Turn Four

Submit the details of your teams completed challenge - including a link to the book's page (and pictures if you want) - to Vekiki's email (Don't PM please).

Submissions deadline: 21.00 GMT (that's 9 PM, London time) on Sunday 3rd July.

Next turn will be announced on Monday 4th July

Refresh on how to play here

Show off your completed challenge or chatter with other teams on the forum

This week's challenges:

Battleship

Dice roll: 11

You've built 4 houses, so now it's time to upgrade to a hotel...

Boot

Dice Roll: 8

Bally's looking rather statuesque, don't you think?

Cannon

Dice Roll: 8

Park your car, park your bum, park Bally somewhere he'll enjoy

Iron

Dice Roll: 9

Don't go barking up the wrong tree, which one is Bally hiding up?

Moneybag

Dice Roll: 3

Tea or Coffee (actually, an Oreo & peanut butter malted milkshake for Bally... he doesn't have to watch his weight because everyone loves a fat book to sink their teeth into)

Racecar

Dice Roll: 4

Splish splash Bally's taking a bath, 'long about a saturday night...

Scottie Dog

Dice Roll: 6

Paint half your face blue and join in with a cry for FREEDOMMMMMmmmmmm!

Thimble

Dice Roll: 5

Bally's going up in the world, making a stay in a palace

TopHat

Dice Roll: 7

Bally's a work of art in his own right - he deserves a place in a gallery I reckon

Train

Dice Roll: 6

take a look at people's wishlists to make a contribution to our community bookshelf

Wheelbarrow

Dice Roll: 6

East west north or south? Bally's going places on whatever means of transport available

Wolf

Dice Roll: 3

get a little taste of history since you're already full of food

Have fun :)

Weather (nearly) Stops Play; Turn Three

Team Thimble's squares of sunlight

Team Top-Hat kicked us off this week with two flip-flopped releases; Icecream in the sunshine and Riding the Desert Trial left in the sea-breeze. These hot and cold books have reflected the fates of the other teams pretty well.

Scottie Dogs relax after Racing for Life

The Scottie-Dogs enjoyed what little sunshine England has seen this week, having a Perfect Day running around the park before collapsing onto a bench. Wheelbarrows also made the most of the sunshine, leaving a copy of The Hornbeam Tree, not in anyone's back garden but in a tree nevertheless!

Team Battleship managed, as always, to stay on top of the water, releasing a book on the ferry to The Island.

Boots (or Wellies?) in the rain

Team Boot were not so lucky - there plans were set asunder by the beautiful British summer weather, yet the copy of Across the Nightingale Floor was caught and inspired a new member sign up so proving that rain need not stop play. The Thimbles also struggled with weather, but eventually a beautiful day came and they were able to release Boy Who Loved Anne Frank in a spot of sunlight by Miami Beach.

Team Cannon's Time Machine

With the weather being so fickle, Team Cannon decided to stay indoors and study - looking to find A Winkle In Time to slip into. Team Moneybag took advantage of the research done and built a time machine so they could visit the eccentric Ludwig II, where they found long arms but absolutely no cucumbers. Team Racecar visited a bit of history too - taking a trip to see Fort Ossenmarkt defending Amsterdam.

Team Train released a copy of  Wij doden Stella, which has nothing to do with a cafe - apart from being left by a MASSIVE sign for one! Team Iron came to visit, indulging themselves in some Guilty Pleasures; a coffee and a point.

Team Wolf were pretty polarised themselves, leaving Der Apfelgarten (The Apple Orchard) by the fast food drive thru!

Bonus Points - there were lots of awesome releases this week so picking was tough - but in the end Bonus Points go to...

Team Thimble for their squares of sunlight

Team Wolf for giving vitamin pills to a burger-bar customers

Team Boot for efforts waylaid by rain

Team Scottie Dog for decorated book & bench

Turn Three

Submit the details of your teams completed challenge - including a link to the book's page (and pictures if you want) - to Vekiki's email (Don't PM please).

Submissions deadline: 21.00 GMT (that's 9 PM, London time) on Sunday 19th June.

Next turn will be announced on Monday 20thJune

(Slightly shorter turn to get us back in place after long turn two)

Refresh on how to play here

Show off your completed challenge or chatter with other teams on the forum

Battleship

(Dice roll 10): This ship returns to sea, a very appropriate aquatic release

Boot & Thimble

(Dice Roll 7 & 3): All's fair and square with a 4 cornered release

Cannon

(Dice Roll 12): Cannons get cultural with a museums and galleries release

Iron

(Dice Roll 4): A friend in need is a friend indeed... who are Team Iron ''Just Visiting''?

