We haven't done a math trade in a long time...

I have a few toads that would be happier somewhere else.

Could someone explain exactly how a math trade works?

Sure. You make a list of games you are willing to trade away. Everyone does. Then, for each game on your list, you make a sub-list of games from others that you would take in trade. Like, you might have YAHTZEE and you're willing to trade it away for BIG BOGGLE, SCRABBLE, or THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT. You might also have TICHU, and nothing on the list seems worth it to you for that one. At some point, you are asked to "submit your wants" in a cryptic format that details this thing. Deciphered, it would look like this:
YAHTZEE : BIG BOGGLE, SCRABBLE, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
TICHU :

Everyone makes these "want lists" and then a program forms some bipartite graphs that minimize weights (don't ask, or do, if that's your thing) algorithmically, and you get instructions to send YAHTZEE to Matt Loter, who sends something to Barney, who sends something to Uba, who sends something to Mike, who sends you SCRABBLE.

So, even though Mike didn't want YAHTZEE, and even though Matt didn't have anything you wanted, everyone ends up happy.

So if you don't know what you want for a given game, then what happens? Like with Tichu in your example.

You keep Tichu and nobody sends you anything for it.

I have some shelf toads that need moving along.

hotseatgames wrote: So if you don't know what you want for a given game, then what happens? Like with Tichu in your example.

First, you list the games you want. They get a number assigned to them.

Then, once all the games are listed, you then assign games that you WANT to the games that you have listed. The order in which you list them is the weight of how much you want it. If there's no games that you want in trade for any given game you've listed, you leave its want list blank and no games will be traded for your game.

I'm hoping somebody wants airplanes.

metalface13 wrote: You keep Tichu and nobody sends you anything for it.

Unless you roll a critical hit, then you receive The Queen's Gambit for Tichu.

This is an Ameritrash math trade after all!

Michael Barnes wrote: I nominate QPCloudy.

I say we do a double secret math trade incorporating a "Secret Satan in July" type thing. Like, you get the math trade proper, but you also must throw in a shitty gift as well. And all trades are blind. Can that even be done in a math trade?

We would pm or email our list to the coordinator. The coordinator puts up master trade list using numbers instead of usernames. I think that would work since in SS we know who we send to, but not who it is from.