Gameroom Rock/Paper/Scissors Tournament III

[GeneralHankerchief]

You've got my orders: Pikeman, Archers ...I think.. or was it Cavalry first?

And yet still no actual orders.

[LazyMcCrow]

And yet still no actual orders.

- Seems the internets ate them. Will resend now.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Semi-finals results

"And we'll see you tomorrow night!"
~ Joe Buck, Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, October 26, 1991

There is only one more day to go to the finals. For two of the contestants, their ride will end here and they'll try to salvage some pride in the consolation match tomorrow. For two others, one win separates them and a chance at immortality. Exactly which combination of players will be yielded will be decided today, but among all players, there is one constant that holds up: for better or for worse, their road to the finals ends here. All have taken different paths to get here. Sigurd came storming out of the gate, matching The King win for win before stumbling in the middle of the round robin, then finally recovering to take the #2 seed. Visorslash was in the thick of it from the very beginning, never at risk to drop out of the top four, before settling in as the #3 seed and cruising to the semi-finals. Montmorency started out slow, but has logged 6 victories in 7 matches before taking out the dangerous #12 issaikhaan and upsetting #4 Ishmael to get here. Finally, LazyMcCrow had a round robin to forget, ending up with the #11 seed, but has gone through the knockout round in style, first upsetting #6 atheotes and then doing the unthinkable by delivering #1 The King his first loss in the entire tournament.

Now, these four warriors prepare themselves for one more match, hopefully one more stepping stone on the way to eternal glory. They know it cannot be the case for all of them, though, and the fear of failure perhaps more than the lure of success is what drives them at this stage. Because as of right now, all four of them are so close, yet so far.

The audience is going ballistic, but eventually they settle down enough as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

"Rock... paper... scissors... shoot!"

#2 Sigurd vs. #11 LazyMcCrow
After having slain the giant yesterday, Lazy fears nothing that can be thrown at him this tournament. Indeed, an immense amount of pressure is on Sigurd; Lazy is playing with house money, he is the highest seed remaining in the tournament remaining, and most of all, Sigurd has never been able to get past the semi-finals in the past two tournaments. Sigurd remembers this all too well, and certainly more so than any of the vast media members playing up the angle. In their matchup on Day 4, Sigurd defeated Lazy with Paper on the first throw. Perhaps remembering this, Lazy decides to go with the slightly lesser-used choice of Scissors, taking a gamble. Sigurd, though, is one step ahead of him and has already thrown Rock. As the crowd starts wildly applauding, Sigurd allows himself one minor fist-pump before going over and congratulating Lazy for his effort. For Sigurd, he has finally broken through. Perhaps the third time may just be the charm, after all.
Sigurd advances

#3 Visorslash vs. #5 Montmorency
Visorslash defeated Montmorency on Day 6, which must have set something in motion in Monty's system. After that loss, Monty ripped off a huge run, winning 6 out of 7 matches en route to a #5 seed, defeating #12 issaikhaan essentially blind, and #4 Ishmael to earn a spot in the semis. After yesterday's events clarified the situation, Monty became the consensus "dark horse" candidate to win in contrast to Sigurd and Visorslash being the co-favorites and Lazy being the Cinderella choice. It's certainly conceivable that this is the case, but Visor has been a pillar of consistency this entire tournament, having never lost more than one game in a row. The two start out evenly matched, both throwing Rock. Now Montmorency's brain starts going into overdrive. Last match, after getting into an initial tie with #7 classical_hero, Visor stuck with what he had thrown the previous time, Scissors. It worked, as classical unsuccessfully switched to Paper. Would Visor follow the same pattern here or would he switch it up? Monty, betting the latter, throws Rock once again. However, he immediately sees that he has out-thought himself, as Visor has gone with Paper. At last, Montmorency's long string of victories has come to an end, though he will get the chance to pick up one more against LazyMcCrow in the consolation round tomorrow. For Visorslash, a date with Sigurd looms in his biggest match yet.
Visorslash advances

After fourteen long days of tournament play, the finals are almost upon us at last. Congratulations to Sigurd and Visorslash for making it this far, and to Montmorency and LazyMcCrow for their inspired play. Gentlemen, there are two more matches to resolve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is now the F I N A L S ! ! !

Matchups:

#2 Sigurd vs. #3 Visorslash
#5 Montmorency vs. #11 LazyMcCrow (consolation match)

[Visor]

Pretty surprised I made it into the finals.

[Sigurd]

Got to sleep on this...

[Montmorency]

I'm no good!

