2026 Fantasy Team Chat > Likes and Comments
date
newest »
newest »
Riyadh wrote: "Hello sorry for the point mistake"It's okay, it happens. No harm done. When you find mistakes in the future, make sure you figure out exactly where the mistake was made because points can only be corrected within one week. If you report it any later than that, it won't be fixed and we'll just lose the point.
Reminder to any teammates that read the Antagonist and Protagonist prompts for January and haven't posted them yet: Make sure you post them! I can't remember what the leeway is for this year but I think it is 1 day after the end of the month so post them as soon as possible!
Brandi wrote: "Reminder to any teammates that read the Antagonist and Protagonist prompts for January and haven't posted them yet: Make sure you post them! I can't remember what the leeway is for this year but I ..."Thanks for the reminder. I lost some points last year because I was on vacation and missed the cutoff...
Looking for some recs for the February antagonist prompt. Preferably standalone and MG/YA. Thanks!
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Looking for some recs for the February antagonist prompt. Preferably standalone and MG/YA. Thanks!"I apologize in advance that I don't think any of these fit your prefered categories, but here are all the options I've been able to think up so far:
The Will of the Many
The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Lock In
and this last one I'm not confident on, but suspect will work: The Sorcerer of Pyongyang
Hope this helps you and anyone else feeling stuck.
Eleanor wrote: "I apologize in advance that I don't think any of these fit your preferred categories, but here are all the options I've been able to think up so far:."Thanks :)
Sorry if I missed this but the hero’s journey - do we need 20 points for each level or 20 points just to start it?
Riyadh wrote: "Sorry if I missed this but the hero’s journey - do we need 20 points for each level or 20 points just to start it?"it says this:
Each team can also unlock The Hero’s Journey bonuses by reading the 2026 SFFBC books of the month. After a team reads enough SFFBC books, they unlock the next stage of the hero’s journey, granting the group more opportunities to earn points. Each team can fully finish the hero’s journey. Each team that fully finishes the hero’s journey will earn the privilege of putting a book into a future mod poll.
to me the phrase: "after a team reads enough books they unlock the next stage" reads as though it's 20 points per stage
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Looking for some recs for the February antagonist prompt. Preferably standalone and MG/YA. Thanks!"I'm not familiar with many MG books and I don't know of any standalone YA that fit the prompt. These are closest I can think of that might work.
The City of Ember
The Giver
The Hunger Games
Divergent
The Maze Runner
I think we might have an issue with our team points and I'm not sure what to do about it.We can't claim points for the same prompt more than once. If you think you might have been doubling up on some of the prompts, can you please double check?
check messages 2 & 3 here, but I don't think I havehttps://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
both January prompts for Storm of Locusts (The Sixth World, #2) and The Shadow Puppet
one Quest point for Station Eternity
Fantasy points for
Sheine Lende: A Prequel to Elatsoe (An Elatsoe Book Book 2) - also used in the TBR challenge
The Riddle of Alabaster Royal
Welcome to Bordertown (Borderland #8)
Airs Beneath the Moon (The Horsemistress Saga Book 1)
Trail of Lightning
The Late Monsieur Gallet
The Memory Police - used for TBR & Bookshelf challenges
I haven’t doubled up anywhere, been using storygraph challenges to track
Folks, this isn't about a single mistake, it's a misunderstanding of the rules and using the same prompt twice multiple times. I'm not trying to call anyone out or embarrass anyone for an honest misunderstanding . It's not a big deal. I can get the points issue resolved without the person having to identify themselves. We just need to all be aware of the rules so this doesn't continue.
and this is what makes this challenge more difficult. I use a spreadsheet to track the options and every now and then I create a pivot table that lists how many times a title appears in it. We're also going to have to watch it when we start doing the Quest stages as those cannot be repeated either
These challenges get surprisingly complex once you start overlapping prompts, quest points, TBR, and team reads.I ended up keeping a simple note for myself just to avoid accidentally reusing a prompt.
Really appreciate how organized you all are here. Makes it much easier for everyone.
Only an endless supply of lists and post-it notes give me any semblance of organization. I normally only try to keep track of my own challenges, but this was thanks (?) to insomnia and me trying to improve my lousy spreadsheet skills as a distraction from anxiety-inducing life events. 🙃
Thank you for the reminder that we can only claim a point for each prompt once and that we can't use one book for multiple prompts!I use templates I make in Canva so I can see when each prompt is done and it helps keep me organized. I love the idea of spreedsheets though!
Also, I hope your life events get better!
