Issue 79: 23/06/09
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:46 pm23/06/09
Hello tournament fans. We are settling in to our new forum. I hope you are taking the time to stop by!
As always, if you have any ideas or just want to help out, drop us a line.
Thanks, and enjoy!
Gozar
Newsletter Poll
News Hound
Fun Facts
Currently Taking Signups
Tournament Updates
Coming Soon
The Tournament Roll of Honuor
Interview with PaulusH
Next Issue
Notes
Staff
Our current poll is still running and asks: "Should certain tournament setups be allowed to bend/break CC rules? (ie secret diplomacy,etc)"
Please stop by the poll thread and vote.
The News Hounds are out sniffing out their next story and will return in a future issue.
The Tournament Hall of Fame recognizes 10 types of tournaments
Here is a list of tournaments currently taking signups. Just click the title to visit the thread. If you would like your tournament to be included, please PM jricart or Gozar or visit this thread.
1 vs 1 Tournaments
No Sun, Just Fog
Organiser: conquerAce
Number of Entrants: 64 players
Evil Crosby's Tournament of Losers
Organiser: Evil Crosby
Number of Entrants: 16 players
1v1 Doodle in a Doodle
Organiser: a.sub
Number of Entrants: 36 players
English Permier League vs. Spanish Primera Liga
Organiser: vcvcb2
Number of Entrants: 40 players
Standard Tournaments
b00060's Classic Shapes Tournament XII
Organiser: b00060
Number of Entrants: typexxxxxx
b00060's - Captain of the Sea
Organiser: b00060
Number of Entrants: 25 players
the great tournament
Organiser: gawdofwar
Number of Entrants: 20 players
Scarlets' Society of Cooks & Friends Terminator
Organiser: Captain_Scarlet
Number of Entrants: 36 players
Singles All Over the World II
Organiser: aselwyn1
Number of Entrants: 32 players
FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Organiser: Dublanous1
Number of Entrants: 48 players
darkangelsguy205 age of reams 2
Organiser: darkangelsguy205
Number of Entrants: 20 players
b00060's - Gladiator Tournament
Organiser: b00060
Number of Entrants: 25 players
Expand Your Control
Organiser: SultanOfSurreal
Number of Entrants: 80 players
Callin' Conquer club
Organiser: sensfan
Number of Entrants: 16 players
Free for all
Organiser: OliverFA
Number of Entrants: ????
1600+ doubles: special maps
Organiser: daydream
Number of Entrants: 20 players
Mixed Style Tournaments
So You Think You Can Dance Season 1
Organiser: amazzony
Number of Entrants: 121 players
BYOR Dinner Date
Organiser: PaulusH
Number of Entrants: 25 players
Using a 5x5 windmill setup
Needs 5x5=25 individual players and some reserves each bringing a personal game setting
First games to start on 4 July
Utterly Unpredictable!
Organiser: john9blue
Number of Entrants: ????
Eddminator's AOR 666 Tournament phase 2
Organiser: eddie666
Number of Entrants: 40 players
Countries of The World
Organiser: interest_games
Number of Entrants: 96 players
Cosa Nostra
Organiser: skepticCS
Number of Entrants: 32 players
Starts with two teams of 16 players, each battle it out to secure their place a mafia family hierarchy, then boss and underboss of each family fight to determine which don will claim the title of capo di tutti capi. First four rounds are standard, last round is doubles.
GR's Map Tour II "Continental"
Organiser: giantrascal
Number of Entrants: 56 players
World Regions
Organiser: Black Friday
Number of Entrants: 96 players
Doubles Tournaments
Premier League 2009-2010
Organiser: Forza AZ
Number of Entrants: 20 teams
Doubles All Over The World
Organiser: aselwyn1
Number of Entrants: 16 teams
Evil Crosby's Tournament of Champions
Organiser: Evil Crosby
Number of Entrants: 16 teams
Triples Tournaments
Trippin Out In IBERIA
Organiser: Blitzaholic
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Trippin Out IN Hong Kong
Organiser: Blitzaholic
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Lany's Feudal Triples Bracket
Organiser: lanyards
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Quadruples Tournaments
QUADPLEXITY
Organiser: Blitzaholic
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Here are how some of the currently ongoing tournaments are progressing. Just click the title to visit the thread. Want your tournament listed here? Use the form at the end of this letter, and PM it to Gozar or post it in this thread.
Isle Cruise using a 7x7 windmill setup
Organiser Name: PaulusH
After a visit of 50 days everybody left Australia
Planned end date: 6 September
Mac Dinner Date using a 5x5 windmill setup
Organiser: PaulusH
using a 5x5 windmill setup
The last car still can't find the way home; they are driving more then 4 month now
Planned end date: 5 September
Double Iron Bar Using a 3x3 windmill setup
Organiser: PaulusH
Using a 3x3 windmill setup
At least the cola must be good, people drink it a lot
Planned end date: 21 August
The Legend of Tor Na’Mit
Organizer: Gozar
Round Thirteen almost wrapped up
Here are some tournaments that noted tournament organisers are planning on running soon.
K3 Factor from PaulusH
Using a 6x6 windmill setup
Needs 6x6=36 individual players and some reserves to play 9 triples games with mixing teams
Will be put on the create/join forum at 11 July
Coming Summer/Fall 2009 from the mind of barterer2002
3 For 4 (Teams of 4 playing triples in all combinations ABC, ABD, ACD, BCD)
Barts Modern Random Tournament
The Discovery Series: Cities of the World
The Championship Series:
The New Scooby Doo Tournaments
Sci Fi actors (featuring actors who have been characters on multiple Sci Fi series)
Down and Dirty VI
The Escalating Tournament II
Here are some recent tournament winners.
