Summing Up Winterfüste

Evening Füsters!

Yet another Winterfüste has come to an end after 9 weeks of extraordinary game play in the most radical weather GG has seen in over a decade. You all must be commended for your fortitude of spirit and dedication to the the Füste because this was one soggy, cold and sometimes miserable experience! That being said, the Füsters outperformed GG’s expectations and provided the best possible game manager experience imaginable. So thank you for that!

Let’s talk about the top of the Bestenliste. Once again we found ourselves with a five way tie for first place (GG’s only recourse at this point is to make the game even harder . . . I mean, what the heck else is he supposed to do here??). All five players have been bestowed the title of Bestenfüste and officially entered into the Pantheon of the Gottähnfüste (go HERE), a collection of the most revered (and feared) Füsters to ever play the game! And as a new addition this year a plank-off was performed to determine the actual ranking of the top five with Shoebill outlasting all with his incredible 6:34 minute plank! But this is not to take away from the overall accomplishments of the other winners (cause you don’t win the title of Bestenfüste with a plank, no matter how long you hold it) and these five players really did something special this year. The make-up of this year’s Bestenfi was incredilby varied: two Neo-Füstes (Shoebill and Mountain Lion), two return players (Serow and the Kakapo Parrot) and one repeat Bestenfüste champion in the Arctic Sea Jelly. The Sea Jelly’s win is extraordinary in and of itself as there are only two other repeat champions in recent memory and only one who has won back to back competitions before! As for the rest, what a wonderfully mixed bag! Shoebill, quiet, intense and a hell of costume maker. Mountain Lion, invited to the game by friends from the north and a completely unknown surprise out of the beach communities of SoCal. Serow, always ready with a big smile and a laugh. The Parrot, a financial wiz who dreams of being a singer/songwriter (and who could definitely be one). GG couldn’t ask for a better group to be added to the Pantheon! And honorable mention goes to both Kit Fox and Antarctic Krill, who effectively took second and third place respectfully. Kit Fox, yet another Neo-Füste, exploded onto this year’s Spielbrett with enough personality (and his own fox mask) for 10 Füsters. And the Krill, a septuagenarian who’s played for several years now and continues to edge closer to her first victory! Congratulations to all our winners here!

Now time for some stats:

• 146 players started the game on January 2 and 96 finished out on March 4th.

• We ran 3632 miles.

• We hiked 9162 miles.

• We biked outside 480 miles.

• We spun indoors 1652 hours (yeah, that’s 69 days on the Peleton folks).

• We swam 112 miles.

• Total distance covered this Winterfüste: 13,384 miles, mostly by foot, enough to go more than halfway round the planet! Basically, that’s all the way across the Pacific, across China, to Kathmandu. Let that sink in.

• And together we lost half a ton of flank meat (roughly 1000 pounds).

All in all, that’s a pretty good haul, Füsters. But now it’s time for GG (and his alter ego the Grolarbär) to get some rest and maybe hibernate for a while. There’s apparently no end to Winter this year so wake him up when Spring gets here and it’s a warm and sunny day. Thank you all for playing this ridiculous game and for putting so much energy into the last nine weeks. It means the world to GG that you spend this time with him and all your fellow Füsters. Whether you came in 1st, last, or somewhere in the middle, congratulations for finishing out another challenging Füste event. We’ll hopefully see each other on the Spielbrett again, somewhere down the road. Until that time, may the Füste be ever with you!

Griswalde Grolar

Week 9: Finishing Strong!

Hallo Füsters!

Well, it’s that time again . . . Always seems like we get here too fast. We’re now in Week 9, the final week of Winterfüste 2023. Kind of can’t beleive it. As of today (Monday, Feb. 28th), we’ve got 6 days left of game play. Competition for a podium spot is pretty feirce with a three way battle between two Neo-Füstes (Shoebill and Mountain Lion) and a return champiion (Arctic Sea Jelly). But there are at least four other players within striking distance of the crown so GG bets nothing will be decided until the last day, the Finalefüste, next Saturday (more details on how to handle reporting etc. for the Finalefüste coming later this week). So for now, let’s just settle in for one last final push to the finish line!

