Be Excellent To Each Other

It's the Great BETEO Song Wars!
How it works (maybe subject to change, depending on circumstances)

The players are divided into four groups. Each week, every competitor puts forward one song of their choice, through Grim...'s excellent inline MP3 player, or a YouTube clip. The choices for each group are put to a vote, and anyone else on the forum can allocate a score for the three songs they like the most (more points for the favourite, slightly fewer for the second and third favourites, as with the photography thread). The three songs in each group with the most vote-points are allocated league-points, and a league table is produced.

The scoring will be along the lines of:

Most votes in a week: 5 points in the league.
2nd most votes in a week: 3 points in the league
3rd most votes in a week: 1 point in the league.
(In the case of a tie, the points are shared as follows: more than one person tie in first place, all get four points. More than one person tie in second, all get 2 points. More than one person in 3rd, all get one point.)

At the end of the ten-week 'season', the top two from each group go into a knockout stage. From there, it's a straight knockout - four 'quarter-final' matches in the first knockout week, two 'semi-final' matches in the second knockout week, and a big final. (Note: Depending on the feelings of other players, one knockout stage may see a prolonged voting period to allow for the Christmas break.)


Themes
Note: Rule amended 8th Oct, now themes are picked three weeks in advance.

The first week of the wars will be open to absolutely any type of song. The second week will require the chosen song to be a cover version. For week four onwards, players in each group will have to pick a song adhering to a specific theme, chosen by the player with the lowest number of votes in the first week*. The theme should be chosen so that it can apply to any type of music, along the lines of "a band or song with a number in the title", "a song from a movie", "songs lasting less than a minute", or in true Mark and Lard's Cheesily Chart Challenge style, a track applicable to an event in the news. You could even throw a curve ball, and decide the theme will be "pick the worst possible song", with votes being placed for the worst track. However, themes such as "pick a heavy metal song" or "pick a dance track" are to be frowned upon, if only for being indicative of stultifying unoriginality. Conversely (and being slightly contradictory), picking "there is no theme" as a theme is perfectly acceptable.

If it's your turn to pick a theme, there's no reason why you can't choose a theme already used by another group, although picking a track already nominated in another group is likely to incur the wrath of the Song Wars Badger, Kevin. Oh, and the tenth (and final) round of matches will have a theme of Christmas, just to get everyone in the festive mood.

(*If more than one person has tied on the lowest score, the one with the lower position in group table will become the next theme-picker. If group positions are level, then there will be no theme for the relevant week. Similarly, to ensure each round of voting kicks off on time, if Johnny (or Jane) Themepicker hasn't nominated a theme in time, or doesn't want to choose one, there will be no theme for the relevant week. All this is getting more complicated than rugby union, isn't it?)

Anon

For each voting stage, only the songs are to be listed, meaning there's a fun guessing game to be had when trying to work out which Beexer picked which track. Post-voting, as the scores are revealed, so are the names.

Schedule

The first week is for any song you like, and for the second week the theme will be cover versions, so you can get those thinking caps on right now. The themes are decided upon around two weeks in advance so that anyone going away from the forum for a while can put forward songs in advance. Please note that if anyone doesn't pick a song for a given week, then no entry will be listed for them for that week - there should be plenty of time to catch up in the league if you miss a week or two, though.




Machiavellian Self-Voting

Due to the nature of forum voting, you will be able to vote for your own song, and there's nothing much that can be done about that. But then, politicians can vote for themselves in general elections, so there you go. Please note: people relentlessly pimping up the votes for their own songs will make baby Jesus cry.

The Prizes

Super big exciting prizes will be on offer for the winner. Or more likely, a couple of DVDs or albums I've somehow got two copies of.

so after voting will league results be made? will the points be what they've earned in the voting or will points be given out for what position they finish?

Yes, after the first round of voting, I'll compile league tables. The scoring will be along the lines of:

Most votes in a week: 5 points in the league.
2nd most votes in a week: 3 points in the league
3rd most votes in a week: 1 point in the league.

Having two kinds of 'points' certainly makes things a bit confusing, but this method should give people a chance to catch up if the slip behind in the league.


(I'll add this to the main rules now - just so everyone else doesn't think Runcle has missed it, and asked a question clearly answering in the preceding post...)