"Musical Chairs: Euprean Tour" -pogophiles
"Map Quester 1" -Iron Maid
"Russian Spy" -MEK
"Prime's Power League" -e_i_pi
"PSychoBs I Suck at this Map 1"- PsychobCrazy
"Amazing Race 1- CC Style" -Dazoot & ralphcptc
"HAs Round Robin Series: Africa" -Iron Maid
"HAs Easter Tourney One" -Gunners101
"Celtic Warrior King" -Soldier4Christ
"Mr Classic III" -HighlanderAttack
"LxDS 16 Across" -lt.pie & e_i_pi
"Waterloo Tournament" -Chariot of Fire
"Major+ 2009 Winter Doubles League" -pjdonald & goggles paisano
"Star Wars Challenge" --Maximus-
"TLO 2009" -Generation 1
"Trippin out in Disc" -Iccinot Nabrus, kingkoswyn, laughingcavalier
"Discovery Series: World at War" -THOTA
"Myth and Magick" -peacemakers
"Formula 1 2009 - Malaysia GP" -Jefreus
"Forumula 1 2009- Bahrain GP" -NZHostel
"JRs 1v1 Challenge IX" -Bruceswar
"Championships Series: WWII Eastern Front" -Timminz
"Championship Series: Random" -danryan
"Conquistador Hispano 4" -abygorb
"No Luck, Just Skill" -danryan
"Cross Map Victories" -negoeien
"Single Territory Tourney"-iambligh
"Around All CCs Maps: Egypt:Nubia" -Blitzaholic
"ES-CRAZY-LATORS III" -D3A7H
"b00060's Classic Shapes Tournament II" -ShootandMiss
"Trans Atlantic Speed League" -bkwill
"Fog of Feudal War 6" -b00060
"b00060's Classic Shapes VIII" -Captain Scarlet
"Where in the World: Assassinations" -Suzy1
"Lady Luck League" -Soldier4Christ
"Final Fantasy Wars I: 7v12" -topper
"Joe's Knucklehead Tournament" -PortmanGray
"Capture the Flag!!" -danryan
"Achieve the Communist Dream" -Mudpuppy
"Escape From Gilligans Island" -69Chevy
"Around All CCs Maps: Europa" -blitzaholic/big whiskey
"Terminators" -Deadpool
"Around All CCs Maps: Egypt:Nubia" -blitzaholic and big whiskey
This week we had the opportunity to interview PaulusH. All questions were submitted by readers of the newsletter. Next week, we check in with foundry fellow and tournament dabbler, MrBenn.
You can submit your questions in this thread.
Now, on with the interview!
Q: Hello, PaulusH.
A: Hi Gozar
Q: What makes you interview worthy?
A: It might show how to set up a nice business at CC
Q: How did you find this website?
A: JvdH did show it to me.
Q: Why did you join CC?
A: JvdH also asked me to join.
Q: Whats your motivation (or why do you like) to play on CC?
A: Good games are nice
Q: Why did you start to play tournaments?
A: Basically to see what it was, how it works and above all if it would be fun as well.
Q: What made you want to start running tournaments?
A: O, eh, sorry but basically I am running a travel agency which has its own restaurant and bar. Sometimes I run a song contest.
Q: How long have you been organizing tournaments?
A: At building up my business I firstly opened my restaurant on 11 June last year.
Q: What tournament did you first run?
A: I started with serving a Crazy Dinner Date. Since it was virtual and you date with 5 people at the same moment I thought it must be crazy, but now it is standard.
Q: Who do you look to for inspiration when organizing your tournaments?
A: In fact nobody specific, but there are many good organizers at CC.
Q: Please explain the "Windmill" system
A: A windmill is an old technical tool repeating to do the same thing in a structural way. Here I use it to distributes my customers over tables or (in groups) in such a way that each customer will meet everybody else exactly one time.
Q: and how did you come up with it?
A: In fact I looked for simple multi-player competition, but didn’t find it. So I tried to make it myself. In fact it was that simple that I thought somebody else should have used it before, so I searched again in many tournaments but still didn’t find it.
Q: Why do you enjoy using it?
A: Because it is simple, but still it is also a complete competition. Some might call it a half competition since you meet everybody else once.
So it is simple, but for winning you still have to be better (or more lucky) then all the others.
There are in total 30 games in a complete 5-player competition of 25 people, 6 games each. Much faster then a 1v1 competition
Q: Do you have a specific software application / excel spreadsheet that you apply to use it?
A: I simply use excel, but show only a part of the table I use for it.
Q: Would you mind sharing with us?
A: No, I don’t mind sharing it. It is real simple. You start with a prime number, so 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, … For a complete windmill you need the square number of players or teams to participate (that’s where the 2x2, 3x3, 5x5 etc stands for). You need one more round then the number you picked (or in the way I use them 4 drinks for the 3x3; 6 dishes for the 5x5; 8 city’s/isles for the 7x7). Furthermore you need the game-set up and the scoring, but I expect more questions about this.
Q: Tell me more about the windmill system.
A: A 6x6 windmill is not a real windmill it is just a 7x7 windmill which is partly broken down and after that the remaining parts are rebuild again. Basically you can easily break down every windmill by one.
A: A 2x2 windmill is most simple. Suppose 4 people (or teams) enter which coincidental have the names A1, A2, B1 and B2. You need 3 game-settings. For the first game-setting you let play A1 against B1 and A2 against B2, for the second game setting you shift the B’s by one and the one that remains at the bottom you shift back in at the top. So second A1 against B2 and A2 against B1. As last setting you transpose the matrix so you get A1 against A2 and B1 against B2. Finish. Simple.
A: Any PxP windmill. By coincidence customers have names A1,A2,A3, A4, ….. Ap, B1,B2, ….Bp, C1,C2, …. Cp, ……………. . You need P+1 game-settings. For the first game-setting you let play in one game A1, B1, C1, … in the next game A2, B2, C2, ….. …. and the last game Ap, Bp, Cp, … . For the second game setting you shift the B’s by one, the C’s by two, the D’s by three, etc. The ones that drop out at the bottom are shifted back in at the top. So for the second game-setting you let play in one game A1, Bp, Cp-1, …, in the next game A2, B1, Cp, …., in the next game A3, B2, C1, … and in the last game Ap, Bp-1, Cp-2, …. . For the third game setting you shift the B’s one more, the C’s two more, the D’s three more, etc. Again shift back in from the top the ones that drop out at the bottom. So for the third game-setting you let play A1, Bp-1, Cp-3, …, next game A2, Bp, Cp-2, …, next game A3, B1, Cp-1, …, and in the last game Ap, Bp-2, Cp-4, … . In fact you keep the windmill turning the people around until you are back to your original set of games. At that moment you have had P game settings and for the last one you transpose the matrix, so you get A1,A2, … in a game, B1,B2,… in a game etc. Finish. In case you understand it is in fact still simple.
A: You like to get another example. Ok the 3x3 windmill.
First game-setting:
Q: How do you keep track of who plays with who for your tournaments? (Since they are windmill)
A: That is simply in the part of the excel table that I don’t show. I give the customers the feeling that I make it shortly before each game start, but in reality I make the complete game set up before the very first game. I try to give the impression that something like that is very complicated, but the only thing I do is look to the CC-score for each person and sort people on that, by which the complete set up is finished.
Q: I still don't understand the logic in the points in your tourney. So if the winner's partner gets taken out first why don't they receive 21+5 instead of 21+17?
A: That is a good question. I hope somebody would try it in the other way.
The reason I took a winner’s team is because in a team-game you enter as a team and play as a team. Also for CC when my partner wins a team-game I still get CC-points, in that way I thought that my system would be inline with the intention of CC.
Btw I always put in the complete scoring system for windmills in post3, it gives the nice possibility that you can mix nearly everything.
Q: Describe the experience of your first tournament ran, and first played in.
A: The first tournament I joined was a 1v1, going to a next round was for a large part luck. Although I passed 3 rounds it made clear to me that I would not start with 1v1 tourney’s.
Q: Tell us about your overall tournament experience from when you first joined a tournament to the present day. How has it changed for you? Is it a better experience than before? Worse?
A: I try to find new tournament set-ups that are open for freemium and like to join tournaments of which I expect that they will be abandoned or canceled. Strange enough I like that because it shows that my business is running better. Often there are some crazy ideas in it, participating will learn me why it doesn’t work and give me time to think about how I should change it to use it for my own business.
Q: How many tournaments have you run already, and do you have a goal in mind for how many you want to run in total before you "retire"? How many are you running right now?
A: O, eh, sorry but basically I am running a travel agency which has its own restaurant and bar. Sometimes I run a song contest. I will retire after I have earned enough for the rest of my life.
Q: What tournaments have you organized?
A: At the bar I always use a 3x3 windmill. Unfortunately my first bar burned down at the opening, but we rebuild it in Iron of which the re-opening has started shortly before:
For my restaurant I use a 5x5 windmill by which I made 4 Dinner Dates: 2 have finished a 3rd is running and the 4th is waiting for people to join
I have only run one song contest up to now by using a 6x6 windmill; the plan is to start a second in the create/join at 11 July.
The travel agency uses a 7x7 windmill which will take some time and since we have a limited number of employees we only could started the second after the first was finished:
Q: What is your favourite tournament you have run?
A: Where my customers enjoyed themselves most
Q: What is your favorite tournament you’ve played in? Why?
A: Lord of the ring quads, because it was abandoned after the first game.
Q: Do you prefer to run or enter tournaments?
A: I prefer to organize.
Q: Is there a specific type of format that you tend to gravitate towards? Why? Is there a format that is your favourite? What about other peoples' tournaments?
A: I like to use a windmill format, because they are simple and a complete multi-player competition. I use it often in a mixed style. About other peoples' tournaments I hope some will use a windmill as well soon.
For a small 1v1 bracket you need 16 people and 15 games; for a double 3x3 windmill you need 18 people and 12 games.
Q: Are you selective about which types of tournaments you join or do you join just about everything you can fit into your personal game load? If you are selective, do you look for certain styles or organizers?
A: After my 1st tournament I decided not to join a simple 1v1 tourney anymore. Second I joined a 2v2, after that I only tried strange set-ups or related to one of mine.
Q: Do you find it easier to choose tournament settings yourself, or to let the players customize them?
A: Mostly I choose them myself, because I make more stupid choices then most players would do (like a 7 player assassin on Waterloo
)
Q: Overall, are you playing a lot in tournaments? If not, then why and where do you find your games to play?
A: As freemium my game load is very limited and part of it I use to make my own business more interesting
Actually I don’t join much tournaments since I would still like to discover what kind of combinations of settings play best and which play worst on each map.
Q: How excited where you with your first CC win?
A: I don’t remember, I enjoy mostly the development of a game being able to predict behaviour of other player, but also enjoy it when I misinterpret it. To me that is fun, sometimes I am right and able to win, but in fact the winning is not so important.
Q: Of your goals, in regards to CC, have you gotten done you've wanted to achieve?
A: The only goal for me is having fun. All kind of other goals are for school or work or whatever
Q: If you had to win one tournament that you are currently a part of which would it be and why?
A: Grand Slam Double for three reasons: first because it is the only tournament in which I participate at the moment (together with JvdH); secondly because I am in that tournament for over a year now and third because we couldn’t win from Silver 2 and fantanyser while they beat us 3 times but can’t win the tournament anymore.
Q: What is your most disappointing tournament loss to date?
A: That was in One Shot One Kill, were the number of needed rounds would be the key to enter the next round. From my game-model it was clear which round that should be, so I killed several people without being able to win that game but could keep the overall number of rounds low. After the game was finished the organizer did change the tournament rules in such a way that I didn't continue to the next round and killmanic did give me a low rating.
Q: In your mind, what makes a successful tournament?
A: Tournaments in which the participants or in my case customers have fun.
Q: What do you consider to be the most successful tournaments you've seen run?
A: I don’t follow that many tournaments, but according to the fun-rule I also can see abandoned tournaments as successful in discovering how people can struggle to get something impossible running, but in the end are not able to finish it.
Q: Have you ever been disappointed in a tournament you have run? What about one you entered?
A: Once I tried to set-up a puzzle magazine, but too little customers were willing to buy; most likely it became too complicated. In fact I was not disappointed with that it was more something I learned from. So One Shot One Kill stay the only one in which I was disappointed.
Q: What makes a successful organizer?
A: Simply good organized with clear rules and a feeling for the fun-factor of his or her customers.
Q: How do you attract players to your tournament, and what aspect (besides a reward of a premium prize or something like that) of a tournament do you think appeals to a lot of players and why?
A: I don’t really know. A good story ? A good format ? Giving at the start the information when it will be finished ? Using only multiplayer games ?
I always put a lot of advertisements in the tournament newsletter in the hope it helps.
Q: Is there anything in particular that you dislike about tournament organizing?
A: No
Q: For you, what is the best part of being a tournament organizer?
A: Solving the problems customers make. Like not joining a game after I invited them; or people who are each others foe or people joining the wrong team or wrong game or … . It feels like a victory to get it solved. Another fun part for me is that those things put my predictions about needed time under pressure.
Q: What mistakes do you see tournament organizers make the most?
A: Underestimating what is needed to be able to run a tournament. In fact it is rather simple, but you have to have the right spirit and idea about it. Otherwise you have a good idea, a good plan, etc; but still get frustrated by the behaviour of your customers.
Q: With experience comes the wisdom of knowing what mistakes you've made in the past so you can avoid them in the future. What mistakes have you made in your tournaments that you are sure to avoid in future tournaments?
A: As far as I know I have not made real mistakes and could correct small ones. The only mistake was the too complicated puzzle set-up, which was corrected by stopping it after a week or two in which only two teams joined.
Q: What is your opinion on organizer neutrality? Should organizers be allowed to place themselves against their own clanmates in tournaments? Should organizers be allowed to join their own tournaments at all?
A: That is up to the organizer. I only joined one of my tournaments (oops wrong word), but that was because one specific position in that tournament was worse compared to all other positions. Staying out of my tournaments gives me the possibility to put in special tricks or if needed baby-sit for some people.
Q: Do you use a "schedule" for updating your tournaments, or do you just wait until they need an update?
A: Basically I update daily, but sometimes I skip a day or two. When I am on a trip myself I simply skip a longer period, with some good planning that was every time possible up to now (since I started I have been out 4 times).
Q: Should “new recruits” be allowed to join tournaments?
A: I will let them in, but try to get an extra reserve as well
sooupy was rather new when he entered my first Dinner Date, but in the end he won.
Q: Do you feel it is better to give a bye to players whose opponents deadbeats the tournament, or to use a reserve?
A: I don’t do 1v1 tourney’s; a bye is never an option for me; when I run out of reserves the song contest can come on hold.
Q: If you could change one thing about Conquer Club in general, what would it be?
A: A lot more game-setting options, basically for everything. There are so many good possibilities for this, some examples:
Q: If there was something that the Conquer Club administrators could implement into the game to make tournaments easier to manage, what would it be? Similarly, is there anything you would like to see taken away from Conquer Club to make running tournaments easier?
A: Add a “my tournaments” comparable with “my games” for TO’s. Basically same functions “active” “awaiting players” “recent eliminations” “recent finished”, with shorter period for recent.
Q: Is there anything that you would recommend to encourage new tournament organizers?
A: Keep the fun in it. In case a customer is doing something strange laugh about it and if needed make it his or her problem.
Q: List your top 5 biggest tournament headache's to this point
A: Sorry only 2:
1) Make nice stories, use a non-standard format, explain it clearly and tell all those things in a few words.
2) Get enough people into the tournament in time.
Q:How much time does CC take from your day? What does that say about the rest of your life ?
A: It takes too much time from my day and that says too much about the rest of my life.
Q: Are you a member of any clans or usergroups?
A: I am a member of the TO-usergroup, but would like to get an invite of a nice clan that could use a freemium (please explain why that clan could be nice for me).
Q: Who are you?
A: Most people know me as Paulus
Q: Why did you pick the name PaulusH?
A: Because Paulus was already taken by somebody else. The H is from my last name.
Q: What is the difference between reality and fiction ?
A: Fiction has to make sense.
Q: Are you on crack? Must be some good stuff!
A: Everybody can buy and use soft-drugs in a coffee shop legally here. I don’t need it; I have a twisted mind of myself and that is real good stuff
Q:Your avatar is pretty cool, where did you find it? Did you make it yourself?
A: In fact I took it from a semi-public location and changed it a little to make it my avatar.
Q: I know I personally like to play pretty much any game: from Euchre to Titan and back again.
Are there other games you enjoy? Which ones and why?
A: For strategic 1v1 games I like chess, abalone, zertz, kahuna, etc. For multiplayer strategic games I like monopoly, conquer club, colonists of Catan, bridge, risk, bridges of Shangrila, Formula De, etc.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I am from the Netherlands, (but not from Holland which is only a part of the Netherlands).
Q: Favourite play colour?
A: Stupid question: I am Dutch so it must be Orange.
Q: Favourite and least favourite map?
A: I haven’t played them all yet, but Waterloo was nice.
Q: Favourite settings?
A: no dice in combination with single spoils
Q: Freestyle or sequential?
A: I prefer sequential, but play both.
Q: Any tournaments planned for the future? What are they?
A: I have already planned the “Blind Dinner Date”, but that has to wait until most of the earlier group left the restaurant. The same holds for the “North Sea Cruise” I first need to get my employees back.
Q: How does it feel to be interviewed?
A: Nice, but more work then expected.
Q: Who were the snowdens of yesteryear?
A: New balls please.
Q: Any parting shots?
A: Hm all those questions about tournaments did give me a good idea I might start a real game-tournament in the near future. I was thinking to do that at my bar (and in the meanwhile serve some drinks).
Q: Thank you for your time.
A: It was my pleasure.
Interview With MrBenn
Notes
If you want your tournament included in a future issue, please PM Gozar using this form or visit this thread!:
----------------FORM-------------------
Status of tournament
Tournament Name(with link please)
Organiser: [Your name with 'player' tag]
Brief Description
(If recruiting) Approx. number of players needed
(If Ongoing) Approx. number of games remaining/percentage complete
---------------FORM---------------------
You can also write articles to submit for publishing, I can't keep this running by myself, I need YOUR help!
To subscribe/ unsubscribe for the tournament newsletter, visit this thread.
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Staff
Editor in chief- Gozar
Graphics- Sir. Ricco/samuelc812
News Hound-blacky44 and sailorseal
Ask the Nutts- David Hoekstra
Fun Facts-sailorseal
Currently Taking Signups-jricart
Contributors- People like you!
Hello tournament fans. We are settling in to our new forum. I hope you are taking the time to stop by!
As always, if you have any ideas or just want to help out, drop us a line.
Thanks, and enjoy!
