Review Roulette

[kintsugi]

may the odds be ever in your favor
What is this? How does it work?
This is a fun, low-stakes forum game to encourage reviewing, especially if you're like me and very scared of your "real" to-review list. A group gets together, rolls a pair of fics at random, and participants read/review whichever fic they prefer! There are a few specific details (see next section), but that's the gist!

What determines how fics are being rolled? Do I have to participate to be eligible for reviewing?
The lottery of fics includes any fic posted on Thousand Roads at the time of rolling. You do not have to play the game to enter the rolling. If you would like your fic to be removed from the lottery, please contact me!

What do I get out of this?
Fun practice at reading and reviewing, pride, and a sense of accomplishment. There are no actual prizes haha.

I want to participate! Are there rules about what kind of reviews I have to write?
Nope! Forum rules/standard reviewing etiquette applies, but otherwise there are no requirements specific to this game. The point of this exercise is actually to try to knock off the dust/do a quick review to get into the swing of things, so don't feel obligated to write a novel or anything! Even quick comments can be very enlightening for both you and the author.

What if we roll a chapterfic? Do I need to read the whole thing?
Nope! The first chapter or the oldest unread chapter is totally fine.

What is the timeframe for this?
Currently things are pretty spur-of-the-moment, and organized via the forum Discord to keep things fast-paced. Unless you choose to play as a Gambler, there's no strict deadline for when you need to post your reviews. This exact format is meant to be quick and casual, so try to keep within 48 hours but the review police aren't going to knock on your door if you fall outside of that.

What are Gamblers? Can I increase my odds of getting picked?
Yes! If you choose to become a Gambler (meaning, before the roll, you agree to review at least one of the fics rolled), you can also choose to raise your odds and enter yourself into the lottery two additional times for the duration of that game. However, this does lock you into playing -- whether or not your fic is chosen, you will need to review either of the fics in the game within 48 hours. If you fail to do so, you will not be able to gamble again until you successfully review a roulette fic within 48 hours of the roll.

Can I set up my own game?
Of course! There is a numbered list here for your convenience -- it's ordered by publish date (sort by first message, ascending), so you may want to double-check that it's up-to-date to make sure you have everything!

---

Specific Details

• Currently we're experimenting with 2 fics being rolled -- this allows people to have variety if they've already read a fic, don't like the content tags of it, etc. If a participant has either read or written all chapters in both fics, a separate one will be rolled for them (and only them).
• If a fic has an active reboot on TR, the older versions will not be entered in the lottery to prevent redundancy/old feedback.
• If you choose to gamble, you do not need to specify what fic you want reviewed at the time of entering. You will receive two extra slots on the wheel, and if either of those slots are chosen, you can designate what fic you want reviewed after the roll.

Want a different flavor of review game? Check out Catnip Circle!

 

[kintsugi]

March 31st Game!

Rolled:
Do Psychic-Type Pokemon Dream of Electric Sheep?
People and Humans

Gamblers:
@Adamhuarts [*]
@qva [ ]
@Tanuki [ ]
@Namohysip [*]
@canisaries [*]
@Chibi Pika [*]
@Pen [*]
@windskull [*]
@OldschoolJohto [*]
@kintsugi [*]

PLEASE DO NOT POST OR LINK TO YOUR REVIEWS IN THIS THREAD -- THAT WILL MAKE IT GET CLUTTERED. DM ME IF YOU FEEL THIS LIST DOES NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT YOUR STANDINGS.

 

[kintsugi]

Hey, just posting a rules update! To be efficient with everyone's time, jokefics/crackfics will be removed from the rolling pool unless otherwise requested from the author. Thanks!

 

[kintsugi]

April 3rd Game!

Rolled:
Lessons Learned
Decoherence

Gamblers:
@windskull [*]
@Pen [*]
@Chibi Pika [*]
@OldschoolJohto [*]
@kintsugi [*]
@Adamhuarts [*]

 

[Chibi Pika]

April 10th Game!

Rolled:
The Origin of Storms
Undefeatable

Gamblers:
@windskull [*]
@Pen [*]
@OldschoolJohto [*]
@kintsugi [*]
@Adamhuarts []

 

[Pen]

April 17 Game!