Updates:

• As you should already know, it Drachen hunting season! You still have six days to slay that sucker (remember, you can earn this bonus right up to the last hour of game play on Saturday). Five times a Singelt is what we’re looking for so hit GG up with your proposal, get your official approval from GG, and get our there and make it happen! +15p is an absolute ton of punkte so you do not wan to leave this bonus unplayed!

• For those who’ve been playing the Scavenger Hunt all game long, this week is the final hunt opportunity. Go out and make like a long dog and complete a one minute plank in the most ridiculous public place you can think of (one year someone did a plank IN A TREE in front of their City Hall . . . IDK). Get this one knocked out and you’ll earn the +3p completion bonus! Video proof sent to GG required . . .

• Some pretty big bonus events are left in Periode III, including both the monster 4046ft hike and the 150 flight of stairs (done out in the world, no “stairmasters” allowed). These are physically demanding challenges and both worth not just the bonus but count as a Trippelt. So get out there and get them done! It’s the last week so what do you have to lose (other than the game)?

• Don’t forget that you’ve got your Final Exam on Saturday so get ready for a metric ton of pushups and situps and the like!

• Here in NorCal, looks like we’re going to end Winterfüste the way we started it: soggy and cold. This has definitely been the wettest Füste event in recent history and you guys have done an amazing job navigating some really terrible conditions. One more week and you can spend the rest of what’s left of Winter safe and dry on the couch at home.

That’s it for now. More to come later this week as we get closer to the Finalefüste!

Have a great week and may the Füste be with you!

GG

WEEK 8 . . . the end is very much nigh

Hallo Füsters!

It’s Week 8, the penultimate week of WF23 and you are so close to being done (and maybe even winning!) that you can taste it in your mouth like a fastnacht beignet dripping with maple syrup and butter and coated with a light layer of powdered sugar (yeah, it’s Mardi Gras this week so . . . a little extra pressure to keep tasty things out of your mouthhole!).

Week 8 really sees the game play crank up as we gather speed towards the Finalefüste. Some of this year’s hardest bonsuses are released and only the strongest, most dedicated Füster will endure the pain and suffereing (only to be faced with their Drachen next weekend!) to reign triumphant. This is where you pull away from the pack and make your best arguement for why you should be crowned Bestunfüste on March 4th!

Updates:

• New bonuses are posted blah blah blah. If you don’t know by now how this works, then GG can’t really help you.

• Scavenger Hunt 8: Go out and find your town’s city limit’s sign (must have “Population” number included) and take a selfie.

• Homework . . . it’s been there for a week now so . . .

• Get ready for Füstenween this Thursday (GG’s giving you a little advanced notice)! This is the annual holiday where you’ll earn a +1p bonus for dressing up like a Totemfüste. This year’s twist: just like real Halloween, you can’t dress as yourself/your Totemfüste, you have to dress up like someone else! So if you’re say, the Bald Eagle, you have to pick a different animal from the Bestenliste to earn the bonus! Send GG a pic on Thursday as proof!

• Don’t forget that your Drachen can be slayed as early as next Sunday (Feb. 26th) . . . in case you forgot how the Drachen works, here’s a repost from last week’s update:

Drachen season is right around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to do to slay yours . . . For new players, a “Drachen” is the final challenge of any Füsting event. It is equal to FIVE individual Singelt workouts (the reduced parameters for Doppelt and Trippelt workouts do not carry over to the Drachen). This means that if you were to slay your Drachen by just running, you’ll have to do five Singelt 5K runs (so 25K or 15 miles total). Yes, this is a lot and YES, this final bonus is designed to challenge you, push you, maybe even break you. But it’s also about finding out that you can do so much more than you ever thought you could (just ask someone who’s slayed a Drachen). You can combine any of the Singelt workouts to get your Drachen five . . . you could do a 5K run, walk for an hour, do another 5K run, swim 1650 yards and then finish by riding your mountain bike. This is just an example as the combination possibilities are limitless. All Drachens must be defined before attempting slayage and you must contact GG to get his approval of your proposal BEFORE you head out. Couple things . . . you cannot use yoga or a gym workout or a home workout as part of a Drachen. You must go outside and into the world to earn this bonus! The 5 workouts must be done back to back as a single event. Drachen proposals are due by Feb. 19th. Drachens may be slayed starting Sunday, Feb. 26th through the end of the game. Define the Drachen, slay the Drachen, earn the Drachen’s booty with a +15p bonus!