Moneybag & Racecar

(Dice roll 8 & 11): A spot of time travel enables you to visit some historic places...

Scottie Dog

(Dice Roll 3): Sit back and relax, read a book, leave a book on a bench in the sunshine

Train
(Dice Roll 7): One lump or two? a whole bowl full of sugar sweetens up this cafe release

Tophat

(Dice roll 3): Chance card:

One hot, one cold; make two releases to balance Bally's body temperature

Wheelbarrow

(Dice Roll 8): What are trees for? Climbing, growing, sitting underneath and of course book releasing

Wolf

(Dice Roll 6): Off to your local eatery? well, here's a tip for your waiter: read a book!

Enjoy!

Too Much Turn Two...

Team Thimble

This turn was a little longer than usual, because the beautiful and charming gamehost has been tied up, imprisoned by the evil Emperor Revision, and she was only just able to escape to write this update now... with the able assistance of Team Thimble, who rushed off to into various fantasy books to find tools to aid their captured friend: a stone chair (a former enemy Narnia's White Witch, whom she petrified), a card of Gauguin's chair, and magic sword for Ballycumber to use in his rescue mission - and of course a copy of The Silver Chair. 

Team Wheelbarrow

The Racecars also searched fantasy land, going to the Rainbow rooms to meet the Wizard of Oz and seek his advice. The Wheelbarrows had a similar idea - they made an offering to of Little Comic Shop of Horrors to Audrey 2, hoping she might be able to tell them where Emperor Revision's secret lair was.

The Battleships have also come to the aid of our gamehost (who, did I mention, really is extraordinarily intelligent. And witty.), pulling into port to spend A Week in the Zone trying to find where she had been hidden. Team Train went undercover, running wild like Shadows in the Grass trying to find her, joined by Team TopHat in the Savage Garden. In the playground, Team Iron enlisted The Islander (hem, De Eilander) to provide help.

Team Cannon

Team Cannon provided help solving murder mysteries with Radishes from Below (or Radieschen von unten - a phrase akin to pushing up daisies), which they sent along to a member of Team Moneybag to help them along...

Team moneybag

Team Moneybag would have been the Perfect Match for Emperor Revision,  and were sure to save the day until he called in his second in command Viscount English-Weather, who made sure rain stopped play.

Upon hearing about the capture of there delightful and elegant gamehost, team ScottieDog ran off so quickly that they left there shopping behind; along with a copy of Shopaholic and Baby. Team Wolf helped them cycle off in search of game host - a mode of transportation most definitely not approved of by Jeremy Clarkson in his book Don't Stop Me Now.

Team Wolf

Finally, With the help of Team Boot (who gave her a boost up a tree, climbing up and over a wall to freedom) the gamehost (who's grace and bearing are unparalleled on this, and any other, plane) found her way to a Bit of Paradise

In a display of her gratitude, generous and giving gamehost grants bonus points to Team Boot because without the right footwear a girl is going no where, and to Team Cannon for their mystery solving skills!

THE END

Turn Two

Submit the details of your teams completed challenge - including a link to the book's page (and pictures if you want) - to Vekiki's email (Don't PM please).

Submissions deadline: 21.00 GMT (that's 9 PM, London time) on Monday 6th June.

Next turn will be announced on Tuesday 7thJune

The slight extension in length of this week's turn is because I have my big end of year exam on Monday 6th and won't have a chance to update the blog or coordinate the next turn till after that! 

Refresh on how to play here

Show off your completed challenge or chatter with other teams on the forum here

Team Iron:

Dice Roll 4

Get in touch with your inner child in a playground release

Teams Scottie Dog and Wheelbarrow:

Dice Roll 4 & 5

Have books burning holes in there pockets, so it must be time for a trip to the shopping centre

Team Racecar:

Dice Roll 7

Find somewhere over the rainbow to set Bally free

Team Wolf:

Dice Roll 7

Bally's going places... well, maybe not, with a public transport release

Team Moneybag:

Dice Roll 9

Bally has picked his team and is ready to play down at the Sports ground

Team Cannon:

Dice Roll 9

Time to make a contibution to the community bookshelf

Team Battleship:

Dice Roll 9

Be sure you don't pick up too many book on your visit to the OBCZ

Teams Boot and Tophat:

Dice Roll 8 & 9

Reach up tall to make a release in a tree

Team Train:

Dice Roll: 8

Go wild, make a free release

Team Thimble:

Dice Roll: 11

Empty Tables empty chairs? Not any more....

