There are several different ways to conduct a parts draft. The method that I have participated in most frequently and liked the best is as follows:
(i) everyone buys the same pre-agreed upon set; (ii) at the draft, each person has a clear plastic container (like a food storage container); (iii) each person dumps the entire contents of the box (less instructions) into their bin; (iii) at the start of the draft, each person removes a predetermined number of pieces from his container (5 pieces work well – if it is a larger set, 10 pieces could be drafted each round); (iv) once everyone has removed their selection, each person passes the bin to the person on the left; (v) repeat until all parts have been selected.
I’m fine with $30 for the Mirkwood spiders (79001). For $40, 79004 Barrell Escape or 9476 Orc Forge would be good drafting sets, especially for Castle. If we wanted a town draft, 5766 Log Cabin ($30) or 31009 Small Cottage ($25) look like good sets. Heck, if it’s a good enough set, I’ll draft a $100 set. 😀
Also, I still would like to do a minifig draft with a box of Series 9 figs. Maybe we should start a separate thread just on a minifig draft to see who is interested in that.