That’s is! You’ve got roughly 13 days left of Füsting! Make ‘em count!
GG

LOKALE LEGENDES ANNOUNCED!

Afternoon Füsters!

GG’s happy to report that the collation of Skwad Kombat numbers was way easier then expected and we have the official winner’s list (with one exception)!

Here’s your Lokale Legendes for Winterfüste 2023:

• Alpha Skwad: OCELOT by +5p

• Bravo Skwad: TRUE TOAD by +1p

• Charlie Skwad: ARCTIC SEA JELLY by +8p

• Delta Skwad: SHOEBILL by +5p

• Echo Skwad: CORSAC FOX by +2p

• Foxtrot Skwad: SEROW by +68p (🫢)

• Golf Skwad: KIT FOX by +17p

• Hotel Skwad: GIANT PANDA BEAR by +1p

• India Skwad: RED FOX by +8p

• Juliet Skwad: INO PENGUIN by +18p

• Kong Skwad: MOUNTAIN LION by +17p

• Lima Skwad: KAKAPO PARROT tied with SNOW BAT (PLANK-OFF!!)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS HERE AS THEY DID INCREDIBLE WORK TO EARN THEIR TITLE AND REWARD!!

Some interesting points here . . . 8 of the 12 winners here are NEO-FÜSTES (first time Füsters)! This is quite frankly incredible! Also, GG performed audits on all winner and runner’s up and found a number of reporting discrepancies. Good learning for GG but moving into Periode III, please keep a close eye on your daily workout reporting and make sure you’re not reporting more Trippelts or Doppelts then you are eligible for each week. Also, make sure you do not double report an entire day (and if you think you might have, please reach out to GG to have him fix your reporting sheet). With still over 100 players left in the game, it’s difficult for GG to police every daily report for every player. So please just a little more attention to detail in the final Periode of the game!

One other thing . . . there will be no Bestenliste tonight as GG now needs to rebuild the website page to remove the Skwads and return to the traditional single list that includes all players.

Thanks all and have a great week!
GG

PERIODE III

Hallo Füsters!

Week 7 finds us having completed Periode II and now moving into the final Periode of WF23 game play. The big difference from here on out: NO SKWADS! That’s right, it’s every Füster for themselves for the next 20 days! And while the Lokale Legendes may be rewarded their bonuses, that doesn’t guarantee that they will win the title of Bestenfüste! Yes, the +3p bonus gives them some cushion but you never know what can happen on any given day on the Spielbrett. So keep up the hard work and finish strong and you just might find yourself standing on the podium!

Updates:

• All Periode I and II bonuses are now sunset. Only Periode III bonuses (plus the Snow Angel and Paid Event) are in play from here until the Finalefüste. The new Week7 bonuses are posted here.

• The Homework page has also been updated through the end of the game as well. Go here to check out how much pain you’re going to be in for the next three weeks.

• Speaking of pain . . . it’s time for Trippelts! Starting Monday, Feb. 13th, you may complete, at the most, the following workouts each week:

  • 4 Trippelts

  • 2 Doppelts

  • 1 Singelt

  Remember, a Trippelt is either the same exercise X3 (not really, go here to review the actual requirements) OR it’s a Doppelt + a different type of Singelt OR it’s three different Singelts. Also remember, you don’t have to do Trippelts at all (or Doppelts for that matter). Do what you want or are able to do. You’ll still earn punkte, just not as many . . .

• Week 7’s Scavenger Hunt (for those playing this bonus) is as follows: go out into the world and find the California State Flag hoisted in a public venue. Send GG a selfie with the flag in clear view above or behind you!

