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~ THE GAME FROM START TO FINISH ~
Topic Started: Jul 6 2017, 03:16 PM (13,001 Views)
BROBST
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WE'VE REACHED SEASON 18 AND ~MY~ HOW
TIME FLIES! I'M EXCITED TO SEE HOW THE
JOURNEY GOES AS WE EMBARK ON THIS
GOOD OL' IRISH GAME ADVENTURE!!!





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MAY THE ROAD RISE TO MEET YOU . . . .





This is a very blended cast with some returning players as well as quite
a lot of newbies that have varying levels of experience from other types
of games out there as well as four literal first-timers.





Always intriguing to see how players blend together and their styles mesh
or clash regardless of how much prior gaming experience they may or may
not have. Should be a very cool theme and a fun summer season!





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JULIE (Christie) - She came recommended to me by a player who's been in several Brobst seasons. [Lane] But the best part is
that she contacted me months before I even started casting to let me know she was very interested. That's the kind of initiative
I really love to see! So it's safe to say I hope she does well. She's played many games before, both as open identity & anonymous
characters and has won some of them. She could be a solid contender.


CIRIE (Laurie) - I had come across some comments of hers in that "Zoe's Lobster Shack" Survivor discussion group that made me
think she could be a good fit for these games. I really enjoyed her answers throughout the casting process ~ especially considering
she is a literal first-timer and didn't even know that games of this nature existed until just a few months ago. Hope it goes great!


JOEL (Richard) - He filled out all the casting questionnaire stuff super quickly and then he immediately started reading through
my Host Confessional from the Back to Borneo game that I always recommend people read through to get a sense of how these
things go if they've never been in a game of mine before. Someone who wasn't able to play recommended him, and he has done
both closed and open-ID and has won some of the games he's played.


DENISE (Jacquelynn) - Came across her profile in a newer Survivor group on FB. She was an instant casting standout. I literally
said out loud "She's funny" on her very first answer on the preliminary questionnaire. Could easily tell she's super social and her
personality & humor definitely shone through in all our casting correspondence. This 1st-timer is also a former NFL cheerleader.


MICHELLE (Hannah) - She's officially the youngest person to ever be in a game of mine at only 16 years old. This Canadian
had a lot of energy & enthusiasm during the casting process - which I appreciated. She has played in numerous online games
that were all open identity. Hannah wants to be a journalist one day, so I'm hoping she takes to the written/text-based nature
of this game like a duck to water.


ADAM (Connor) - Another young person in the cast. This 17-year-old has played lots of online games that were mostly Survivor
and a few Big Brother ones, but has never done an anonymous character game until now. During casting, he highlighted more
of his strategic side than his social side, and also showed potential signs of being a villain character. Intrigued to see his style.


ZEKE (Paul) - Has played in three games of mine prior to this one, making his debut as "The General" in Marquesas-Redux, and
then "Cochran" in Scotland, followed by "Colby" in All-Stars 2. I'd say he is the most seasoned Brobster in this cast, so if I had to
go out on a limb and think of one person who could potentially win this season, I'd have to guess him. We shall see how it all goes.


BROOKE (Eryn) - I actually invited her even before I remembered that she's the daughter of a player who's been in a few seasons
of mine. [Lori] Eryn's only been playing online games fairly recently. She was a little forgetful from time to time during casting, so
I'm really hoping that's something that does not factor into her gameplay, cause I know she's very excited to play her first time in
an anonymous character season. Would like for it to be a good experience for her.


DIANE (Michelle) - This season marks her 10th game of mine she's played, with her being the 1st person to reach this milestone.
Her first was Office Style as "Holly," LOST as "Juliet," Siberia as "Gretchen," Germany as "Frosti," Rookies & Veterans as "Kimmi,"
Marquesas-Redux as "Tammy," Scotland as "Marcus," All-Stars 2 as "Kimmi," and Heroes vs. Villains as "Marty McFly." She had
her earliest departure last season......... so this may be a chance at some redemption.


BUBBA (Anthony) - In his only prior game last summer, he was the third boot as "Butch" in Return to the Amazon. But even
though he didn't quite get his feet wet that time around, he was quite active in Ponderosa. When people go out early & didn't
really stretch their sea legs, if they're super interested about it all & active even after going out early, I'll definitely bring them
back for another try. If he comes in stronger this time, he really could do very well at this.


MISTY (Rachel) - She's another player that I found when seeking out some ORG-related groups on Facebook. Rachel has never
done a Survivor game before, but is a fan of the show and has played several other online games that were mostly Big Brother
themes and one based on The Mole. This will also be her first time for anonymous character style as opposed to open identity.


TODD (Lister) - Lister is another really seasoned Brobster, with Ireland being his 7th game of mine to play. He's a super solid
player & just letting his social game slide at times is the only thing holding him back. I'd say he's due to go super far or take
the title. He really could pull off a victory one of these times. Perhaps it's this season. He's also a great challenge competitor.


LEANN (Melissa) - Was a big part of our 1st wave of games having been the Runner-Up her first time around in Palau-Redux
eight years ago, and then won the following Office Style season. She hasn't played since our 1st All-Stars game five years ago,
so she has admitted to feeling completely rusty in this 6th game. No idea how it will go getting reacclimated, but I'm curious.


NICK (Steven) - Made his Brobst debut as "Andrew" in our Japan season a year-and-a-half ago. He made it to the Final Four
and really had an interesting story arc going on. The main difference here will be having tribe challenges as well as individual
immunity challenges since Japan was our challenge-less structure with only *Duels.* Let's see how he does as a second-timer.


SIERRA (Zoe) - I know this "Pygmy" as a long-time Survivor applicant. I've invited her a couple times before, but the timing
has never worked out until now. She's played once elsewhere long ago, and I loved her answer about how she has no problem
taking down her family when playing board games, so why should an online game be any different. How this pink-haired roller
derby queen hasn't been on a televised season is beyond me. Perhaps she'll do well here. Does she have the luck of the Irish?


TONY (Jeff) - He's also from the Pygmy Island website back in the day of all of us die-hard fans/applicants of the real TV show.
He has never played any online games before, but he was e.x.t.r.e.m.e.l.y. confident that he would win this game as a first-timer.
I think I gave him the perfect character, especially considering his somewhat brash style & confidence. But my honest impression
when newbies come in THAT confidently is that they might find it harder to get into a solid position than they originally thought.


OZZY (Tyler) - Tyler won Return to the Amazon last summer as "Heidi." Prior to that, he has been "Gabe" in Marquesas-Redux,
"Dawn" in Scotland, and "Charlie" in Japan. Hoping he comes in with a solid social game. He will definitely be a valuable asset in
tribal challenges, and then post-merge, he'd be a very big challenge target as he's super speedy. It's an appropriate role for him.


DAVE (Miguel) - He's a first-time player who I reached out to in a newer Survivor fan group and has seen every episode of every
season and is a definite Survivor fan. I really loved his answer on part of the Casting Questionnaire when he talked about how the
show holds a special place in his heart. It's great finding people who enjoy it as much as I do, and I hope that love for it translates
well into an online strategy as he ventures into this game world.


AMANDA (Caroline) - She was the final person to join the cast just a few weeks before we opened. This recent high school graduate
also did one of those outdoor real-life Survivor versions last summer that plays out over several days. It isn't online yet ~ but you can
look for Reelfoot season 3 on YouTube down the road. She's played quite a few online games with all of them being open identity ones.


RUDY (Tom) - He started out as "Bruce" in Bangkok: Rookies & Veterans, then "Peter" in Marquesas-Redux, "Debb" in Scotland, "Bruce"
for All-Stars 2, and "Carolyn" in Japan. I am wondering if he's read through my Host Confessionals from these games and really takes
advice to heart. He needs to play differently than he ever has. In all the games of mine he's done ~ Tom has never actually made it
to the merge before........ and I know he really wants to. Will it happen this time around???







Posted Image* * * THE GAME IS ON ! ! ! * * *







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*MAY THE LUCK OF THE IRISH BE WITH YOU!*


I'm really excited to kick this season off with so many newcomers!!!

The majority of this particular cast (12 out of 20) have never been in a Brobst game until now. :D

It's impossible to know what to expect when THAT many have never played for me before. But so many of
them truly impressed me during casting ~ and I sincerely hope that the same excitement & determination
translates over to the actual game-playing experience. These games will be VERY different from what most
of them have done who have at least played some types of online reality games before. But I think the most
interesting thing is that of all our newcomers, the ones that have at least played prior games ~ almost all of
them have NEVER played as anonymous characters before. It could be a bit of a shell-shocking experience for
them because the strategy is VERY different & sooooo much more intricate than just being able to bond about
your family or your job or your kids or your pets, etc. Playing behind an avatar takes the strategy to a new level.

I have to admit that it has been quite a few years since I've specifically sought out people who have played other
types of games before because, years back, everytime I invited players who were used to open identity games on
Facebook or wherever, they would come in so confidently as if they were the greatest thing since sliced bread......
.....and then they wouldn't even have a good enough social game or strategic approach to make it past about the
2nd or 3rd round. So, I was soured for awhile on inviting people who were used to other types of games. But I'm
honestly glad I've got lots of these folks here this season because I really do have a very good feeling about many
of them. And then of course our absolute first-timers who have never played anything before at all (Laurie/Cirie,
Jacquelynn/Denise, Jeff/Tony, and Miguel/Dave) - you just hope they'll get themselves going and figure out the
social approach of a text-based game. These things do take practice when you've never played. And even our
second-timers (Anthony/Bubba and Steven/Nick) only have one game of mine under their belt ~ so this is
overall a very very fresh and untested cast of players and characters. :D



~ SURVIVOR: IRELAND GAME INTRO ~


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*SOMETHING I'M EXPERIMENTING WITH . . . . *


We'll be dividing the tribes up as younger male characters, younger female characters, a mixed tribe of males and females,
then older male characters, and older female characters with everyone playing their actual gender and (when possible) being
on the older or younger tribe that is nearest to their actual age. (hey, everyone's young at heart) :wub:

Season 3: Office Style seven years ago was the first time I didn't have anyone playing as opposite gender, and then Season 12:
Marquesas-Redux three years ago was the only time I've divided tribes by gender that ALSO had people playing as those actual
genders, but of course they didn't know they were split by real genders. I debated for awhile about it, but eventually decided I'd
experiment with it again, this time also taking ages (if possible) into consideration kinda like how they did on the real Exile Island
season on CBS. But as was also the case on the tube, "older" actually only means 30 & above. However, this was not something I
could always apply here. When it worked, I would cast that way. But it's obviously not perfect. Just some of the ages worked out
or kind of worked out. And the rest, I just cast by gender and didn't worry about age unless it happened to fit.

This is also the first time since Season 5: LOST six years ago that we have such small tribes of four members each. A few months
ago for our Season 17: Heroes vs. Villains, we did 4 tribes of 5. But this time, we've got 5 tribes of 4. I imagine most may assume
they'll be set as two big tribes of 10 members........ so we will see how they adjust to this particular setup very soon! B) B) B)



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*THE GAME IS UNDERWAY!!!*


Our first two to login to the board were Brooke and Bubba. (I do send logins out in alphabetical order of character names)
So that makes sense. (they beat Adam & Amanda, he he) Diane and Julie arrived next, followed by Joel and Ozzy. Ozzy has
lightning speed with a cool Confessional entry within 30 minutes of hitting the board. Nick & Rudy came on next, and that's
eight to arrive in about the first half hour we've been open.

Next came Tony and then Leann and Denise. So, over half the cast is here just over an hour into the game. NICE! Then after
being open for a couple hours, we see Amanda, Cirie, & Adam get online. Zeke checks in about 6:30pm Central. By 7:00pm,
we're only missing one veteran - Todd, and four newcomers - Sierra, Dave, Misty, and Michelle.