[Ibn-Khaldun]

I'm no good!

Hey!! What do you think I felt!!!

[classical_hero]

2 vs 3, who should be favourite? What are the odds for this match?

[GeneralHankerchief]

2 vs 3, who should be favourite? What are the odds for this match?

Visorslash beat Sigurd straight-up on Day 10 and has had a somewhat more impressive knockout round, so they're making Visor the slight favorite going into the finals (neither of them have sent in orders yet, so the prediction isn't tainted by anything).

[LazyMcCrow]

Well played Sigurd. For Monty I'm definitely going Cavalry, Cavalry.

[Zack]

Next tournament needs betting!

[GeneralHankerchief]

Consolation results

“Whatever happened in the past, hopefully it's over.”
~ Donovan McNabb

In many sports, the consolation match (or tournament, as in the case of college basketball) usually brings a certain amount of stigma with it. This is naturally understandable, as the parties involved have already lost and a spot in the finals was obviously more desirable. In the world of Rock/Paper/Scissors, however, there is absolutely no shame in playing in the consolation match. As a matter of fact, 8 of the 10 people in the tournament not involved in the match would absolutely kill to be in the spot that Montmorency and LazyMcCrow are in right now, with the only two dissidents being (naturally) the finalists themselves. A spot in the consolation match implies that the contestant made his way through a grueling tournament and generally made fine work in the knockout round before coming up just short against a stronger and/or hotter opponent in the semi-finals. A third-place finish brings significant recognition.

The paths the two contestants took to get here today were exceptionally long and hard. #5 Montmorency dropped his first three matches, putting him in a very deep hole. Since then, however, he only lost twice more in the entire round robin, going 6-2-0 and logging a victory against #2 Sigurd on the way. His reward was falling just short of a bye, drawing the dreaded #5 seed and a matchup against a man with absolutely no data to go on, #12 issaikhaan. However, Monty dodged a bullet by defeating khaan and then kept it going by avenging his Day 2 loss to #4 Ishmael in the next round before finally falling to #3 Visorslash in the semi-finals. This loss to Visor aside, Monty has had a generally solid tournament and is looking to cap it off with a win here.

His opponent is a true Cinderella, #11 LazyMcCrow. Lazy's #11 seed is an inherent contradiction; on one hand, the #12 seed basically sacrificed his entire round robin tournament in favor of being unpredictable in the knockout round, leaving Lazy as the lowest-scoring contestant who actually tried. On the other hand, Lazy was quite unlucky, getting into two draws over the course of the tournament and falling from #7 to #11 in the final two days. If one of those two draws was turned into a win, Lazy could have seeded as high as eighth. In any case, Lazy adapted quite comfortably to his seeding in the knockout round, first delivering the first round's only upset by denying #6 atheotes a berth to the second round, and then finally shocking the world by handing #1 The King his first loss in the entire tournament. His magical run finally ended at the hands of the battle-tested #2 Sigurd, but Lazy has proven himself to all as a very formidable opponent.

Seeking one last shot at redemption, Montmorency and LazyMcCrow face each other as the crowd around them becomes louder and louder. This noise goes on for several minutes before the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

"Rock... paper... scissors... shoot!"

Neither man bothers to psyche the other out; at this stage in the tournament they are well-past that. They've both chosen what they're going to throw ahead of time, so the only thing left to do is to execute their strategies. And so they do so. Monty has, for the second day in a row, abandoned the choice (Paper) that got him to the semi-finals and instead throws Rock. Lazy too, abandons his trusty Scissors, but his new choice is far more effective: Paper. The crowd roars at the result, and Lazy and Monty congratulate each other, shaking hands before walking off to the showers. Lazy has a few minutes of reflection before the press conference; in those minutes, he comes to the conclusion that third place isn't such a bad finish for Cinderella after all.

LazyMcCrow's and Montmorency's tournaments are done, but even after the interviews are finished they both stick around. After all, there is still one more match to be decided.

LazyMcCrow takes third place in the tournament! Congratulations to him and thanks to Montmorency for participating!

[Montmorency]

Fitting.

At least I can take comfort in the knowledge that my spreadsheet was the clearest and most accessible.



A very stimulating game, contestants.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Finals results

"If you ain't first, you're last."
~ Talladega Nights

It has truly been a tournament to remember.

There have been compelling storylines, incredible runs, spectacular upsets, heartbreak galore, and now, of course, one final match; one final match to decide everything. The road has been long and arduous for both contestants, but finally, it ends here. The preliminaries - the round robin, the previous knockout rounds, the just-finished consolation match - are all out of the way. Finally, it is time to resolve the one match that really matters.

