I don't know if there are more than a couple of you that care enough to try this again, but I'll give it a shot. Plus I'm interested in running one with the new rules rather than the ones I came up with. So give me a few minutes and we'll have another contest raring to go...

I would like to make a request - can we quietly shoot my contest format in the head and bury it in a shallow grave in the back yard?

Simply guessing rules was a lot more fun than the brainhurtiness[1] of bouncing strips back and forth.

[1] Brainhurtiness (abstract noun) 1. State of confusion and/or headache caused by excessively complex thought, 2. Material or activity, analysis of which causes confusion or headache.

I am going to make a psychic leap and submit a comic that meets all 69 of your rules before you even think of them.
20848

How close did I get?

You think? I was digging it. Granted it took a lot more work... But either way would work. In fact, the rules can be a little different if you're just guessing. If one of my rules is 'Name a famous author', and you slip in the name of someone I've never heard of, then it makes things tough, 'cause somehow you have to relay that to me without spilling the beans for other people.

On the other hand, your way makes it so that anyone could win, right up to the end. If you fire off a bunch of correct guesses right off the bat, everyone else is gonna have a hard time catching up.

Whatever the case, I'm willing to go with the majority.

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I am going to make a psychic leap and submit a comic that meets all 69 of your rules before you even think of them.

How close did I get?

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Ok, looking over the last few of these contests gives me a good idea that I think will work well. Rather than confine it to one or the other, we'll let people do both.

If you're pretty sure of a rule, just spit it out and you get credit for it if it's right. If you're not quite sure and you don't want to spill the beans on a good lead, make a comic and submit it and I'll tell you what's right or wrong.

What does everyone else think? Since there are only about four or five of us that actually play this?

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I am going to make a psychic leap and submit a comic that meets all 69 of your rules before you even think of them.

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Ok. Here goes. Open season on rules. Ask questions. Post your own comics. State what you think the rules are. Anything works. Following is the standard 3 strip intro...

Follows Rules 1-5

22322

Follows Rules 6-10

22323

Follows Rules 1-10

22318

Follows No Rules

22328

These are my preliminary guesses, and I will submit a strip later on...

- Six completely different characters (can't be the same character in a different pose).

- No apparent restrictions whatsoever on props - you used none of them in any strip, compliant or non-compliant.

- Someone has to stick "eh?" on the end of their dialogue.

My brain is tired - I will think more later.

I was going to think up a strip, but I decided not to, as I have too few of the rules.

I agree about someone having to say "eh".

I think you have to have six different poses, but not necessarily six different characters. This assumes that all yellow-shirted Gabes are considered to be the same character. If that's not so, then I'll agree with the six different characters.

I suspect that characters who share a panel must also share a taxonomical classification (e.g. both are humans, or both are birds, or something like that -- I guess it would be okay if both were robots).

I also suspect that the strip must make mention of some kind of metal or mineral.

There must be some rule about backgrounds, because I can't imagine why else Gabe would choose such arbitrary combinations of backgrounds, but I can't figure out what it is. It may have something to do with the sequence of backgrounds rather than certain ones being legal or illegal.

Fully Compliant

22400

This answer any questions? evil_d is close on one, starting to get good ideas about another.

Here's a clue... None of the rules have anything to do with marmosets.

I have no idea yet about nine of the rules. However, rather than spelling out the other one ...

22520

Sly kaufman gets credit for rule #6. And being the bastard he is, has chosen not to come right out and spell it out for you.

But unless you're a total gimp, you should be able to figure this one out.

You've actually got a couple more here you conformed too. I don't have my list with me, but they're definately all in the 6-10 rule set.

#7 and #10, and #8 possibly if you wanted to argue it. I'd give you credit, though if you knew what the rule was there'd be better choices.

But you still only get points for #6 until you prove you actually know the rules. (Which you obviously do for #6.)

This may follow a few rules ... intentionally.

22638

Rock and Rosary by Kaufman
Follows: 4,6,7
Breaks: 1,2,3,5,9,10
Iffy: 8

4 & 6 were intentional. I'm guessing you just stumbled over 7 & 8. If you knew rule 8, you'd pick different characters.

Follows 1,3,5,7,9
Breaks 2,4,6,8,10

22685

22520

I was pretty amazed by this when you first posted it, but I didn't really wade through it 'till now. It's a work of genius. How long did you spend on this? You didn't miss any!