Gozar
Newsletter Poll News Hound Fun Facts Currently Taking SignupsTournament UpdatesComing Soon The Tournament Roll of HonuorInterview with PaulusHNext IssueNotesStaffOur current poll is still running and asks: "Should certain tournament setups be allowed to bend/break CC rules? (ie secret diplomacy,etc)"
Please stop by the poll thread and vote.
The News Hounds are out sniffing out their next story and will return in a future issue.
The Tournament Hall of Fame recognizes 10 types of tournaments
Here is a list of tournaments currently taking signups. Just click the title to visit the thread. If you would like your tournament to be included, please PM jricart or Gozar or visit this thread.
1 vs 1 Tournaments
No Sun, Just Fog
Organiser: conquerAce
Number of Entrants: 64 players
Evil Crosby's Tournament of Losers
Organiser: Evil Crosby
Number of Entrants: 16 players
1v1 Doodle in a Doodle
Organiser: a.sub
Number of Entrants: 36 players
English Permier League vs. Spanish Primera Liga
Organiser: vcvcb2
Number of Entrants: 40 players
Standard Tournaments
b00060's Classic Shapes Tournament XII
Organiser: b00060
Number of Entrants: typexxxxxx
b00060's - Captain of the Sea
Organiser: b00060
Number of Entrants: 25 players
the great tournament
Organiser: gawdofwar
Number of Entrants: 20 players
Scarlets' Society of Cooks & Friends Terminator
Organiser: Captain_Scarlet
Number of Entrants: 36 players
Singles All Over the World II
Organiser: aselwyn1
Number of Entrants: 32 players
FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Organiser: Dublanous1
Number of Entrants: 48 players
darkangelsguy205 age of reams 2
Organiser: darkangelsguy205
Number of Entrants: 20 players
b00060's - Gladiator Tournament
Organiser: b00060
Number of Entrants: 25 players
Expand Your Control
Organiser: SultanOfSurreal
Number of Entrants: 80 players
Callin' Conquer club
Organiser: sensfan
Number of Entrants: 16 players
Free for all
Organiser: OliverFA
Number of Entrants: ????
1600+ doubles: special maps
Organiser: daydream
Number of Entrants: 20 players
Mixed Style Tournaments
So You Think You Can Dance Season 1
Organiser: amazzony
Number of Entrants: 121 players
BYOR Dinner Date
Organiser: PaulusH
Number of Entrants: 25 players
Using a 5x5 windmill setup
Needs 5x5=25 individual players and some reserves each bringing a personal game setting
First games to start on 4 July
Utterly Unpredictable!
Organiser: john9blue
Number of Entrants: ????
Eddminator's AOR 666 Tournament phase 2
Organiser: eddie666
Number of Entrants: 40 players
Countries of The World
Organiser: interest_games
Number of Entrants: 96 players
Cosa Nostra
Organiser: skepticCS
Number of Entrants: 32 players
Starts with two teams of 16 players, each battle it out to secure their place a mafia family hierarchy, then boss and underboss of each family fight to determine which don will claim the title of capo di tutti capi. First four rounds are standard, last round is doubles.
GR's Map Tour II "Continental"
Organiser: giantrascal
Number of Entrants: 56 players
World Regions
Organiser: Black Friday
Number of Entrants: 96 players
Doubles Tournaments
Premier League 2009-2010
Organiser: Forza AZ
Number of Entrants: 20 teams
Doubles All Over The World
Organiser: aselwyn1
Number of Entrants: 16 teams
Evil Crosby's Tournament of Champions
Organiser: Evil Crosby
Number of Entrants: 16 teams
Triples Tournaments
Trippin Out In IBERIA
Organiser: Blitzaholic
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Trippin Out IN Hong Kong
Organiser: Blitzaholic
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Lany's Feudal Triples Bracket
Organiser: lanyards
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Quadruples Tournaments
QUADPLEXITY
Organiser: Blitzaholic
Number of Entrants: 8 teams
Here are how some of the currently ongoing tournaments are progressing. Just click the title to visit the thread. Want your tournament listed here? Use the form at the end of this letter, and PM it to Gozar or post it in this thread.
Isle Cruise using a 7x7 windmill setup
Organiser Name: PaulusH
After a visit of 50 days everybody left Australia
Planned end date: 6 September
Mac Dinner Date using a 5x5 windmill setup
Organiser: PaulusH
using a 5x5 windmill setup
The last car still can't find the way home; they are driving more then 4 month now
Planned end date: 5 September
Double Iron Bar Using a 3x3 windmill setup
Organiser: PaulusH
Using a 3x3 windmill setup
At least the cola must be good, people drink it a lot
Planned end date: 21 August
The Legend of Tor Na’Mit
Organizer: Gozar
Round Thirteen almost wrapped up
Here are some tournaments that noted tournament organisers are planning on running soon.
K3 Factor from PaulusH
Using a 6x6 windmill setup
Needs 6x6=36 individual players and some reserves to play 9 triples games with mixing teams
Will be put on the create/join forum at 11 July
Coming Summer/Fall 2009 from the mind of barterer2002
3 For 4 (Teams of 4 playing triples in all combinations ABC, ABD, ACD, BCD)
Barts Modern Random Tournament
The Discovery Series: Cities of the World
The Championship Series:
The New Scooby Doo Tournaments
Sci Fi actors (featuring actors who have been characters on multiple Sci Fi series)
Down and Dirty VI
The Escalating Tournament II
Here are some recent tournament winners.
