BLUP Party Basics

Learn the NIBC way!

Etiquette and Attitude

 * It is good practice to PM someone before sending the invite to a BLUP party (or chatroom in general).
 * Always ask the party host what the rules are before joining. NIBC sponsored BLUP parties usually do one day per horse to make sure everyone gets a turn at BLUPing. If you join without asking, its your own fault.
 * If you're hosting a party, it's your responsibility to let everyone know what the rules are, especially if you have any new people.
 * While it's important to keep the party going, do be patient and work to synchronize with others. BLUP Parties are all about patience and synchronization.
 * It's generally a good idea not to clutter the chat with links if someone else is BLUPing a howrse. This can confuse some people.
 * It's courteous to help those who helped you get your wins. Otherwise you may find a shortage in volunteers next time you need help.
 * Do not secretly age your howrse after it's day is finished. You will earn a bad reputation among the community.
 * Do not be a poor sport by throwing fits, making demands, giving guilt trips, or begging others to complete all 20 wins for your horse before they even get their turn. You only make things worse for yourself this way.
 * Do not speak for others when setting up for a race. If you and a friend are filling for someone, do not tell them that you and your friend are ready. Let your friend speak for themselves to avoid confusion and missing a fill.
 * BE GRATEFUL when someone decides to use a precious Aging Point on their filler to help you. That's an honor. You can't buy Aging Points from the store like before.

Preparations

 * Make sure the howrse you want to BLUP has a Tub of Grease (ToG - optional)
 * Bring at least 1 filler that will lose to your howrse - and bring extra to help out others if you can. Extra fillers are always a good thing, even if they're just on standby.
 * The best howrse to bring to be BLUPed (ie a non-filler) is one that is significantly trained already, and has attempted several races. I would feature a guess at 10/15 years or older. Young adults tend to have low skills and make it harder for people to find fillers to help.
 * If you're BLUPing a howrse that is part of a Platform project, check if the Platform requirements say anything about BLUP parties. With some Platforms, BLUP parties should be used only occasionally as a last resort.

==Join the Chat ==


 * Join wherever the BLUP party is located.


 * Originally, NIB BLUP parties were created on Yahoo Instant Messenger (YIM) chat, but over time, players have expanded to use other chat mediums. In general, it is best to use some type of messenger service, however, it is doable via Howse's personal messaging system.

==Order ==


 * Generally, in new BLUP parties (and if there isn't an order already established) the person with the oldest account goes first. It is also important to keep track of all attendees so you can jot down who had to leave early. This is so you can help them get their wins for next time; and that way everyone gets to participate.

==Turn Duration ==


 * A turn will last as long as your howrse has energy up until it reaches the end of its day or up until it gets its 20 wins. It can also end when people run out of appropriate fillers to assist with. The reason we do it this way is so everyone gets a turn.


 * Remember to watch your howrse's time! It's easy to get carried away at BLUP parties.

==Set Up Your Filler ==


 * When you first join the party, chances are people will be engaged in BLUPing a howrse. Join in, say hi to everyone, and get your filler ready for the next BLUP. Be sure to ask which howrse is being BLUPed at the time so you can confirm your filler will lose. If not, sit it out till someone posts a howrse your filler can't beat.

==Your Turn ==


 * Okay. It's your turn!


 * First thing to do is give them the public link to your howrse. Here's the prefix. Just copy this into a new browser and add your howrse's ID number at the end to get the proper url link.: http://www.howrse.com/elevage/fiche/?id=
 * Next decide which discipline you want your howrse to enter:

* cross country (XC) most common * show jumping (SJ): most common * trot * gallop * dressage * western comps (but check with the other players so they have western fillers)
 * Ask to see what difficulty comps everyone can view to get a basic idea of whether or not they can help.


 * After that, choose a race, then send the name of the EC hosting it to the party. Also, make sure you have 4 fillers to assist in the race as there are only 5 slots total. Still, its generally a good idea to have extra fillers, plus it adds to the fun akin to musical chairs.


 * Ask the party members to say 'ready' when their howrse can view the race and are ready to enter.


 * Be sure your howrse and any filler can see the race. People who are ready should say so by saying h ready, 1 ready, 2 ready etc. (see Abbreviations below)


 * When everyone is ready, say "GO! " to send the party to the race.


 * As soon as your howrse / filler is in, return to the chat and confirm that it got in. Ex: hin/fin ; fin (or 1fin) ; 2fin etc (Again, see Abbreviations below)


 * Be sure to only signal for the amount of fillers that actually got in the race. If you have 2 fillers but only 1 got in, just say 1fin.


 * Rinse and Repeat.

Abbreviations

 * Example dialogue :
 * Nancy says : "Random EC Comp Name."
 * Nancy says : "h ready" 
 * Sally says : "1 ready"
 * Joe says : "ready"
 * Mark says : "f ready"
 * Nancy says : "GO!"
 * Sally says : "fin"
 * Joe says : "fin"
 * Mark says : "fin"
 * Nancy says : "hin"


 * During a NIBC BLUP Party, it is common to find dialogue like the above. BLUP parties have advanced to the point where it most efficient to use abbreviations when you're short on time or just want to get straight to working the horses.

f = stands for a filler
 * h = stands for the howrse being BLUPed


 * Abbreviations you will see at the BLUP party are:

# ready = # fillers ready to enter the comp ; some players will have more than 1 filler. In cases like this, you might see someone say, "2 ready" hin = howrse being BLUPed is in the race #fin = number of fillers that made it in the race "2 fin" means two fillers being run by the same person made it into the comp
 * h ready = howrse being BLUPed is ready to enter the comp

History

 * "On December 10, 2010, some NIBers got together on Yahoo Instant Messenger after a whimsical suggestion by Comatose to have a filler party. After brief discussion, we decided to hold the event from the 10th - 11th so people in different timezones could participate. This successful impromptu event has since been adopted by NIBC and incorporated into the *NaF* (Need A Filler) program to further aid NIBers in BLUPing their howrses. On the first night we were able to compose basic guidelines for future attendees which you'll find here. "

Credits

 * Original article written by Lanikot for the NIBC community, December 2010.


 * Last updated : June 2012 -- boywithhorse, lanikot


 * Sources : NIB Community, 2010 (p 404-405) [Info] NIB Horses, www.howrse.com


 * Contributers: TinaH, boywithhorse, Forest Queen, Comatose, lanikot


 * This information may be copied in its ENTIRETY and reposted only with the original credit in tact.