Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
A Novel Role-Playing Game
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Greta wrote: "Ray (user2637) wrote: "Greta wrote: "Question- I had started this a LONG time ago but didn't get too far. Would it be best to start over at this point or what do you all suggest?"Noooo, don't sta..."
Yep. All books since you started can be used.
If you start from beginning now, you get that welcome basket. See what works best for you :)
Yep, it's supposed to be from when you started so...sounds like you have a lot of slotting to do with putting books with quests! ;) (And like Tea said, if the welcome basket works out better for you then go with that, but it sounds like you have a bunch more books that would outweigh the basket!)
Welcome back!
Ok great! I will figure out which is better & go from there. Thanks all!
Sorry to be a pest Kelly, but could we please get this month's Scrounger list? I've already read 15 books that I'll have to re-scan for new words. Thanks. :-)
For those of you looking for a SHORT (title & pages) & SILVER COVER try: 
Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout 4.42 · 20,602 Ratings · 1,378 Reviews 100 pages Read: 9/5/2016 (November 22nd 2012) Characters: Aiden St. Delphi & Alex , Deacon, Marcus, Seth, Solos, Apollo, ROMANCE: HORSE6/KITCHEN 10/KITCHEN-TWO.5, PARANORMAL, Deities: "bars honed by Hephaestus and Apollo" "Aphrodite" Notable: Possession, War of the gods, On Cover: GRAY/SILVER COVER. Lilly carved out of water,
I'll get scrounger list up soon. Was at a conference this weekend and I'm still catching up.
Welcome back, Kelly! We're all quite busy with the White Dragon event. The armor and rations parts keep us occupied. ;-p
It looks to me like starting over gets me more as I had a long period of no reading last year. Do newer members typically take part in events like the Great Dragon it should I focus on leveling up my sword and staff?
Greta wrote: "It looks to me like starting over gets me more as I had a long period of no reading last year. Do newer members typically take part in events like the Great Dragon it should I focus on leveling u..."
We haven't done many group events yet so there's not a typical yet.
It pays to contribute a little bit since you get an extra bonus experience the first time you do one of the quests on the part we're on right now so it encourages people to jump in even if they can't contribute much.
Kelly wrote: "Greta wrote: "It looks to me like starting over gets me more as I had a long period of no reading last year. Do newer members typically take part in events like the Great Dragon it should I focus..."
Ok, I will head on over there then!
Also, if I restarted yesterday, do books that I was currently reading (started before yesterday) count for this challenge?
Just starting out having fun so far :) What's ascrounger list?
Delitealex wrote: "Just starting out having fun so far :) What's ascrounger list?"There's a few quests under the potions category that are scrounger quests. Basically, you get a list of words and you have to find them in books. Then you can use them to buy potions.
Greta wrote: "Also, if I restarted yesterday, do books that I was currently reading (started before yesterday) count for this challenge?"You get to use 15 books from the past 12 months. I think any book you've started but not finished would be over and above those 15 books.
Here's a link to the welcome basket of goodies that you get when you start.
Delitealex wrote: "Just starting out having fun so far :) What's ascrounger list?"
You have to look in the body of your book to find specific words. You can use those words to trade for potions.
The first scrounger list is the 9th one down on thePotions Quests.
Delitealex wrote: "Just starting out having fun so far :) What's ascrounger list?"Welcome to the
Can books used for the scrounger list be used for anything else?
Greta wrote: "Can books used for the scrounger list be used for anything else?"Nope, the scrounger list is a quest like everything else. So the books used for that are gone and can't be used for anything else.
RebeccaS wrote: "Greta wrote: "Can books used for the scrounger list be used for anything else?"Nope, the scrounger list is a quest like everything else. So the books used for that are gone and can't be used for ..."
Ok, thanks!
So much for making a list of requests for the library....I went to drop my books off and came home with two bags of random books. lol. I have no book-related impulse control -- it's lucky I direct most of it at the library or my bank account would be out on the corner turning tricks. :P(Most were on my TBR anyway, but not ones I had picked for finishing up some of my gem activation stuff. lol. Of course.)