"Musical Chairs: Euprean Tour" -pogophiles
"Map Quester 1" -Iron Maid
"Russian Spy" -MEK
"Prime's Power League" -e_i_pi
"PSychoBs I Suck at this Map 1"- PsychobCrazy
"Amazing Race 1- CC Style" -Dazoot & ralphcptc
"HAs Round Robin Series: Africa" -Iron Maid
"HAs Easter Tourney One" -Gunners101
"Celtic Warrior King" -Soldier4Christ
"Mr Classic III" -HighlanderAttack
"LxDS 16 Across" -lt.pie & e_i_pi
"Waterloo Tournament" -Chariot of Fire
"Major+ 2009 Winter Doubles League" -pjdonald & goggles paisano
"Star Wars Challenge" --Maximus-
"TLO 2009" -Generation 1
"Trippin out in Disc" -Iccinot Nabrus, kingkoswyn, laughingcavalier
"Discovery Series: World at War" -THOTA
"Myth and Magick" -peacemakers
"Formula 1 2009 - Malaysia GP" -Jefreus
"Forumula 1 2009- Bahrain GP" -NZHostel
"JRs 1v1 Challenge IX" -Bruceswar
"Championships Series: WWII Eastern Front" -Timminz
"Championship Series: Random" -danryan
"Conquistador Hispano 4" -abygorb
"No Luck, Just Skill" -danryan
"Cross Map Victories" -negoeien
"Single Territory Tourney"-iambligh
"Around All CCs Maps: Egypt:Nubia" -Blitzaholic
"ES-CRAZY-LATORS III" -D3A7H
"b00060's Classic Shapes Tournament II" -ShootandMiss
"Trans Atlantic Speed League" -bkwill
"Fog of Feudal War 6" -b00060
"b00060's Classic Shapes VIII" -Captain Scarlet
"Where in the World: Assassinations" -Suzy1
"Lady Luck League" -Soldier4Christ
"Final Fantasy Wars I: 7v12" -topper
"Joe's Knucklehead Tournament" -PortmanGray
"Capture the Flag!!" -danryan
"Achieve the Communist Dream" -Mudpuppy
"Escape From Gilligans Island" -69Chevy
"Around All CCs Maps: Europa" -blitzaholic/big whiskey
"Terminators" -Deadpool
"Around All CCs Maps: Egypt:Nubia" -blitzaholic and big whiskey
This week we had the opportunity to interview PaulusH. All questions were submitted by readers of the newsletter. Next week, we check in with foundry fellow and tournament dabbler, MrBenn.
You can submit your questions in this thread.
Now, on with the interview!
Q: Hello, PaulusH.
A: Hi Gozar
Q: What makes you interview worthy?
A: It might show how to set up a nice business at CC
Q: How did you find this website?
A: JvdH did show it to me.
Q: Why did you join CC?
A: JvdH also asked me to join.
Q: Whats your motivation (or why do you like) to play on CC?
A: Good games are nice
Q: Why did you start to play tournaments?
A: Basically to see what it was, how it works and above all if it would be fun as well.
Q: What made you want to start running tournaments?
A: O, eh, sorry but basically I am running a travel agency which has its own restaurant and bar. Sometimes I run a song contest.
Q: How long have you been organizing tournaments?
A: At building up my business I firstly opened my restaurant on 11 June last year.
Q: What tournament did you first run?
A: I started with serving a Crazy Dinner Date. Since it was virtual and you date with 5 people at the same moment I thought it must be crazy, but now it is standard.
Q: Who do you look to for inspiration when organizing your tournaments?
A: In fact nobody specific, but there are many good organizers at CC.
Q: Please explain the "Windmill" system
A: A windmill is an old technical tool repeating to do the same thing in a structural way. Here I use it to distributes my customers over tables or (in groups) in such a way that each customer will meet everybody else exactly one time.
Q: and how did you come up with it?
A: In fact I looked for simple multi-player competition, but didn’t find it. So I tried to make it myself. In fact it was that simple that I thought somebody else should have used it before, so I searched again in many tournaments but still didn’t find it.
Q: Why do you enjoy using it?
A: Because it is simple, but still it is also a complete competition. Some might call it a half competition since you meet everybody else once.
So it is simple, but for winning you still have to be better (or more lucky) then all the others.
There are in total 30 games in a complete 5-player competition of 25 people, 6 games each. Much faster then a 1v1 competition
Q: Do you have a specific software application / excel spreadsheet that you apply to use it?
A: I simply use excel, but show only a part of the table I use for it.
Q: Would you mind sharing with us?
A: No, I don’t mind sharing it. It is real simple. You start with a prime number, so 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, … For a complete windmill you need the square number of players or teams to participate (that’s where the 2x2, 3x3, 5x5 etc stands for). You need one more round then the number you picked (or in the way I use them 4 drinks for the 3x3; 6 dishes for the 5x5; 8 city’s/isles for the 7x7). Furthermore you need the game-set up and the scoring, but I expect more questions about this.
Q: Tell me more about the windmill system.
A: A 6x6 windmill is not a real windmill it is just a 7x7 windmill which is partly broken down and after that the remaining parts are rebuild again. Basically you can easily break down every windmill by one.
A: A 2x2 windmill is most simple. Suppose 4 people (or teams) enter which coincidental have the names A1, A2, B1 and B2. You need 3 game-settings. For the first game-setting you let play A1 against B1 and A2 against B2, for the second game setting you shift the B’s by one and the one that remains at the bottom you shift back in at the top. So second A1 against B2 and A2 against B1. As last setting you transpose the matrix so you get A1 against A2 and B1 against B2. Finish. Simple.
A: Any PxP windmill. By coincidence customers have names A1,A2,A3, A4, ….. Ap, B1,B2, ….Bp, C1,C2, …. Cp, ……………. . You need P+1 game-settings. For the first game-setting you let play in one game A1, B1, C1, … in the next game A2, B2, C2, ….. …. and the last game Ap, Bp, Cp, … . For the second game setting you shift the B’s by one, the C’s by two, the D’s by three, etc. The ones that drop out at the bottom are shifted back in at the top. So for the second game-setting you let play in one game A1, Bp, Cp-1, …, in the next game A2, B1, Cp, …., in the next game A3, B2, C1, … and in the last game Ap, Bp-1, Cp-2, …. . For the third game setting you shift the B’s one more, the C’s two more, the D’s three more, etc. Again shift back in from the top the ones that drop out at the bottom. So for the third game-setting you let play A1, Bp-1, Cp-3, …, next game A2, Bp, Cp-2, …, next game A3, B1, Cp-1, …, and in the last game Ap, Bp-2, Cp-4, … . In fact you keep the windmill turning the people around until you are back to your original set of games. At that moment you have had P game settings and for the last one you transpose the matrix, so you get A1,A2, … in a game, B1,B2,… in a game etc. Finish. In case you understand it is in fact still simple.
A: You like to get another example. Ok the 3x3 windmill.