If I ever win any more comic contests, which I doubt, the rules for the next one will be simple:

Make me laugh.

Love,

bunner

wirthling, show bunner your dick!

This one is fully compliant.

22781

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I was pretty amazed by this when you first posted it, but I didn't really wade through it 'till now. It's a work of genius. How long did you spend on this? You didn't miss any!

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I'm pretty sure that an anagram or a palindrome has something to do with one of the rules. Wait - no, I'm not sure about that. Never mind.

Gabe, I don't know if it's Rule 1, 3, or 5, but I love it! And wirthling, you're right, it is a palindrome.

22791

22796

Life on the Brink by Kaufman
Follows: 4,5,6,7,10
Breaks: 1,2,3,8,9

Hints:

Rule #1
Rule #2
Rule #3
Rule #4
Rule #5
Rule #6
Rule #7
Rule #8
Rule #9
Rule #10

Rule #1 - IMDb... I thought maybe this was something to do with movie musicals, but after I found "State Fair" I couldn't find any others in the rule-1-compliant strips. *frown*

Rule #2 - Amtrak... Unfair! Sounds like US cities of some kind, possibly state capitals...

Rule #3 - Adjacent.com... Consultants? Wha???

Rule #4 - Periodic table... I figured this one out, but haven't mentioned it yet.

Rule #5 - Palindromes... Finally worked this one out after many hints from the participants. "Son, I am able," she said, "though you scare me." "Watch," said I. "Beloved, I said watch me scare you." "Though," said she, "Able am I, son." (From "I Palindrome I" by They Might Be Giants)

Rule #6 - Presidents... This also is unfair on this poor Aussie. *grumble*

Rule #7 - Gary Sinise from Forrest Gump... what the fuck??? (Incidentally, that page has a really obnoxious pop-up window that I found very hard to close.)

Rule #8 - Cyclops... OK, nothing about superheroes, so I am thinking this is X-related. No idea beyond that.

Rule #9 - A pink keyboard? Huh?

Rule #10 - Some obscure band called the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies. Again - WTF???

A halfhearted comic attempt shall follow...

22842

I still have no idea about the background or character selections, so I am taking wild guesses on those ones.

22857

Rules? IV - I know I got a few of them right... by Dexx

Follows: 3,4,6
Breaks: 1,2,5,7,8,9,10

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Rule #1 - IMDb... I thought maybe this was something to do with movie musicals, but after I found "State Fair" I couldn't find any others in the rule-1-compliant strips. *frown*
Nothing to do with movie names. But what else can you find there?

Rule #2 - Amtrak... Unfair! Sounds like US cities of some kind, possibly state capitals...
Unfair? Just wanted you to get the idea of a train in your mind. How are trains connected?

Rule #3 - Adjacent.com... Consultants? Wha???
Don't dig too much on this one. Just the name is enough.

Rule #4 - Periodic table... I figured this one out, but haven't mentioned it yet.
Golden.

Rule #5 - Palindromes... Finally worked this one out after many hints from the participants. "Son, I am able," she said, "though you scare me." "Watch," said I. "Beloved, I said watch me scare you." "Though," said she, "Able am I, son." (From "I Palindrome I" by They Might Be Giants)
Wow.

Rule #6 - Presidents... This also is unfair on this poor Aussie. *grumble*
Sorry. Next time I'll have a rule about Australian television.

Rule #7 - Gary Sinise from Forrest Gump... what the fuck??? (Incidentally, that page has a really obnoxious pop-up window that I found very hard to close.)
I thought for sure this one would jump out at you. I still think it will. Don't think too much about it.

Rule #8 - Cyclops... OK, nothing about superheroes, so I am thinking this is X-related. No idea beyond that.
Same as #7.

Rule #9 - A pink keyboard? Huh?
I didn't know it was pink. That's not important. It's a what?

Rule #10 - Some obscure band called the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies. Again - WTF???
It's just part of their name I'm interested in.

A halfhearted comic attempt shall follow...

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I've got at least a few more.

22878

A Man, A Strip, A Contest: Set no cap, Irtsanama! by Kaufman

Follows: 4,5,6,7,8,10
Breaks: 1,2,3
Iffy: 9 (maybe on a model other than mine)

You need work on titles, characters and backgrounds. And I'm guessing at least one of the ones you got right was unintentional. But I could be wrong.

