

Question: If a guessed letter appears more than once but is not a first or last, how many of that letter do you put in the letter bank?

R N

A P

All on target!

Jema, the answer is none, as multiple letters go straight into the outline, as do firsts/lasts. However, if that makes it too easy, we could consider putting the multiple letters in the letter bank instead: if we do that it will probably make sense to put as many in the bank as there are in the word/expression (although we could also go back to having to guess the same letter more than once).

Let's see how we go for a few games with the present idea, unless you all hate it already!

F and D

Two more on target: I'll obviously have to try to make the next one more difficult!

O, T, I

Cat got your tongue, manxman

Correct - this is getting to be like suicide chess!

Don't worry about getting stuck with setting the next one because I will carry on for a couple more anyway.

Pontiac Firebird

Thanks Jema, that was my wife's car in the Cayman Islands some years ago (an ancient red one)!

Let's see how this one runs:


P T _ _ _ _ _ _ T _ L (one word 11 letters) a creature

Letter bank (correct letters awaiting position guesses): AEY
Wrong letter guesses: BFN
Wrong position guesses:
Wrong answer guesses:

Number of wrong guesses remaining: 4

A and E

B and F

L, N

Three hits, three misses!

P, T, Y

Some very astute guesswork: three hits!

pterodactyl

Correct!

I am not entirely convinced that my "letter bank" idea is adding anything worthwhile, at least in its present form. Therefore, I am going to try it with only the first and last letters being automatically added to the outline: any other letters (including letters which appear more than once) will be added to the letter bank.

If that runs okay, I will pass the baton.

Here's one using the revised rule:


Q U A N T U M * T H E O R Y (two words 7,6) a scientific term - guessed by Niki

Letter bank (correct letters awaiting position guesses): EAOTR
Wrongly guessed letters: PGIS
Wrongly guessed letter positions:
Wrongly guessed answers:

Number of wrong guesses remaining: 3

E and P

How many of a correctly guessed letter that appears multiple times will go in the letter bank?

Hi Jema, as many as there are in the word/expression will go into the bank.

You have one hit and one miss (makes it sound like battleships).

A and O

Hi Curly - two hits.

G and I

Sorry Jema, two misses!

S and T

One hit and one miss: T occurs twice and one instance is at the start of a word, hence one now shown in the outline and the other in the letter bank.

I have clarified the description, but hopefully not too much!

R and Y

Both into the pocket!

last word theory

U and M

quantum theory

All correct!

That seemed to flow quite well, so I would like to leave it on this setting if that suits everyone (at least until my next rush of blood to the head...).

Feedback encouraged.

Niki, would you like to have a go or would you prefer me to set another?

you do another please Lex

Okay: I'll do that a little later.

Here we go with another:


G O O D B Y E * Y E L L O W * B R I C K * R O A D (four words 7,6,5,4) music title - guessed by Jema


Letter bank (correct letters awaiting position guesses): REEBDOOOCY
Wrong letter guesses: TF
Wrong position guesses:
Wrong answer guesses:

Number of wrong guesses remaining: 5

T R

one hit one miss

A and E

Both good.

Watch out for the recent change of outline: error discovered (but guesses still okay)!

B, D, F

Two out of three.

O and G

The fourth word road

Y, C

All on target.

Lex,

I think I know the answer but, if I'm right, shouldn't:

...1 of the E's in the letter bank be in the outline as a first or last
...there be a B in the outline as first or last, in addition to the one in the letter bank
...there be a total of 3 O's in the letter bank (Haroula placed 1 O)
...there be a Y in the letter bank, in addition to the one in the outline

Or, have the rules changed again?

No rule change, Jema, just lack of concentration today, I'm afraid!

Just as well someone else is paying attention...

...and clearly time someone else had a turn.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

I hope you're not ill, Lex, or coming down with some unnice something.

Correct of course!

Thanks for the concern: I think I'm just a little over tired from pressure of work and should be back to normal (whatever that is) after the weekend.

I'm glad that's all it is. Try and get some rest. I'll take a turn.


T H E * J O Y * L U C K * C L U B (4 words - 3, 3, 4, 4) Movie Title - Guessed by Haroula


Letter bank (correct letters awaiting position guesses): O L U U
Wrong letter guesses: A N P M I
Wrong position guesses:
Wrong answer guesses:

Maximum number of wrong guesses remaining: 2

T H

Flo, both good.

first word the

Correct.

A, N

Sorry, manxman, both incorrect.

BTW, I've been meaning to tell you how much I like your avatar.

He/she is a beautiful cat.

Good morning!

O and L.

P and M

Good Morning

Lex, 2 good ones.

Sorry, Curly - both incorrect.

I and U

Lex, 1 double good, 1 not.

J and K

Haroula, 2 very good ones.

Jema the title is:
The joy luck club

Indeed it is, Haroula.

Your turn.

No thanks,can someone else please

Lex, since Haroula declined and I was the last setter, is it up to me to post another?
I'll do that if you like, but first I need clarification about something.

In the last 2 puzzles, a player has submitted a guess for a single word of the solution.
Is that allowed? I thought the whole solution has to be guessed in one whack.

If a single word guess is permitted, what if:

1. The guess is correct but some of its letters have multiple positions in the puzzle?
Are they treated as correctly guessed letters and placed wherever they belong - first,
last, or letter bank?

2. The guess is incorrect? Is it treated as one incorrect guess? Or a wrong guess for
each incorrect letter or incorrect position?

Good questions Jema, and probably to be clarified in the opening post about the rules.

I think that a single word guess when the answer is more than one word should be treated as individual letter and position guesses for each blank space in the word before the guess. This means that any new correct letter might need the addition of extra letters in the letter bank if the letter occurs more than once in the answer.

Does that make sense, and are you otherwise reasonably happy with the present rules?

I was hoping that between us we might have persuaded Haroula to dip a toe in the water, but if not I am equally happy to post another round or let you do so (as my co-host!).

Lex or Jema you can post another round

Lex,

"...and are you otherwise reasonably happy with the present rules?"

No. I think they complicate things for both setters and players and, for me,
have removed a lot of the fun factor.

I would prefer going back to a simpler version:

...Enter a correctly guessed letter in each position it appears in the puzzle.
...A maximum of 7 or 5 incorrect guesses.
...Only whole puzzle guesses allowed, with an incorrect guess counting as 1 wrong.

I wish other people here would let it be known what they think. I may be the only
one who feels this way. I quite often find myself in that position.

Please do post another. I got very little sleep last night, so I don't know
how much longer it'll be before I zonk out.

Jema

I agree with Jema.

I agree also with Jema. The simpler the better. I think that we should guess the whole answer or not at all.

Merci buckets.(lol)

Well done Jema in getting some opinions!

I suspected that I had over-complicated it and that people were just being polite...

Is everyone happy with the two-letter guess rule? That seemed to keep things flowing better tha single letter guesses.

Depending upon any further thoughts I will start another thread later with simpler rules.

Good Morning, Lex

The 2-letter guess rule is fine with me. Maybe the others will weigh in on that also.

Okay boys and girls, the new thread is open for business and I will post something in a moment to get us started.

I am going with five steps, which I think will probably be about right, but this can be increased if necessary.

I have left it with an incorrect whole answer guess losing two lives, but that can easily be changed if so desired!