First game-setting:
- 1st game: A1, B1, C1
- 2nd game: A2, B2, C2
- 3rd game: A3, B3, C3
- 1st game: A1, B3, C2
- 2nd game: A2, B1, C3
- 3rd game: A3, B2, C1
- 1st game: A1, B2, C3
- 2nd game: A2, B3, C1
- 3rd game: A3, B1, C2
- 1st game: A1, A2, A3
- 2nd game: B1, B2, B3
- 3rd game: C1, C2, C3
Q: How do you keep track of who plays with who for your tournaments? (Since they are windmill)
A: That is simply in the part of the excel table that I don’t show. I give the customers the feeling that I make it shortly before each game start, but in reality I make the complete game set up before the very first game. I try to give the impression that something like that is very complicated, but the only thing I do is look to the CC-score for each person and sort people on that, by which the complete set up is finished.
Q: I still don't understand the logic in the points in your tourney. So if the winner's partner gets taken out first why don't they receive 21+5 instead of 21+17?
A: That is a good question. I hope somebody would try it in the other way.
The reason I took a winner’s team is because in a team-game you enter as a team and play as a team. Also for CC when my partner wins a team-game I still get CC-points, in that way I thought that my system would be inline with the intention of CC.
Btw I always put in the complete scoring system for windmills in post3, it gives the nice possibility that you can mix nearly everything.
Q: Describe the experience of your first tournament ran, and first played in.
A: The first tournament I joined was a 1v1, going to a next round was for a large part luck. Although I passed 3 rounds it made clear to me that I would not start with 1v1 tourney’s.
Q: Tell us about your overall tournament experience from when you first joined a tournament to the present day. How has it changed for you? Is it a better experience than before? Worse?
A: I try to find new tournament set-ups that are open for freemium and like to join tournaments of which I expect that they will be abandoned or canceled. Strange enough I like that because it shows that my business is running better. Often there are some crazy ideas in it, participating will learn me why it doesn’t work and give me time to think about how I should change it to use it for my own business.
Q: How many tournaments have you run already, and do you have a goal in mind for how many you want to run in total before you "retire"? How many are you running right now?
A: O, eh, sorry but basically I am running a travel agency which has its own restaurant and bar. Sometimes I run a song contest. I will retire after I have earned enough for the rest of my life.
Q: What tournaments have you organized?
A: At the bar I always use a 3x3 windmill. Unfortunately my first bar burned down at the opening, but we rebuild it in Iron of which the re-opening has started shortly before:
For my restaurant I use a 5x5 windmill by which I made 4 Dinner Dates: 2 have finished a 3rd is running and the 4th is waiting for people to join
I have only run one song contest up to now by using a 6x6 windmill; the plan is to start a second in the create/join at 11 July.
- Trippel Trappel.
- K3 Factor.
The travel agency uses a 7x7 windmill which will take some time and since we have a limited number of employees we only could started the second after the first was finished:
Q: What is your favourite tournament you have run?
A: Where my customers enjoyed themselves most
Q: What is your favorite tournament you’ve played in? Why?
A: Lord of the ring quads, because it was abandoned after the first game.
Q: Do you prefer to run or enter tournaments?
A: I prefer to organize.
Q: Is there a specific type of format that you tend to gravitate towards? Why? Is there a format that is your favourite? What about other peoples' tournaments?
A: I like to use a windmill format, because they are simple and a complete multi-player competition. I use it often in a mixed style. About other peoples' tournaments I hope some will use a windmill as well soon.
For a small 1v1 bracket you need 16 people and 15 games; for a double 3x3 windmill you need 18 people and 12 games.
Q: Are you selective about which types of tournaments you join or do you join just about everything you can fit into your personal game load? If you are selective, do you look for certain styles or organizers?
A: After my 1st tournament I decided not to join a simple 1v1 tourney anymore. Second I joined a 2v2, after that I only tried strange set-ups or related to one of mine.
Q: Do you find it easier to choose tournament settings yourself, or to let the players customize them?
A: Mostly I choose them myself, because I make more stupid choices then most players would do (like a 7 player assassin on Waterloo
)Q: Overall, are you playing a lot in tournaments? If not, then why and where do you find your games to play?
A: As freemium my game load is very limited and part of it I use to make my own business more interesting
Actually I don’t join much tournaments since I would still like to discover what kind of combinations of settings play best and which play worst on each map. Q: How excited where you with your first CC win?
A: I don’t remember, I enjoy mostly the development of a game being able to predict behaviour of other player, but also enjoy it when I misinterpret it. To me that is fun, sometimes I am right and able to win, but in fact the winning is not so important.
Q: Of your goals, in regards to CC, have you gotten done you've wanted to achieve?
A: The only goal for me is having fun. All kind of other goals are for school or work or whatever
Q: If you had to win one tournament that you are currently a part of which would it be and why?
A: Grand Slam Double for three reasons: first because it is the only tournament in which I participate at the moment (together with JvdH); secondly because I am in that tournament for over a year now and third because we couldn’t win from Silver 2 and fantanyser while they beat us 3 times but can’t win the tournament anymore.
Q: What is your most disappointing tournament loss to date?
A: That was in One Shot One Kill, were the number of needed rounds would be the key to enter the next round. From my game-model it was clear which round that should be, so I killed several people without being able to win that game but could keep the overall number of rounds low. After the game was finished the organizer did change the tournament rules in such a way that I didn't continue to the next round and killmanic did give me a low rating.
Q: In your mind, what makes a successful tournament?
A: Tournaments in which the participants or in my case customers have fun.
Q: What do you consider to be the most successful tournaments you've seen run?
A: I don’t follow that many tournaments, but according to the fun-rule I also can see abandoned tournaments as successful in discovering how people can struggle to get something impossible running, but in the end are not able to finish it.
Q: Have you ever been disappointed in a tournament you have run? What about one you entered?
A: Once I tried to set-up a puzzle magazine, but too little customers were willing to buy; most likely it became too complicated. In fact I was not disappointed with that it was more something I learned from. So One Shot One Kill stay the only one in which I was disappointed.
Q: What makes a successful organizer?
A: Simply good organized with clear rules and a feeling for the fun-factor of his or her customers.
Q: How do you attract players to your tournament, and what aspect (besides a reward of a premium prize or something like that) of a tournament do you think appeals to a lot of players and why?
A: I don’t really know. A good story ? A good format ? Giving at the start the information when it will be finished ? Using only multiplayer games ?
I always put a lot of advertisements in the tournament newsletter in the hope it helps.
