2018 'Deck of the Year' Awards: DISCUSSION

[theCapraAegagrus]

is anyone else not seeing any decks on the non-KS tab of PipChick's awesome deck list? Perhaps there aren't any in that section yet?

oh no! looks like the query formula got goofed up - no worries; I'll take a look and fix it when I get a chance. In the meanwhile, just hold tight

EDIT: fixed! If there's any other issues, just let me know

I found an issue:

You haven't quit your day job.

If you didn't have a job, you would be on top of this before the plebs found out.

That's what she said.

[PipChick]

I found an issue:

You haven't quit your day job.

If you didn't have a job, you would be on top of this before the plebs found out.

That's what she said.

hey man, I'm doin' the best I can!!! lmao



besides, I'm trying and therefore, no one should criticize me...



LMAO

[theCapraAegagrus]

-gif-

besides, I'm trying and therefore, no one should criticize me...

-gif-

LMAO

Do, or do not, there is no try.

[sinjin7]

this does not eliminate the option to write in any other deck that wasn't explicitly nominated by another member prior to voting - so really, there shouldn't be any concern that you can't vote for literally any deck you'd want to anyways.

Also, I think going with the nomination route will keep the DOTY awards on people's mind so when the time does come around for voting, it'll be that much easier for both members that have been actively apart of this whole process from the get-go as well as for those that perhaps haven't.

If there is a write-in option in each category, then I'm fine with the nomination process. I think the only way to truly have success in getting more people to participate in the voting is to publicize the contest outside of UC so more non-UC members come to vote (and in the process become new members). I think we've already discussed the math of only current UC members vote, we won't have a really high turnout, maybe around 30, give or take.

[MagikFingerz]

this does not eliminate the option to write in any other deck that wasn't explicitly nominated by another member prior to voting - so really, there shouldn't be any concern that you can't vote for literally any deck you'd want to anyways.

Also, I think going with the nomination route will keep the DOTY awards on people's mind so when the time does come around for voting, it'll be that much easier for both members that have been actively apart of this whole process from the get-go as well as for those that perhaps haven't.

If there is a write-in option in each category, then I'm fine with the nomination process. I think the only way to truly have success in getting more people to participate in the voting is to publicize the contest outside of UC so more non-UC members come to vote (and in the process become new members). I think we've already discussed the math of only current UC members vote, we won't have a really high turnout, maybe around 30, give or take.

We also have quite a number of unregistered lurkers. As of right now, there are 15 members (3 of which are search engine bots) and ~380 guests browsing the site. If we can get just some of those to register and participate, and in turn a few of those to become active members, then it would be a success.

[theCapraAegagrus]

this does not eliminate the option to write in any other deck that wasn't explicitly nominated by another member prior to voting - so really, there shouldn't be any concern that you can't vote for literally any deck you'd want to anyways.

Also, I think going with the nomination route will keep the DOTY awards on people's mind so when the time does come around for voting, it'll be that much easier for both members that have been actively apart of this whole process from the get-go as well as for those that perhaps haven't.

If there is a write-in option in each category, then I'm fine with the nomination process. I think the only way to truly have success in getting more people to participate in the voting is to publicize the contest outside of UC so more non-UC members come to vote (and in the process become new members). I think we've already discussed the math of only current UC members vote, we won't have a really high turnout, maybe around 30, give or take.

We also have quite a number of unregistered lurkers. As of right now, there are 15 members (3 of which are search engine bots) and ~380 guests browsing the site. If we can get just some of those to register and participate, and in turn a few of those to become active members, then it would be a success.

Tom, you already know, that nobody is going to register as a new user here as long as me and my fantasy-breaking realistic negativity is around. It is my fault, and mine alone, that this community is so small.

I've accepted this burden.

Now promote me to God of Playing Cards and be done with it.

[PipChick]

If there is a write-in option in each category, then I'm fine with the nomination process. I think the only way to truly have success in getting more people to participate in the voting is to publicize the contest outside of UC so more non-UC members come to vote (and in the process become new members). I think we've already discussed the math of only current UC members vote, we won't have a really high turnout, maybe around 30, give or take.

