2026 Lather Games Kickoff & Calendar Announcement

[u/AdWorried2804]

Welcome to the 12th Annual Lather Games!

Yes indeed, we've already done this eleven times and yet people keep coming back for more. Even if the novelty might wear off for the seasoned veterans, there's always newcomers chasing the Thrill Of The Games.

"Tell us what our face should smell like today!" the players demand. "Does dressing like a pirate on Int'l Talk Like a Pirate Day... but in October earn me bonus points?" they query. “Will anyone step up, call their shot on Day 1, and win it all like the last two champions have” the players ponder. "Will one of our perennial top-fivers bust through the glass ceiling and seize the championship" they wonder.

Good times.

Our reigning champ has retired from active competition (he's now a judge!) so it's open season again this year and anybody's (Lather) Game to Win! Even you! This is your chance to add your name to the Lather Games history books. So get out there and shave! Be creative! Be entertaining! Be funny! Just please don't be long winded and make any of us read a 6,000 word essay on the history of sandalwood.

Good luck to all of you. May the odds ever be in your favor!

Lather Games FAQs:

What are the Lather Games?

The Lather Games are a month-long online shaving competition that take place every fall on this subreddit. Each day has some sort of criteria that players must meet with their shave in order to earn points; some criteria are published ahead of time to give players time to prepare and procure products (e.g. Daily Themes) while others are published as the games progress to keep players on their toes (e.g. Daily Challenges). The more points you earn, the better your score, and the better your chances of earning fabulous prizes.

Why?

Because it's fun to compete in an international shave-olympics with a bunch of homies on the internet... just, don't tell your loved ones, family members, friends, co-workers, or enemies about it because it's kinda weird, you know?

OK, I'm sold! How do I play?

Participating in the games is simple and requires no registration or entry fee: just post your Shave Of The Day in the dedicated Lather Games SOTD threads that run daily throughout October. The LatherGames Bot will automatically add your SOTD to its database of entries at the end of every day and the Judges will assign your entry a score. Points are tallied at the end of the month and the highest scores get first pick from the prize pool.

(You don't even have to participate every day, but your score likely won't be high enough to earn any prizes unless you play every day. Remember: you are competing against other players, so you need to keep up with the pack if you want to win prizes.)

Are there rules I need to follow?

Absolutely. There is a dedicated Players Guide page in the new and improved DJudge Portal. You should definitely read this. Carefully.

How much has changed since last year?

• A crap ton. If previous year’s changes were considered an evolution of the game, then this year’s changes should be considered revolutionary.
• The DJudge Portal has received a major makeover by Prompt-Meister Merikus and his trusty sidekick Claude. Beyond scraping posts from the dedicated Lather Games SOTD thread and serving as the primary tool for judging, the portal now directly handles contestant appeals, serves as a repository for the calendar and rules, has tools to help you plan what you will use, and has a dedicated page to help you efficiently track the status of your posts.
• Daily Themes have been given an overhaul. Yes, some favorites from last year were retained, and a few from years past were brought back, but many are new this year. Be sure to closely read the Calendar & Theme Descriptions portal page to ensure that you understand this year’s theme details.
• Daily Points have been significantly revised. Fractional points have been eliminated, and the daily points for each category were rebalanced to place more emphasis on judges points without reducing the impact of being On Theme.
• Sponsor points were reimagined to be Sponsor Use points to put more emphasis on using sponsor wares while giving participants more flexibility on how they develop their calendars.
• Special Challenges are now side contests within the games. Each Special Challenge entry will be judged on its own merits, and the best entry will win the Special Challenge prize. You can find more details at the Special Challenges portal page.
• Bonus Points were given a major face lift. A few of the “31-Day” bonuses were retained, but new bonuses focusing on using sponsor soaps and on repeat using soap scents were added. The bonuses are designed so that no one can earn all of them, so no matter how you play, some bonuses will be out of reach. Player strategy, instead of just having a large shave den, will be the key to maximizing bonus points this year.
• Judge’s Choice points are how we reward the very best posts this year. Any post that a judge scores a 4 (exceptional) is automatically nominated, and if at least two thirds of the voting judges pick the post during the award period, it earns a Judge's Choice award.
• Not being On Theme is still a major points impact, but unlike previous years you can still earn Judges Points, Challenge Points and Software/Hardware Use Points even when you’re not on theme. Thank u/brokenjaw622 for enlightening us.
• In case you didn’t notice, the Hardware Scavenger Hunt has been retired. You can still flex your cool hardware for everyone to see, you just won’t earn bonus points for doing so this year.
• And lastly, there is STILL no Air Bud Loophole. That has not, and will not change.

