I had originally intended to wait until the giveaway ended, but since I feel I've had my fun already, and due to the fact that condition 5 is impossible to satisfy was quickly discovered and posted, I am going to do a reveal early.
It is also getting late in the discussion which I inadvertently excluded myself from and points may be getting moot. Special cases may exist, but my thoughts are as follows.
Firstly, I am going to let you know, that I laughed my ass off the first two hours reading the thread after posting the giveaway link. Thank you. I am also glad you had some fun with it as well.
I created the giveaway with an aptly named game Chains, because I wanted it to be a bit of a commentary on the subject of rules and how getting too hanged up in them is leading a number of good members/givers to be discredited for what I would say are minor issues.
I purposely put together the most outlandish and complicated rules possible to stress a point, that a giveaway should not be a chore to enter nor manage.
It proved that if you make the rules too complicated, no one will enter. Ultimately a select few will dare, but all others would be excluded, and that makes for a small club.
I believe that doing and participating in giveaway should be fun. The recent witch-hunt has not been fun. The whole rules issue has gotten a bit out of hand and it has even turned away gifters. Sure, there were rights and wrongs, but it got too extreme.
I don't mind gifters being able to ensure that their gift reaches the intended audience, but when a frequent gifter can be banned for not making a throwaway "thanks" comment, something is wrong.
One thing is requesting common courtesy, another is making it rigid bullshit.
I'd appreciate a sincere thank you, however requiring it defeats the gesture.
If you want to make a simple requirement, at least make it interesting.
On public giveaways I usually don't comment, but on group giveaways I frequently do. I can slip up in a hurry. Sorry in advance.
I'm all for kicking bad apples, but let's at least make sure it's the real ones.
I create giveaways to this group, because I want to and not because I am forced to. Given the smaller number of members, I hope it will end up at a member of the forum I know and not just some complete stranger. I am not so interested in who has given how much and when. I know that I am not in the same league as Ian and I probably can't hope to be unless I win the lottery or something. It is a casual environment, where everyone can play.
Back to the giveaway: The conditions I put forth on
this giveaway were never intended to be enforced and anybody who entered despite them would be in for the prize. I chose a prize that would not be a "loss", if only people ignoring rules would enter. Mind you, I have not yet played the game, but this is an inexpensive bundle-item.
If you look in the source code for the page, there's even a link to a troll face right next to where it says "rules" in the description. I would also have thought that the tone of the language would have been caught by some as suspicious, but I did say it was an experiment.
I didn't expect anyone to actually try to jump through the hoops to meet the conditions, but kudos to those of you who tried.
In conclusion, you have all my blessing to enter, but I am going to ask that you do not reveal the truth on the giveaway page itself.
That I would consider a ban-able offense to be enforced, because you are actively being a prick.
Preferably enter without a comment, unless you intend to play along with the gag.
Thanks.
(I may follow up on points made by other members, which I read while editing this, but for now I'll just finally dump this wall of text.)