Game's about three hours in, and here's where we stand based on the tribes they'll be placed in a couple days from now:

*3 of 4 CORKs have arrived. (older male characters)

*3 of 4 WEXFORDs have arrived. (younger male characters)

*All of the WATERFORDs have arrived. (older female characters)

*All of the DUBLINs have arrived. (mixed characters/males & females)


B U T . . . .


*Only 1 of 4 LIMERICKs have arrived. (younger female characters)


Obviously, that makes me a little concerned about that particular tribe, but we're still fairly early into "LAUNCH DAY."

At about 7:40pm, Todd logs in and makes a Confessional post after being online for about 25 minutes. Lister's SUPER
EXCITED to play Todd since that's his all-time favorite Survivor........ which I actually was not aware of. So that's a cool
casting coincidence. B)

I sent a Facebook message to the four missing newbies because if there's one thing I definitely don't ever want to see
is having any no-shows on Night 1. So, Dave and Michelle logged in about 8:45, then Misty around 9:10, and finally
Sierra at about 9:40. We're FULLY STOCKED since all had arrived in under 6 hours since I opened up the board. :D

We usually maxed out at 11 players online at the same time, but of course, that's various combinations bouncing around.
Some come and go, and some stick around for awhile. The most notable combination I saw that stayed on together for quite
a lengthy stretch were Brooke, Bubba, Nick, & Diane. (that's one newcomer here, two second-timers, and a longtime veteran)
That obviously means nothing, but it's interesting for me to see that so far, these are easily the 4 that are the most invested
in the excitement of the first day.

AND OF COURSE . . . .

There's already some speculation & chatter about a potential Hidden Immunity Idol. That's natural. People do that each season.
But I'm always surprised when people think TOO MUCH about something like that on the 1st day. You've gotta be concentrating
on working those social relationships versus wondering about a potential idol out there. But the speculation that I think amuses
me the MOST (that I also run into every season) is when people start chatting about what the tribes will be, and they inevitably
start fantasizing about a schoolhard pick and who they'd choose when (*yoo hoo*) there are TWO SPECIFIC PLACES where I've
already said what'll happen. (it's briefly referenced on the "Welcome to the Game" thread that's in each player's private Cfess,
but it's also plainly stated on the public Check-In thread for everyone . . . .)



* * * There are NO ESTABLISHED TRIBES YET. You can message every single character in the
game for about the next day-and-a-half.
I will announce the tribes on Saturday afternoon
at approximately 12:00pm Central
.
Once our tribes are established, you are only allowed to
send private messages to the people IN YOUR OWN TRIBE.......and yes I'm always watching.

I suggest you use your time wisely during this period before we set our tribes & get
to know every player here. (within the confines of the Rules, of course)
* * *



Granted, they won't know whether it's two tribes of 10 or four tribes of five....... and I can just about guaran-damn-tee NONE
of them will be thinking of five tribes of four. But I always scratch my head about how players think a schoolyard pick would be
how we'll begin. (of course I've done that before, but it's the specific wording that makes me wonder) If I'd said something like
"On Saturday afternoon, you'll find out how the tribes will begin" OR "You will know more about tribes on Saturday afternoon"
or something more open-ended like that, then I could definitely see the space for speculation. But "I will announce the tribes"
just doesn't really leave any room for interpretation. Maybe if I posted "I'll announce HOW the tribes will be determined".....
......sure..... that leaves LOTS of room for speculation. But "I will announce the tribes" should be an open-and-shut case. :)


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*DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?*


With me becoming busier and busier trying to keep up with everything throughout each season, I don't think I can get by with
having only two Moderators. I think I've gotta have 3 or 4 Moderators or I'm just desperately trying to keep my head above water
the whole time. They appear as the same character and assist in various capacities behind-the-scenes writing up the "PREVIOUSLY
ON SURVIVOR"
recap that gets posted the weekend of the Finale. They also compile Tribal Council highlights for our "NOTABLES
& QUOTABLES"
section, resize giant photos that players post, run an occasional TC, and even come up with challenge ideas when
I have any undetermined challenges to design and I need some cool brainstorming...... especially with a gaming guru like Curt. B)

So if you're regularly in our playing rotation, you'll probably get asked to be a Moderator at some point. It is still an enjoyable way
to be involved without the pressure of playing, especially when the game schedule might not work out for people to play....... they
could still be a Moderator. This time around, we have Curt who has been "Claire," "Shane," "Russ Swan," "Jenna," and "Mr. Miyagi,"
as well as Jess who's known as either "Flicka," "Gina," "Lill," "Alex," or "Rocky Balboa." We also have Trevor who's played "Hunter,"
"Rocky," "Greg," "Daniel," & "Jason Voorhees," & also David who is most notably known as either "Maximus" or "Hannibal Lecter."


As was posted in "THE PUB" on Friday afternoon, the second day of the game.......


BROBST
 
I do have someone assisting me from time to time behind-the-scenes. This is Lucky, and he will
be acting as a Moderator on the Admin side of things. He does not have access to messages or your
Confessionals. But there'll be several tasks he's helping with to keep me caught up in various capacities.



HE'LL BE HERE SOMETIME THIS WEEKEND ~ SO SAY HELLO, EVERYONE . . . .



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*HERE'S A BASIC FORMULA . . . . *


.........especially for first-time players as well as people who have only played in open-ID games prior to this.
I always see some come into these games like it's second nature, but of course, there's also always some that
tend to struggle from the get go. And then by the time they're starting to come into their own, they're already
voted out wondering what went wrong when it could perhaps be traced back to their opening weekend struggles.

But people who have no frame of reference for how these things go, or those who only know the open identity style,
there's just an art to a text-based online strategy. Open-ID games tend to rely so heavily on communication through
Skype calls or group messages. But as I pound into players before they venture into the Brobst world...... if you aren't
socially savvy enough to maintain a solid one-on-one private message thread with every single player....... then it's just
really hard to get yourself going here.

The thing is, almost EVERY single season of mine will begin with no tribes so everyone can message everyone for the 1st
couple days before tribes are set. This is the period where you can tend to see who the serious players will be and who are
the ones who may struggle. And as is typically the case, there will be some (even long-time players) who may just play too
hard too fast in this phase.


But humor me because these are easy suggestions for those who struggle with an opening this big.
Yes, 20 people is a lot to start out with and keep up with, but it's really not as difficult as it sounds.




~ SUPER EASY SUGGESTIONS:


1) Obviously, the 1st chance you can once login info has gone out - GET ONLINE. Being a latecomer can be tricky.
Yes, we all have conflicts outside of these games, but you don't want to login and already be somebody people are
talking about wondering if they're gonna check in.

2) If you're later to arrive than most everyone else, you will likely already have several messages from players sitting
in your inbox. After reading through the rules and such, RESPOND TO THESE MESSAGES. Don't leave people hanging.
Players always notice if you're online and haven't read or responded to their message if you're online for a good stretch.

3) Then most importantly, START MESSAGING THOSE THAT YOU HAVE NOT HAD CONTACT WITH YET. You can't just PM
the people that happen to be online, and you can't just message those who have messaged you. TAKE INITIATIVE to make
sure you have a private message thread going with EVERY SINGLE PLAYER.

4) But if you're one of the first few to arrive once the board opens on the first day, GET THOSE MESSAGES GOING. Others
will pop on and start replying to what you've sent, but look through the member list and make sure you have a PM sent to
each player regardless of whether they've arrived yet.

5) Soooooooo many players say they tend to struggle with those opening "chit chat" messages and banter. But it's really
not that hard. Just think up some easy and brief ice breakers. Reference something about their "character" if you want.
Something simple about how you liked the real season "they" were on. Even if you didn't, just SAY you did or whatever.
Just get that open line of communication going. It's very important.

6) To save time if you'd like ~ copy and paste some of it as long as it applies to everyone like: "Looking forward to chatting
and playing the game"
yada yada yada. But say more than that. Copying/pasting something generic is fine, but layer it with
something that SPECIFICALLY applies to that character. Or if you literally don't remember that character, make a joke about
how you had to look them up to remember what season they were on. Most importantly, make SOMETHING about your initial
message to EACH PERSON *stand out.* Everyone is going to start feeling overwhelmed with opening day communication, and
the VAST MAJORITY of the messages are going to be almost EXACTLY THE SAME. Soooooooooo, do something that stands out
so that people actually start to remember YOUR messages more than others.

7) I imagine that some of our newcomers who have never played as anonymous characters before could struggle socially because
you can't just strike up a convo about each others' jobs or families or locations or vacations you've been on or your husbands/wives,
boyfriends/girlfriends, kids, pets, etc. etc. etc. You have to figure out OTHER things to converse about. And since you can't reference
other seasons of mine or other games you've played........ this is where I imagine some folks can feel crippled. There's obviously not
much to really chat about strategically since no one knows which tribe they'll be on yet and who will be with them. So, *theorizing*
can be an easy ice breaker. Ask how many tribes people think there will be. Start asking people who all they have heard from so far.
Look up something about Irish culture to throw in as a funny reference or something. Find a funny Irish pic, a .gif, or meme to post
in a PM. There really are simple ways to make your "banter" messages stand out more than others.

8) But here's the critical thing once you have lots of back and forth conversations going with everyone ~ you'll obviously start to key
in fairly quickly with those that you tend to *CLICK* with more than others. Naturally, the ones that are online more frequently will
start to stand out more to you. And there's a PACING factor that's so utterly critical in these games. Some veterans who have been
around the block can still struggle with this factor, so humor me because as basic as this all sounds........ this really is very solid info
for all of you. DON'T SCARE PEOPLE AWAY. You don't want to be so harsh with your humor that it starts turning people off. And you
DON'T want to jump the gun and start asking about teaming up or forming an alliance with people on these opening day messages.
It's just too much too soon. If people pay attention to the pre-game tips I've given them beforehand ~ then they know NOT to say
no to an alliance request even if it came WAY too soon. But you don't want to be that person who starts asking around for alliances
that people only agree to because they know it's really not good gameplay to turn down an alliance offer. As I tell new players long
before Day 1....... just agree to it and figure out what to do later.

9) This part is subject to some personal preference, but when tribes haven't been set, I'd be SUPER CAREFUL about even throwing
out "watch each other's back" pacts. And like ONLY if it's maybe Night 2 and you've had LOTS of good back & forth discussions with
a few that have been standing out to you. Straight up: Anyone who throws out an idea like that on the first day -- that's a HUGE red
flag to me and to probably most hardcore gamers. People are looking for safety and they may not know the time and pace that's really
required, but tread LIGHTLY with anything like that. I mean, keep it light if you do feel like you're legitimately at that place with some
folks. A basic "I really hope we end up on the same tribe." Or "If we're not on the same tribe, maybe we can help look out for each other
later on."
Be careful not to go overboard cause you also have to remember that HUGE things may change by the time you ever end up
on a reshuffled tribe with the person you connected so well with in the first couple days. Or heck ~ it could be a few weeks away at the
merge before you can ever privately chat with that person again, and massive dynamics may have shifted. Also don't expose yourself
as a threat in these opening days. Don't start talking about how much you're looking forward to blindsiding people, and for goodness
sake....... don't start throwing out names of targets because the info WILL get around.

10) It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that you'll end up with the exact people you are hoping to be on a tribe with. Especially when our tribes
will begin with such small numbers. At best, maybe you end up with one of your faves and then two others you had some opening
banter with, but they didn't respond all that often to you. Or if you're really lucky ~ perhaps you end up with two that you liked,
and then maybe one that you barely heard from. But ~ if you do well with these first couple days of open messaging amongst
EVERYONE........ then it really shouldn't matter WHO ends up on your tribe.



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*THERE IS NO SWING . . . . *


. . . . . in tribes of FOUR.

That's one of the trickiest things about this setup.

But actually, the HARDEST thing to overcome in tribes this small is that you really can't "hide" in groups this size.
If you're wondering who the "dead weight" is that you could easily get rid of at the 1st vote....... it just might be YOU.

You could be moderately active (or just active enough) and slide by in a tribe of 8 or definitely 10....... but tribes of 4 leave
you pretty much ZERO wiggle room. Heck, tribes of 5 are hard enough, but you've at least got a potential "swing" as two pairs
are vying for their own survival.

But here, for all intents & purposes, it's very likely that whichever 3 members are around the most and communicating the most
.......these will be the 3 that'll control each tribe, and the 4th person who's not around as much as they might have seemed from
my impression of them during the casting process....... these "fourths" will likely find themselves on the outside looking in as the
1st boot from each of their respective tribes. And then it's a matter of NOT being the tribe to come in 5th place in the challenges.



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*TRIBES HAVE BEEN SET NOW*


I've announced the tribes and moved everyone accordingly......

.......and also updated any avatars that have a new buff color. :D


Posted Image


WEXFORD consists of Zeke, Todd, Nick, Adam. (the younger male characters)

LIMERICK consists of Sierra, Amanda, Misty, Michelle. (the younger female characters)

DUBLIN consists of Brooke, Ozzy, Julie, Tony. (mixed characters of males and females)

WATERFORD consists of Diane, Leann, Denise, Cirie. (the older female characters)

CORK consists of Bubba, Joel, Dave, Rudy. (the older male characters)

***

***

***

Some of our new folks have made some critical errors...... namely...... skipping most of (or ALL of) the second day.
Adam was barely around the 1st day at all and only briefly on shortly before 10:00pm on Friday night. And he still
has TWO unread PMs from me sitting there in my message tracker. ???????? And Cirie's absence during our entire
second day of the game was a big shocker to me. Definitely thought this first-timer would be more eager to chomp
at the bit & not want to miss any of the potential relationships that have already been forging ever since we began.

(((*I later found out that Cirie lost power ~ which explains her Day Two absence*)))

But with Misty and Michelle, I just really don't know what's up. After FB messaging them on opening night asking
if they'd be joining us, both DID login. Very briefly. But at least logged in. Now with Michelle, she replied to my FB
message that ~ she has no Wifi. :blink: There is NO WAY she means what I think she means since I go over things like
that time & time again in all the invite correspondence. So, I replied asking her if she means just for that night like
if she had to go out of town or something. She said it would only be for that 1st night, and she could login from her
phone for just a little bit. But the curious fact that I haven't seen her around at all since then is really confusing me.
I hope everything is okay, as I always want to give newcomers the benefit of the doubt. But when you can see that
they're online on Facebook - but scarce HERE - it just doesn't add up. #HostHeadScratching

And I went back to reread Misty's answers to the Casting Questionnaire ~ and she sure gave no indication she'd be
someone who would just barely surpass being a no-show. Exact same thing with Michelle. Both of them have played
numerous times elsewhere (but only open-ID), however, they were both very eager and did give some great answers
during our casting. The only thing about Misty that I keyed in on more when going back and reading through all her
responses from weeks & weeks ago is that she (similarly to what I wrote about Adam in my very 1st post) highlighted
much more of her strategic side as opposed to her social side. But what I think many newbies over the years have not
put into practice is the fact that you CANNOT be strategic WITHOUT being social. Nobody cares how much strategy you
*could* have lurking below the surface if you are not active and social enough to get the communication factor going.

Many newcomers over the years have fallen victim to this. Misty & Michelle seem to be victims as well, and right now,
I just see no way that either one of them will even make it to the re-shuffle stage 4 rounds from now at F16. And with
both of them being so scarce, I'll be surprised if they login later today or ever even take one practice swing at posting
photos as discussed in *step-by-step detail* in each tribe's private section.


M E A N I N G . . . .


It's extremely likely that the Limerick tribe loses our first challenge tomorrow night, and either Misty or Michelle will be
the 1st casualty of the game. And based on the structure I've laid out, their tribe would skip the Tuesday challenge, but
then they'd be the most likely tribe to lose again at the following challenge on Thursday. However, this twist would give
whichever one of them survives the vital time to make up for lost time and catch up on everything they have missed.



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*UPDATE ON DYNAMICS*


Zeke & Todd will rule the roost at ORANGE with Nick as their 3rd who has potential to move into one of their slots
if Todd or Zeke wanted to make an early move against each other. But Adam will very clearly be their 1st elimination
if they lose at all during this small tribe phase.

The LIGHT GREENs are run by a combination of either Brooke/Ozzy or Julie/Ozzy with Tony set as their 1st departure.

The TEAL ladies will be led by Diane & Leann ~ with Denise probably in tandem with them and Cirie as their likely target.

In the BROWN land, Bubba & Joel will be in charge, but I'm not positive if they'd go after Dave or Rudy at the moment.

And Sierra & Amanda will obviously control the PINK tribe since no one knows where the heck Misty and Michelle are.



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*A VISUAL REPRESENTATION . . . . *


..........of why some of these new folks may just never be able to survive an online experience of this magnitude.

Here we are well over 48 HOURS into the game......... and ya know that crucial PM I have waiting for each of you
the very 1st time you login that walks you through step-by-step with pics showing how to maneuver through various
functions of the board?


. . . . Y E A H . . . .


IT'S STILL SITTING UNREAD IN *3* OF THEIR INBOXES.


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Granted, "M & M" have only been online for like 5 or so minutes on Night 1 & honestly haven't

even gone to their inbox yet. But Adam (sparse as he is) has at least logged in (briefly) 3 times

since the board opened....... but
STILL hasn't read this.......


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I SHOULD START ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT
9 TIMES OUT OF 10 WITH THIS MANY FOLKS
WHO'VE NEVER *B R O B S T E D* BEFORE ~
~ I'LL HAVE TO REMOVE SOMEONE DUE TO INACTIVITY & RUN THE FIRST CHALLENGE
AS A
"PRACTICE" OF SORTS . . . . DARN IT.




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But the other nineteen are very grateful they essentially get a free pass to
the next round with no chance of getting voted out tonight. Good for them!
:D




"PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT" was almost exactly what most of 'em expected as a photo posting challenge using
their tribe's avatars. And actually, it really DID end up being good for them that there was NOT anything at stake for
this one because even though most handled it just fine, there were still some inconsistencies. I figured some newbies
might struggle initially, but my biggest surprise was that even Todd, a long-time Brobst veteran, started off with them
in the wrong order because he overlooked the specific place in the challenge instructions that talks about how you have
to post them in ALPHABETICAL ORDER. :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: And speaking of blinking emojis ~ blink twice and you probably
missed seeing her. (the youngster that was cast as Michelle from the Pearl Islands season)






WELLLLLLLLLL......




THIS PERSON WHO HOLDS THE RECORD FOR *YOUNGEST PLAYER* EVER
IN A BROBST GAME NOW HOLDS THE RECORD FOR SHORTEST STAY BY
SOMEONE WHO AT LEAST BRIEFLY LOGGED IN ON OPENING NIGHT.






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SO, NOW LET'S EXAMINE . . . .








. . . . CAMP LIFE AROUND OUR FIVE TRIBES . . . .









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~ WEXFORD TRIBAL STRUCTURE ~



ZEKE - Not only does he have great relationships within his own tribe, but he had established himself VERY WELL
all across the board before tribes were revealed. NO DOUBT in my mind he'll be one to watch throughout the season.


TODD - He & Zeke are clearly running this tribe ~ but even before they knew they'd be together at Wexford, they had
hit it off very well. They're looking to go the distance. Straight up, I'll be shocked if either one doesn't make the merge.


NICK - Kinda fluctuates because he'll be around a bunch, and then kinda disappear for longer than you might expect
from a 2nd-timer. Pretty sure he'll get to the reshuffle, though, unless they lose two challenges in our current phase.


ADAM - The fact that he's literally told folks that it took him 3 days before he found his inbox....... well....... WOW.
Here's word for word what's included in the *login details* email that everyone receives when I open up the board
for the first time: "Up at the top right, you'll see the link to your INBOX." And then I tell them there's a message
from me with step-by-step instructions on getting used to the board functions complete with photo examples.




I GET THAT IT CAN BE TRICKY GETTING USED TO STUFF WHEN FOLKS HAVE
NEVER PLAYED HERE BEFORE. BUT I GIVE NEWBIES SOOOOOOO MANY TIPS
LEADING UP TO THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME. ONE OF THEM STATES THAT
~ "PRIVATE MESSAGES ARE YOUR LIFELINE. IF YOU ARE IGNORING YOUR
PRIVATE MESSAGES ~ YOU'RE IGNORING THE GAME."
I'M JUST SHOCKED
THAT HE LITERALLY THOUGHT NO ONE HAD MESSAGED HIM IN 3 DAYS.
AND EVEN IF HE THOUGHT THAT WAS THE CASE ~ HE DIDN'T THINK
ABOUT SEEING IF HE COULD MESSAGE THEM INSTEAD. #ROOKIE










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~ LIMERICK TRIBAL STRUCTURE ~



SIERRA - She's super active and talkative and has basically landed in a leadership position for their tribe.
But even if she was on a fuller tribe of four...... I think she would have found that leadership role regardless.


AMANDA - Though she initially struggled, she is starting to come into her own. It's really hard to gauge how
far she will go...... but she definitely has potential.


MISTY - I have literally no clue at the moment why she hasn't been back since her brief login on opening night.




THERE WERE TIMES DURING THE FIRST WEEKEND THAT SIERRA FELT LIKE
A TRIBE OF ONE. BUT AMANDA IS REALLY GETTING IN THE GROOVE NOW.










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~ DUBLIN TRIBAL STRUCTURE ~



BROOKE - She's overall the most active person on their tribe, and she is really enjoying the Flag Task,
which she's spearheaded. If you had to put a "leader" label on someone at Dublin, I'd say it would be her.


OZZY - At the moment, it's a little hard to gauge between Ozzy and Julie exactly where the two of them fit.
I've gone back and forth on the 2nd and 3rd spot in my mind........ but at the time of this writing, I'll give it
to Ozzy. Barely. #JustBarely


JULIE - I think she's doing really well. She wasn't overall mentioned all that often by others during pre-tribes.
She was active and made good chatter, but is now in a solid place here at Dublin and will likely climb the ranks.


TONY - For someone who's POSITIVE he'll "Win this game no doubt"....... he's an interesting player to follow. :unsure:




THEY'RE A TRICKY ONE DYNAMICS-WISE BECAUSE I INITIALLY THOUGHT
BROOKE & OZZY WOULD BE LEADING THE PACK. BUT LATELY, I'VE SEEN
OZZY MENTION THAT HE'S BECOME TIGHTER WITH JULIE. REGARDLESS,
TONY IS STILL LOW MAN ON THEIR TOTEM POLE.










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~ CORK TRIBAL STRUCTURE ~



BUBBA - No question he's the best situated at their tribe. I'm pleasantly surprised and excited by how well he's doing!
He's reeeeeally coming into his own. This ain't "Butch" from Return to the Amazon anymore. :D Look for him to go far.


JOEL - Brings a lot to their tribe and is quite enjoying the game. He may be working on a flag tonight. We'll see how
this goes for them cause you can always see dynamics at play even with a task like this that has nothing on the line.


RUDY - I was definitely curious if he would avoid stepping up for the Flag Task or not. But I don't think it's in his
nature to NOT be heavily involved in the creative process of Photoshopping & such. So even if Joel makes a flag,
I'm pretty sure that Rudy will do another one himself. (or maybe his "neighbor") #JapanJoke


DAVE - Well, his approach is a bit hard to follow. He's constantly confusing his tribemates, and he is also
wondering if an alliance is forming against him based mainly on the fact that they didn't end up going
for his flag suggestion to use the faces of U2....... ya know....... since my avatar is Bono. B)




I WAS INITIALLY THINKING THAT RUDY'S "GRUMPY" ACT WAS GONNA
WEAR EXTREMELY THIN WITH THEM. (WHICH IT HAS) HOWEVER, DAVE'S
APPARENT INABILITY TO GET PAST THE SUPERFICIAL BANTER ABOUT SOME
"FISHING" ACTIVITIES AND WHATNOT IS GONNA BE A BIG HURDLE FOR HIM.










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~ WATERFORD TRIBAL STRUCTURE ~



DIANE - She's starting to get frustrated with her tribe. Diane is easily the best connected here
at Waterford. But she's desperately wanting more interaction and substance from her tribemates.


CIRIE - She has been coming on like gangbusters the past couple days after (what I found out)
was a power outage that prevented her from being online at all for Day 2. And she's taken on the
design and assembly for their Flag Task and is doing a marvelous job with it.


LEANN - Initially had her one slot above Cirie. But now I'm remembering how she typically has
a slower start on the seasons she was in back in the day. But her main error was that after zero
discussion with Diane........ Leann pre-voted. Granted, they'd all likely be voting Denise anyway.
But to tell the person who is on top of this tribe that you already pre-voted without even having
a chat about it is a definite sign of someone who can easily go rogue. Diane has picked up on this.


DENISE - Still has plenty of time to catch up. However, with her not being around very much with
her weekend trip that came up........ she just may not be long for the game. Awwwwwww, bummer!




IF I HAD TO TAKE A GUESS, I'M NOT SURE HOW WELL THEY'LL FUNCTION
TOGETHER ON THE NEXT CHALLENGE. IT'S A PRETTY EASY FREE-FOR-ALL
TYPE OF EVENT. BUT THERE IS SOME STIFF COMPETITION OUT THERE!!!









DEPENDING ON WHICH OF THE 4 COMPETING TRIBES COMES IN LAST PLACE . . .








. . . . WE'RE MOST LIKELY LOSING EITHER DENISE,
TONY, DAVE, OR ADAM. WE'LL SEE HOW IT SHAKES
OUT TUESDAY NIGHT!!!! A COUPLE DAYS TO WAIT!!!!








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*CASTING IS EXHAUSTING . . . . *


Y'all have nooooooooo idea. OH. MY. GOSH. And it's pretty much a thousand times harder than it was years ago simply
because of the way the Facebook messaging system is constructed now. But even back in the day, it was still VERY HARD
and took LOTS of time. The way it tended to go years ago is that of all the invite messages I'd send out ~ probably a third
would read the message and never reply, a third would reply to say it sounds cool but they know they wouldn't be available
schedule-wise, and the remaining third would be potentially interested. But then of the interested folks, it begins to whittle
down to those that can ACTUALLY commit, which tends to be a small percentage of just the ones that showed initial interest.
And even if they're very interested, there's any number of reasons why they can't actually apply ranging from weekly schedule
conflicts with our live challenges, to big vacation time when they know they won't be able to be online, to not having a laptop
or PC & only being able to play from a phone which really doesn't work. So just being interested isn't enough to secure a slot.

But wanna know how it usually goes NOW???

The Facebook messaging system is so finicky (well, it's really just that they've changed the way people can set inbox privacy
and such, which I totally understand, but man oh man does it make it tough on your friendly neighborhood Brobst) because
if I were to send out a hundred invitations via FB private message ~ probably at least 80 of them WOULD NEVER EVEN SEE
THE MESSAGE. As in, it would never even be RECEIVED because of the way FB filters it out if you're not already connected
as friends or, in some cases, at least have lots of mutual friends.

So I just pull my hair out daily as I send out more and more batches of invitations and see that the overwhelming majority
won't even get the message because most people don't know about that "filtered" inbox everyone has where messages like
this tend to go to die because FB considers them "spam." Thanks for ruining my process all you crazy ACTUAL spammers.

So then I sometimes think my life has been saved when people who have played for me recommend other gamers that
they either think might be interested, or they already KNOW of someone who is VERY INTERESTED. But pretty much 9
out of 10 of THOSE potential players turn out to be complete casting duds - as in - they'll read the invite and never even
send a quick reply, or they fall victim to the aforementioned FB messaging trap of things they'll never see or know about.

Now factor in this being a 20 person cast AND the fact that it's in the summer, which always tends to mean that even some
of our repeat players can't commit due to various travel plans, and NOW you know why (((title of this entry))). :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:



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*LUCKY'S LIMERICKS & THIS SEASON'S TWISTS*


There aren't a lot of earth-shattering twists in this particular game....... just several gimmicks here & there to play around with.
But the main thing I wanted to accomplish with this season was to really play on the Irish theme. That's something that the real
show has lost over the years since they always film in (usually) the same generic place each time. But back in the day ~ they had
so many seasons where the location itself really became almost like a "character" on the show ~ working itself into various events,
challenges, and whatnot.

So I had laid out the basic structure many years ago, but then coming up with the *Lucky Shamrocks* & other Irish thematic stuff
happened much more recently. In fact, the limericks themselves came from an idea that popped in my head at our Heroes vs. Villains
*Reunion Show* just several months ago when Curt as "Mr. Miyagi" was infamous for posting lots of Haikus to express his thoughts, so
once I posted the Ireland teaser trailer........ he posted a limerick instead. That got me thinking that I really needed him as a Moderator
character here. So as one of our Luckys, I asked him to come up with several limericks that he would post as a public topic in "THE PUB"
section. The second one which has now been posted states:


When there's an advantage you need

It's the Ireland board that you'll heed

Let's all mind the clock

Looking for a SHAMROCK

By clicking to see where it leads




So if they scour through the board, they'll find this shamrock that I've edited into a post on the CHECK-IN thread.


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*AND ACTUALLY CLICKING ON IT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THE VIDEO THAT TELLS YOU WHAT TO DO.*


Once the first person finds it & posts the video link in their Confessional, I privately explain to them what this 1st advantage does.
Since we began with such a large cast of 20 and end up in 5 very small tribes of 4 members each...... it's a foregone conclusion that
many people WON'T end up with the people they were hoping to be "tribed" with. So ~ the first *Lucky Shamrock* gives that person
the ability to change tribes once. They pick which tribe they want to go to AND which person's place they'll take, essentially switching
tribes with that one person.