• Drachen season is right around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to do to slay yours . . . For new players, a “Drachen” is the final challenge of any Füsting event. It is equal to FIVE individual Singelt workouts (the reduced parameters for Doppelt and Trippelt workouts do not carry over to the Drachen). This means that if you were to slay your Drachen by just running, you’ll have to do five Singelt 5K runs (so 25K or 15 miles total). Yes, this is a lot and YES, this final bonus is designed to challenge you, push you, maybe even break you. But it’s also about finding out that you can do so much more than you ever thought you could (just ask someone who’s slayed a Drachen). You can combine any of the Singelt workouts to get your Drachen five . . . you could do a 5K run, walk for an hour, do another 5K run, swim 1650 yards and then finish by riding your mountain bike. This is just an example as the combination possibilities are limitless. All Drachens must be defined before attempting slayage and you must contact GG to get his approval of your proposal BEFORE you head out. Couple things . . . you cannot use yoga or a gym workout or a home workout as part of a Drachen. You must go outside and into the world to earn this bonus! The 5 workouts must be done back to back as a single event. Drachen proposals are due by Feb. 19th. Drachens may be slayed starting Sunday, Feb. 26th through the end of the game. Define the Drachen, slay the Drachen, earn the Drachen’s booty with a +15p bonus!

That’s it for now. You’ve got plenty to do as we enter into the final, incredibly demanding Periode of Winterfüste 2023! Three more weeks and you’re done! Keep up the amazing work and finish strong!

May the Füste be ever with you!
GG

Week 6: Closing Out Periode II

Hallo Füsters!

We’re over the hump and past the Cheat Day (how’d it go??) and now we’re in the back half of the game. From here on out we’ll crank up the bonus and exercise requirements as we transition into the final Periode of game play . . .

Updates:

• This is the final week of both Periode II and much more importantly, of Skwad Kombat. Whomever in your Skwad has the highest punkte total as of midnight next Sunday will be rewarded with the +3p Lokale Legende bonus. What happens if there’s a tie? Well, we’ve got a little tradition here at the Füste called the “plank-off” so yeah, if you think you’re going to be the best in your Skwad, hopefully you’ve been doing your homework! Either way, keep a close eye on Skwad play this week as we enter the final run to see how the top 12 players of the game shake out going into Periode III.

• More and more bonuses have been released and homework for this week was already posted so get to it!

• Remember, this is the last week of Doppelt play so, like the last two weeks, you can score 4 Doppelts if you’re so enclined. Next week, we’ll start with Trippelt play.

• Don’t forget that you also have your second Midterm next weekend, so there’s that too . . .

Alright, that’s about it for this week’s updates. Have a great week and good luck to all Skwad players who are in contention for a big win next weekend!
GG

WEEK 5: The Hump

Hallo Füsters . . . GG apologizes for the late Week 5 update but sometimes there’s just not enough hours in the day, ya know? Anyways, here goes . . .

• Week 5 is the centerpoint of Winterfüste with the actual halfway point of the game hitting this Wednesday, Feb. 1st. This is known as the “Halbzeit” and is the true mid point of Winterfüste 23. Traditionally this day is also your Cheat Day. What’s a Cheat Day? It’s the one day during the game where you cannot earn your daily points and therefore anything goes. You can return to your terrible food habits, get black out drunk, and laze around the house in your pajamas if that’s what you really want to do! But be warned, Füsters who go all in and fill their mouth hole full of sweets and breads and cakes and alcohol have a tendency to have a terrible following day. But given that a Cheat Day doesn’t really fit a Wednesday vibe, GG has designated Saturday, Feb. 4th as the official Cheat Day for WF23. So you can do what you will this Saturday and on Sunday YOU WILL NOT REPORT your three daily points (food/drink/exercise) . . . and yes, you can still complete a bonus on Saturday if you want, but you will not be able to earn any other points to be crystal clear!

• This week also shows January coming to a close and as a result the “Dry January” bonus has arrived! Basically, if you completely avoided alcohol from the Startenfüste on Jan. 2nd through Jan. 31st, you can score yourself the +3p Dry January bonus when you report out on Wednesday morning (the option will show up on the DRT when you choose Jan. 31st as your reporting date). GG commends anyone who had the fortitude of spirit to hold it together through the rain and cold of a particularly brutal January without sneaking a little nip of something to take the edge off!

