Conquer Club

Amazing Race: USA
*Brought to you by Generation One: The Clan.

Based on the CBS show The Amazing Race, this tournament will be a series of 6-player doubles games with teams being dropped at each stage.

I am needing 24 doubles teams to register to compete.
*Premium Membership is Required*

In this season, teams will race through the United States of America. They will have to make stops at 7 different venues before making 1 final dash to the finish. The places of interest for this season will consist of:

San Francisco
Puget Sound
Pearl Harbor
Rail USA
American Civil War
Great Lakes
U.S. Senate
USA

Format:
The 24 teams will be randomly assigned to 8 different groups. These groups will play 3 games on each map.

Points will be awarded as follows:
1st place: 5 points
2nd place: 3 points
3rd place: 1 point
Bonus Points are as follows:
+2 points for winning in 6 rounds or less
+1 point for the last place team IF they last 10 rounds.

At the end of all the games on each map, the lowest 3 teams overall will be dropped from the tournament. In case of a tie, the teams who played the most rounds will advance (meaning they put up the better fight).

The advancing teams will continue on to the next map in different, randomly assigned groups. Points will reset for each map, but a running tally of points will be kept. 3 more teams will be dropped after each map. For ties, the TOTAL amount of points will be used, with the higher team(s) advancing. If that can’t break it, the team that played the most rounds within that map will advance.

This will continue until the final map, USA. There, the first team to 2 wins will be crowned the winner.

*All games will be Sequential, Flat Rate, Unlimited, No Fog.

**The winner of this tournament will receive an automatic place and a starting bonus in Amazing Race: The World.

Reserved for Teams and Matchups

Amazing Race: USA Spreadsheets
If you only have Excel 2003, download this Patch.

1. Night Strike / spidey
2. Timminz / keiths31
3. Easy n Dirty / PaulG
4. Gozar / AfroDwarf
5. GRAPE APE / brandoncfi
6. Forza AZ / lokisgal
7. Natewolfman / Drew483
8. Zombie73 / Juls
9. pelato / hill71
10. Supposesublys / Peteolive
11. lostatlimbo / BeakerWMA
12. Deech / .kush
13. Isodice / Superkarn
14. kronic69 / hiddendragon
15. Natelya / General Franco
16. Coleman / Barterer2002
17. GUSSELL / Freeman74
18. luckyderus / pault334
19. original Doogie / keith149
20. flavanoid / eats
21. dragon dor / pascalleke
22. SouthernWarrior / Hawk79
23. negoeien / AtreidesHouse
24. goggles paisano / vexx

Reserves:
1. Easy n Dirty / PaulG (replaced Drunk_Idiot / prisonbreak at Round 1)
2. inonzuk / Shai
3. Smokingdude420
4. vampire2124 / Gold Knight

Storyline

Round 1: San Francisco

Welcome to the Amazing Race: USA. Teams of two from all parts of the globe will race through the sites and history of the United States of America in order to be crowned the champion. For the first leg of the race, competitors will explore the San Francisco Bay Area. The city of San Francisco is the 14th most populous city in the United States, but it is one of the most densely populated. The city has about 744,041 people, with the Bay area having approximately 7.2 million. The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, cable cars, and Chinatown all make San Francisco a popular attraction in the states. San Francisco’s most famous event was the Gold Rush that started in 1848.

On Conquer Club, San Francisco is designed as a standard map. Most players who start with territories in the north go on to win, but anything can happen, especially with teams. But be wary of Alcatraz. It will provide a nice extra army for every bonus region held, but armies are stuck there. There really is no return from Alcatraz. At the end of this leg of the race, the lowest 3 teams by score will be eliminated.

Round 2: Puget Sound

For the second leg of the race, competitors will explore the Puget Sound Area. Puget Sound is an estuary-where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water that falls as precipitation or drains from the surrounding land. Made up of a series of underwater valleys and ridges, Puget Sound is deep with an average depth of 450 feet. Ocean waters reach inland some 50 miles from the Pacific Coast to provide all-weather ports for ocean-going ships at Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia. The waterway is a complex and intricate system of channels, inlets, and islands. The urban region designated the Puget Sound Region is centered on Seattle, Washington, and consists of nine counties, two urban center cities and four satellite cities making up what has been dubbed the "Pugetropolis". A unique state-run ferry system, the Washington State Ferries, connects the larger islands to the Washington mainland, as well as both sides of the sound, allowing cars and people to move about the greater Puget Sound region.

On Conquer Club, Puget Sound is designed as a classic, straightforward map. This will be my first attempt at this map, but it looks fairly simple. I notice the two large bonuses in the center with small and moderate bonuses in the corners. I would hope for a strong corner drop and work out from one of them.