Delitealex wrote: "Just starting out having fun so far :) What's ascrounger list?"Welcome Delitealex. Just have fun.
Another question (thank you!) - how do you know which monsters are available to fight and what does it mean that a monster is timed? I know right now I am not at the level to attack many monsters, but I'm wondering for the future. Thanks!
Id like to know too. I thought you attack a monster and then couldn't attack it again for a week but wasn't sure if I was understanding it right.
Delitealex wrote: "Id like to know too. I thought you attack a monster and then couldn't attack it again for a week but wasn't sure if I was understanding it right."I think you are right for the common monsters. I'm just unsure about the others ones- timed, uncommon and rare.
Uncommon monsters = there are a limited number, once you kill that many they are gone. DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT A WEEK IN BETWEEN KILLS**these will say (population __) to show you how many you can kill total
Timed = you can kill an unlimited number of these, but can only do it after a certain amount of time has passed. This time period will be listed after the monster (ie 1 weekly means you have to wait a full week after a kill to kill another one)
**common monsters are here**
Rare = there is only ONE of these, so you can only kill it once
Minor Hidden = you need a puppy that has "minor tracking" to attack this monster (see puppy quest and Jack/Jill training school)
Hidden = you need a puppy that has "minor tracking" AND "intermediate tracking" to attack this monster (see puppy quest and Jack/Jill training school)
The monster explanations are included under the "Monsters" thread and separated by type.
RebeccaS wrote: "Uncommon monsters = there are a limited number, once you kill that many they are gone. DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT A WEEK IN BETWEEN KILLS**these will say (population __) to show you how many you can kill..."
Ok, thanks! I didn't know if rare meant that only one person out of all players could kill it. So the Great Novel Dragon is open to everyone once?
Greta wrote: "RebeccaS wrote: "Uncommon monsters = there are a limited number, once you kill that many they are gone. DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT A WEEK IN BETWEEN KILLS**these will say (population __) to show you how ..."
Yes!! This is a "single player game" so everything is available to you to do! This white dragon this is a unique event where we work together, but usually all the quests are done alone at your own pace.
Hi Delitealex! We can figure this out together :D
It might seem like a lot at first - I was really confused with this whole game for months before I finally took the plunge and started! But you'll catch on quick!And if you have questions, the heroes here are always helpful :)
Thanks Cathy! I'm sure I will be asking more questions. These challenges are fantastic!
Greta wrote: "Hi Delitealex! We can figure this out together :D"Sounds good to me. How are you starting out. I used my 15 books to level up my magic staff. Now I'm trying to get exp.
What's really great is that you can go at your own pace and pretty much every book you read (over 100 pgs) will work somewhere!I'd suggest looking at some of the other people's threads to see how they set up their threads/how they play to give you some ideas or at least a starting place. You can always change it later but do what works best for you!
Thanks for the advice I'm still figuring things out.
Greta wrote: "Also, if I restarted yesterday, do books that I was currently reading (started before yesterday) count for this challenge? "Yes, we just count by the end date for this since it's a single player challenge.
Kelly/Tea, This is a revision reflecting more recent changes to the game. Would you please replace the old message in START HERE. Many thanks.
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS GAME
1. Have fun. Do the things that you enjoy the most. The nice thing about the quests is that there is something for everyone and that you can go at your own pace.
If you are an occasional reader, you may just enjoy completing the quests. If you are a moderate or heavy reader you may want to combine the quests with combat against the monsters. THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO PLAY THIS GAME. Do what floats your boat. ;-)
A wonderful side benefit to this game is the friendly camaraderie of the players. Visit The Tavern often to share brews and the occasional rat stew or drop bear steak with fellow knights and ladies. Ask questions or for book recommendations Tell jokes, discuss books that you've read, talk about what's happening in your real life-- it's all ok. Even if a question has been asked before, don't feel shy about asking for further clarification.
