Welcome to the /r/gameofthrones Official S6 Discussion Thread Series! Just as we have done for previous years, /r/gameofthrones will be hosting various discussion threads throughout the week for every episode.
If you have been with us for previous seasons, you are probably familiar with the schedule already, but a few important changes have been made for this year, specifically regarding the scopes of the threads (what spoilers can and cannot be posted without tags).
If this is your first time joining /r/gameofthrones for a live season, WELCOME! It's going to be a fun season and you picked a great time to start. A breakdown of the official threads we host and the weekly schedule is below.
The Predictions Discussion is a thread where you can post about what you think will happen next in the story. Usually these threads are focused mainly on the next episode, but since this is the first thread of the year we'd like to hear about what you think will happen both in S6E1 and all of S6! These threads have always been popular in the past, but we expect that they will be even more fun this season due to the lack of book material to base them on.
The Live Premiere Discussion is posted at the start of every new episode and is for your immediate real-time reactions to what you are seeing on screen. An important change to note from last year is that these threads are now scoped specifically for the episode that is currently airing. This means that spoilers for the next episode from the trailer that follows the program must be covered with spoiler tags.
Last year we created a separate thread for Post-Premiere Discussion which is for more detailed, less reactionary commentary. Just like the Live Premiere threads, the scopes for these threads are now limited to the episode that has just aired. This means that spoilers for the next episode from the trailer that follows the program must be covered with spoiler tags.
Because we have nearly run out of book material, we have decided to discontinue the Book vs. Show Discussion threads that were formerly posted on Wednesday nights. Instead, this thread will be stickied from Sunday 9PM to Friday 9PM EDT every week and any comparisons you would like to make between the show and the books can be posted here.
This year we'd like to have our finger more directly on the pulse of /r/gameofthrones, so we are introducing a new Post-Episode Survey to gather information about general public opinion regarding the episode. These surveys have to be created during and immediately following the episode, so look for a link to the Post-Episode survey to be posted in a sticky comment at the top of the Post-Premiere Discussion thread shortly after the episode ends.
Participation in these surveys is, obviously, voluntary and anonymous. We will be utilizing Google Forms to create the surveys (see an example here) and none of your private or identifying information will be recorded or seen by us.
The results for each survey will be posted in a sticky thread every Thursday around 9PM EDT and will stay up until Sunday 9PM EDT. We will have graphical and textual depictions of the data and encourage discussion regarding /r/gameofthrones' public opinion in the comments. We hope this new series is something that everyone on the sub participates in and enjoys!
Please keep in mind that even though the threads are stickied for only a limited time every week, they are all archived on the Discussion Thread Wiki and you can find the links for this season's and past seasons' threads there.
Season 6 is here, folks! The long wait is over and we're extremely excited to be sharing our Game of Thrones experience with such a fine fandom. Hope you enjoy all the official discussion threads this year!