Rule details / FAQs

Rules
gotta have 'em...

- Most of the events will be wild release challenges. In the Olympics, only wild releases will count unless otherwise specified in the event rules.

- To enter a release for an event, post it in the forums AND PM it to Vekiki.

You should do this as soon as possible after making a release (this is to avoid people making lots of releases for the same challenge, then just submitting the one that gets caught)

- Unless otherwise specified, you can make one release per event... and have one event per release (so, you can only enter each event once by releasing a book. And each book can only be entered to one event).

If you choose to play in a team of two or three players, you can decide between you who releases books for which events. There is only one entry per team per event. You are encouraged to swap email addresses to share ideas, inspire each other and of course plot tactics ;)

- The official Opening Ceremony will begin at 00.01 GMT on 1^st June. Only releases made after this time will count.

The official Closing Ceremony will end at 23.59 GMT on 31^st August.... no releases (or catches) after this time will count towards the points.

- You can join the Olympics at any point during the summer – either by forming your own team (of 1,2, or 3 players) or joining in with a pre-existing one.

- For the sake of clarity; 'player' refers to one individual BCer taking part in the Olympics, whereas 'team' refers to the whole team... which may be 1, 2, or 3 players.

- You are allowed (in fact, encouraged!) to enlist other people (other players, none-playing BCers, friends and family) to help with your releases.

If you make a controlled release to another BCer who will then wild release on your behalf, the release will not count towards the Olympics until a wild release and release notes have been made.

If you are working with a player from another team to make a release, you must specify which team the release is for.

- As in all bookcrossing activity, you should not email BCIDs – only someone with the actual book physically in their hands should journal it

Tips, ideas and some general stuff to remember

For all events (and especially the artistic events), you are encouraged to be creative with your interpretation of the event prompts. Think outside the box, and take your time to set up some awesome original releases – don't worry that your take on the event 'won't count' - if you can explain how the release fits the challenge then that's a good enough for us! Always ALWAYS go that extra mile to make the books exciting to find and inspiring for other players to read about.

 

Take lots of photos; include them in your release notes, or post them on a photo sharing site (like flicker) for us all to see!

Some events may take a while to do (for example the read and release events) – you are welcome to let us know how your preparations are going on the forums.

There are LOTS of events. Don't feel like you or your team have to complete them all - just pick the ones that appeal to you.

The most important thing about the Bookcrossing Olympics is to have FUN :D
Cheer each other on, enjoy each others releases and catches, get to know some bookcrossers, get some bloody brilliant releases made.

The Olympics is suitable for both old and new Bookcrossers (or old bookcrossers who don't take part in many release challenges) - you can play as a team or just use the forums for support and inspiration if ever you are not sure (you're also welcome to PM me (Vekiki) if ever you want). I have tried to include some a range of events so there should be something for everyone.

Please note, the Bookcrossing Olympics is NOT in any way associated with the real Olympics. The International Olympic Committee are pretty careful about who they let use there logo, so please don't add the Olympic rings or anything like that to any of your releases :(
Wyando did design us the AWESOME logo that you see dotted around this blog though, so you can use that all you want :D

You can ask questions in the forums, or via PM to Vekiki

I would suggest that if you have any questions about a specific event (or the games as a whole) you ask BEFORE making the release, just in case :)

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FAQs

* English isn't my first language, can I still play? 

Sure! You can use google translate to help you read the challenges, and I can use it to read your release notes.
If you are able to give a summary in English on the forums or when you PM me, I'd really appreciate that too.

* Can I use pre-numbered labels for my Olympics releases?
Sure, as long as you make release notes :)

* Do I need to live near my team-mates, or know them personally?

Nope! You can team with anyone, anywhere. If you know them (either in real life, or form the forums) that's cool - but if you want to meet new people just post on the forum asking for team mates

* Can I count books from other challenge games towards this?
Sure!

* What if I'm busy or go on holiday?
If you have team-mates, they can keep playing while you're away. If not, that's ok - you can make your releases anytime over the summer, so just work to your own schedule!

* What if my team and I can't get to a suitable release spot?
you can interpret the challenges however you like. So think creatively! And if you really can't think of how to complete a certain challenge, that's ok - there are lots more you can do instead!

* What do we need to do to claim our points?
All you have to do is send an PM to me, with a link to the book, and you also have to post the release in the forum. 

Giving us a bit more info about why you choose that release if you want - or include it in the release notes.
Pictures are fun to see, but they are not 'compulsory.' You could also post links to the forum if you have put your release photo elsewhere.

The same applies for claiming points in case of a book getting caught / re released / new member sign up / etc... to claim your point PM the link to me. If you then want to go and gloat on the forum, well, who am I to stop you?!