2 THE GAME FROM MY PERSPECTIVE
I'm a fairly heavy reader so I decided early on in the game that I would do the quests and go after the monsters.
First: Complete a few of the easy quests to gain experience points and level up Each level increases your Hero's Heath points. The higher the health points, the longer it takes the monster to try and kill him/her.
The Gem of Power and the Green Gem (part of the Shield) each increase the Maximum Heath of your hero by +1 at any level.
Things such as Pet Rock 1 (-1) and The Shield (-1) reduce the strength of a monster's attack on your Hero. The use of The Shield Potion (cost 15 GOLD PER USE) halves the amount of the monster's attack. The Blue Gem (part of the Shield) once activated, reduces a monster's attack in half (1 stroke 1/wk).
THIS IS YOUR DEFENSE
Second: Increase your ability to attack monsters.
Start by increasing the attack level of either your sword or staff.
If you read books with lots of pages, then build your sword. If you like to read series, then build your staff. I personally found it faster to level up my staff first -- but you choose.
For example, at level 5 you would need to read at a minimum:
Sword
100
100 200
100 200 300
100 200 300 400
100 200 300 400 500 = 3500 + pages
Staff
15 books x 200 pages = 3,000 pages
(if you can find books with 100 - 200 pages it's even faster)
The idea is to raise your weapon so that attacking and killing the common monsters can be done in one stroke -- that way your hero doesn't lose any health points. It's an easy way to gain regular (weekly or more frequently) experience points and useful items such as goblin bones, bats wings and rat tails (used in many of the quests) at no cost.
Increase your combat strength by adding a horse (+1), cat (+2) , puppy (+1 or +2) , slingshot (1 or more) ) and baubles (+1, +2, +3...) for either sword or staff (or both). Baubles are most powerful the longer the battle takes (their attack increases +1 with each round.)
An activated Red Gem (part of the Shield) allows you to double your attack power (for either your staff, your sword or your sling) one turn once a calendar month.
Attacking the Dragons yields you ORBS. The Orb of Earth adds +3 to your sword attack. The Orb of Fire adds +3 to your staff attack.
Completing the Alchemy Quest allows you to use the Pet Plus Potion which DOUBLES the attack strength of your pets' attack.
Purchasing the Wizzarding Hat increases your staff power by +1. Purchasing the Combat Hat increases your sword power by +1. (You can only wear one hat at a time)
You can also increase your attack by using POTIONS such as MINOR POISON POTION (+2) , DAMAGE POTION (+3) , ENHANCED WEAPON POTION (+3) and GROWTH WEAPON POTION (+1, +2, +3, +4...).
Some potions are good for only ONE Round (Shield Potion) or ONE battle (Minor Poison Potion). SOME POTIONS ARE GOOD FOR A WHOLE WEEK. (Enhanced, Damage & Growth Weapon Potions).
It's a good strategy to save up your potions -- enough to conduct two or more major battles in a row. When you piggy back battles, you benefit from the effects of the longer lasting potions (thus saving potions and/or gold).
The same holds true for the mercenaries which are available for hire. THEY ARE GOOD FOR A WHOLE WEEK BUT can be dismissed after one day if you need to switch Mercenaries.
THIS IS YOUR ATTACK
Third: Recover your health.
The larger monsters can't be killed with just one stroke so you are going to lose Heath points in a battle. You will need MINOR HEAL POTIONS (+5 HP), HEAL POTIONS (+10 HP) and MAJOR HEAL POTIONS (+15 HP) which can be used DURING BATTLES.
You can also hire Mercenaries (with gold and other items) to either increase your attack: Killi (+2) or increase your health recovery. Lady Ysmay is best hired for long Battles. She heals 5 HP after EACH ROUND and stays hired for a week.
Before or after a battle, you can use Health Points or consume Mouse Balls (+3 HP) (requires Falcon + recipe) or Drop Bear Steaks (+7HP) (requires House, Kitchen and recipe). The Activated Purple Gem allows you to recover your full health 1/month.