Exactly; the nomination thread is just to highlight those decks that we all know have really stood out among the rest this year and is moreso for the intended purpose of serving as a sort of narrowed down visual list of candidates up for serious consideration and I think will really be beneficial for those that perhaps aren't as engaged/active and allow new members to be able to easily jump in and participate.

And I totally agree with promotion outside of UC; actually, I posted about the Black Friday specials thread by literally just providing the link a few times on reddit and FB - even in comments to other relevant posts - and do believe we were able to bring in some visitors (as seen in the breaking of the last record of most users ever online, which was 461 on Fri Nov 30, 2018 ) and perhaps even attracted a few new members to join-up. So yea, I definitely think that that one thread had a huge influence because we were able to provide a resource of having all the new releases and upcoming deals compiled in one place whereas such a list wasn't available anywhere else - so that was for sure a worthwhile effort and definitely a thread that should be done again next year.

I'm planning to do the same kinda promotion again in perhaps another week or two when everyone here has submitted their own nominations and the thread is more complete and hope others will do what they can as well Because awesome prize donations and a nice little thread to link people to isn't going to be enough; we'll also have to spread the word where & when we can among the card community

[STLBluesNut]

Today at work, I went through the entire KS tab on the spreadsheet.

I saved a copy of the spreadsheet. As I went through, line by line, in the blank fields on the right I typed in backs, color, pips, etc for each deck I like for a category. Got that tab of a 300ish decks down to about 30 decks I like for various things. Tomorrow the other tab.

After that is done I hope to narrow it down to 3 noms for each category I feel comfortable nominating for.

That spreadsheet is so so great! Having the links to click on right there and go to the deck is awesome and has definitely made it easier to look at all of the decks. I found quite a few that I have never seen before and even more that I didn't realize I needed in my life lol.

Thank you so much, PipChick and all the other contributors to this site and contest.

Sent from my Galaxy 8 using Tapatalk

[STLBluesNut]

how does the final voting work? I don't know how it has been done in previous years. I guess I would like to see everyone getting 3 votes per category and then all those tallied up for the winner. it would also be nice to see maybe the top 5 or 10 decks in each category instead of just the top 3.

[MagikFingerz]

It's just 1 vote per category. We can discuss the merits of changing it to more votes, but I think it's a bit late to change it for this year's contest.

[STLBluesNut]

It's just 1 vote per category. We can discuss the merits of changing it to more votes, but I think it's a bit late to change it for this year's contest.

No problem. That is going to be tough though!

Sent from my Galaxy 8 using Tapatalk

[Eric Lee]

That is going to be tough though!

Tell me about it. I myself submitted multiple nominations for many of the categories. Some I really am torn between who should get my pick. JR himself had multiple picks in several categories between his shorts,Maduro and Tigers. Well, it should shape up to be a very interesting contest!

[theCapraAegagrus]

It's just 1 vote per category. We can discuss the merits of changing it to more votes, but I think it's a bit late to change it for this year's contest.

This should NEVER change unless we add weighted votes (which we shouldn't).

Weighted votes would mean:

1st place vote is 5 points.
2nd place vote is 3 points.
3rd place vote is 1 point.

That's how they do the NHL trophy votes, and it's purely stupid.

[TheGentlemanWake]

Couple of things...

first, i saw the Virt fall17 deck in the nom thread... does the 17 in the name disqualify it for 2018 awards?

Also, noticing that a few names pop up multiple times... why isn't there a designer of the year award? If would make it easier to vote someone with a overall stellar collective of work.

[theCapraAegagrus]

...why isn't there a designer of the year award? If would make it easier to vote someone with a overall stellar collective of work.

Not a bad idea.

[PipChick]

Couple of things...

first, i saw the Virt fall17 deck in the nom thread... does the 17 in the name disqualify it for 2018 awards?

The way I see it, the DOTY awards are to recognize decks that have been released within the 2018 calendar year and, even though the Virts FW17 deck's title suggests otherwise, it technically wasn't physically in the public's hands until early 2018 because it had been released so late in 2017 (IIRC, orders started going out on like the 29th of Dec. and according to posts made on reddit, even those who ordered on the first day of release - Dec. 20th - before the site crashed and resulted in a later release, didn't receive them until early January. Also, I haven't been able to find a single source to prove that they were available to anyone prior to the start of 2018; if so, then I agree that it wouldn't qualify for this year's DOTY). It's sorta the same conundrum I suspect we'll be facing with the UC's 2018 De Novo deck; estimated delivery had been planned for June, but delays have pushed back production and fulfillment until I'm assuming early next year - but does that mean it shouldn't qualify at all?