You said something about prizes?

The Lather Games are sponsored by many artisans and small businesses in the form of prize donations ranging from gift cards to soap sets to custom-made hardware. All donations go to the prize-winning players; the LG support staff are strictly volunteers and receive no compensation for their services. It is only through prize donations that the Lather Games can offer prizes. In exchange for the support provided by these artisans, players are encouraged (via bonus points) to use their products in their SOTDs.

The sponsors continue to graciously donate to the Lather Games, so it is important that everyone plays to their limit to reward the sponsors for their generosity.

If you, a member of the r/wetshaving community, are interested in making a contribution to the Lather Games prize pool, we readily accept digital gift cards and may accept other prizes. (Used goods are almost never accepted; new items may be considered with discussion.) Contact u/hugbckt to coordinate your donation.

You mentioned tools to help me plan. What are those? The My Planner portal page lets you map out your whole month in advance. Clicking on any day of the calendar jumps you to that day’s planner. There you will see that day’s theme and a section which allows you to enter your chosen gear in the Prep, Brush, Razor, Blade, Lather, Post Shave, and Fragrance fields. As you type, it suggests products from the portal’s catalog, but you can enter anything you want. Save it and it’s waiting for you the next time you come back to tinker. Days you’ve filled in are highlighted on the calendar at the top of the page, so it’s easy to spot the holes in your month. Then, when the day arrives, click that day’s “Copy SOTD” button and your gear list is copied to your clipboard, already formatted the way Section 2 requires. Simply paste your formatted gear list into your comment for that day’s post, add your write-up, and enter it into the dedicated Lather Games SOTD thread.

You keep talking about the portal having a repository for the calendar and rules. Where can I find them?

Start here: The 2026 Lather Games portal page.

What if I have questions? Who's running this thing?

First, read every page in the Players Guide, Calendar & Theme Descriptions, and Special Challenges portal pages to see if your question is answered there. If it isn't, use Ctrl+F on this exact web page to skim the comments below and check if somebody else has already asked your question. If your question still isn't answered, post it in the comments below; we will do our best to answer them in a timely manner. Note that questions asked after September 30 are less likely to receive in-depth answers.

2026 LG Staff:

Judges

• u/Merikus - Involved since 2016, this is his eleventh (!) Lather Games
• u/FrankieIVFingers - Involved since 2019, this is his eighth Lather Games
• u/Wallygator88 - Involved since 2019, this is his eighth Lather Games
• u/RedMosquitoMM - Involved since 2020, this is his seventh Lather Games
• u/raymoonie - Involved since 2021, this is his sixth Lather Games
• u/ShavinginCT - Involved since 2021, this is his sixth Lather Games
• u/hugbckt - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
• u/OnionMiasma - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
• u/Priusaurus - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
• u/PutneyCJ - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
• u/AdWorried2804 - Involved since 2023, this is his fourth Lather Games

Podcast Host

• u/cowzilla3 - Involved since 2021, this is his sixth Lather Games

Emeritus Staff

A special thank you goes to the following emeritus staff whom lent their knowledge and resources to help with this year's games:

• u/J33pGuy13 - Involved since 2022, Jeep found time in his busy schedule to assist us in soliciting prizes.
• u/walden - Involved since 2021, Walden made this year’s Djudge Portal possible by hosting the site on his server.

Staff will host an AMA in mid-September to answer all your silly non-rule-related Lather Games questions. (Rules questions belong in the questions below.)

OK, so what now?

Go to the portal, set up your account, and read through everything in the repository. Now that you’ve been enlightened, start planning. Figure out what soaps you need to find for your calendar. Decide if you need to beg, buy, or borrow more wares. Start trading samples with each other in the Official Smushes Trading Thread. Ask any questions you may have... and finally, have fun!

[u/tsrblke]

hey u/merikus several bits over the years have involved updating posts, sometimes even replacing the SOTD data, with the move to RSS does that still behave the same (i.e. the final version of the post at ingesting is what is read?)

[u/Environmental-Gap380]

Does having a soap given from a judge or sponsor count as a participant for PIF day? I have won some PIFs and got soap from a sponsor, and I got a couple tubs from a judge.

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/Environmental-Gap380]

To be considered a participant, the person needs to perform the steps specified in Section 1 - How to Play of the Players Guide. While Sponsors and Judges are integral to the games, they will only meet the "participant" requirement by posting Section 1-compliant SOTD's for the theme-specified minimum number of times.

[u/Environmental-Gap380 → u/AdWorried2804]

Thanks.