The ORB OF WATER gives you 1 HP after every battle.
Rocky2 gives you 1 HP after every battle.
If you have a Rabbit you can collect eggs worth 3 HP every Sunday.
If you have a Bed (Requires House first) you can collect 1 HP every Sunday.
If you have Sheets (Requires House and Bed first) you can collect 1-3 HP every Sunday.
If you have a Merely Kat Blanket, you can collect 1 HP every Sunday.
If you have KITCHEN-TWO you can receive 1 Minor Heal Potion every Sunday. (Requires House and Kitchen One first)
Fourth: Read for GOLD
Complete GOLD quests. There are Midas Quests, Quests that only reward you with GOLD and the Monthly Classifieds (found in Jack and Jill's Caravan). Some successful monster attacks also yield GOLD or POTION TOKENS (which can be exchanged for any potion).
The Pot of Gold and Beginner Fetch each yields 1 GOLD every Sunday. Intermediate Fetch yields 2 GOLD every Sunday.
Killing the Logophilic Lemur gets you 1 GOLD Per week. If you have The Blending in Hat you could attack every 6 days. (Tip: Using The Twins (good for 7 days) nets you the same amount of gold, but you double the output of your other attacks. )
GOLD can be used in the market to purchase pets, clothing, potions, items and books. Attend the monthly caravan to buy or sell or trade your surplus books and items you may collect. There are some items/potions in the market that can ONLY be purchased with GOLD.
Fifth: Don't forget the Scrounger Hunt
Read books to collect scrounger items. Each book is good for only 1 item so use the shortest books you can find. These items can be turned into Potions. One item buys a Minor Heal Potion which is good for 5 Heal Points It's an easy way to come up with potions you need when gold is scarce or you haven't had time to complete full quests.
Sixth. Keep track of the unassigned books that you are reading. Be patient. Try not to use a 500 page book if a 250 page book is called for; don't use a Series book #7 when a non-series or series #1 or #2 will do.
Keeping track of characters, events in plots and what's on a cover will allow you to better assign books to quests months after you have read a book and forgotten small details.
The more varied the information, the easier it is to shuffle books around. Remember, if you haven't claimed the reward, the books can be reassigned.
While some may view this as "Over-the-top", this is the kind of info I keep track of:
Series #7
Cat's Lair by Christine Feehan (23) 709 pages Read: 25/11/2015 (May 1st 2015) Characters: Eli Perez aka Ridley Cromer, Caterina 'Cat' Benoit, Rafe Cordero, Jake, Emma, Len Tuttle, Setting: Louisianna, Texas (United States), ROMANCE: HORSE6/KITCHEN 10, PARANORMAL, URBAN FANTASY, ATTACK, TRACK, FETCH, KITCHEN7, KITCHEN8, OBEDIENCE 4, OBEDIENCE 5, INTFETCH5, INTFETCH9, COMBAT3, Shifters, , On Cover: City outline, EYE, CAULDRON, BAT, MONSTER, DEMON, NIGHTMARE, FROG
(view spoiler)
This should be enough to get you going. ABOVE ALL, HAVE FUN!
Any errors noted or comments are greatly appreciated.
What are the pebbles you collect for pet rocks?
Greta wrote: "What are the pebbles you collect for pet rocks?"There is rock monster :) It gives plenty of exp, gold and pebbles
I believe the Merely Kat Blanket restores an additional 1 HP every Sunday like the bed/sheets. Unless it was changed somewhere?Other than that, great job with that Reva!
Reva - do you still have a Bunny Egg for donation ;) Just want to make sure before I make my attacks in the morning.
RebeccaS wrote: "Reva - do you still have a Bunny Egg for donation ;) Just want to make sure before I make my attacks in the morning."It's all yours. * Hands it over* ;-)
Nothing But Reading Challenges
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Noooo, don't start over!! ALL of the bo..."
Wow, all of my books since Feb 2015 count? That would be amazing!