My spreadsheet is fairly simpleleft side = book title
columns = challenges
Yes, or, in the case of this challenge, the category it's in listed
thus, in the column for the Team Challenge, if anything is listed, I can't use it for another prompt in the challenge
@Midiain I feel that. Sometimes organizing books is way less stressful than organizing real life. Hope things settle down soon for you. ❤️
When my brain needs a break sometimes, I like to organize books instead of actually reading them. (As heretical as that may sound!)
Organizing books absolutely counts as a hobby in its own right. Sometimes it feels like building future adventures instead of just consuming them.
Midiain wrote: "I think we might have an issue with our team points and I'm not sure what to do about it.We can't claim points for the same prompt more than once. If you think you might have been doubling up on ..."
Oh NO!! I think this was me. Sorry everyone!! It's my first year doing this team challenge, so I guess I misunderstood how this works.
I want to make sure I understand. I have read a few books that meet the same prompt in the month of January (ex. For Sword & Sorcery / Warrior & Wizard I read Reign & Ruin AND Storm & Shield) So I can only claim one book for that prompt, correct?
At what point will that prompt be available to me again, or will it not be available to me since I've used it? Am I only going to read 24 books in total for this combat, since that's how many prompts there are?
Again, sorry if I've messed up the points team. To help with corrections, here's what I've reported thus far:
Sword & Sorcery / Warrior & Wizard - 2 books
Magical Realism / Magic, but Low-Key - 2 books
Mythological Beasts / Bestiary - 2 books
Portal Fantasy / Two Worlds - 1 book
Super Heroes / Superpowered - 1 book
Science-Fantasy / Multi-genre - 2 books
I will reach out to the moderators and report my error. Looks like I need to have 4 points removed from our count for my mistake.
Jackie wrote: "At what point will that prompt be available to me again, or will it not be available to me since I've used it? Am I only going to read 24 books in total for this combat, since that's how many prompts there are?"There's 24 prompts for the main roster
two per month for Bonus points = 24 prompts
and after Quest points hit a certain number, there are 12 Stage prompts
and once a book is used for any of those prompt, it cannot be used again this year. It can, however, be used for other challenges
No worries at all, Jackie. These challenges get surprisingly complex once you start overlapping prompts and bonus stages. First year is always a learning curve. You're definitely not the only one who’s had to double-check the fine print.
No worries, Jackie! Mistakes happen and we are here to help and answer any questions you have!There are 24 main prompts, 24 monthly prompts, and possibly 12 hero quest prompts if we earn them all. So every team member can earn up to 60 points/ read 60 books. Plus the 24 quest points each team member can earn so that is 84 books for this reading challenge.
And there is a chance that we might get seasonal prompts is people are burning their way through regular prompts. Last year, there were 6 summer prompts, 1 Halloween prompt, and 5 Christmas "gifts" where we chose from favorites suggested by our tean members.
A prompt can only be used once and then it's gone. And it hasn't been asked yet, but also, you can only count a book that is read after the prompt is released so if we do get summer and winter prompts you won't be able to use books you have already read for them.
Honestly, this is part of what makes it fun for me, the strategy side of it.Half the challenge feels like reading, the other half feels like campaign logistics.
Jackie, you handled it exactly right. Owning a mistake and fixing it keeps the whole thing fair and actually makes the team stronger.
And now we all double-check our prompts just a little more carefully.
Which probably means more spreadsheets. And apparently more post-its.
Jackie, no need to apologize. It's a complicated challenge so it's no wonder that there's some confusion and misunderstandings. Please don't feel even the slightest bit bad about it! P.E.N., I do multiple reading challenges every year purely because I love the strategy aspect. I'd be reading anyway, but the strategizing is so much fun.
I agree and I'm constantly trying to find slots for my oldest books on my TBR pile
3 more quest points and we'll unlock our first step on the Hero's journey!
Thanks for all the encouragement everyone! I am really enjoying this challenge. And yes, the logistic behind keeping track of what's been read, what to read, and how far we have to go before the next leg of the journey...I really like that part too!
I hadn't thought about using a spreadsheet, but I definitely created book shelves specific to the challenges I'm doing. That helps a lot! And OneNote...I track everything in OneNote!
And I just posted a quest point (I swear it's correct, lol!). So I think we're 2 points away now!
Jackie, I love that you’re leaning into the logistics side of it. It really does start to feel like a campaign map once you’re tracking everything.Also, OneNote dedication deserves respect. That’s serious organization energy.
Two points away now? This suddenly feels like a boss fight. Let’s go.
Just finished godkiller and added another quest point. Boy so for all the books for these quest points have been bad for me, hopefully station eternity is a good read
Riyadh wrote: "Just finished godkiller and added another quest point. Boy so for all the books for these quest points have been bad for me, hopefully station eternity is a good read"it is if you persevere past the first bits
Riyadh, I’ve definitely had that happen with challenge reads before. Sometimes the prompt pushes you into books you wouldn’t naturally pick up, and it’s a gamble.Station Eternity worked better for me once I adjusted my expectations. It’s less about fast plot payoff and more about atmosphere and character unease. If you go in looking for tight mystery mechanics, the beginning can feel slow. If you lean into the tone, it starts to click.
Curious to hear what you think once you’re further in.
Riyadh wrote: "has anyone got recommendations for books with a detective on the cover? happy to get suggestions in fantasy, sci fi, thriller or mystery"I’ve recently read The Tainted Cup with this cover art:
If you look closely, there are both MC (the detectives). I used the book for the February antagonist prompt, but I’m going to use the next book from the series for the "detective on the cover" prompt, because they are on the cover again:
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Looking for some recs for the February antagonist prompt. Preferably standalone and MG/YA. Thanks!"I’ve just remembered a MG book fitting the prompt perfectly - Momo. Men in Grey are depicted as typical bureaucrat s.
Aga wrote: "I’ve just remembered a MG book fitting the prompt perfectly - Momo. Men in Grey are depicted as typical bureaucrats."Thank you!
I'm currently reading Amari and the Night Brothers which I think will fit, but I'll look into this one, too.
Aga wrote: "If you look closely, there are both MC (the detectives). I used the book for the February antagonist prompt..."I was thinking about rereading The House in the Cerulean Sea for the bureaucrat prompt but The Tainted Cup is already on my TBR so it's probably a better choice for me.
Amari and the Night Brothers is such a good suggestion and the fourth book of the series is coming out this month! I've been struggling to find a book for that prompt mostly because my brain is having a hard time wrapping around the concept of a bureaucrat. I thought maybe To Ride A Rising Storm would count but according to google the Jarls, Thanes, etc in the book don't count as bureaucrats because they are elected officials. It did say police officers count as low level bureaucrats so I was thinking of using An Accidental Villain by Linden MacIntyre but I would enjoy one of the Amari books way more.
Midiain wrote: "Aga wrote: "If you look closely, there are both MC (the detectives). I used the book for the February antagonist prompt..."I was thinking about rereading [book:The House in the Cerulean Sea|45047..."
Oh, I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea. Whichever you choose I think you will have a good time.
We are on our first step of the Hero's Journey!1. Ordinary World- Read an SFF/horror book that begins in a modern-day, realistic setting, but then shifts to a more fantastical, futuristic, or horrific setting.
We unlocked the first step. That actually feels earned.“Ordinary World” is such a fitting starting point too. I love the idea of a story that begins grounded in normalcy and then pulls the floor out from under us.
There’s something powerful about that transition moment when the familiar cracks and the strange leaks in. It’s basically the ignition point of every great speculative story.
Now I’m curious what everyone is planning to use for it. Are you leaning horror shift, portal shift, or slow-burn speculative drift?
Let’s keep pushing. This campaign map is starting to look interesting.
I'm using The Dreaming Place by Charles de Lintthe other world is slowly leaking in for one of the main characters:
A young woman locked in rage yet seeking magic, Ash is drawn into a wondrous Otherworld of totems and dryads, living tarots and mystic charms. At the same time, Ash's cousin Nina is stalked by an Otherworld demon—a manitou who can force her mind and soul into the bodies of beasts. Ash must find the strength to overcome her own anger, learn the full power of magic, and save Nina before she becomes the manitou's weapon, turning the faerie realm into an arctic wasteland.
and it's only a bit over 100 pages
I'm thinking about using And Put Away Childish Things. Adrian Tchaikovsky is becoming one of my absolute favorite writers and it's only 208 pages which is helpful because I've got a lot of really long books on my TBR this year.This is the blurb:
Harry Bodie has a famous grandmother, who wrote beloved children’s books set in the delightful world of Underhill. Harry himself is a failing kids’ TV presenter whose every attempt to advance his career ends in self-sabotage. His family history seems to be nothing but an impediment.
An impediment... or worse. What if Underhill is real? What if it has been waiting decades for a promised child to visit? What if it isn’t delightful at all? And what if its denizens have run out of patience and are taking matters into their own hands?
Likewise, you can go back to earlier BotMs for 2026 that you haven't read and read them for quest points. For example, if you can't get to Godkiller by the end of February, it's fine if you read it in March or later.