Also, noticing that a few names pop up multiple times... why isn't there a designer of the year award? If would make it easier to vote someone with a overall stellar collective of work.

Personally, I'm not entirely opposed to this suggestion and I actually like having the distinct recognition between "best overall deck" and "best designer" as it not necessarily one in the same. On the other hand though, at such a high caliber of quality decks to have come out this year, I'm not sure how black and white the decision would be considering that some designers have been able to solely devote themselves and their work to playing cards as independent artists, whereas others cannot, and therefore, very likely don't comparatively have such a wide offering of collective work for the year - but does that really makes them any less deserving of the "best designer" title? Also, I'm sorta leaning towards only keeping this about the individual decks as to avoid a category like this from becoming a popularity contest... Anyways, that's just my 2 cents on the matter for what it's worth.

Besides, this year it was a painstaking process of several grueling weeks of back and forth discussion/debate just to narrow down the number of categories to what we have now since that was a common complaint and reasoning expressed by many for what deterred them from voting in the past and this whole nominations thing is something entirely new we're trying out in an effort to increase overall participation. So, while I like the suggestion and am curious what thoughts others have are on the matter, I'm not really on board with introducing now a new category in this year's lineup considering that not everyone was/is entirely satisfied with the past categories we've had to cut just to move forward and fear this would re-open discussions for debate... so, perhaps this would be something best revisited in preparation for next year's DOTYs.

[MagikFingerz]

I feel like Designer of the Year kind of happens on its own, sort of de facto crowned by whoever wins the most categories.

[sinjin7]

Couple of things...

first, i saw the Virt fall17 deck in the nom thread... does the 17 in the name disqualify it for 2018 awards?

Also, noticing that a few names pop up multiple times... why isn't there a designer of the year award? If would make it easier to vote someone with a overall stellar collective of work.

Deck eligibility has always been strictly when it was released/delivered and not what the title or description of the deck is. It is beginning to look like our own 2018 Annual UC Deck by Rick Davidson, De Novo, will not be eligible to be voted on until the 2019 DOTY contest because it appears Lotrek will not be able to deliver the 2018 deck within the 2018 calendar year.

I feel most of the time the winner of the Best Deck of the Year is the de facto best designer of the year, so having a separate category for only designers is going to be repetitive most years. Plus, I have to stress again that we are trying to reduce and streamline the categories, not add, so there may be many worthy categories will not make the cut.

[TheGentlemanWake]

This particular year I feel like my DoTY and Best Designer would be different. But I see your points.

[theCapraAegagrus]

This particular year I feel like my DoTY and Best Designer would be different. But I see your points.

Agreed, with both the man that has me on his block list , and you.

DotY IMO, right now, belongs to someone who only designed 1 deck this year. JR, IMO, is the Designer of the Year. Huge comeback for him with a large amount of nice decks.

[PipChick]

Hey y'all,

So, to generate a buzz and promote participation for this years DOTYs, we should set an actual date or window of dates in which to "officially" announce voting to be open.

Obviously, it would be best after the holidays but I'm thinking perhaps around mid-late January with a 4 week window for voting to allow for time to get the word out and promote like hell in the new year Last year, I know voting started around mid February, but from my understand, that's because we sorta got the ball rollin' a bit late... This year though, I'm confident that we have prepared well enough in advance and would be able push up the voting date(s) earlier - What'cha all think?? I mean if the Grammys take place at the end of January/early February, why not the DOTYs too, right??

Also, it'd be great to include that sorta info in a simple graphic that we can spread across social media and other platforms to really hype up not only the DOTYs, but also promote UC in general through the process. It would also allow for other designers/producers to easily share it on their own social medias (if they so desired) as a sort of badge of honor for even just the recognition in being up for nomination - because it really is something to be proud of and helps promote their own brand/decks to have a sort of "official" recognition of excellence from the UC community

Last year, I found that this graphic was used; anyone know who created it? and if they'd be willing to do so again for this year? Or is there anyone else out there with some savvy design skillz that'd be interested in volunteering & donating their time to create a few new ones for us this year? It'd be a great way to give back to the community (I'd do it myself, but well, it'd look like it was made by a 6 year old with Kid-Pix '98 lol)

I say "a few" because it'd be great to have one for initial promotion with the voting date(s) and any other relevant info - as well as maybe a few others that denote the categories so people outside of our little UC community can have maybe just a little bit of a better sense of what these DOTYs are all about and to pique their interest in perhaps joining up to participate.

