I'm not RWAP'ing anything. This question just randomly came to mind and since I started playing in the games, thought I'd ask if books won in games need to meet RC's.

This is my RC:

Hello!  Please make sure when sending your book it meets PBS standards to post and:

• Hardcover books are sent with the dust jacket. (with the exception of a pictorial boards hardcover book)
• Please no personal names on front or back cover of books (with the exception of a signed autograph by the author itself)
• Books from a non-smoking home (unless you smoke outside and they do not smell).
• Books are sent with an extra layer of protection underneath the wrapper (like plastic wrap) to protect from the weather.

Thank you very much!

The book I just recently got from 1 of the 2 games that I played arrived safely but didn't meet my RC. What would happen in the event that it didn't arrive safely? I can't do anything about it, right? It came without the dust jacket and also didn't have any extra layer of protection from weather. Well, wouldn't be able to do anything about the weather anyways cause it arrived safely.

I don't believe that you can use RC's in swaps as the game rules only cover PBS postability, however the links are for specific ISBN's so you could only ask for paperbacks.  If your book is sent damaged or unpostable that the sender needs to replace it.  I am also unsure about what happens if it is damaged enroute.  I've been very fortunate in that the people I've played games with always wrap their books very well, usually in bubble mailers or boxes.  If you have very specific requirements for your books, the games may not be a great option.

Edited to correct my horrible spelling at this "late" hour.

What Becky said. Game rules only require that books meet PBS conditions. There's no way for other players to know your RC and if you ask for a reveal, you cannot demand a player to offer a hardcover with a dustjacket or a book without their name written, etc. Most gamers wrap their books in plastic but not all of them so you could ask them to do that when you are PMing your address. But if you want game books to meet the other conditions, then games may not be for you.

That said, I've played in hundreds of games since I joined PBS and the average condition of the book is higher than what you would find FIFO. A lot of gamers pride themselves in sharing like new books. I'd say that more than 50% of the books I've received via games are in very good or like new condition. I've only gotten one smokey book out of hundreds (I've actually received more books from games than FIFO) and maybe a few that were unpostable but with really minor condition problems, like a small stain here on there in a not obvious place. Of course, I cannot say your experience would be the same because I don't know what kind of games you're playing but overall, I've had few issues playing or hosting games.

The above are correct - RC's don't count in a game.  That wouldn't be fair at all to other players as far as revealing a book - for example, if one person's RC's were "No HB without a dustjacket" then that would mean every player revealing a hardback would have to make sure they had the dustjacket in case you won their book.

As for being damaged en route to you, we tend to follow the PBS standards - if it was packaged appropriately and the post office damaged the book, the receiver is out.  If it was packaged poorly and got damaged because of that, the sender is at fault.  Wrapping in plastic is not required by PBS and not required in the games, but you can always ask the sender to do that for you. 

You aren't PMing people in games when you've won a book with that RC are you?  Because I know that would really tick me off.  You aren't even guaranteed a book you want to read when you join a game let alone dust jackets, non-smoking etc.., In one of hte virtual boxes I do the hostess but things like "pets or smoker" by peoples names. But in the VBS you can choose which books you want to take out. 

You will not be very popular in the games if you are asking for RCS to be met or holding games up to ask other players if they smoke or if an offered hardcover has a dust jackets etc..,  Although I'm sure most wouldn't mind if when you PMd your address you politely suggested plastic wrap if you know your mail box leaks or your mail man is fond of playing "hide the package" when they deliver your mail.

As everyone else said, the person sending you a book in the game didn't even see your RC, and even if she did  she couldn't know when offering that you would end up with it.  If you really have to have the RCs met, as with severe allergies, than games probably aren't for you.  I agree that most books I've gotten from games are better than what I've gotten FIFO.  The few that were unpostable were due to minor, easily overlooked issues like small faint marks.

Mary: In the last coupled that I played in, I have along with other players PM'd to choose the book we want. I don't really mind game books meeting my RC or not since they're just going to be read then back on the FIFO line to be sent to other players. I only put my RC on if it's a book I want on my keeper shelf. I was just wondering on what to do because I don't turn off my RC when that particular game book is sent.

Whatever RC you have set up for book requests has nothing to do with game books.  Someone sending you a game book does not see that RC. They don't have a formal request going to you for that wook.  You send them your address adn they send the book.  They never see your RC.  RCs should be sent to someoen on a game book because it's going to be a keeper for you.  It's not the way games work. What is the sender of hte book supposed to do if you PM them with these RCS adn the book doesn't meet them? Go out and buy you a new book?  I wouldn't.  You can't expect anything more from a game book then that it's mailed by the deadline and meets the PBS posting guidelines. 

Are you saying you also PM your RC along with your address? I don't think that would be allowed in a game because people enter Games under the Games rules stated at the start of the Game and for a member to add a Requester Condition to a book after the Game is over is not only not fair, but not really feasible. How would they be able to enter the Game with a perfectly postable book without a dust jacket, and then at the end of the Game because you won the book and place a Requester Condition on it for a dust jacket now have to have one? Its just not possible for Games to allow Requester Conditions to come into play at the end of the Game when the books have been selected.

You can't place conditions above and beyond the Games conditions on a book. You will just have to post it and swap through the system for a different copy where you can apply you conditions to get a keeper copy.

While I don't mind this discussion being here, I think many would learn from it if it were in games, under "Ask A Mod."  Just a suggestion.

Melanie: I don't send my RC to the person in games, only my address. I only came across this question because of the book sent to me that didn't meet my RC that I use to request in the system. I didn't mind the book I got not having a dusk jacket but I was just curious about if RC's are in effect in the games or not since I couldn't see a way to RWAP which from the replies above, you can't RWAP it anyways.

If you receive a book from the games that don't meet the PBS posting guidelines then you contact the swap's hostess and let them know.  They'll deal with the player and the moderator and you will probably get the senders credit back. 

But the sender cannot see your RCS and RCS have no place in the games. If they are that important to you then you just can't do the games.  I'm sure lots of gamers have RCS that they apply to books they request for a credit. But they know it's a non-issue with games.

What they all said 

Swap books must meet postability guidelines.  If they do not, contact your hostess (a recently clarified rule) and she will help you.  Otherwise, swap books fall outside RWAP and RC situations. 

Exception . . . once in a while there's a swap game specifically for unpostables.  In which case the rules will be clearly posted in the game rules.

I was just wondering on what to do because I don't turn off my RC when that particular game book is sent

Ok, I have a question...By any chance have you won a WL book and the person sent you a credit so they could post the book to you, thus your RCs *would* show up!  I had someone request this of me once, I can't really remember why now....but I do remember asking others about it at the time and it seemed everyone knew about doing that but me!  I think we had Custom DC already, too, because I'm I remember wondering why the sender didn't just use that, but I'm positive she gave me a reason and I just don't recall. Anyway, just a thought and a way that your RCs would be an issue.  It's been too long since I've answered these questions, I'm not sure if you can turn off your RCs before accepting a WL book, I'd have to go look.   I can say, JIC this is what happened, that I've only been asked to do that one time in all the swaps I've been in..and that's a *lot*, lol.

ETA: Even if this came up, you would have to find a way to work around it because game books to not have to meet RCs.

however the links are for specific ISBN's  

I just wanted to say that this isn't always true.  Some swaps do require this, of course, but not all.  I don't require it in my swaps, although I believe most player do it automatically.  some players, like myself, don't use PBS links, though, unless the hostess specifies it in the rules. In that case, you wouldn't know for sure if a book were HC or PB, but one could always ask. :-)

Also if the book came wrapped as in PBS guidelines, just the paper and packing take and some how got wet I do not think you would get the senders credit as it is not a requirement.

Maybe that person wanted to use the PBS postage which you can't do with the custom DC.  It used to be that the Mail To a Friend optiosn was only availalbleon books posted on your own bookshelf.  So if you wanted to use PBS postage on a WL game book you either had to post that book to the person's WL  or post a dummy book and use that.  But a few months ago they made it so now every book has the Mail To a Friend option on it and you can just do it that way.

If you have RCs and someone wants to send you a book that way then you need to turn those RCs off. They don't apply to game books because it was just be too hard to enforce them and for people to know about them.  No one would want to host games if they had to find out about everyone's RCs and then everyone's possible issues like who has pets and what kidn of pets and who has a smoker in their house and is anyone offering a book without a dust jacket etcc.,   What a headache that would be.

Beth, once in a while I've had a swap player buddy a credit then post the book to my wishlist.  It might have something to do with preserving the footprint? 

What everyone said. RC's don't count in games. You get what you win. Although I will say, Ive also played in many, many games, and not once have I gotten a smoky smelling book in a game (which is one of my RCs).

game players dont see your RC's.

Maybe playing the Games isn't for you.