Rolled:
Sword n' Shield Shorts
Yangverse Michronicles

Gamblers:
@windskull [*]
@kintsugi [*]
@OldschoolJohto [*]
@Namohysip [*]
@Pen [*]

 

[canisaries]

July 23 Game!

Rolled:
Damaged Goods
Barricade

Amazingly enough, both fics are Shadow Pokémon themed oneshots.

Gamblers:
@kintsugi (due to having reviewed both rolled fics, was rerolled Progenitors) [*]
@Cresselia92 [*]
@OldschoolJohto [*]
@Pen [*]
@Shadow of Antioch

 

[kintsugi]

August 9 Game - Shiny Version!!

Shiny spotted! For this game, instead of rolling from published stories, we'll roll from authors!

Reviewing period will be 48 hours and closes with this timer.

Gamblers:
@kintsugi [*]
@zion of arcadia
@OldschoolJohto [*]
@unrepentantAuthor [*]
@Negrek
@Tanuki
@Pen [*]
@NebulaDreams [*]
@windskull [*]
@canisaries [*]

Rolled authors:
https://forums.thousandroads.net/index.php?members/dawningwinds.25/
https://forums.thousandroads.net/index.php?members/canisaries.70/

a quick blurb on the rules/technicalities of this version:

Spoiler

• Rolling process: host rolls a dice with number of sides equivalent to the number of the newest member of the forum (at the time of this posting, 258) + the number of participants. The member corresponding to the number rolled will be the author for this round.
• Participants will receive an extra entry in order of the list above, unless they are ineligible due to missed participation in previous rounds.
• Two authors will be rolled, but as before you will only have to write one review. Gamblers may pick between either author.
• If a gambler has reviewed every fic published by both authors, a third fic will be rolled for that gambler.
• If the author has no published fics on TR, the author must at the time of being rolled choose a published fic on TR to be reviewed instead, or a different author will be rolled.
• If the author has not posted on TR in the past three months, a new author will be rolled. Posting can be of any form, not necessarily a fic.

General Patch Note: increased the default review period to 48 hours for general sanity.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

September 12th Game - Tabula Rasa Edition

Hey everybody, it’s been a small eternity since one of these was hosted, so I suppose now would be as good as any to reintroduce an old face to TR’s review game stable: Review Roulette.

Okay, so for the uninitiated, you know how Catnip gives you a randomized story to review in exchange for a random review in return? Roulette is kinda like that, except the participants are called Gamblers and two lucky fics would win all the reviews from the contestant pool. Hence the ‘Roulette’ angle. Now originally, Roulette applied over all fics hosted on TR with some handicapping in favor of participants, but that’s a bit light on personal incentive to join, so to mix things up and give you Gamblers more of a stake in the outcome, the lucky winners for this round of Roulette and those going forward will be drawn from stories entered by Gamblers themselves, effectively turning this into a raffle for a chance to get a big batch of reviews all at once. The selection process will use a modified roll from the Catnip Roller tool where Gamblers will read at least one of the first two results from the ‘Reader’ column as part of the game.

Submission rules for this round will follow a variant of Catnip rules where you may submit one fic, either written by yourself, or by another author who granted you permission to enter their story on their behalf. When entering, please include a list of readers who have fully reviewed your entered story, any content warnings that apply to it, and content warnings you do not want to read as an entrant, otherwise it will be assumed that you will be able to read at least one of the two fics from the final roll. Note that as in Catnip, the organizers can accommodate CW restrictions, but not genre requests.

In the event that you as a Gambler are fully incompatible with the Roulette roll, a state that is defined as both rolled stories meeting some combination of the below three skip conditions:

• Personally written by you​

• Already reviewed in full by you​

• Trips CW restrictions you personally noted to the organizer before the roll​

You will be assigned the first compatible story in descending order from the Roulette roll’s outcome to read. Such assignments will be specifically noted under the ‘Special Assignments’ heading, noting the player and the rationale for the special assignment.