And They're Off...

(Hint: Bonus points announced at the end of the post... scroll down if your too impatient to read your way there)

Team Wolf

Turn one got an absolute flying start with our first release of the game from Team Wolf, who left a copy of Der Sturm (hem, that's The Tempest) in a theatre, which got caught and had an AF sign up for bookcrossing! What a great omen, here's hoping the rest of the game goes like that too. 

Completing the same challenge, Team Cannon left a copy of Marley & Me  by an old 1920's art deco theatre that's being renovated by the local community.

Team Thimble

The Thimbles left a copy of Ignited Minds: Unleashing The Power Within India by a power station near Dehli University, hoping it'll spark the attention of some students. 

Also electrifying the board (Ed: I have an unlimited reserve of bad puns. Sorry) were Team Train, who managed to tie in lots of reasons behind their release; The Red Power Murders was written by an aboriginal candian left and was left near the Aboriginal Centre, hanging from plug sockets in the car park (used to keep car engines ticking over to stop them freezing up in the winter time. It gets COLD in Winnipeg, apparently), on a location that used to be a train station – how appropriate can you get?

Team Train

The Scottie Dogs got tails thumpin to the beat with a Radio Two themed release; Pies and Predjudice by Stuart Maconie left outside a Johnnie Walker gig. Team Top Hat were obviously the centre of attention this week, because team member Wal-89 received a wishlist book (The Picture of Dorian Grey) as Team Iron's contribution to the community bookshelf. But being such an eyecatching team isn't always a great thing: they inspired Team Top hat to steal their release challenge and take half a point from them; in a tip of the hat to two teams, they released, at the local symphony hall, a copy of The City And the City – so borrowing from Scottie Dog's music release and Battleship's city centre challenge!

The Battleships themselves released a copy of The Center in the city centre.

Team Racecar

Team Racecar got a Mini (geddit? Oh, the wit) assitant to help them bury Where the Wild Things Are in a playground sandpit – of course making X mark the spot, in hope that some little pirates (or paleatologists) might find the treasure.

Team Wheelbarrow

Another team decided to leave behind squabbling for the swingset and headed to pull some Wheelbarrow stunts at their local skatepark, but unfortunatly An Awkward Age fell out of their pockets whilst doing kick flips; maybe it'll help one of the half-pipers to know that pubescence sucks but we all go through it!

Team Moneybag

Team Boot headed off to take Bally and a few friends shopping, leaving Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall and a shopping bag full of other themed books there to hang out with the Mallrats. All worth it because, oh my didn't bally look pretty in a new outfit? So much so that team moneybag presented him with a sash and awards so that he could be beauty queen – or rather beauty king; all hail The King in Yellow, king Bally!

Bonus Points go to...

Thimbles for their hand crafted lightbulb shaped post its

Trains for their 'triple word score'

Racecar, because burying the book was an awesome idea
Moneybag, for their dressed up book

Turn One

Submit the details of your teams completed challenge - including a link to the book's page (and pictures if you want) - to Vekiki's email (Don't PM please).

Submissions deadline: 21.00 GMT (that's 9 PM, London time) on Sunday 22nd May.

Next turn will be announced on 23rd May

Refresh on how to play here

Show off your completed challenge or chatter with other teams on the forum here

And we're off...

Battleship

Dice roll: 9

Battle through the crowds to make a city centre release

Boot

Dice roll: 11

Bally's on a spending spree in a shopping centre... someone stop him, that's my credit card he's holding!

Cannon & Wolf

Dice roll: 8

Introduce a different form of narrative with a cinema or theatre release

Iron

Dice roll: 2

Make another player's wish come true...

MoneyBag

Dice roll: 7

Take a Chance Card...

You have won second prize in  a beauty contest. Of course, Bally came first - make a beautiful release in his honour

Racecar & Wheelbarrow

Dice roll: 6

Stop squabbling you two, this isn't a playground you know!

Oh... well, maybe it is...

Scottie dog

Dice roll 7:

Take a Chance Card

So you think you can dance? Prove it, own it, live it - make a musical release to get toes (and paws) tapping

Thimble & Train

Dice roll: 12

IT'S ALIVE!!! Let's hope your release is electric enough to create a spark of life in Bally

Top Hat

Dice roll: 10

Just visiting? Are Top Hat sneaky enough to steal a point while they are there...and, more importantly... who from?

Have Fun!