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A Man, A Strip, A Contest: Set no cap, Irtsanama! by Kaufman

Follows: 4,5,6,7,8,10
Breaks: 1,2,3
Iffy: 9 (maybe on a model other than mine)

You need work on titles, characters and backgrounds. And I'm guessing at least one of the ones you got right was unintentional. But I could be wrong.

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Rules? IV - I know I got a few of them right... by Dexx
Follows: 3,4,6
Breaks: 1,2,5,7,8,9,10

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This is more for my own reference than an attempt to guess rules...

Rule #1 - I keep getting ideas, but none of them pan out. If you are using movie quotes, they are damned obscure ones. *grin*

Rule #2 - Still no idea, possibly something to do with conjunctions.

Rule #3 - Adjacency... Since I got this one right, I thought maybe it meant that the backgrounds have to all be adjacent to each other in the list, but that doesn't seem to work for all the rule-3-compliant strips. *shrug*

Rule #4 - Name an element, I think that's all it is.

Rule #5 - Include a palindrome.

Rule #6 - Include a US president.

Rule #7 - Maybe a character with no visible legs...?

Rule #8 - A character with only one visible eye, possibly? I'll have to check that one...

Rule #9 - Something keyboard-related, but still no ideas.

Rule #10 - I think I have this one - has to include an abbreviation including an apostrophe.

Still no clues about title restrictions.

Some fairly certain ones, some guesses, and some wild and clueless stabs in the dark.

22890

Oh, and Gabe: As far as I know, train carriages are joined by shunting, but I don't suppose that was what you were trying to tell me. :)

I like a good tarot cod reading.

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I like a good tarot cod reading.

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I never realised how hard it was to come up with a decent palindrome off the top of your head.

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Rules? IV - I know I got a few of them right... by Dexx
Follows: 3,4,5,6
Breaks: 1,2,7,8,9,10

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Are you SURE about these? Isn't rule 5 the palindrome?

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If you think that's hard, wait till you big SOL men figure out Rule #1!

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If this doesn't touch all the bases, it's getting close.

22897

The only downside to making so many complicated damn rules is trying to tell when people are adhering to them. Thus we will be revisiting Dexx's comic because I'm an eggsucking bastard and scored it incorrectly.

22842

Follows: 3,4,5,6,10
Breaks: 1,2,7,8,9

Humour makes the world go "Argh! The pain!" by Dexx
Follows: 4,5,6,7,8
Breaks: 1,3,10
Darn Close: 2 (66% of your comic is fine)

Able GI Soul by Smarty Pants Kaufman
Follows: 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Breaks: 3

And current point standings...

I'm kind of fudging these, since I'm getting both verbal rule descriptions as well as comics (and even an email or two). So I'm handing out points based on the first person to make me absolutely positive they knew a given rule. Some were possible to get by mistake, so I needed confirmation you actually knew what you were talking about. So here's as it stands so far:

DexX: 2 points (rules 7,8)
Kaufman: 7 points (rules 1,2,4,5,6,9,10 with an assist by wirthling on #5)

And the rules:

#1 - Title must be an anagram of a well known actor or actress.
A Demonic Link - Nicole Kidman (Australian tie, see!)
Annoy Screen - Sean Connery
Cesium Rot - Tom Cruise (plus an element!)
Social Change - Nicholas Cage
Bestial Juror - Julia Roberts

#2 - The name of each background must begin with the letter the previous one ended with (like a train, see?)
#3 - All characters/props myst come from (at most) 3 adjacent character sets
#4 - Name an element
#5 - 1 character can only speak in palindromes
#6 - Name a US president (last name) (sorry Dexx)
#7 - In one frame no legs must be visible
#8 - Must use one character with only a single eye visible
#9 - Name a function-type key (not a letter) on your keyboard (my apoligies to any of you with weird bass-ackward keyboards that don't look like mine, but I thought they were pretty standard.
#10 - Name some sort of wheeled vehicle

Ok. That's it. We volley the moderatorship back to Senor Kaufman.

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And the rules:

#1 - Title must be an anagram of a well known actor or actress.
A Demonic Link - Nicole Kidman (Australian tie, see!)
Annoy Screen - Sean Connery
Cesium Rot - Tom Cruise (plus an element!)
Social Change - Nicholas Cage
Bestial Juror - Julia Roberts

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Negatory, at least for right now. If someone else wants to try it, jump right in!

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