Round 3: Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is a harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Pearl Harbor was originally called Wai Momi (meaning "harbor of pearl") by the Hawaiians, and it was regarded as the home of the dolphin goddess kapituce and her brother, Kahi'uka. The harbor was teeming with pearl-producing oysters until the late 1800s. Today, much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The attack on Pearl Harbor shocked the U.S.: On the morning of December 7, 1941, planes and midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy began a surprise attack on the U.S. Six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 planes composed mainly of dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations. A second wave of 180 Japanese planes, comprised mainly of torpedo bombers, attacked the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The battleship "USS Arizona" was hit with an armor piercing bomb which penetrated the forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart and sinking it within seconds. Overall, nine ships of the U.S. Pacific fleet were sunk and twenty-one ships were severely damaged. The U.S. forces appeared to be utterly unprepared, and the attack effectively drew the United States into World War II.

On Conquer Club, Pearl Harbor is a large map with many different bonuses. This map employs many of the XML features that were available at the time of its design such as partial continent bonuses (planes) and bombardments (AA batteries). There are many different strategies available. Many players like to start with the Miners or the Oil Storage, but watch out for the planes. Just like how the Japanese had an advantage during the battle, these planes with their partial bonuses can up a player’s reinforcements in a hurry. The AA batteries give a nice +1 bonus for each, but be sure not to bombard a neutral 1.

Round 4: Rail USA

The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States was built across North America in the 1860s, linking the railroad network of the eastern U.S. with California on the Pacific coast. It was finished on May 10, 1869 at the famous Golden spike event at Promontory Summit, Utah. Much of the original right-of-way is still in use today and owned by the modern Union Pacific Railroad. From the middle 19th century until approximately 1920, if a person traveled from one city to another in the United States, the trip almost certainly was by rail. By 1910, close to 100% of intercity passenger trips were made by railroad.

In the 20th century automobile travel had begun to cut into the rail passenger market, but it was the development of the Interstate Highway System and of commercial aviation that dealt the most damaging blows to rail transportation. On May 1, 1971, the federally funded Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service in the continental United States. All of Amtrak's routes were continuations of prior service. Amtrak was given the huge responsibility of rerouting passenger trains from the then seven existing train terminals in Chicago (LaSalle, Dearborn, Grand Central, Randolph, Chicago Northwestern Terminal, Central, and Union) into just one, Union Station.

At the present time, Amtrak has some presence in all but two of the 48 contiguous states. During 2006, Amtrak reported more than 24.3 million passengers, its highest total to date. An average of more than 67,000 passengers ride on up to 300 Amtrak trains per day.

On Conquer Club, Rail USA is one of the most complicated, yet straightforward maps. Designed by cairnswk, the map features many bonuses that follow the train tracks. The stations are designated with a three-letter acronym both on the map and in the XML. Chicago features a distinguishable hub where all eight rail lines can attack each other. The hub itself gives a nice +8 bonus if you can manage to hold it.

Round 5: American Civil War

The American Civil War was fought between the United States of America (the "Union") and the Southern slave states of the newly formed Confederate States of America. The Union included all of the free states and the five slaveholding border states and was led by Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party. Republicans opposed the expansion of slavery into territories owned by the United States, and their victory in the presidential election of 1860 resulted in seven Southern states declaring their secession from the Union. The Union rejected secession, regarding it as rebellion.

Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln responded by calling for a large volunteer army, then four more Southern states declared their secession. In the war's first year, the Union assumed control of the border states and established a naval blockade as both sides massed armies and resources. Confederate resistance collapsed after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

The Conquer Club map plays as a standard map, but it offers many different bonuses. There are bonuses for holding key cities, brigades, and the entire army. Since the Union territory is larger, it provides a larger bonus than the Confederate territories for holding the whole area. The neutral states really are neutral on the map and do not provide any bonuses. Because Maryland is the capital of the Union, it can attack all of the Union ships, which provides a back door to the Confederate territories.

For the tournament, this round begins the second half of the tournament. Only 12 teams remain from the starting 24, and there are some heavyweights still in the race. Scores will become tighter, so remember that tiebreakers are determined by the total scores from all the rounds. The lowest 3 teams will be dropped at the end of this leg of the race.

Round 6: Great Lakes

In this leg of the race, the remaining participants will travel to the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located on the Canada-United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. The Great Lakes contain roughly 22% of the world’s fresh surface water; this is enough water to cover the 48 contiguous U.S. states to a depth of 9.5 feet. The lakes are connected to each other by rivers--including the Niagara River (and Niagara Falls)--and canals. Dispersed throughout the Great Lakes are approximately 35,000 islands. The largest among them is Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, the largest island inside an inland body of water, which is home to the world's largest lake-within-a-lake: Lake Manitou. The effect of Great Lakes on weather in the region is called the lake effect. In winter, the moisture picked up by the prevailing winds from the west can produce very heavy snowfall.

During settlement, the Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight. Barges were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean when the Erie Canal opened in 1825. With the opening of a canal at Chicago, direct access to the Mississippi River was possible. With these canals an all-inland water route was provided between New York City and New Orleans.

The Conquer Club map plays as a straight-forward map. There are several smaller bonuses that are relatively easy to defend. The lakes themselves are territories that are largely ignored by many players, but holding them can be a great boost to your army count. Holding 3 gives you an extra army, 4 gets you 2 armies, and all 5 awards you with a +5 bonus. They also serve as a good path to the other side of the map. The 6 highest finishers (by points) will reach the “semi-finals.”

Round 7: U.S. Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress. The Senate met in the “Old Chamber” from 1810 until 1859. During this time period, the Senate grew from a small advisory council to the primary forum for national debates. The Senate moved into its current chamber when the north wing of the Capitol was completed in 1859.

In 1819, the Senate ordered 48 new desks from New York cabinetmaker Thomas Constantine to replace those burned by the British during the War of 1812. All the original "Constantine" desks remain in use in the Senate chamber today. As new states entered the Union, additional desks of similar design were built by other cabinetmakers. The Senate Chamber is also adorned with white marble busts of the former Presidents of the Senate (Vice Presidents).

The four Media Galleries provide journalists with working space and notices of coming events, and they facilitate press conferences. To observe the Senate’s proceedings, members of the media go to the Press Gallery.

You have finally made it to the nation's capital. This is the next to last stage, so only half of you will be advancing. On the Conquer Club map, the U.S. Senate is a standard map that plays like a big one. Standard singles games can easily become long and tedious build games (ironically, much like the real Senate). Managing your party through these halls could take some good communication.

Round 8: USA

Congratulations to each of you for making it to the final leg of the race. You have traveled all across the countryside visiting some of the best sites of the United States. This leg will remind you of the country as a whole.

The United States of America is a constitutional federal republic comprising fifty states and a federal district, as well as several territories, or insular areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to its east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait, and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific.

At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with more than 300 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by land area and by population. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with a nominal 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US $13 trillion (over 19% of the world total based on purchasing power parity).

The Conquer Club USA map is a standard map with most of the continental states represented. It’s similar in bonus structure and layout as the Classic map and was one of the first five maps on the site. For this leg, the cumulative scoring from the previous rounds is tossed aside. The final leg is always a mad dash to the finish, so the first team to win 2 games will be declared the tournament winners. Good luck and thanks for a great season.

I'll play. keiths31 will be my partner.

Gotcha.

If someone needs a Partner i'll play

Meeeee!!

prisonbreak wrote:Meeeee!!

You and I then as a team?

Drunk_Idiot wrote:If someone needs a Partner i'll play

prisonbreak wrote:Meeeee!!

Does that mean you two are together??

Edit: Fastposted?

Night Strike wrote:

Drunk_Idiot wrote:If someone needs a Partner i'll play

prisonbreak wrote:Meeeee!!

Does that mean you two are together??

Edit: Fastposted?

it is up to him...i'll play with anyone as a teammate

I am in. Will let you know my teammate soon.

EDIT:Afrodwarf is in with me.

grape ape and brandoncfi

I'm in. I will inform you about my partner later.

i am also in and will soo gain a partner

I'd play but I'm not sure who I could user as a team-mate.

I'd ask gimil but I doubt he'd be back in time.

Coleman wrote:I'd play but I'm not sure who I could user as a team-mate.

I'd ask gimil but I doubt he'd be back in time.

When does he return?? I don't plan on starting this till Sunday, at the earliest. (Assuming it's even full by then.)

Night Strike wrote:

Coleman wrote:I'd play but I'm not sure who I could user as a team-mate.

I'd ask gimil but I doubt he'd be back in time.

When does he return?? I don't plan on starting this till Sunday, at the earliest. (Assuming it's even full by then.)

Not tell January 16th most likely. Which is a bit later then Sunday.

If you don't fill up by then keep us in mind, but otherwise good luck.

Coleman wrote:

Night Strike wrote:

Coleman wrote:I'd play but I'm not sure who I could user as a team-mate.

I'd ask gimil but I doubt he'd be back in time.

When does he return?? I don't plan on starting this till Sunday, at the earliest. (Assuming it's even full by then.)

Not tell January 16th most likely. Which is a bit later then Sunday.

If you don't fill up by then keep us in mind, but otherwise good luck.

I'll list you as a reserve until one of you posts that he's back. I'll move you to active if there is a spot.

Everyone else is added, but please provide partners soon.

Zombie73 and Juls would like to join as partners

Forza AZ wrote:I'm in. I will inform you about my partner later.

lokisgal is my partner.

Forza AZ wrote:

Forza AZ wrote:I'm in. I will inform you about my partner later.

lokisgal is my partner.

Figured.

Everyone is in thus far.

count us in

pelato and hill71

pelato wrote:count us in

pelato and hill71

Counted.

lostatlimbo & BeakerWMA are in as a team