In the stands sit the already-vanquished contestants: issaikhaan, Zaccino, BSmith, atheotes, edse, classical_hero, Ishmael, The King, and Montmorency. LazyMcCrow, having just taken third, is sitting elsewhere, ready to take part in the ceremony. Also spotted in the stands are former contestants Double A, Csargo, Centurion1, and even the very first champion CountArach, hoping that his legacy will be passed off to a worthy successor today. He smiles and tips an imaginary hat to the cheering crowd when his face is put up on the JumboTron. This, however, will be the only attention he receives today. The great majority of it will be devoted to the two competitors whose fates are about to be decided.

#2 Sigurd is the only person alive who has taken part in all three Rock/Paper/Scissors tournaments, although this is the first time he has broken through to the finals after losses in the semis during the previous years. He seemed destined to be here from the start, ripping off a 5-match win streak before drawing on Day 6 and then losing to eventual #1 The King on Day 7. From there, Sigurd had a herky-jerky remainder of the round robin, but righted himself nicely for the knockout round, defeating #8 edse in an epic marathon match and then ending #11 LazyMcCrow's Cinderella run in the semi-finals. Despite his vast experience and higher seed, Sigurd is still not favored to win today, primarily because of his loss to his opponent on Day 10. By this point he knows better than anyone that the opinions of the oddsmakers mean nothing, though. Instead, he is focusing on that one final hurdle that stands between him and the championship he has coveted for so long.

That hurdle takes the form of #3 Visorslash, and it is a very formidable hurdle indeed. Visorslash has had a rock-solid tournament, probably second only to #1 The King in consistency. Over the course of his run, Visor has followed up every single loss of his with a victory and has reeled off win streaks of 2 or more on three separate occasions. He has also exceptionally well against strong opponents, defeating Sigurd on Day 10, #4 Ishmael on Day 4, and semifinalist Montmorency twice. Finally, his run through the knockout round has had a workmanlike efficiency to it, having defeated #7 classical_hero and then #5 Montmorency both after they initially tied. Visor is looking to finish his impressive run with a second consecutive victory against someone he has already beaten.

Naturally, both of their thoughts cannot help but gravitate towards their Day 10 matchup. That battle was over in one throw, with Visorslash triumphing with a throw of Scissors. Everyone is wondering if the two finalists will base their throws off that matchup, since they have used all three choices effectively in the knockout round to this point. At the same time, though, everyone knows that any such discussion of tactics is purely an academic matter. Sigurd and Visor have both long-since passed beyond that stage of gameplay. Like Lazy and Monty, there is nothing left to do but execute their strategies and hope for the best.

It takes ten minutes for the wild cheering to die down to an acceptable level. The referee, who has walked out into the stadium, takes this time to acknowledge the contestants and congratulates them for making it so far. No matter the result today, their accomplishments cannot be diminished by any means. When the cheering finally does subside, the referee raises his hand in the air and says the words one last time.

"Rock... paper... scissors... shoot!"

Instantly, the crowd leaps back to its former noise level. Amidst the pandemonium, everyone sees that Visor has stuck with what worked for him in the past and thrown Scissors. Sigurd, though, anticipating this, has thrown Scissors as well.

The crowd cheers even louder. Rethrow.

Both men are sweating now. Any facade of coolness under pressure is long gone. There is far too much at stake now. This match needs to be over with, for both of their sakes. It has been a very long and trying tournament. Hoping this is the final throw he makes before he crowned champion, Sigurd gambles that Visor won't change and switches over to Rock. He's right about one thing: this is the final throw he makes in the tournament. Tuning out the loud shriek from the crowd, Sigurd's world for a brief moment boils down to Visorslash's hand... which ends up showing Paper.

The audience explodes at the result. In the past, scenes of pure chaos were the norm upon the crowning of a new champion; this is once again proven to be the norm as Visorslash is swept away by a tide of adoring fans ready to congratulate him on his incredible achievement. Sigurd cannot help but shake his head; he has been denied yet again, and this time aches the most of all. He briefly catches CountArach's eye in the audience. CA gives him a knowing smile and an apologetic shrug.

After about an hour, the tournament organizers have somehow managed to restore order and the medal ceremony begins without incident. On the top podium, Visorslash is drinking it all in. He had a very steady, solid tournament, and this is his deserved reward. Looking more and more elated as first LazyMcCrow and then Sigurd receive their medals, upon getting his Visorslash raises his arms high and yells out a cheer of victory, one which is given back to him by every single delirious member of the audience. He is officially the Rock/Paper/Scissors champion of the world.