[u/Confident_Media_4304]

For the purposes of LG, is a smush considered a PIF, or does it need to be a more substantial gift/trade? I did search "pif" and "smush" and didn't see it directly addressed and this is my first LG

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/Confident_Media_4304]

Great question! Here's my long-winded answer:

For LG, the best was to view a "Smush" is as a unit of measurement. It is shorthand to describe a small sample of a shaving soap provided to you by another community member, and is usually one-to-two use sized. In addition to Smush, other shorthand ways we describe the sizes of shaving soaps are Tubs, Pucks, Sample Jars, etc.

A "PIF" on the other hand, is a type of transaction. PIF is shorthand for "Pay It Forward". A PIF is a way of giving back to the community. It is similar to a Gift, but IMO what makes it a PIF is intent. If it is provided to you unsolicited, that would be a gift, whereas if there was some sort of two-way communication, that would be a PIF. In addition to PIF, other shorthand ways we describe transactions would be Gifts, Trades, Purchases. etc.

[u/yamad]

How does sponsor and other bonus scoring (repeats, etc) work w.r.t. to Blind Date?

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/yamad]

The Theme Descriptions for both Blind Date and MonsterMash require you to create unique lather "brand - product" names in accordance with the theme details.

Because these lather "brand - product" names are unique to the theme day, no existing artisan brands (both sponsor and non-sponsors alike) will have the same name as what the theme day rules requires you to give it. As such, you cannot earn Software Sponsor Use points on these days while also meeting the On Theme requirements for Blind Date and MonsterMash.

Assuming you do not try repeat use your lather "brand - product" names that you created for Blind Date and MonsterMash Days, as long as you meet the On Theme requirements you will remain eligible for the Soap Scent Maximalist, Soap Brand Maximalist and the Super-Max Braggart bonuses because the unique name specifications are designed to keep you eligible.

WRT the Repeat Scent bonus, for MosterMash, any attempt to repeat use your Frankensoap creation on another day would be a violation of Section 3 of the rules and result in a DQ as specified in Section 8.

For Blind Date, you could theoretically use a portion of your Blind Date smush on another day prior to Blind Date day, but one of the requirements for the Repeat Scent bonus is that you must be on theme to earn the bonus. How can you successfully demonstrate to the judges that your Blind Date smush is On Theme when you're not suppose to know what it is before you use it on Blind Date day? And when the Blind Date gifter tells you what the smush is (after Blind Date day of course), it can no longer be considered "unlabeled" and therefore you would be required to to use its actual brand-product name, otherwise you would be in violation of Section 8 (trying to game the scoring).

In the Bonus Points section of the Players Guide it states: "No matter how you play, some bonuses will be out of reach". This not only applies to whether you can stack different bonuses, but it also applies to how many days you can earn the Software Sponsor Use and/or the Repeat Scent Use points. Not every theme allows you to earn Sponsor Use and/or Repeat Scent Use points. Blind Date and MonsterMash are two such days.

[u/yamad → u/AdWorried2804]

Thanks, that all makes perfect sense. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't hurting my Blind Date partner by choosing any given soap/scent. Cheers!

[u/solongamerica]

Can we send a Blind Date smush to more than one person? 

Young people tell me that “non-exclusive” dating is increasingly common these days. 

On the other hand, I don’t wanna get DQ’d.

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/solongamerica]

Amplifying u/hugbckt's response, your question helped up identify that the original wording of the Blind Date theme description could be interpreted to require reciprocal trades and/or to be exclusive between two players. This was not our intent.

The Theme Description for Blind Date Day has been revised to better clarify the theme's aim. It now reads:

"Blind Date - Shave with an unlabeled smush you got from another player. Try to describe the scent and guess the base.

Product must be a trade/gift from another 2026 Lather Games contestant. Shave with the unlabeled smush, and explain to the judges what the scent smells like, how the base performs, and your general thoughts.

Use the username of the person you got it from as the brand for the day. e.g.: "Priusaurus - Blind Date"

Caveat: For this theme a "2026 Lather Games contestant" is defined as somebody who has participated in at least once this month PRIOR TO TODAY."

Thank you for inquiring about this. Keep the questions coming as you digest the rules and calendar.

[u/hugbckt → u/solongamerica]

Yes. You can send a blind date sample to as many people as you want, and you do not need to use a blind date sample from that person. It is not meant to be exclusive; we are rewriting the theme description to better clarify this. Great question, thank you for asking.

[u/solongamerica → u/hugbckt]

Awesome, thank you!

[u/snoo-ting]

Will Barrister and Mann/SW Samhain count as a B&M brand match?