By virtue of Review Roulette having gone dormant for the past two years, there will be no ‘incomplete review’ restrictions placed on entrants this round, hence the ‘Tabula Rasa’ edition. So if you had a dangling review from a past round two years ago but want in for this one, feel free to sign up. That said, if you wish to compete in future rounds of Review Roulette as a Gambler, much like in Catnip, you will be required to finish any outstanding reviews from this point on prior to your next signup.

The signup period for this round will close on September 16th, Midnight Friday Pacific Standard Time and closing with this timer, with the reviewing period for this round ending 72 hours later and closing with this timer. This game of Review Roulette has a review word count minimum of 200 words, excluding quotes. Use this site to check your wordcount. Note that the minimum applies only to the total review word count, and not to words per chapter. If you’re stuck on things to say, try taking a gander at this post from the Catnip Circle thread for a list of reviewing tips and tricks!

Sounds fun? Then let the games begin, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Gamblers + Submissions:

@Spiteful Murkrow - Fledglings [do not assign to Virgil134, Ambyssin]
@Adamhuarts - Weaversong [do not assign to Vray, IFBench, canisaries, ShiniGojira, DeliriousAbsol, Spiteful Murkrow]
@Torchic W. Pip - I'm a Marionette [do not assign to SparklingEspeon] [cw substance abuse, self harm, suicidal ideation, sexual assault, blood. Consult first post for full list]
@AbraPunk - The Hero of Another Story [do not assign to Flyg0n, Joshthewriter] [cw gore]
@Flyg0n - Pokemon: Legendary Adventures
@HelloYellow17 - Of Sand and Shadows [do not assign to An Author’s Pen, kintsugi, Tetra, Seren] [cw PG-13 level violence, abuse, and elements of PTSD]
@Joshthewriter - Journey (Main story or any Special Episode) [cw heavy violence, consult first post for full list]
@JFought - The Myriad Investigations of Detective Oscar [do not assign to Torchic W. Pip]

Rolled Fics (Full Roll):

@Joshthewriter - Journey (Main story or any Special Episode)
@HelloYellow17 - Of Sand and Shadows

Special Assignments:

N/A (all entrants were eligible to read at least one of two entered fics)

Completed Reviews:

Reader	Will Read	Has Reviewed
@Spiteful Murkrow	Journey OR Of Sand and Shadows	Yes
@Adamhuarts	Journey OR Of Sand and Shadows	Yes
@Torchic W. Pip	Journey OR Of Sand and Shadows	Yes
@AbraPunk	Journey OR Of Sand and Shadows	Yes
@Flyg0n	Journey OR Of Sand and Shadows	Yes
@HelloYellow17	Journey	Yes
@Joshthewriter	Of Sand and Shadows	Yes
@JFought	Journey OR Of Sand and Shadows	Yes

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

October 11th Game

Hey everybody, it's been a month since the last round of Review Roulette, and after putting out a few feelers, it seemed like there were enough interest for a new round, so sounds like as good an excuse as any to kick a new game up.

Okay, so as a reminder for those who missed the last game, but the current rules of Review Roulette have shifted from those stated in the original OP, with the lucky two stories rolled as part of this game being chosen stories entered by Gamblers themselves. Essentially, think of it like Catnip, except instead of a guaranteed review, you're taking part in a raffle for a chance to get a big batch of reviews all at once. The selected fics will be chosen with a modified roll from the Catnip Roller tool where Gamblers will read at least one of the first two results from the ‘Reader’ column as part of the game.

Submission rules follow a variant of Catnip's rules where you may submit one fic, either written by yourself, or by another author who granted you permission to enter their story on their behalf. When entering, please also include a list of readers who have fully reviewed your entered story, any content warnings that apply to it for would-be readers, and content warnings you do not want to read as an entrant. If no information is provided otherwise, it will be assumed by the organizer that you will be able to read at least one of the two fics from the final roll. Like in Catnip, game organizers can accommodate CW restrictions for assignments, but not genre requests.