What do y'all think? Anything we're missing??

Thoughts and opinions are more than welcome - Thanks!

[TheGentlemanWake]

Im releasing a new review on Christmas DAY... if you guys have the info by sunday I can include it in the video as an announcement.

[Bradius]

If we have a budget, I can get those 6 foot tall trophies made that we can ship out.

[rousselle]

I'll get the info regarding who made that image. My mind is blanking at the moment, but it's one of our super awesome members here who is far handier with Adobe software than I am....

[theCapraAegagrus]

I'll get the info regarding who made that image. My mind is blanking at the moment, but it's one of our super awesome members here who is far handier with Adobe software than I am....

I'm an expert in Microsoft Paint.

[PipChick]

Im releasing a new review on Christmas DAY... if you guys have the info by sunday I can include it in the video as an announcement.

GUYS - THIS IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!! So let's not keep our wonderfully gracious Gentleman waiting and at least lock down some dates ASAP; looking at the calendar, I propose we have a voting window of 4 weeks starting on January 20th - February 20th because a.) round, even dates seem to be easier to remember (at least for me and maybe others), b.) it'll give a us more than enough time after the holidays to promote the DOTYs without feeling like we're in a mad dash to get the word out, c.) we can piggyback on all the hype around the Oscars as this sorta is like our own little Playing Card Oscars lol and d.) we can also use Valentines day and all the hype around that as a sort of last-call effort for promotion as well. Also, we can plan to announce winners at the start of March which will allow us some time to tally up final votes and/or offer a one week extension til the end of February if we sense that extra time is needed for folks. What'cha all think?

Anyone oppose these dates?? or have suggestions that might work better??

Also, a HUGE thank you goes out from all of us to The Gentleman Wake for his support! We greatly appreciate everything you bring to this community and being able to use your ever growing platform to give us here at UC a little shout out! You rock!

[STLBluesNut]

Those dates have no objections from me.

Sent from my Galaxy 8 using Tapatalk

[TheGentlemanWake]

Im releasing a new review on Christmas DAY... if you guys have the info by sunday I can include it in the video as an announcement.

GUYS - THIS IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!! So let's not keep our wonderfully gracious Gentleman waiting and at least nail down some dates ASAP; looking at the calendar, I propose we have a voting window of 4 weeks starting on January 20th - February 20th because a.) round, even dates seem to be easier to remember (at least for me and maybe others), b.) it'll give a us more than enough time after the holidays to promote the DOTYs without feeling like we're in a mad dash to get the word out, c.) we can piggyback on all the hype around the Grammy's as this sorta is like our own little Playing Card Grammy's lol and d.) we can also use Valentines day and all the hype around that as a sort of last-call effort for promotion as well. Also, we can plan to announce winners at the start of March which will allow us some time to tally up final votes and/or offer a one week extension til the end of February if we sense that extra time is needed for folks. What'cha all think?

Anyone oppose these dates?? or have suggestions that might work better??

Also, a HUGE thank you goes out from all of us to The Gentleman Wake for his support! We greatly appreciate everything you bring to this community and being able to use your ever growing platform to give us here at UC a little shout out! You rock!

Ah... I should be thanking you guys for the fantastic support!

[PipChick]

Ah... I should be thanking you guys for the fantastic support!

well, in that case, let's all take a moment for a big 'ol internet group hug



internet hugs are my favorite of all the hugs so I don't have to actually touch any of you weirdos lol, I'm totally jk btw

In all seriousness though, I know you're not suppose to have favorites, but it's okay; you can admit that we here at UC are the best crew to hang with lol

[JuFiN]

Nomination list is coming along nicely, but I have a request that I didnt want to muddle that thread with. Is it possible to also have a post of all the nominations without the images? because it is pretty hard to scroll through that thread with all the images right now.