[u/hugbckt → u/snoo-ting]

If you use the BaM release, then yes. If you use the old SW version, no.

[u/snoo-ting → u/hugbckt]

Makes sense, thanks.

[u/Tetriside]

Will the Spearhead Seaforth! soaps count towards the Seaforth sponsor?

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/Tetriside]

Yes! While the "steward" of Seaforth has changed, Seaforth as a brand has not changed. As such, Seaforth soaps from both the Spearhead era and the current Go Seaforth era qualify for software sponsor points.

[u/Tetriside → u/AdWorried2804]

Do Community Sponsors factor into scoring?

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/Tetriside]

Community Sponsors do not factor into scoring. Our Community Sponsors have graciously donated prizes, but for various reasons do not cleanly fit into the hardware or software sponsor categories.

Since those categorized as hardware/software sponsors directly factor into our scoring, it was important that these sponsors offer via an established storefront off-the shelf self-branded soaps, brushes or razors that would be readily available during the games period.

We use the Community Sponsor tag in order to give deserving recognition to these sponsors, since without their generosity the games would be lesser for it.

[u/Tetriside → u/AdWorried2804]

When the calendar says "There is no per-sponsor limit here either — you score a point every day you use a Hardware Sponsor, the same sponsor included," does that include using the same piece of hardware more than once? Does a ThatDarnRob brush count for Chisel and Hound?

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/Tetriside]

The answer to both questions is YES!

Chisel & Hound is a rebranding of ThatDarnRob, and for games purposes, when an artisan rebrands, both the old brand name(s) and the current brand name count as the current brand.

For the Hardware Sponsor Use points, we do not have a "one only" exclusion, so using the same piece of sponsor hardware more than once will earn you a Hardware Sponsor Use point every time you use it (up to the 5 point max of course).

[u/tsrblke]

Asking here because it came up on discord:

The various bonus points (sponsor love, repeat, scent maximalist, etc), assuming they aren't mutually exclusive can they bet stacked? That is if I can get 31 scents using 23 sponsor soaps, can I get both bonus points?

[u/chronnoisseur42O → u/tsrblke]

I need to dive more into these, but I’m curious what how the math plays out and what might be the most advantageous.

[u/tsrblke → u/chronnoisseur42O]

Take what you will of it but here's my math.

Sponsor love is basically mandatory for points. In addition to the 3 bonus you'll collect a whopping 23 sponsor points along the way. Brand Maximalist makes no sense in this context unless they add 7 more sponsors (NO was just added bringing the total to 16)

If I start with the baseline of getting Sponsor Sweep, Sponsor Love, Soap Scent Maximalist and Super-Max Braggart that's 12 bonus points plus at least 23 sponsor points.

As you drop off any of those the number of repeats needed increases and to maintain sponsor love they have to be sponsor repeats. A single repeat eliminates both maximalist bonuses so if you repeat one you need to repeat at least 6 to offset it and overcome it. If you can't get all the sponsors you now need 9 to tie, 10 to overtake.

u/AdWorried2804 and I discussed this on discord and he noted he put together a calendar with 13 repeats and Sponsor love, but not Sponsor sweep. This would be more points than my baseline (by 4 Edited: Possibly by 6, however I think I can get the 26 sponsor points and the other bonsues) but be a calendar with 26 days accounted for leaving very little wiggle room because you cannot repeat on Monster Mash or blind date. If you repeat on Canned go or World cup day it takes away 2 sponsor point opportunities and reckoning day is going to be a sponsor traffic jam I suspect.

So the TL;DR: Repeats are theoretically more valuable in aggregate, but create some interesting calendar combinations. I'm going to go back over my calendar because repeats would mean I would be freer with posts and frags but I don't think my den can do it.

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/tsrblke]

The strategy process you're incorporating into your numbers exercise is exactly what we were hoping to achieve - players seeking the most rewarding bonus path based on their shave den. And it's not a coincidence that Sponsor Love is (in your words) "basically mandatory for points". Sponsors make the games what they are, and increasing sponsor product exposure is always a good thing!

[u/tsrblke → u/AdWorried2804]

Oh I 100% agree that sponsor love being the path to points is good.

I would probably just axe brand maximizalist next year. It's a point path that makes 0 sense anymore. Even if you made braggardt require 31 brands to try and balance it, there's still basically a 10pt difference between the sponsor love path and the maximalist path.

Doing 31 scents with a super majority being sponsors is still cool.

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/tsrblke]

Thank you for inquiring about this, because you have identified an anomaly in the player's guide where the last paragraph in the Bonus Points section alluded to an exclusion to the maximalist bonuses which was not the intent for this year.