In the event that you as a Gambler are fully incompatible with the final Roulette roll, a state in which both rolled stories meet some combination of the below three skip conditions for you:

• Personally written by you​

• Already reviewed in full by you​

• Trips CW restrictions you personally noted to the organizer before the roll​

You will be assigned the first compatible story in descending order from the Roulette roll’s outcome to read. Such assignments will be specifically noted under the ‘Special Assignments’ heading, noting any players receiving a special assignment and the rationale behind it. Note that if you wish to compete in future rounds of Review Roulette as a Gambler, much like in Catnip, you will be required to finish any outstanding reviews from this game prior to your next signup.

The signup period for this round will close on October 15th, Midnight Saturday Eastern Standard Time and closing with this timer, with the reviewing period for this round ending 72 hours later and closing with this timer. This game of Review Roulette has a review word count minimum of 200 words, excluding quotes. Use this site to check your wordcount. Note that the minimum applies only to the total review word count, and not to words per chapter. If you’re stuck on things to say, try taking a gander at this post from the Catnip Circle thread for a list of reviewing tips and tricks!

So throw it all out there, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Gamblers + Submissions:

@Spiteful Murkrow - Fledglings [do not assign to Virgil134, Ambyssin]
@Torchic W. Pip - I'm a Marionette [do not assign to SparklingEspeon] [cw substance abuse, self harm, suicidal ideation, sexual assault, blood. Consult first post for full list]
@AbraPunk - The Hero of Another Story [do not assign to Flyg0n, Joshthewriter] [cw gore]
@Joshthewriter - Journey (Main story or any Special Episode) [cw heavy violence, consult first post for full list]
@Flyg0n - Pokemon: Legendary Adventures
@CinderArts - The Queen of Kalos [cw mention of tobacco + alcohol] [do not assign sexual assault, excessive gore]
@Dragonfree - Curse [do not assign to Torchic W. Pip] [cw bloodless horror, occult themes]
@JFought - The Myriad Investigations of Detective Oscar [do not assign to Torchic W. Pip, canisaries]

Rolled Fics (Full Roll):

@Dragonfree - Curse [cw bloodless horror, occult themes]
@CinderArts - The Queen of Kalos [cw mention of tobacco + alcohol]

Special Assignments:

N/A (all entrants were eligible to read at least one of two entered fics)

Completed Reviews:

Reader	Will Read	Has Reviewed
@Spiteful Murkrow	Curse OR The Queen of Kalos	Yes
@Torchic W. Pip	The Queen of Kalos	Yes
@AbraPunk	Curse OR The Queen of Kalos	Yes
@Joshthewriter	Curse OR The Queen of Kalos	Yes
@Flyg0n	Curse OR The Queen of Kalos	Yes
@CinderArts	Curse	Yes
@Dragonfree	The Queen of Kalos	Yes
@JFought	Curse OR The Queen of Kalos	Yes

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

January 6th Game - Blitz Second Spin Edition

Organizer: Spiteful Murkrow

Sign-ups open until January 9, 2023 at 0:00 GMT - 24 hours after the Beginning of Week 3 of Review Blitz [countdown here]
Special Condition: Blitz Second Spin - Okay, so for those of you who took part in Review Blitz 3's Double Trouble Catnip, this is basically Review Roulette's take on that general premise: if you'd like your submission to get a second chance for your story to wind up in a winning roll or else get a second fic reviewed (in exchange for reviewing two stories), you may request that. With one catch:

Your submitted story or chapter must qualify for the Week 3 theme bonus within 10,000 words of reading. Since hey, it's a busy time in everyone's lives for reading and reviewing, might as well incentivize people for giving your stories a gander. For how this works, recall the normal rules of Roulette since its 2022 reboot are that a lucky two stories will be chosen stories entered by Gamblers themselves. Essentially, a raffle for a chance to get a big batch of reviews all at once. The selected fics will be chosen with a modified roll from the Catnip Roller tool where Gamblers will read at least one of the first two results from the ‘Reader’ column as part of the game.

