Board 8 > How many prizes will I win at the fair?

(+) Yeah! (+)

0 they hate you and are bastardmen

Oh snap its that time again

what are we at year 4 of this thread or so?

Voting for 0 again as I think the game not being there is more likely than any other specific number

masterplum posted...

Voting for 0 again as I think the game not being there is more likely than any other specific number

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/1/4/AABgm0AAE0ea.png

fuck yeah fair topic.

From memory, last time I saw this, I played the scrooge and picked 0. Read through the topic later to see just how wrong I was...

This time I remembered...picked 1 prize per person since I think that's what happened last year? Higher is possible too, though.

wallmasterz posted...

Oh snap its that time again

what are we at year 4 of this thread or so?

2009 - went once, lost $35 trying
2010 - went once, won once
2018 - went twice, won twice
2019 - went ten times, won ten times (think I began the topics this year)
2020 - they closed the whole fair down "because of the pandemic"...but we know why
2021 - went once, did not have the game
2022 - went once, won once -- they changed the rules from one prize per person per day to one prize per person and also made the game harder
2023 - spoiler tag

huh, for some reason I thought you had multiple years of winning a lot of stuffed animals. I guess I just remember that 2019 year's topic really well.

Tag.

HaRRicH posted...

2019 - went ten times, won ten times (think I began the topics this year)

I remember the pic of you with your haul. You donated all of that, yes? Maybe you can tell the person running it that, if you think that will change their mind. Just say you did that one year and go back the next day...

Just one year of the big haul.

The 2019 Finesse Collection:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/5/4/AABgm0AAE0fC.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/5/5/AABgm0AAE0fD.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/5/6/AABgm0AAE0fE.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/5/7/AABgm0AAE0fF.jpg

Geez that's an insane haul. I don't think I've ever even seen prizes that big before.

I dunno, but if I never told you, your stand up about that fair game is absolutely hilarious. You're genuinely extremely talented at standup comedy.

No prizes. One of these storms out in the Atlantic will come in and ruin the entire event.

_Blur_ posted...

I dunno, but if I never told you, your stand up about that fair game is absolutely hilarious. You're genuinely extremely talented at standup comedy.

Oh hey, forgot to put that in here lol:

https://worldchannel.org/episode/sfts-rocky-top-remembers/
(starts at 9:54)

Thank you very much!

Today's the day. All I need is my game.

The eagle has landed. We will see if anything''s in the nest.

Congratulations in advance!

=)

Voted ten because I believe in you!

HaRRicH posted...

Oh hey, forgot to put that in here lol:

https://worldchannel.org/episode/sfts-rocky-top-remembers/
(starts at 9:54)

Thank you very much!

Support public media. Give a voice to the people of B8.

Oh hell yes, tag! Return of the legend, always love these topics.

Crossing all my digits for ya

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/0/6/AABgm0AAE0t6.jpg

thats a beeg bull

Nice!

That's adorable!

I knew you would do it every day you could. I don't get why anyone voted anything other than 1 or 10, and I'm happy to be wrong if they let you win every day.

Did they keep the rule changes from last year?

Fuck yeah

So what is the particular game that you play?

Waluigi1 posted...

So what is the particular game that you play?

This is where he tells the story:
HaRRicH posted...

https://worldchannel.org/episode/sfts-rocky-top-remembers/
(starts at 9:54)

In short, it's called "Stand the Bottle." Look at that link if you want more info in HaRRicH's own words.

Today was a stressful day, but nobody gives a daggum damn about that including me because tonight was great. Just know my heart hasn't gotten much rest today.

My friend Rys and I made plans to meet some other friends at the fair tonight. They all know what I can do. The friends we were meeting have a family. The friend riding with me walked over to my house unexpectedly drunk. An exciting start.

We tried to follow through on past years' plans to park at a local restaurant, eat, walk to the fair, walk back, leave, repeat each day until their put a sign on my vehicle, talk to the manager about it, shake hands, and be cool the rest of the time I needed. However, this time they had a cardboard sign up that said NO FAIR PARKING, WILL TOW. Another exciting start. We changed course and drove around to look for cheaper parking than $20...eventually found some for $5, and it wasn't a ten-minute difference in walking.

We walk in and look for both our friends and the star attraction: Stand The Bottle. While we're there looking though, Rys made a sudden decision: friends and prizes can wait for Tractor Trivia. Without missing a beat, he us now controlling a buzzer for the next five minutes as he competes against probably ten-year-olds on questions like "What sound is this? *sound of a chainsaw which I thought was a motorcycle*" and "What do you call a bunch of bees? *not a murder of bees like he guessed*"...this lasted five minutes, which feels like a long time because there is a timer counting the seconds. Rys did a whole lot of winking at his wrong answers and he tried giving the other kids the answer -- just trying to be a friendly older brother-type of personality here. He was funny to see and he eventually won an inflatable microphone for a consolation prize (not very tractor-themed). When we met up with our other friends we were meeting, Rys blew up the microphone and gave it to one of their kids. Classy, even when impulsively holding things up. He then buys us funnel cake and corn dogs, where I quickly scalded my mouth with a coat of powdered sugar.