Q: Is there anything in particular that you dislike about tournament organizing?
A: No
Q: For you, what is the best part of being a tournament organizer?
A: Solving the problems customers make. Like not joining a game after I invited them; or people who are each others foe or people joining the wrong team or wrong game or … . It feels like a victory to get it solved. Another fun part for me is that those things put my predictions about needed time under pressure.
Q: What mistakes do you see tournament organizers make the most?
A: Underestimating what is needed to be able to run a tournament. In fact it is rather simple, but you have to have the right spirit and idea about it. Otherwise you have a good idea, a good plan, etc; but still get frustrated by the behaviour of your customers.
Q: With experience comes the wisdom of knowing what mistakes you've made in the past so you can avoid them in the future. What mistakes have you made in your tournaments that you are sure to avoid in future tournaments?
A: As far as I know I have not made real mistakes and could correct small ones. The only mistake was the too complicated puzzle set-up, which was corrected by stopping it after a week or two in which only two teams joined.
Q: What is your opinion on organizer neutrality? Should organizers be allowed to place themselves against their own clanmates in tournaments? Should organizers be allowed to join their own tournaments at all?
A: That is up to the organizer. I only joined one of my tournaments (oops wrong word), but that was because one specific position in that tournament was worse compared to all other positions. Staying out of my tournaments gives me the possibility to put in special tricks or if needed baby-sit for some people.
Q: Do you use a "schedule" for updating your tournaments, or do you just wait until they need an update?
A: Basically I update daily, but sometimes I skip a day or two. When I am on a trip myself I simply skip a longer period, with some good planning that was every time possible up to now (since I started I have been out 4 times).
Q: Should “new recruits” be allowed to join tournaments?
A: I will let them in, but try to get an extra reserve as well
sooupy was rather new when he entered my first Dinner Date, but in the end he won.Q: Do you feel it is better to give a bye to players whose opponents deadbeats the tournament, or to use a reserve?
A: I don’t do 1v1 tourney’s; a bye is never an option for me; when I run out of reserves the song contest can come on hold.
Q: If you could change one thing about Conquer Club in general, what would it be?
A: A lot more game-setting options, basically for everything. There are so many good possibilities for this, some examples:
- number of players: random (you don’t see who is in and at the start discover the number of players)
- game type: split (each person has two groups to control, in the odd turn groupA in the even turn groupB. It works as in a doubles game, in which you play both persons of one team)
- map: in fact the only setting that gets enough updates.
- play order: Random: (in fact sequential, but each round the play order will be randomised again; being last in the first round, you might be first in the second round)
- spoils: single (you get an auto-deploy of 4,6 or 8 on the region of the spoil)
- reinforcements: none (you can move troops at attack, but not afterwards)
- fog: heavy (you only see your own regions and the troops on it)
- round length: 40 in 2 (your total personal time is two hours for each 40 rounds)
- joinability: clan (for clan games)
Q: If there was something that the Conquer Club administrators could implement into the game to make tournaments easier to manage, what would it be? Similarly, is there anything you would like to see taken away from Conquer Club to make running tournaments easier?
A: Add a “my tournaments” comparable with “my games” for TO’s. Basically same functions “active” “awaiting players” “recent eliminations” “recent finished”, with shorter period for recent.
Q: Is there anything that you would recommend to encourage new tournament organizers?
A: Keep the fun in it. In case a customer is doing something strange laugh about it and if needed make it his or her problem.
Q: List your top 5 biggest tournament headache's to this point
A: Sorry only 2:
1) Make nice stories, use a non-standard format, explain it clearly and tell all those things in a few words.
2) Get enough people into the tournament in time.
Q:How much time does CC take from your day? What does that say about the rest of your life ?
A: It takes too much time from my day and that says too much about the rest of my life.
Q: Are you a member of any clans or usergroups?
A: I am a member of the TO-usergroup, but would like to get an invite of a nice clan that could use a freemium (please explain why that clan could be nice for me).
Q: Who are you?
A: Most people know me as Paulus
Q: Why did you pick the name PaulusH?
A: Because Paulus was already taken by somebody else. The H is from my last name.
Q: What is the difference between reality and fiction ?
A: Fiction has to make sense.
Q: Are you on crack? Must be some good stuff!
A: Everybody can buy and use soft-drugs in a coffee shop legally here. I don’t need it; I have a twisted mind of myself and that is real good stuff
Q:Your avatar is pretty cool, where did you find it? Did you make it yourself?
A: In fact I took it from a semi-public location and changed it a little to make it my avatar.
Q: I know I personally like to play pretty much any game: from Euchre to Titan and back again.
Are there other games you enjoy? Which ones and why?
A: For strategic 1v1 games I like chess, abalone, zertz, kahuna, etc. For multiplayer strategic games I like monopoly, conquer club, colonists of Catan, bridge, risk, bridges of Shangrila, Formula De, etc.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I am from the Netherlands, (but not from Holland which is only a part of the Netherlands).
Q: Favourite play colour?
A: Stupid question: I am Dutch so it must be Orange.
Q: Favourite and least favourite map?
A: I haven’t played them all yet, but Waterloo was nice.
Q: Favourite settings?
A: no dice in combination with single spoils
Q: Freestyle or sequential?
A: I prefer sequential, but play both.
Q: Any tournaments planned for the future? What are they?
A: I have already planned the “Blind Dinner Date”, but that has to wait until most of the earlier group left the restaurant. The same holds for the “North Sea Cruise” I first need to get my employees back.
Q: How does it feel to be interviewed?
A: Nice, but more work then expected.
Q: Who were the snowdens of yesteryear?
A: New balls please.
Q: Any parting shots?
A: Hm all those questions about tournaments did give me a good idea I might start a real game-tournament in the near future. I was thinking to do that at my bar (and in the meanwhile serve some drinks).
Q: Thank you for your time.
A: It was my pleasure.
Interview With MrBenn
Notes
If you want your tournament included in a future issue, please PM Gozar using this form or visit this thread!:
----------------FORM-------------------
Status of tournament
Tournament Name(with link please)
Organiser: [Your name with 'player' tag]
Brief Description
(If recruiting) Approx. number of players needed
(If Ongoing) Approx. number of games remaining/percentage complete
---------------FORM---------------------
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