Second Spin Roulette gives you a chance to get another crack to get your story a shot at being read, competing in a pool of other authors that entered for a Second Spin. If taking advantage of Second Spin rules, you may submit one fic per entered spin, such that in the unlikely circumstance that a lucky winner places in both spins, up to two fics will be reviewed in order of entered priority (e.x. your first entry will be assigned first). You may alternatively enter one fic in both spins, in which case, in the event that you win both spins, you will be entitled to a review of up to 10,000 words of content plus one additional chapter afterwards. If the fic you wish to enter does not qualify for the Week 3 theme bonus within the first 10,000 words, you may enter any arbitrary chapter from later on that does qualify (e.x. a Special Episode or Interlude), just be aware that readers will not be required to read anything beforehand to contextualize said chapter.

Entered fics may be written by yourself, or by another author who granted you permission to enter their story on their behalf. When entering, please also include a list of readers who have fully reviewed your entered story, any content warnings that apply to it for would-be readers, and content warnings you do not want to read as an entrant. If no information is provided otherwise, it will be assumed by the organizer that you will be able to read at least one of the two fics from the final roll. Like in Catnip, game organizers can accommodate CW restrictions for assignments, but not genre requests.

In the event that you as a Gambler are fully incompatible with the final Roulette roll, a state in which both rolled stories meet some combination of the below three skip conditions for you:

• Personally written by you​

• Already reviewed in full by you​

• Trips CW restrictions you personally noted to the organizer before the roll​

In each spin, you will be assigned the first compatible story in descending order from the Roulette roll’s outcome to read. Such assignments will be specifically noted under the ‘Special Assignments’ heading, noting any players receiving a special assignment and the rationale behind it. Note that if you wish to compete in future rounds of Review Roulette as a Gambler, much like in Catnip, you will be required to finish any outstanding reviews from this game prior to your next signup.

The reviewing period for this round will end at the start of Week 4 of Review Blitz with this timer. This game of Review Roulette has a review word count minimum of 250 words, excluding quotes. Use this site to check your wordcount. Note that the minimum applies only to the total review word count, and not to words per chapter. If you’re stuck on things to say, try taking a gander at this post from the Catnip Circle thread for a list of reviewing tips and tricks!

So throw it all out there, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Gamblers + Submissions:

@Spiteful Murkrow₁ - Special Chapter: Auld Lang Syne of Fledglings [reroll if SparklingEspeon]
@Spiteful Murkrow₂ - Any qualifying one-shot of Like a Dragon [reroll if Torchic W. Pip, Persephone]
@Torchic W. Pip₁ - Chapter 16 of I'm a Marionette [cw suicide attempt, discussions of mental illness and eating disorders, discussions of physical/emotional/sexual abuse, misdiagnosis, psychosis, blood, hover for full list]
@Torchic W. Pip₂ - Chapter 14 of I'm a Marionette [cw Depictions of self harm, blood, injury, depictions of purging, eating disorders, discussions of drug abuse, mentions of queerphobia and racism, hover for full list]
@Negrek₁ - Will I Follow? [reroll if Negrek]
@Negrek₂ - Will I Follow? [reroll if Negrek]
@zion of arcadia - Remember Not the Children [reroll if Pen]
@Sinderella₁ - Chapter 13 of White Swan, Black Swan [reroll if Seren, Pen, Torchic W. Pip]
@Sinderella₂ - Storm Surge [reroll if Torchic W. Pip, zion of arcadia, Starlight Aurate]
@Joshthewriter₁ - The Champions Part 1
@Joshthewriter₂ - Pokémon: Legends Sinjoh
@Venia Silente - Playfield

Rolled Fics

First Spin (Full Roll):

@zion of arcadia - Remember Not the Children
@Venia Silente - Playfield

Second Spin (Full Roll):

@Joshthewriter₁ - The Champions Part 1
@Sinderella₁ - Chapter 13 of White Swan, Black Swan

Special Assignments:

N/A (all entrants were eligible to read at least one of two entered fics)

Completed Reviews:

First Spin

Reader	Will Read	Has Reviewed
@Spiteful Murkrow	Remember Not the Children OR Playfield	Yes
@Torchic W. Pip	Remember Not the Children OR Playfield	Yes
@Negrek	Remember Not the Children OR Playfield	Yes
@zion of arcadia	Playfield	Yes
@Sinderella	Remember Not the Children OR Playfield	Yes
@Joshthewriter	Remember Not the Children OR Playfield	Yes
@Venia Silente	Remember Not the Children	Yes