I presume we can vote even if we're not involved?

Absolutely, yes.

Are we having a gentleman's agreement that you can't vote for your own song?

Read the rules again.

I know it says you can, I was just wondering whether we should agree not to. I haven't voted for mine anyway. Not even one point.

If you dont think your song's good enough to vote for there's not much point putting it forward...

I'll vote for my favourites in each group. If mine happens to be the best, so be it.

I didn't vote for my own song, as I thought that would be a bit naughty, like. And obviously everyone would vote for their own most of the time.

Im not voting for my own either.

If it's the best, you should vote for it, otherwise there's little point.

If I don't vote for mine, then I have no courage in my own convictions that my music taste is the fucking best.

That said, I haven't actually voted on my group yet.

I've not voted for mine. It's hardly a big deal one way or the other, though.

As noted in the rules, the voting system means that there's nothing to stop you voting for your own song. However, doing so would make you a bit of a Terry-Thomas style cad.


- Someone who voted for themself, yesterday.


Coincidentally, I've just added a bit in the rules about what happens in the event of a tied vote - essentially, the points are shared.

Did you stick that in because the votes in Group A are perilously close?

Yeah, that's how I roll too.

Not really, more because there almost certainly will be tied scores at some point, and better I make the scoring system clear now than at the end of the week.

I hope I haven't missed this being asked elsewhere, but what would happen if two people in a group submitted the same song one week? I realise it's highly unlikely in the open rounds, but when we get to the 'specialist' weeks (including picking covers) it seems a distinct possiblity. Would both have to re-submit a song, or would it be first-come first-served? Would the start of the round be delayed to give time to pick something different?

I'd let the second person know someone else has got there first, and ask them to choose again. The same principle as the final round on Family Fortunes.

how many jeff buckley-hallelujahs you had for the next round?

None yet, nor have I had anyone pick Johnny Cash's version of Hurt. Both still up for grabs, people!

Someone would then have to pick Kermit's version.

Or Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower?

I think I'm okay to mention that All Along The Watchtower has now been bagsied.

When does voting close? The actual polls says tomorrow but the schedule above has today.

My cover version will literally make Craster explode.

Getting high scores in the mod vote won't help you if you get banned for that song before the vote finishes.

Midnight tonight. I'll start Round 2 then, even though the results from Round 1 won't be revealed until the polls close (and I get in from work to spill the beans on who picked what). I've already PMed the people still to choose tracks, and a result my PM inbox is bulging out the side of my monitor.

Week two voting now (slightly belatedly) up.

Nope, no-one went for the one I was going to choose, will post later.

Mr Marky Mark of X town... Where can we see a list/table of the standings once the are compiled. I can't tell if they are already up and I am too blind to see them or if they are yet to be done. Also, do you know when we might find out what next week's theme might be?

Sorry, too many questions. This must be blinkin' hard work for you :/

I assume as the winner picks the next theme, that there will be potentially 4 different themes next week?

I was wondering this - I didn't know if it was the winner of each group or winner over all. Also, I thought it was the person with least votes? I'd better read the rules again.

The way I read it, the loser of each group gets to pick the theme for that group in 2 weeks time.

So I'll be picking the theme for group C, Pundabaya for Group A, Pete in Group B, and whomever chose Machinae Supremacy in Group D.

Malc

Oi! I'm not a loser, just success-related-differently-abled!

The person who chose the song with fewest votes.

Malc

I'm going to be away for a few weeks from next week, so I'm going to drop tons of points.

Um, how do you work that one out, as the results haven't been announced? hmmm? HMMMMM?

When do we find out who to praise/blame for which song?

I thought Mark was going to reveal all when the voting period for this round ends.

Malc

I am, and that is going to happen RIGHT NOW. (Well, in a bit. In another thread, along with the current standings, along with exciting details of an exciting rule change that will be exciting.)

** SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING ALERT **

Will I be able to edit the Week Two voting threads into stickies without the existing votes being cancelled out, or the forum going on fire or anything?

Uh - probly.

Vote Craster!

Just tried it - you can edit the first post and make it sticky without affecting votes in progress.

Cheers, Crast-o.