They can use it before a challenge OR after a vote out has occurred, but I also tell them that if they're going to use it, they should do
it quickly since it expires soon. (they don't know, but they'll be reshuffling into two tribes of eight at F16, and we're currently at F19)
Also, since we're starting out with such small tribes, I don't want to be in a situation where one tribe could get completely wiped out
if they lose every challenge before reshuffling or get all the way down to just one person left if they go on a losing streak. So to work
around that, I decided a few months before the game opened that if you lose a challenge in this early stage, you WON'T compete in
the very next one. You'd compete in the one after that, and if you happened to lose that time, the worst that could happen is your
tribe whittles down to only two members........ which could make those two very powerful swing votes in a reshuffle.

Skipping a challenge after losing also makes it (hopefully) more likely that this switching places advantages DOES get used since it
creates an incentive. More often than not, players are SO AFRAID of the unknown, so they hesitate to flip or make a move and defect
from their tribe or whatever. There's the obvious benefit of heading to another tribe if everyone you clicked with before our tribes were
established is over there, or if you don't click with the people on your current tribe and feel on shaky ground. But if you feel like the tribe
you were placed on is NOT gonna fare well in challenges (even if you didn't lose, but maybe your group came in 4th place and only barely
avoided Tribal Council), the enticing incentive could be to switch places with someone on the tribe that just lost ~ KNOWING you would
at least get a free pass to the following round since you get to skip the next challenge.

Of course, there's also risk involved since the tribe that lost could lose again after skipping that one challenge, and you obviously don't
know what the dynamics of any tribes are. But you'd also have to suspect that we won't be in these small tribes for very long, so if you
feel like you're on the outside of your tribe........ I'd say use it and switch places with whoever you want which would hopefully get you
to the reshuffle where you could find new life.


ALSO . . . .


At F14, both tribes will vote for two players to leave their tribe and head to the other tribe ~ swapping 2 and 2. Then we will merge
at F12 and another *Lucky Shamrock* will be hidden and hinted at in Lucky's final Limerick that round. But my favorite thing about
those limericks is that there's more to them than meets the eye. The sixth limerick that Lucky posts will hint that they should look
at the first letter of each line. At that particular point in the game, if they go back and look at each one, it will have spelled out:


"THERE WILL BE A DOUBLE BOOT TAKING PL . . . "


So, they'll know a double-boot will be taking place, but they'll have to wait round by round to find out WHEN. And my favorite thing
is that it will end with " . . . AT FINAL EIGHT." So, if this cast is as antsy and curious as most of my players tend to be, once they
get to the word FINAL but have to wait for the next round to see final WHAT....... that should create plenty of nervous speculation. :D

I let Curt know beforehand what the phrase would be since it would time out perfectly to hit at the merge with the final one, and then
he came up with limericks to fit those letters and any particular shamrock that needed to be hinted at that round. So, the 2nd and final
*Lucky Shamrock* will be the ability to steal a vote that's good up through the F6 round. But it won't be like what they did on the Game
Changers season that wrapped up a couple months ago. It will just be taking away a vote AFTER it's been cast. It will NOT give this person
the ability to cast a 2nd vote. They ONLY take away a vote cast by one person, and they do this DURING the voting period....... except the
person whose vote is being taken away won't know it's happening. I will only let it be known right before I start revealing the vote ballots.

And when we get to the double-boot round at Final 8, it won't be just a traditional double-boot. I'll explain more about that once we get
to that round. And then one of my favorite twists will be happening all the way at Final Three......... but I'll wait until we're there to talk
about that one. It shall be a big surprise. :blink: :blink: :blink:

But I really like the Irish themes we're exploring. Also, even with theses twists, and especially the *Lucky Shamrocks* ~ I'm fully aware
they could have a big or little effect on the game, or depending on who gets them and WHEN, they might not even be used...... having
zero effect on the game at all....... thereby capitalizing on LUCK itself factoring in to the game.


Posted Image"Éirinn go Brách!!!"


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*FROM OUR OPENING ROUND . . . . *


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~ VIDEO CONFESSIONAL LINK ~


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~ VIDEO CONFESSIONAL LINK ~


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*SMALL TRIBES EXPOSE YOU*


Similar to what I wrote last round about how there's no "swing" in a tribe of four....... tribes this small just really expose you.
Honestly, starting out in a tribe of like 8 or whatever, if you're active and at least have an easy social presence....... it should
be SUPER EASY to survive the early rounds. As long as you don't stick out like a sore thumb by overplaying or rubbing folks
the wrong way....... the 1st few rounds should be a cakewalk in what most would consider more of a conventional structure.

OUR OPENING STRUCTURE IS NOT A CAKEWALK.

And since we have so many new players to the Brobst realm this season ~ I will tell y'all exactly WHY I almost always start
seasons off where everyone can message everyone before we officially set tribes: Because I despise the "Tribe All The Way"
mentality that you can see happen far too often if you're not careful.

If you start players off in established tribes already, it lessens the chance that anyone will ever reach across or flip because
the vast majority of players are too scared of the unknown. So I make the unknown very KNOWN from the onset. Everyone
has PLENTY of time in the first couple days to at least make some good impressions with everyone. Sure, they're just early
initial impressions because messages with THAT many people are just flying around willy-nilly. But once you reshuffle or hit
the merge, you're gonna FINALLY be able to privately communicate with some of the folks you enjoyed interacting with the
most in those first couple days. You lose that element if you open with tribes already in place. You also get to see who can
REALLY handle the social game early on when there's 20 people that can message freely. Those that can't keep up with it
all may also struggle at the merge.


BUT FROM WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE . . . .

This small tribe phase will probably last a little longer than they're expecting. It lasts just barely over one week. And only
because of the twist of the tribe that loses getting to skip the very next challenge is the only true way to make this phase
happen (what I hope is) effectively. But I do think players who may have felt confident coming into this game will discover
how tricky it is being on such small tribes. If you are not as active as you should be, this phase will expose you more than
a larger tribe would. And if you overplay or rub your tribemates the wrong way....... this will obviously expose you as well.



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