• This week is particularly busy with a couple of extra bonuses so be ready and keep your phone handy cause GG will be texting out the details (if you’ve Füsted before then you probably know what’s coming)!

• New Periode II bonuses have been released for Week 5 so head on over to the bonus page here to find out how you’re earning extra punkte this week! And GG realized last night that he never sent out the Periode II tracking sheet so he’ll see if he can get that out to you tonight! Sorry, as usual, GG is compromised by not being able to clone himself (but someday, some glorious day, GG’s everywhere . . . that’s the dream).

• Homework, blah blah. You know the drill. 2nd Midterm in two weeks so keep it up!

• The Halbzeit on Wednesday is also a great day for a weight in to check your progress. You should definitely have lost some weight . . . if not, you need to take a hard look at how you’re playing the game as we start the back half of WF23!

That’s it for now. Sorry for the late update! Have a great Week 5 and even better Cheat Day this Saturday!

GG

Week 4: Hanger Management

Hallo Füsters!

It’s Week 4 of Winterfüste 2023 and while it’s going to be a real bear at least it’s not raining, right? Right?

Let’s get it on:

• While Periode I fades into the background, Periode II now takes center stage in all it’s painful glory! Periode II begins Jan. 23 and goes for three weeks until ending on Feb. 12th. All Periode I bonuses are now ineligible (in fact you can’t even find them on the DRT). Weekly Lucky Friend gifts are still in play, as is the Scavenger Hunt (statue, historical marker, and "For the Füste” hand-off are behind us and on to the coin well). If you haven’t done your Snow Angel or Paid Event, you can still do both one time before the end of the game.

• Periode II also brings a new change in your exercise regime. Doppelts are now live (starting Monday, Jan. 23rd) but a shift from previous years limits you to only four a week. The other three days can only be Singelt workouts. So for Week 4, you can do three Singelts and four Doppelts (or you can do all Singelts or five singelts and one Doppelt, however you want to play it, there’s no requirement to actually ever complete a Doppelt but then you’ll never get that sweet +2p either so . . . ). And remember, a Doppelt is either a double workout (as defined HERE) or two different and complete Singelt workouts done on the same day.

• Your homework has been updated to further prepare you for your second Midterm. You guys are doing great so far and your first Midterm results were outstanding!

• And finally, it’s the last thing anyone wants to talk about but it’s here and it’s real and we all have to face it. This week has been known over the decades as “die Hungerwoche” and it will test your dedication to this thing we call Füste. No food, only clear liquids on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (even ol’ thank god it’s Friday isn’t going to help you here). Probably a good idea to warn your family and co-workers and maybe, you know, do everyone a favor and just rent a hotel room? Make it through this week and if you also completed the first three fasting days you’ll score the coveted “Hungry Ghost” bonus at a huge +3p. Trust GG when he says that if you want to stand on the Podium as Bestenfüste, then your game goes right through your empty stomach!

That’s it, Füsters! We’re only a week and half away from the true midpoint of the game so keep it up! There’s a lot more to come!

GG

Week 3 Update: Soggy but Resilient

Hallo Füsters!

Quick game update to close out Week 2 of what is unquestionably the coldest and rainiest start to any Winterfüste event since the Winter of 1936, when Eleanor Roosevelt (playing as Dumbo Octopus) completely obliterated the second place finisher Spencer Tracy (playing as Braunbär) in a plank-off for the ages. Good news, rain is supposed to stop tomorrow and we should have at least a week and a half of dry weather on the NorCal Spielbrett (you SoCal players just keep doing what you’re doing and don’t mind us up here, we’re soggy and water logged and a little grumpy).

Here goes the update:

• Two new bonuses this week, both due by the end of Periode I, which just happens to be next Sunday, Jan. 22nd. Furthermore, all bonuses released in Periode 1 are due complete by that same date. The only bonuses that will carry forward into Periode II (starting Jan. 23rd) are the Snow Angel and the Paid Event. EVERYTHING ELSE IS DUE BY NEXT SUNDAY!