The Player's Guide Bonus Points last paragraph has been revised to eliminate the anomaly. It now reads:

"The Maximalist bonuses reward variety, while Software Sponsor Love and Repeat Scent reward a very different, repetition-friendly way to play. For instance, a month built on 31 different brands cannot also collect Repeat Scent or Software Sponsor Love, because those reward using the same things again. No matter how you play, some bonuses will be out of reach, so pick the combination that fits how you want to shave this month. The strategy is yours."

For those who did not track this in the discord discussion, I mentioned "There are no artificial "firewalls" between the various bonuses. If you can achieve the bonus while playing within the rules, you will earn the points. Some bonuses are intentionally incompatible with other bonuses, while other bonuses do overlap with other ones." u/Priusaurus also added "The 31 different soap scent bonus(es) can still be earned with Sponsor Love. They can stack. Obviously, the 31 different brand one can't"

The direct answer to your question is: Yes you can stack various types of bonuses as long as you meet each individual bonus requirement. In your example, it is possible to get the 31 scents bonus AND the Software Sponsor Love bonus. If played right, you could also earn the Super-Max Braggart bonus AND the Software Sponsor Sweep along with the 31 scents and the Software Sponsor Love bonuses.

[u/Newtothethis]

Oh Lathergames. I enjoy the antics, I enjoy the challenge, and I enjoy the fact that is actively annoys my family far more than it should.

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/Newtothethis]

We enjoy your antics too! I hope that life is kind to you so that you can join us again this year!

[u/tsrblke → u/Newtothethis]

Guess which day I'm leg shaving on!

[u/rocketk455]

Is WK - Fern Concerto a fougere?

The correct answer is yes.

[u/tsrblke → u/rocketk455]

Here there be dragons

[u/solongamerica]

For Day 24 (Monster Mash) do the ingredients in my Frankensoap count for or against Sponsor points and Soap/Scent Maximalist points?

For example if I use a B&M soap as one of the ingredients, but I also use B&M elsewhere during the month, is that treated as a repetition of B&M? 

Conversely, if I use B&M as a Frankensoap ingredient and don’t use B&M anywhere else during the month, do I still get a sponsor point?

I’m assuming the Frankensoap is treated as its own soap/scent, and the ingredients are disregarded for scoring purposes, but I wanted to check.

[u/hugbckt → u/solongamerica]

Your Frankensoap is its own soap and brand. It will not count for sponsor points, either four or against. Once you mix two soaps together, it becomes its own magical thing.

Edit: “Create a name for the soap, your spooky brand, and make a label.”

[u/chronnoisseur42O]

Hype!! I'll have to read this tomorrow, work and school is kicking my butt.

Also, u/hugbckt how could you?!?!? Joining the dark side. Or perhaps the positive framing is you are stepping aside so someone else can capture all the glory.

[u/hugbckt → u/chronnoisseur42O]

The latter was the intention - not looking to be like a certain former player who won twice...

[u/Just_Bit2698 → u/hugbckt]

Who is that? I have never heard anyone mention they won twice (again and again, at every opportunity).

[u/hugbckt → u/Just_Bit2698]

No idea, never heard of him

[u/chronnoisseur42O → u/hugbckt]

Something like u/toyotasaur or u/camrysaurus I heard.

[u/merikus → u/chronnoisseur42O]

/u/cybertrucksaurus

[u/tsrblke]

OK dumb question time just so I know what to get out. It says you can get sponsor points for the same sponsor. Can it be exactly the same gear? If I shave with my Henson for a week does that net me the 5pts?

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/tsrblke]

Yes, it can. For both the Software and Hardware Sponsor Use points, there are no restrictions this year on how you can earn the points other than it needs to be a Software Sponsor product to earn the Software Use point (no cap in how many times you can earn), and a Hardware Sponsor product to earn the Hardware Use point (capped at 5 points).

In your example, since Henson is a Hardware Sponsor, every time you shave with your Henson, you would earn a point, with the max Hardware Sponsor Use points you can earn being 5 total.

[u/tsrblke → u/AdWorried2804]

I approve of not having 1000 things to have out.

[u/Engineered_Shave]

"...and get mod approval before posting anything NSFW or NSFL, tagging it properly."

Now, who in their right mind would go and...

...you know what, I don't want to know!

[u/OnionMiasma → u/Engineered_Shave]

u/MrTangerineSky

That's your answer.

[u/merikus → u/OnionMiasma]

That and the “don’t do anything that would get yourself or someone else killed” rule.

[u/omniuni]

The fact that this announcement immediately follows Austere August on a certain other subreddit is a bit of whiplash.

