Review Blitz III: Rules & Guidelines

[kintsugi]

Review Blitz is Thousand Roads’s annual reviewing event. The general premise is pretty straightforward–review things on Thousand Roads during the month-long period, have a good time, and maybe get some cool prizes like a lovable forum companion. If you’re a competitive sort, there’s also a points ladder where you can try to claim the top spot on the leaderboard; if not, there’s still lots of fun to be had. Either way, polish up your glasses, pull out your overdue reading lists from this year, and get reviewing!

Year three means some housekeeping and updates! This post is a bit of a doozy but please read and be aware of the changes and new rules. Happy blitz! <3

This thread is the master document. If there is contradictory information posted in other threads, 1) consider this thread correct and 2) let me (kintsugi) know so we can correct it.

Want to chat things that aren't rules? Check out the hype thread!
Interested in logging points? Check out the logging thread!
Trying to spend points? Check out the prize claim thread!

Read this all and still have questions? Ask them in this thread or on discord by pinging @blitz-questions!

INDEX
i. Scoring Points
ii. Non-Numeric Rules Changes & Updates
iii. FAQ
iv. Definitions
v. Changelog

 

[kintsugi]

Scoring Points​

The point calculation formula is unchanged from last year.

Points = [Number of chapters reviewed] OR [Total Review Wordcount/250, rounded down], choose lower.

Wordcount calculated by this word counter. Review wordcount does not include quoted words from the story itself. If you plan on quoting from the story or from a different source (i.e. any words in the review that were not written by you), please use the TR quoting feature in order to make verifying your word count a little easier.

Sample Scenarios:

Spoiler

• I write a 250 word review of a single chapter. I receive 1 point (1 chapter reviewed = 1 points; 250 words = 1 point; between 1 and 1, 1 is lower).
• I write a 500 word review of a single chapter. I receive 1 point. (1 chapter reviewed = 1 points; 500 words = 2 points; between 1 and 2, 1 is lower).
• I write a 250 word review of two chapters. I receive 1 point (2 chapters reviewed = 2 points; 250 words = 1 point; between 2 and 1, 1 is lower).
• I write a 500 word review of two chapters. I receive 2 points (2 chapters reviewed = 2 points; 500 words = 2 points; between 2 and 2, 2 is lower).

Still confused? That’s okay. All you need to do is post a link to your review in the logging thread and we’ll handle the rest.

BONUSES

• Repeat Bonus: for every three chapters of a chapterfic you review, you receive an additional bonus point!
  • Keep in mind that this is subject to the constraints of the point calculation formula. So a 500 word review covering three chapters of a story will not net you a bonus point, because the formula only counts that as a review of two chapters. However, if you reviewed again with a 250 word review, you would receive your bonus point for having reviewed three chapters.
  • This one is also calculated automatically, so no need to tally how many chapters you’ve been reading.
• Weekly Theme Bonuses: these are claimable once per story per week, and are worth 0.5 points each time you claim them.
  • Week 1: New Faces! Review a story you haven’t reviewed before.
  • Week 2: Short n’ Sweet! Review a oneshot.
  • Week 3: Spread the Love! Review a chapter with less than four reviews. (Any chapter with less than four reviews at the start of week three qualifies.)
  • Week 4: Friendly Fire! Review a story by another participant in Blitz. (Anyone with points logged in this year’s Blitz at the time of your review counts as a participant.)

 

[kintsugi]

Non-Numeric Rules Changes & Updates​

• Authors can now choose to opt their stories out of Blitz. All stories are by default opted-in. Reviews posted on stories that have been opted-out are ineligible for Blitz points of any kind.
  • Opt-out status can be tagged at the top of a given story. There will also be a master post in the Blitz thread for opt-outs. As long as an opted-out fic is tagged either at the top of the story or in the master post, it is considered ineligible for points.
  • If you would like to opt your story out of Blitz, feel free to tag that however you’d like, but also please DM @kintsugi, @Pen, or @Negrek so that we can be sure to update the master list.
• Reviews must be both written and logged before the week closes. Times are based on forum times and there are no extensions.
  • Reviews that are not logged before the week closes can be logged in the subsequent week for points, but are ineligible for either current or past weekly themes. They will be eligible for the recurring review bonus.
  • Timers for the end of each week:
    • Week 1 Closes: January 02, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]
    • Week 2 Closes: January 09, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]
    • Week 3 Closes: January 16, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]
    • Week 4 Closes: January 23, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]
• Drabble collections of any size are considered as a oneshot for scoring purposes. You are more than welcome to review drabble collections as many times as you would like, with as much detail as you see fit, but you will only receive one point total.
• Fic recs are cool and based. Did you read something this week that qualified for the weekly theme? Write a quick, 100+ word rec about it and post it in this thread with the words “Weekly Fic Rec” at the top of your post to be entered into a prize raffle!
  • You can make as many recs as you want, but you’ll only be entered into the prize raffle once per week.

 

[kintsugi]

FAQ​

Q: What fics can I review for points during Blitz?
A: Any fic on Thousand Roads during Blitz is eligible, with the exception of fics that the author has requested be ineligible for Blitz. A list of those fics is available at the top of this post.

Q: How does scoring work for fics that are partially on Thousand Roads but have more chapters available on other sites?
A: As long as a fic is partially posted on TR, you can review it for Blitz, including chapters not yet posted on TR. Keep in mind that in order to count for Blitz, the review itself must be posted on TR in that story’s thread.

Q: Can I review drabble collections? How does that work for scoring?
A: This year, drabble collections are counted as a oneshot—you can review as much of the drabble collection as you like, and it will count for 1 point total. A drabble collection is defined as any thread containing multiple drabbles -OR- any work with an average chapter length of 500 words or fewer.

Q: Can I participate even if I don't have a story posted on the forums?
A: Of course! This is a reviewing event, and you can review and win prizes regardless of whether you have stories up on TR.

Q: How many times can I claim the weekly bonus?
A: You can claim a specific weekly bonus once per fic. If, for example, a fic qualifies for two different weekly bonuses, you can claim the bonus for the fic once in both of those weeks, for a total of two times.

Q: If I post my story after Blitz is started can people still review it for Blitz?
A: Definitely!

Q: Are reviews on April Fool's Day chapters eligible for points during Blitz?
A: Reviews on April Fool's Day or joke chapters count as normal reviews for the purpose of Blitz, unless the author has excluded that chapter from Blitz via opting-out. Previous reviews on April Fool's Day chapters also qualify as reviews for the purpose of weekly themes (i.e. "a fic you haven't reviewed before").

Q: How do offsite reviews factor into the Week 3 theme (review a fic with fewer than X reviews)?
A: For the purposes of Week 3 theme eligibility specifically, offsite reviews are not counted. This means that 1) a chapter posted on TR that has X or more reviews across several different sites but has fewer than X reviews on TR is still eligible and 2) offsite chapters are not eligible for the Week 3 theme if the chapter is not also hosted on TR.

Q: How do offsite reviews factor into Week 1 eligibility (review a fic that you haven't reviewed before)?
A: If you've reviewed a fic offsite but haven't reviewed it on TR, this counts as having reviewed the fic before for the purpose of qualifying for the Week 1 Theme.

Q: Can I re-review chapters that I've already reviewed before, but that have undergone significant edits or that I've had new thoughts on?
A: Yes. If you can write a new review that still meets all other Blitz review requirements and isn't repeating your old review, it would be valid for new points. Bear in mind that this will be up to organizer discretion.

Q: I have more questions?
A: Post it in this thread and we’ll be happy to answer you! You can also reach out to @kintsugi, @Pen, or @Negrek with any specific questions you don’t feel like asking in the thread.

 

[kintsugi]

Definitions​

Quantifying chapters, stories, oneshots, etc is difficult, and we get that. Below are the definitions that we will be using throughout Blitz. This is mostly here as a sanity check and participants will not be expected to have these definitions memorized/known in order to participate; you’ll mostly need to refer to this only if you have questions about an edge case. Feel free to ask @kintsugi, @Pen, or @Negrek privately if you’re still unsure how to classify a story.

Spoiler

• Review
  • Contains at least 250 words, not including pull-quotes.
  • Contains commentary relevant to the work reviewed.

Organizers retain discretion to withhold points from any review that violates the spirit of Blitz.

• Story: a body of text with the intent to tell a narrative. This includes almost all threads in the Fanfiction subforum, but notable exceptions are:
  • Graphic novels and visual art.
  • Exquisite corpse and RPs.
  • Stories that are not compliant with Thousand Road’s Forum Guidelines.
  • Stories that an author has indicated are not to be included in Review Blitz.
• Chapter: a subdivision of a story that:
  • Is contained in its own post in the Fanfiction subforum
  • Is greater than 250 words
  • Does not tell the complete story, as defined by the author(s).
• Oneshot: a story that contains only one chapter and:
  • Is contained in its own post in the Fanfiction Subforum
  • Is greater than 250 words
  • Does not have the intent for future chapters contained in the same thread.
  • Exception: drabble collections (see below) may be reviewed in their entirety as a oneshot.
  • Notable case: visual novels are considered as a oneshot for scoring purposes.
• Chapterfic: a story that contains multiple chapters or is intended to eventually contain multiple chapters.
  • Anthologies are considered chapterfics. Each individual entry in the anthology that satisfies the chapter requirement is counted as a chapter.
• Drabble: a chapter or oneshot that either: consists of exactly 100 words of story content -OR- has been identified as a drabble by an author
  • A drabble collection is defined as any thread containing multiple drabbles -OR- any work with an average chapter length of 500 words or fewer.

 

[kintsugi]

Changelog​

• 12/23/2021 - Updated oneshot terminology in Definitions to include visual novels:
  • Notable case: visual novels are considered as a oneshot for scoring purposes.
• 12/23/2021 - FAQ added for April Fool's Chapters:
  • Q: Are reviews on April Fool's Day chapters eligible for points during Blitz?
  • A: Reviews on April Fool's Day or joke chapters count as normal reviews for the purpose of Blitz, unless the author has excluded that chapter from Blitz via opting-out. Previous reviews on April Fool's Day chapters also qualify as reviews for the purpose of weekly themes (i.e. "a fic you haven't reviewed before").
• 12/25/2021 - FAQ added for Week 3 Eligibility:
  • Q: How do offsite reviews factor into the Week 3 theme (review a fic with fewer than X reviews)?
  • A: For the purposes of Week 3 theme eligibility specifically, offsite reviews are not counted. This means that 1) a chapter posted on TR that has X or more reviews across several different sites but has fewer than X reviews on TR is still eligible and 2) offsite reviews are not eligible for the Week 3 theme if the chapter is not also hosted on TR.
• 12/25/2021 - FAQ added for Week 1 Eligibility:
  • Q: How do offsite reviews factor into Week 1 eligibility (review a fic that you haven't reviewed before)?
  • A: If you've reviewed a fic offsite but haven't reviewed it on TR, this counts as having reviewed the fic before for the purpose of qualifying for the Week 1 Theme.
• 12/25/2021 - FAQ added for reviewing revised chapters:
  • Q: Can I re-review chapters that I've already reviewed before, but that have undergone significant edits or that I've had new thoughts on?
  • A: Yes. If you can write a new review that still meets all other Blitz review requirements and isn't repeating your old review, it would be valid for new points. Bear in mind that this will be up to organizer discretion.
• 12/27/2021 - Rescaled points shop (from 20/30/60) to (20/40/80) to reflect increased activity.
• 01/09/2021 - Changed phrasing on Week 3 FAQ ["offsite reviews" to "offsite chapters"]

 

[kintsugi]

Timers and Logging​

>>> Leaderboard <<<
(check how many points you and your fellow members have here)

>>> Review Blitz Opens <<<
(December 26, 2022, 18:00 EST; click the blue link above for a timer)

• Week 1 Closes: January 02, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]
• Week 2 Closes: January 09, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]
• Week 3 Closes: January 16, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]
• Week 4 Closes: January 23, 2022, 18:00 EST [link]

 

[Umbramatic]

Heyyyyyyyyy if I'm requesting an art prize is it OK If I'm asking for something not Pokefic related if I have references? Cool either way but.