Second Spin

Reader	Will Read	Has Reviewed
@Spiteful Murkrow	The Champions Part 1 OR Chapter 13 of White Swan, Black Swan	Yes
@Torchic W. Pip	The Champions Part 1	Yes
@Negrek	The Champions Part 1 OR Chapter 13 of White Swan, Black Swan	Yes
@Sinderella	The Champions Part 1	Yes
@Joshthewriter	Chapter 13 of White Swan, Black Swan	Yes

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

October 18th Game

Hey everybody, it's been a good while since the last round of Review Roulette, so let's fix that void and get a bit more chance in everyone's lives by kicking a new game up.

Since it's been a while since the last game, but the present rules of Review Roulette have shifted from those stated in the original OP, with the lucky two stories rolled as part of this game being chosen stories entered by Gamblers themselves. Essentially, it's a bit like Catnip, except instead of a guaranteed review, you're taking part in a raffle for a chance to get a big batch of reviews all at once. The selected fics will be chosen with a modified roll from the Catnip Roller tool where Gamblers will read at least one of the first two results from the ‘Reader’ column as part of the game.

Submission rules in Review Roulette run off of a variant of Catnip's rules where you may submit one fic, either written by yourself, or by another author who granted you permission to enter their story on their behalf. When entering your submissions, please also include a list of readers who have fully reviewed your entered story, any content warnings that apply to it for would-be readers, and content warnings you do not want to read as an entrant. If no information is provided otherwise, it will be assumed by the organizer that you will be able to read at least one of the two fics from the final roll. Like in Catnip, game organizers can accommodate CW restrictions for assignments, but not genre requests.

In the event that you as a Gambler are fully incompatible with the final Roulette roll, which is defined as a state in which both rolled stories meet some combination of the below three skip conditions for you:

• Personally written by you​

• Already reviewed in full by you​

• Trips CW restrictions you personally noted to the organizer before the roll​

You will be assigned the first compatible story in descending order from the Roulette roll’s outcome to read. Such assignments will be specifically noted under the ‘Special Assignments’ heading, noting any players receiving a special assignment and the rationale behind it. Note that if you wish to compete in future rounds of Review Roulette as a Gambler, much like in Catnip, you will be required to finish any outstanding reviews from this game prior to your next signup.

The signup period for this round will close on October 21st, Midnight Saturday Eastern Standard Time and closing with this timer, with the reviewing period for this round ending 72 hours later and closing with this timer. This game of Review Roulette has a review word count minimum of 200 words, excluding quotes. Use this site to check your wordcount. Note that the minimum word count applies only to the total review word count, and not to words per chapter. If you’re stuck on things to say, try taking a gander at this post from the Catnip Circle thread for a list of reviewing tips and tricks!

So throw it all out there, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Gamblers + Submissions:

@Spiteful Murkrow - Fledglings [do not assign to Virgil134, Ambyssin]
@tomatorade - What the Gods Gave Me [cw mild gore]
@canisaries - Hunter, Haunted [cw gore, violence, occult] [do not assign sexual themes]
@Persephone - The Alola Pokedex (Any entry)
@Negrek - The Foolish Oddish [reroll if tomatorade]
@Joshthewriter - Journey (main story or any side story) [cw violence]

Rolled Fics (Full Roll):

@Persephone - The Alola Pokedex (Any entry)
@Joshthewriter - Journey (main story or any side story) [cw violence]

Completed Reviews:

Reader	Will Read	Has Reviewed
@Spiteful Murkrow	The Alola Pokedex (Any entry) OR Journey (main story or any side story)	Yes
@tomatorade	The Alola Pokedex (Any entry) OR Journey (main story or any side story)	Yes
@canisaries	The Alola Pokedex (Any entry) OR Journey (main story or any side story)	Yes
@Persephone	Journey (main story or any side story)	Yes
@Negrek	The Alola Pokedex (Any entry) OR Journey (main story or any side story)
@Joshthewriter	The Alola Pokedex (Any entry)