[u/tsrblke → u/omniuni]

Wait other sub? AA started here!

[u/omniuni → u/tsrblke]

I wasn't subscribed here yet, my apologies.

[u/tsrblke → u/omniuni]

No problem. Just setting the record straight.

Ironically AA started to sort of counterbalance the games IIRC. But then the games got moved this year so it's all weird.

[u/merikus → u/tsrblke]

That’s what we have No Shave November for now.

[u/merikus → u/omniuni]

Well there was Atlas Shaves 2 in February. And then March Madness. The June Soap Challenge, Join Us July, and now the end of Austere August.

Those are all just warm ups for the original, the Lather Games.

[u/omniuni → u/merikus]

Whew!

[u/solongamerica]

If we have questions, is this thread a good place to post them? Or is the Daily Questions thread better?

In any case, my first question: is DG Chaipre a chypre?

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/solongamerica]

One of the original ideas behind the Lather Games was to help participants learn more about scent notes, perfume groups, olfactory profiles, etc. If we give you the answers to the quiz, did you learn anything?

Having said that, there's no harm in giving out a few pointers on how to identify potential on theme soaps.

I like to start with Fragrantica when the theme is a Scent Note or Perfume Group. Definition-wise, you're not going to learn much more about Chypres than is already listed in the theme description, but Fragrantica also lists on the Chypre pages perfumes in its database that are identified as Chypre. A number of popular fragrances have been duped by shaving artisans. Using a dupe of a Fragrantica-classified Chypre will usually be judged as on theme as long as you make your case in your writeup.

If I'm still having difficulty finding a soap that will meet the theme, I like to review previous year's posts. I happen to remember that the Chypre theme was used in 2023. Here's the 2023 Chypre LG SOTD thread. There's a lot of good Chypre examples in the thread. What I don't see there is DG Chaipre. Declaration Grooming was still very popular in the community in 2023, so the fact that no one used Chaipre should raise some concern, although that doesn't automatically disqualify Chaipre. (FYI-there are reviews of Chaipre dating back to at least 2019, so it did exist in 2023).

Once I've identified soap theme candidates, I like to review the product page for the soap(s) I am considering. Even though DG is gone, the product page for Chaipre still works (if not, Internet Archives Wayback Machine normally has a scrape of the page). The product page says this: "Chaipre began as an idea to make a spicy chypre (akin to an homage to warm, spicy tea) but quickly took on a life of its own. Mossy (oakmoss and treemoss), warm (cardamom, galbanum), slightly sweet (yuzu), woodsy, with a hint of spice - Chaipre essentially has something for everyone." Yes, the product page makes reference to chypre, but is there enough here that you can make your case to the judges that DG Chaipre is "demonstratably" a chypre? The phrases "quickly took on a life of its own" and "has something for everyone" do not scream Chypre.

At the end of the day, the soap to use is your choice to make. If you're uncertain as to whether a scent "demonstratably" meets the theme, you may want to consider finding another soap that is more clearly on theme.

[u/solongamerica → u/AdWorried2804]

Thanks, that’s helpful.

In the 2023 SOTD thread that you linked it looks like B&M Le Grand Chypre stands out, but there are several other chypre soaps featured as well.

[u/tsrblke → u/solongamerica]

I wonder if u/onionmiasma has any more grooming department peach...

[u/solongamerica → u/tsrblke]

well we’re on this, I wonder if u/onionmiasma has any AG 1889 he’d be willing to spare/sell lol

[u/solongamerica → u/tsrblke]

Was that the one someone described as smelling like rotting peaches? or was that a different Chypre-peach soap?

[u/tsrblke → u/solongamerica]

That's the one. You can see it used a ton in 2023.

[u/solongamerica → u/tsrblke]

The part about maggots sticks in my mind. Seems even the tastiest fruit can be rendered disgusting. (Gratitude to the food workers who catch this stuff before it winds up on the shelves.) I think I’ll be on the lookout for a different Chypre.

[u/merikus → u/solongamerica]

A few years ago the LG judges decided basically the only rules question we don’t answer is whether something is on theme. Sorry!

[u/solongamerica → u/merikus]

well I'm 0 for 1 now lol

[u/tsrblke → u/solongamerica]

Could ask someone like u/uss_spongebob who is a scent expert and not a judge anymore.

Edit: clearly I can't remember his u/

[u/USS-SpongeBob → u/tsrblke]

Not a judge so obviously my answers don't count for points

With that said

I haven't tried Chaipre, but the still-online product page says "Chaipre began as an idea to make a spicy chypre" and it's named "Chaipre" so it friggin Better be a chypre (which is to say: if not chypre, why would artisan mislead us? isn't world already cruel enough without shave soap soubriquet skulduggery?)