We walk around awhile and do not see the game in the only two spots I've even seen it before...I start to stress...but then, in the very back corner, we see the holy land.

It was beautiful -- they doubled their real estate, and they were hanging up the blue/green/pink snakes I won in 2019. It felt like that peaceful nostalgic area in The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe. I already won those though, and the only other prize were these bulls acting like Pepe Le Pew with the roses in their mouth...had to get one of those.

But not yet. I need another carnival story first.

I walk over to a nearby booth where you can throw three darts at balloons for ten dollars. The sign said kids win a prize every time, and I -- foolishly -- thought they would give me a prize just for trying too. NOPE.

I got two balloons to pop, but I threw my second dart exactly where the first balloon was at. He offers me another chance to throw three darts for $10, and if I just hit one of them this time for a third balloon total he's give me a prize...what a nice guy. However, their prizes are tiny and puny and not at all worth $20. I will do better soon. We playfully haggle awhile but eventually shake hands and part ways.

Talked with the carnival worked awhile! Jimbo seemed to be wheelchair-bound and struck me as "if Mike from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul had more of a military vibe." He said he worked the carnival for thirty-five years. YEARS! I asked him how long he's done this game and he said twenty-eight years. YEARS AGAIN! That's a long time to watch people pop balloons! I asked him if there was something that stuck with him about the game, and he said it felt more peaceful than other games...it tooks him an extra quarter-second longer than usual to answer this, which felt subtlety notable. I walk by the game later and don't see him this time, so I wondered how much he said was true and how much was messing with me...figured he just left early since there was a new woman in his place, but who knows.

Okay, so no easy prize, but I did get a filler post for a message board out of it for ten bucks. That's worthwhile, right? SMASH THAT SUBSCRIBE BUTTON AND DONATE TO MY PATREON

We're done with the sidequest now. Let's return to the main plot: whoopin' that ass at making beer bottles vertical.

I return to the holy land and it is time.

Let's talk about the game for a minute. If you want to hear me talk about it for ten minutes:

https://worldchannel.org/episode/sfts-rocky-top-remembers/
(starts at 9:54)

tl;dr: use a shower-ring fishing pole to stand a beer bottle up on a slanted platform, and you get the biggest prize at the fair.

That's for the newbies, but some of you are aficionados of the trade. This is for you, the fans of inside baseball, the people who talk about why jokes work, and overall the tasteful and cultured.

Let's get you some visuals.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/8/7/AABgm0AAE0vL.jpg
Notice the platforms to the right side. They both simplified the game and made the game more difficult compared to last year.

The simplification: there is no longer a FLAT board that needs bottle-weight on the edge to tilt the platform. That was a very clever thing they did last year, and I guess they saw it didn't stop me and it wasn't worth the assembly to do it again.

The complication: I'm pretty sure the platforms, while slanted, are more flat than before. This sounds easier but is actually harder -- when you raise the bottle, you need the bottle to hit something before it has too much momentum and no incline to stop its wobble.

In the corner, you can also see the rules. Most are as expected, but one rule just keeps changing over the years since I arrived.

Originally:
One prize per person per day

Last year:
One prize per person

This year:
PRIZE LIMIT

That's it, just "PRIZE LIMIT" on the pillar. What the crunk.

We will figure that out later. Time for us to play.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/8/9/AABgm0AAE0vN.jpg

(oh wow they accept Venmo and Cashapp now, just noticed)

HaRRicH posted...

this time they had a cardboard sign up that said NO FAIR PARKING, WILL TOW

I presume they'd be fine with you parking there so long as you're a paying customer too. From what I gather that's saying "Don't park here for the fair if you're not gonna eat too."

HaRRicH posted...

DONATE TO MY PATREON

Got a link? I can give you a dollar a month.

HaRRicH posted...

That's it, just "PRIZE LIMIT" on the pillar. What the crunk.

We will figure that out later. Time for us to play.

I'm guessing said limit may vary from person to person. I'm sure the lady working there knows who you are, the King of Stand the Bottle. What that means... who knows?

I also see the game designers are desperate to find ways to trip you up... and keep learning that there's no stopping you. Just see how tomorrow goes, I guess! Hoping it's good news for ya.

HaRRicH posted...

(oh wow they accept Venmo and Cashapp now, just noticed)

A normal post-COVID change, I presume. Analog money is starting to go out the window in many places (which is why collecting coins now is a good idea, as they may be worth a lot some day).

Rys went first and was doing things I did not want him to do. Not in the coaching sense, but the scouting sense. I'll explain -- basically I wanted to see our first game-runner Brock do the game himself. I wanted Brock to show us both that the game could be beaten so I could play on his board and also so I can see his technique in case he's doing something I don't realize needs to be done for their version. At this point, I couldn't even tell if the platforms would shift like last year. The platforms are clear too so it was hard to see the angle too...

...and Rys, man, he was killing me at this point. Brock tried to show us twice! The first time, I was asking Brock to do it outside of the booth like we do so we could see it be more real to our experience...but Rys went "oh okay" too quick and cut off the tutorial. Nooooooooooo. After Rys threw away his five dollars due to me not rubbing enough of my good luck on him earlier, I step up next. I ask Brock again to show me...and as he steps out of the booth to show us, Rys starts taunting him and making fun of his form! Noooooooooooooooooooooo some more, noooooooooooooooo! I really don't know that Brock -- who has been at this for a year now -- I don't know that Brock can do this because Rys was right, his form was bad. It was bad enough to me that it just made me want to see him do it more so I could see how it worked. Oh well!

I tried it one time with Brocki and lost five dollars, but then I saw the other game-runner on the other end of the game and I saw her stand it up. I go to her game at this point and pay another five dollars. No avail this time either. I start to get flashbacks about going home empty-handed like once long ago.

I had asked Brock earlier if I could try extra tries for ten dollars and he said no. This other game-runner offered me three tries for ten dollars though, so I took her up on it.

These twenty dollars total were my last dollars spent for the day.

Good job Harrich!

Can't wait to find out what Prize Limit actually means

Through-out all this, how was I behaving?

I never met these game-runners before. I asked my friends to play it cool. Rys just lost like a casual should. I was looking for their tricks but they possibly used fewer tricks this time than in the past. All of those informed me being more casual here in my tone, but also...like, I'd much rather have the practice than not...but I've been training for the past month, and that can be its own nerve-wracking mental block when you finally get to put your money on the line in their house for an actual prize with friends watching. I've practiced a lot, ranging from normal rounds to making the bottle face the other way for hard mode to even giving myself one chance each day to stand the bottle in under ten seconds for both the speed and the pressure...but the fair ain't so fair when you're surrounded by their lights, speakers, employees, and their ride called Raptor Attack.

So, I really took my time and I got in my head -- kinda nervous now, right, and I bit my tongue pretty hard there for my last try. I stood it on the third try, and Rys came in hard with celebrations which got me celebrating too. The female game-runner made fun of us, saying she never saw anybody celebrate this hard for the game. I ask her how people normally celebrate, She said most people walk off cool. We pick the prize -- give me the one I haven't won before. We're still laughing like fools and taking pictures. I still have two tries left that I can't use too, so Rys gets them and fails to win the lottery both times.

At this point, I suspect she can tell I know how to play it well, but I don't think she gave a direct sign that she knew. What she did give a direct sign for though was what she thought of my shoes. I wore my B8-special Stacy Adams from like nearly a decade ago from when Yo made a fashion topic. He recommended red ones, but I got the blue and they were a decent bit brighter than expected...should have listened to Yo, but I kept them and liked them. I wore them here, and she said -- to the side where she didn't think I could hear her -- that she never saw anybody win in bowling shoes before. I play-shout back they were my lucky Stacy Dashes, which is an incorrect thing to say for multiple reasons, and then we laughed and it was all good. It's not the first time I've heard that comment before.

Almost done posting.

I asked about the most crucial thing to the future of this topic: when the rules say "PRIZE LIMIT," what does that mean? She said that's why I can't use the rest of my turns. I ask if that meant one prize per fair or one per day or what?

She said "Like, one per day."

Folks, I will see you tomorrow.https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/2/1/AABgm0AAE0vt.jpg

HaRRicH posted...

Folks, I will see you tomorrow.

Hype

Also Rys is the heel of the story

HaRRicH posted...

She said "Like, one per day."

Folks, I will see you tomorrow.

I presume one or both of them will say "So you really do know what you're doing, don't you?" when you reappear.

But this is awesome news. I'm happy for you - you get to show your stuff off again! And I'll be here for the whole ride.

Day 2 hype.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

I presume one or both of them will say "So you really do know what you're doing, don't you?" when you reappear.

This is what happened in 2019. As soon as they saw me, they accused me: "oh, you trying to finesse me?"

I'm gonna see how long I can play dumb with them about getting lucky and trying to get lucky again...but realistically, the truth will reveal itself today or maybe tomorrow.

At this point, I just want to see when they realize I'm built different. Non-zero chance we already crossed that threshold.

We need a picture of the shoes now

Alright, I can see the bowling shoe comparison.

Looks like something Ryan Stiles would wear on Whose Line.