• To help you keep track of the bonus game play, GG is releasing a Periode I tracking sheet (yes, yes, better late then never) followed next weekend by a Periode II tracking sheet etc. Hope that helps.

• This weeks big event: double Fastentag days with 24 hour fasts hitting Tuesday AND Thursday. Just to you make sure you feel gross and hangry more than once this week!

• Hopefully you’ve been doing your homework cause you’ve got your first Midterm coming up next weekend. More details at the end of the week!

That’s it (see, told you it’d be short). Keep doing what your’e doing, Füsters. GG is incredibly impressed by how many players have been out in the rain these last two weeks, knocking out the exercise and bonuses! Really amazing dedication to the game and most importantly to yourselves. 7 more weeks to go!

GG

WEEK 2 UPDATE: THE PRESSURE BEGINS

Hallo Füsters and willkommen to Week 2!

Hopefully everyone enjoyed Week 1 (soggy and cold as it was for most of us). Each Sunday night GG will provide a game update covering what’s coming for the next seven days, plus reflections on the past week. He’ll also try to address any FAQ’s or issues that popped up during game play.

So here goes:

• First (and this wasn’t an issue, GG’s just being pro-active here), please remember that GG is only one person and the Füste is a literal labor of love. He has a regular full time job just like most of you and tries to have some semblance of a life, even during Winterfüste. This means that his communication back to you can often be sporadic. You’ll usually get a good response at the beginning of the day or the end of the day but that middle part can be a bit dicey. He does try to monitor the text feed for actual questions in case a Füster needs clarification or direction that same day but if it’s an acknowledgement of a workout or bonus, you’ll probably hear back early or later . . . thanks for your understanding.

• Skwad Kombat seems to moving right along without any significant issues. Remember, there are 12 Skwads and as a result there will be 12 Füsters who win the +3p Lokale Legende bonus at the end of Periode II. That could be enough to take the whole game so you might want to pay attention to what your Skwad mates are doing! You need to win this first battle if you’re going to win the war!

• If you haven’t noticed yet, GG is moving away from Twitter and starting to focus more on Instagram. Main reason being that the registration audit showed that a very high percentage of Füsters have an IG account while only a mid range number have a Twitter account. So, makes sense to go where the Füsters are . . . That being said, GG’s still figuring out the best way to use IG to it’s full effect. As with everything with the Füste, your patience is greatly appreciated.

• There’s been some confusion around the new Periode based bonus system so GG did some work on the bonus page (go HERE) and he hopes the edits will clear things up. Basically, there are two bonuses that you have to (or can) complete by the end of each week. The first is the “lucky friend gift”. Each week you can give only one gift to one friend. If you miss the opportunity for that specific week, you can’t make it up. The second is the Scavenger Hunt bonus. This one’s a little different in that you have to complete each week to be able to get the clue for the next week. Earn this bonus for all nine weeks and you earn the +3p completion bonus. Other than those two, all other bonuses either have to be completed by the end of each Periode (the first game period, Periode I, ends on Jan. 22nd) or they have some other time parameter that’s clearly spelled out on the bonus page.

• Speaking of bonuses, two new Periode I bonuses have been added to the bonus page (link above in blue) so go check em out. And several players have asked about the bonus tracking sheet that GG put out last year. As soon as he can find some spare time, GG will put this together for the Füsters. Possibly early this coming week.

• Don’t forget to do your homework as you’re only two weeks out from your first Mid-Term (and associated bonus). And no, GG will not accept the excuse that a long dog ate your home work.

• And please don’t forget, this week’s big event is the first Fastentag of Winterfüste. Starting Wednesday at midnight, you’ll need to complete a full 24 hour, clear liquid-only fast if you want to earn the +1p bonus and be eligible for the full completion bonus in a couple weeks. You’ll report off on this week’s Fastentag on Thursday morning, Jan. 12th.

That’s it for now. Looks like those of us playing in NorCal are in for another wet and wild week of game play. GG can’t remember the last time a Füste event had torrential rain for days plus lightening and thunder and all that good stuff. Makes you with for the warm days and nights of Sömmer Kamp, no?

Have a great Week 2 and as always, may the Füste be with you!
GG