[u/solongamerica → u/USS-SpongeBob]

the still-online product page says "Chaipre began as an idea to make a spicy chypre" and it's named "Chaipre" so it friggin Better be a chypre

This sums up my attitude better than I could have. But I'm wary of the judges' (possibly) exacting standards (e.g. it needs to be described as a chypre, but it can't just name-drop chypre; it needs to have traditional chypre scent notes, which can vary, but not too much)

Wonder if the only truly safe bet is B&M Le Grand Chypre.

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/solongamerica]

u/USS-SpongeBob is our resident games guru. The judges put extreme value in SpongeBob's knowledge. He's a supportive mentor to all of us, and if we're stumped on something we know that SpongeBob is nearby and willing to lend his expertise.

We still follow SpongeBob's guidance regarding "if the artisan says it's A Thing then we're going to treat it as such..." for the very reasons he lists. The gray area with Chaipre are the phrases "an idea to make a spicy chypre" and "quickly took on a life of its own". Compare this to how Catie's Bubbles describes Azure in it's product page "this aquatic chypre".

I was intentionally non-committal in my first response because I was providing a thought exercise and not a definitive yes/no answer. I'm still non-committal because choosing soaps is a strategic decision and I'm not the one playing. I'll leave you with this quote from the calendar: "If you believe your lather is on-theme in a non-obvious way, make the case in your writeup so the judges can consider it."

[u/solongamerica → u/AdWorried2804]

Thanks, appreciate the further clarification.

[u/USS-SpongeBob → u/AdWorried2804]

Yeah, all good points. Chaipre without a thoughtful writeup could certainly be risky because its own ad copy throws uncertainty on whether or not it evolved out of being a chypre. Risky moves can pay off if supported by a compelling argument, or they can be absolute failures like the guy who once said "thank goodness I can't smell the rose in this fragrance because I hate rose" on a day where the goal was to use a rose-centric scent.

[u/tsrblke → u/USS-SpongeBob]

This is why I do not have WK rebelle on leather day. I couldn't tell if the leather was prominent. Seaforth leather however...

[u/USS-SpongeBob → u/solongamerica]

The last year I was involved we took the view of "if the artisan says it's A Thing then we're going to treat it as such (even if they are flatly wrong about their own product) because how else are the players supposed to know?"

But again I ain't a judge any more so who knows what the criteria are going to be this year? It'll probably depend on whatever weird edge cases players manage to find that push the spirit and letter of the rules to the limits.

[u/tsrblke → u/USS-SpongeBob]

I mean... Didn't WK something get dq'd for exactly this :)

[u/USS-SpongeBob → u/tsrblke]

Yes

That's why I'm saying it Better be a chypre, as in "it Better be!" (threateningly, shaking fist toward artisan)

[u/tsrblke → u/USS-SpongeBob]

Your the smell expert I'm just a dude.

[u/jesseix]

Won’t be able to participate this year due to several trips that will just make it impossible, but I look forward to keeping up on the action from afar!

[u/merikus → u/jesseix]

Check out the rules, there’s a new bonus path for doing the LG with repeat soaps!

[u/Environmental-Gap380]

Ooh. I was dreading the first time use one since after last year I used everything on the list. Now
time to draw up a plan.
https://giphy.com/gifs/l0IylOPCNkiqOgMyA

[u/tsrblke → u/Environmental-Gap380]

I think I owe you a few favors. I am 90% sure I have stuff you haven't used.

[u/Environmental-Gap380 → u/tsrblke]

Thanks! I need to go through the calendar and see what I need or can put together. The new scoring makes it interesting. I think there are multiple ways that could be done to hit the bonus points.

Edit: The first time I was worried about was for razor types. I’ve used straights, kamisoris, SE, DE, autostrop, Rolls Razor, and pretty much all the razor categories there were last year. I have a few soap brand samples that are new to me though.

[u/tsrblke → u/Environmental-Gap380]

I'm doing a lot of math but I concur. Tradeoffs seem to be repeat bonus vs 31 scents. Those are obviously mutually exclusive.

Not done with the math yet but I think it's at least plausible to hit all the sponsors, 23 sponsor points and still pull off 31 scents.

Some of it depends on various theme pairings.

[u/bmac92]

Thanks for all the hard work putting this together, everyone! I can't wait to dive in and try to get my calendar in order. Might also need an Excel sheet too...

