"Pre-Order Your Copy Now" - March 11, 2021

[boharr]

Hey there, I’m a longtime MGWCC solver but just discovering the WSJ meta puzzles... 2 questions... Do I need a subscription and is there a leaderboard? Thanks!

Edit: answered, thanks!

There is no official leaderboard, but our Cruise Director, Bob, posts a list of all who have declared themselves “ashore” (solved). Doesn’t mean all are correct, just that they found an answer to submit.

The data analyst/excel lover in me was thinking recently that it'd be fun to create kind of an all time leaderboard showing those who reach the shore the soonest/most etc, but I'm also afraid that it could have the potential to alter the supportive and collaborative nature of this forum.

Exactly

[Tom Wilson]

Ashore, after a toss-turn night that turned into a revelatory morning.

[HunterX]

Hey there, I’m a longtime MGWCC solver but just discovering the WSJ meta puzzles... 2 questions... Do I need a subscription and is there a leaderboard? Thanks!

Edit: answered, thanks!

There is no official leaderboard, but our Cruise Director, Bob, posts a list of all who have declared themselves “ashore” (solved). Doesn’t mean all are correct, just that they found an answer to submit.

The data analyst/excel lover in me was thinking recently that it'd be fun to create kind of an all time leaderboard showing those who reach the shore the soonest/most etc, but I'm also afraid that it could have the potential to alter the supportive and collaborative nature of this forum.

I agree. Both that it'd be fun, and that it could have the potential of which you speak. Imagine the gossip over who nudged whom!

"Nudge, nudge. Know what I mean? Say no more. A nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat."

(Sorry, poetic(?) license on that last part.)

[C=64]

Pa stranden
Aquavit, please.

Hvor fantastiskt!

[Bob cruise director]

Hey there, I’m a longtime MGWCC solver but just discovering the WSJ meta puzzles... 2 questions... Do I need a subscription and is there a leaderboard? Thanks!

Edit: answered, thanks!

There is no official leaderboard, but our Cruise Director, Bob, posts a list of all who have declared themselves “ashore” (solved). Doesn’t mean all are correct, just that they found an answer to submit.

The data analyst/excel lover in me was thinking recently that it'd be fun to create kind of an all time leaderboard showing those who reach the shore the soonest/most etc, but I'm also afraid that it could have the potential to alter the supportive and collaborative nature of this forum.

We have tried to keep the statistics at an aggregate level. Because the declaration of being on shore or on the ship are totally informal, and because we want to keep this fun, we don't keep any individual statistics. I recognize each muggle the first time they post but that is all. Individuals keep their own statistics. And we want to encourage new meta muggles to learn so we encourage nudges.

For anyone who wants to compete at the highest level there are individual and team tournaments. For the rest of us, it is just fun.

By the way, for anyone who wants to create a meta puzzle, we have the Meta Muggle Monday that is always created by a muggle. If you are interested, send a PM to Al Sisti or Brian Mac and they can fill you in on the details.

[Bob cruise director]

After bouncing around in the bilge of the ship all day, I have emerged and taken Joe Ross's transport to the shore.

p.s. My avatar this week is up in MaineMarge country (sort of as it is Lubec, Maine) Take a vacation there some time. It is beautiful

[Bob cruise director]

With the discussion of a leaderboard, I often wonder why we don't have one yet.
Is there any other crossword contest which gets as many entries for each puzzle? Matt would probably let the WSJ team use the code from his site, not that it's too hard to write. I'd be interested to see the stats like MGWCC has.

We don't' do a leaderboard because declaration of being on shore is not verified and would mean that after the end of the contest, someone would have to go back and find out who was really on the shore vs being on a deserted island. Plus it would raise the seriousness of this contest and forum to a level that we don't want it to go to.

[boharr]

With the discussion of a leaderboard, I often wonder why we don't have one yet.
Is there any other crossword contest which gets as many entries for each puzzle? Matt would probably let the WSJ team use the code from his site, not that it's too hard to write. I'd be interested to see the stats like MGWCC has.

We don't' do a leaderboard because declaration of being on shore is not verified and would mean that after the end of the contest, someone would have to go back and find out who was really on the shore vs being on a deserted island. Plus it would raise the seriousness of this contest and forum to a level that we don't want it to go to.

Amen. Besides let's all remember who is doing all the work around here voluntarily.

[SewYoung]

Got first step right quick,
Haven't found the company,
Maybe tomorrow.
Did not even look at it until this morning. I spent a good part of Thursday at the museum office where I usually only go on Wednesdays and at Church where I go on Wednesday evening, so after I got home, I forgot that it was Thursday and did not think to look for the puzzle.

[Tom Shea]

On the beach after a little side trip from trying to force 31 and 44 across.

Sorry Isaac. I'll catch you sometime in the future.

Still waiting for the Killer Klowns From Outer Space massacre puzzle to rear its ugly head.

[Notbitter]

On shore. Shamrock shake?

[Dave C]

Didn't get a chance to start it until tonight, but it was a relatively quick trip to shore.

[bread-girl]

On shore here!

[Joe]

At long last! I think I've figured it out. I've missed (or haven't yet found) the elegance that others have mentioned, but I'm as sure as I can be that I'm on the right shore.

[TPS]

Pa stranden
Aquavit, please.

Hvor fantastiskt!

I once drank all the Aquavit in Stavanger.

[Olof]

On shore. This one required a fair bit of noodling before it clicked, but satisfying when it did.

[Cindy N]

It's late - but got it solved and on shore.

[FrankH]

On shore.

[tigerfly222]

I keep waiting for the week where we've all been lulled into a false sense of confidence in solving metas and then... BAM! It hits.
But, this week was not that week.

On shore!

[steveb]

On shore. I had to leave it and come back to it a couple of times before enlightenment struck.