Posting in a different (random) thread might exclude a lot of the regulars. I imagine most of the Lair denizens only check this thread and maybe a few others. How many are even aware that RETRO has a
GIVEAWAYS ARENA thread?
Not announcing the games in advance would mitigate the problem of people trying to snipe the best games and bickering about who was first but might lead to other issues. For example, people might make impulsive choices just to get in line early and later try to modify their choices for any number of reasons. It could cause more chaos and the pressure to be early will still exist.
I think a raffle is the best format both for the giveaway creator and for the participants. It gets rid of the "early bird" factor and leaves no room for debate. How would you raffle off so many games? Here's one idea:
1. Creator posts a list of the available games.
2. Users have 24 hours to submit a ranked list of their top 10 choices (or up to 10).
3. Once the submission period is closed, the creator distributes the games based on this procedure.
- Look at all the games ranked #1. If a game is only in one person's #1 slot, they get it. If not, do a mini raffle between the tied users.
- Delete the list of anyone who won a game.
- Repeat the above steps for ranks #2 through #10
4.
Optionally, compensate those who didn't win anything. Maybe they get a pick from a special pool of extra games or, if you want to make things more complicated, they could receive "tickets" that increase their odds of winning future raffles.
Someone with scripting experience could easily automate step 3.
Just my 2 cents. I'd hate to see these giveaways die just because of the inappropriate behavior of a few.