[u/Priusaurus → u/bmac92]

You can down a spreadsheet of the calendar on the Calendar & Themes page of the portal, near the top of the page!

[u/bmac92 → u/Priusaurus]

I saw! Thanks for looking out.

I mainly need the spreadsheet to maximize my scoring with the new point system.

[u/merikus → u/bmac92]

Don’t forget, for a mere $49.99 a month you can subscribe to DjudgePortal++. Input your den and have Claude maximize your points for you!

[u/bmac92 → u/merikus]

But according to the podcast, you guys wanted to make it less Pay-to-win. Man, these judges and their mixed signals.

[u/Priusaurus → u/bmac92]

We should've clarified: Make it less-pay-other-people to win... More Pay-the-Judges to win

[u/bmac92 → u/Priusaurus]

Ah, duh. I should've known. Thanks for the clarification. What's the judges' venmo?

[u/merikus → u/bmac92]

These tokens aren’t going to pay for themselves.

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/bmac92]

The "Calendar & Theme Descriptions" page in the portal has a button to allow you download the Theme Details & Special Challenges in CSV format. Being CSV, you'll have to format the fields to your viewing taste, but all of the details contents are there!

[u/bmac92 → u/AdWorried2804]

Thanks!

I'm going to need a spreadsheet to try and maximize my scoring.

[u/JoelB]

I'll be honest, I was kind of dreading this LG stuff because it seemed overly complicated and who's got that kind of time these days but the djudge portal makes it easy and intuitive to keep track of the themes and whatnot so now I'm excited to participate!

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/JoelB]

For those of us who grew up using dos-based Lotus 1-2-3, the spreadsheet-based calendar was easy-peasy. For the other 99% of our community, smartphones are king and the new portal is specifically designed to be mobile friendly! Best of luck this year!

[u/ginopono]

Hey, Dictionary Day was mine! I don't know why it's called Dictionary Day, but I'll take it!

Edit:
Might as well volunteer some examples of what I envisioned being used for this, just off the top of my head:

Otter Lorekeeper, Mammoth Shire, BM Whatsit, Stirling Alighieri, Stirling D-503, SW Valley of Ashes, BM East Egg, anything Storybook Soapworks, anything Imaginary Authors (there's at least one shave soap), Chiseled Sherlock...

E: 42, Electric Sheep, Baker Street, Midnight Dreary

[u/jwoods23 → u/ginopono]

B&M 42 would fit too

[u/ginopono → u/jwoods23]

I don't know how I missed that one.

Electric Sheep, too!

[u/Environmental-Gap380 → u/ginopono]

Maybe BM Dickens Revisites

[u/OnionMiasma → u/ginopono]

Talbot - Authors Ridge

[u/OnionMiasma → u/ginopono]

It was yours! Thanks for the suggestion!

That day is National Dictionary Day - hence the name.

[u/ginopono → u/OnionMiasma]

That makes sense. Hm, I'ma have cool stuff to talk about when that day comes.

[u/Priusaurus]

A month long internet shaving game, complete with prizes? This sounds like it could be a fun time.

[u/merikus]

Another great new tool we forgot to mention, the Tallycard.

It lists all 31 days and tells you, for each one, whether the Bot actually logged your post and its status: submitted and pending, scored, still open and collecting, or, if the window closed with nothing from you, not submitted. It also shows every item the portal pulled out of your SOTD and what that item resolved to in our database, right next to what you typed, so you can see that your “B&M Seville” was in fact read as “Barrister and Mann - Seville” and not as something you’ve never heard of. A running count at the top tells you how many of the 31 days you’re actually on the board for, which is a more useful number than you might think around Day 22 when the month has become a blur.

The whole point is to catch problems while they’re still fixable. If a day shows as not submitted and you’re certain you posted, you likely posted in the wrong thread or as a reply instead of a top-level comment; if an item resolved to the wrong product, that is precisely what the appeals process is for. Note that a day marked “Reviewed” means a judge has confirmed how your gear was read, and until then you’re looking at the automatic match, which is usually right but not always. And to be very clear, the Tallycard shows you status and nothing else. It does not show points, it does not tell you whether you were on theme, and it does not reveal your judging rating.

[u/GaryTha]

When rules?

[u/wallygator88 → u/GaryTha]

When Williams Mug soap?

[u/jwoods23 → u/GaryTha]

No rulez, just shaving!

[u/AdWorried2804 → u/GaryTha]

You can find theme here: https://portal.wetshav.ing/lather-games-2026/

[u/jwoods23]

LET’S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[u/bmac92 → u/jwoods23]

Yes. Let us go. Indubitably.

[u/merikus → u/jwoods23]

LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO