Announcing the Skywatch Game!

[Jan]

The few of you who play over on the Moderated Newsgroup may already be familiar with this. I've decided that a guessing game that I run over there should be expanded to the folks over here as well. What's the Skywatch Game, you ask? It's a guessing game for us to guess WHEN JMS's projects will be announced and WHAT they are. As it happens, JMS just posted to the game thread over on RASTB5M with some tantalizing information:

Just to play along, and add a little fuel to the fire....

There are three non-comics, non-B5 projects that are signed, sealed
and contracted for that have not yet been announced.

One of them is the least likely thing anyone could possibly associate
with me.

One of them will come as a surprise to some but not to others.

One of them is a return to form.

There is a fourth project which is two meetings away from being
concluded. If this one happens, I will die a happy man.

jms

This is a perfect time to jump in because the game had kind of died out and there was only one outstanding guess left.

So just to go over how it works. You guess a date and you guess a form. I keep
track and when a new JMS project is announced, whoever's got that date can win.
For instance, I just guessed Feb. 6, 2009 for a Feature film-Comic based. If
somebody else wants to choose the same date and guess the announcement will be a
TV series, that's fine. If the announcement is a Feature Film, I'll win the
Fabulous Skywatch Prize. If it's a TV series the other guesser gets the
Fabulous Skywatch Prize. If there's only one guess for that date, that person
wins the Fabulous Skywatch Prize even if they get the form wrong.

The announcement has to be from a trusted source such as a studio, reliable
trade publication or from JMS himself.

What's the Fabulous Skywatch Prize, you ask? Here's the *minimum* that you'll get:

- A Quote Journal with "The future is always changing. We create the future with
our words, our deeds and with our beliefs." on the cover.

- A MicroMachine of the B5 Station. This is a single, still in the package.

- A B5 blinky that was given out at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con to promote the Lost Tales.

- a B5 photo keychain

- at least one button and one magnet from my collection (these are
pre-redesign). If you're a winner I'll happily look to see if I've got a quote
you request.

Up to now the Skywatch Game has been limited to the RASTB5M group but I'm inviting the folks at the JMSnews Forums to play, too.

Here are the current guesses. The field's wide open so let the guessing begin:

02/06/09 Feature Film -Comic based Jan RASTB5M
1/1/2019 Swedish "Meatballs" remake Duggy RASTB5M

Jan

[circularREASON]

What about a remake of the classic disney cartoon.....

"SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN VORLON LOVE CHILDREN"

[circularREASON]

IN 2010 - the year we make contact

[Jan]

Gotta pick a date, CR. No fair dibs-ing a whole year!

Jan

[glindros]

I'm in.
American Graffiti - Has a Ron Howard connection.

[Dan Dassow]

One of them is the least likely thing anyone could possibly associate
with me.

Not my allocated guess:
A Victorian custume drama

One of them will come as a surprise to some but not to others.

This is my real guess
09/21/09 Doctor Who Episode Dan Dassow RASTB5M

One of them is a return to form.

Not my allocated guess:
A Babylon 5 novel

There is a fourth project which is two meetings away from being
concluded. If this one happens, I will die a happy man.

Not my allocated guess:
The screenplay for the next Superman movie

[Jan]

I'm in.
American Graffiti - Has a Ron Howard connection.

Gotta have a date picked!

This is my real guess
09/21/09 Doctor Who Episode Dan Dassow RASTB5M

Got you set, Dan!

Jan

[mandragora]

Has anyone ever been successful in this game? To guess the date correctly seems awfully unlikely.

Anyway, since related to "Forbidden" he talked about two other projects, and sometime ago asked for research help about societies a million years into the future, I'd guess an adaptation of "Childhood's End" (or "End of Eternity"). The other one might be Joe Haldeman's "Forever War", as Scott is reportedly currently in the process of looking for a writer.

Date? No idea. Could be anytime on Daily Variety. Let's say Jan 24 2009, and Feb 14 2009, just for the fun of it.

[glindros]

I'm in.
American Graffiti - Has a Ron Howard connection.

Oops,

American Graffiti 2/20/09

[Jan]

Has anyone ever been successful in this game? To guess the date correctly seems awfully unlikely.

Yes, one person was last year. She got a 'Never Surrender Dreams' journal, a mini-comic from Lost Tales that I got JMS to personalize and autograph for her at a con and various buttons and magnets. As I recall, she had the date right but didn't guess the project. That was okay, though, since she had the only guess for that date. Yes, if you win and want me to, I can take an item to have JMS autograph/personalize to you the next time I see him at a con.

Anyway, since related to "Forbidden" he talked about two other projects, and sometime ago asked for research help about societies a million years into the future, I'd guess an adaptation of "Childhood's End" (or "End of Eternity"). The other one might be Joe Haldeman's "Forever War", as Scott is reportedly currently in the process of looking for a writer.

Date? No idea. Could be anytime on Daily Variety. Let's say Jan 24 2009, and Feb 14 2009, just for the fun of it.

My apologies, I should have said this: One guess per person at a time. You're welcome to guess again once your date passes, though.

Jan

[circularREASON]

An episode of LOST on 20th October 2010 entitled....

'Never trust a man who asks you 'where are you going?'

[Joansie]

OK Jan here goes.


Dec. 21, 2008 A romantic comedy movie.

This is a medium that would suprise me if JMS did.

I was the one

[mandragora]

Yes, one person was last year. She got a 'Never Surrender Dreams' journal, a mini-comic from Lost Tales that I got JMS to personalize and autograph for her at a con and various buttons and magnets. As I recall, she had the date right but didn't guess the project. That was okay, though, since she had the only guess for that date.

So what happens if you get the date wrong and are the only one who guessed the project?

My apologies, I should have said this: One guess per person at a time. You're welcome to guess again once your date passes, though.

Not a problem. I'm then naming the feature film adaptation of "Forever War". Date changed to Jan 16, 2009, because Feb. seems to be a bit late.

[Jan]

I'll confirm all guesses when I get home from work.

I was the one

Yes, Joansie was the winner last time. Poor thing waited *forever* for her Fabulous Skywatch Prize but I finally got it to her.

So what happens if you get the date wrong and are the only one who guessed the project?

That *might* qualify for a Special Prize as Designated By the Prize Committee (composed of I, Me, Myself and I ) but we'll have to wait and see if it happens.

Jan

[mandragora]

That *might* qualify for a Special Prize as Designated By the Prize Committee (composed of I, Me, Myself and I ) but we'll have to wait and see if it happens.

I was just joking. I suggested introducing a project guessing game here when "Forbidden" was announced, perhaps you'll remember. I'm not looking for a prize, I'm just doing this for the fun of it.