Visorslash takes first place in the tournament!
Sigurd takes second place in the tournament!
LazyMcCrow takes third place in the tournament!

Thanks to all for participating and making it a great tournament!

Many people have requested that betting be incorporated for the next tournament. In the spirit of things, let me start off by laying very good odds that there won't be a 2+ year wait for the next one like there was for this one.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Congratulations @Visorslash! Also to @Sigurd and @LazyMcCrow !

@GeneralHankerchief, those write ups are just amazing!!

[classical_hero]

That was so much fun. Congratulations to Visorslash.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Also, since there was some discussion about this at the very beginning of the tournament, I'm 95% sure I'm keeping it at 12 players for next time. Shockingly enough, there are only so many ways you can write up Rock/Paper/Scissors results before you start to run out of steam.

[Montmorency]

Inconceivable! Sigurd is definitely going all the way next time.

Well-played.

Also, since there was some discussion about this at the very beginning of the tournament, I'm 95% sure I'm keeping it at 12 players for next time. Shockingly enough, there are only so many ways you can write up Rock/Paper/Scissors results before you start to run out of steam.

Begin accepting player-made writeups, or describing the matches as a physical confrontation - if we can stomach that. :wink;

[atheotes]

Contgrats to Visor! Sigurd and Lazy as well for finishing in the podium.
Thanks to GH for a great game. I was amazed how much you could write about Rock/Paper/Scissors. Write-ups were very good.

[Sigurd]

This is what happens when you give in to analyzis. Gut said Rock... ROCK dammit. I would have crushed this infidel on the first throw.
*walkes to the locker screaming "NO COMMENT" to the press.*

[LazyMcCrow]

Inconceivable! Sigurd is definitely going all the way next time.

Well-played.



Begin accepting player-made writeups, or describing the matches as a physical confrontation - if we can stomach that. :wink;

That was really good fun. I have a confession to make, now that the competition has ended: My match-up against atheotes - first knock-out round, Initially, I accidentally sent my orders to atheotes rather than General Hankerchief! - Now THAT'S what I call careless. Not to be deterred by my excellent blunder, I decided not to mention it and adjusted my orders - assuming that atheotes would make his orders based on my own. The gamble paid off, but left a slightly bad taste in my mouth :D Given my aversion to spreadsheet technology: The rest of my decisions (other than in the round robin against Khaan - which I nearly missed!) were all made based on pure instinct. Look forward to the next one.

[Ishmael]

Thanks GH for hosting this; it's been significantly more fun than I realised a RPS tournament could be!

And of course, congratulations Visorslash (although I'm still irritated I lost to a Queenslander).

[LazyMcCrow]

(although I'm still irritated I lost to a Queenslander).

...and an honorary Dockers fan :)

[atheotes]

That was really good fun. I have a confession to make, now that the competition has ended: My match-up against atheotes - first knock-out round, Initially, I accidentally sent my orders to atheotes rather than General Hankerchief! - Now THAT'S what I call careless. Not to be deterred by my excellent blunder, I decided not to mention it and adjusted my orders - assuming that atheotes would make his orders based on my own. The gamble paid off, but left a slightly bad taste in my mouth :D Given my aversion to spreadsheet technology: The rest of my decisions (other than in the round robin against Khaan - which I nearly missed!) were all made based on pure instinct. Look forward to the next one.

No need for any bad taste. I thought you were just WIFOMing and did not even read your choices. I just went with random choices through out the tournament...never giving a second thought to my choices.

[Visor]

Good game Sigurd. Thanks GH for the game. My method was to vaguely remember what the last few throws consisted of, and what they were likely to throw (offhand, as in, I never recorded anything). I had a feeling Sigurd would not start with Rock, paper was my obvious first throw, so I went for scissors, I then went for paper as I doubted he would go scissors again, and it turns out it was smart.

I think I sent my choices in when I was drunk as well.

[LazyMcCrow]

I think I sent my choices in when I was drunk as well.

Aha! - Rock, Paper, Martini

[Montmorency]

I was deeply shaken by the failure of my algorithm. I trained extensively on the first two tournaments, and let me tell you:

An early iteration - from shortly after my first match with Visor, say - achieved a 45% success rate at predicting players' primary moves. By the second match, this had dropped to 25%, despite perceived improvements...

Yet I will persevere; this is only Rocky I after all.

[Sigurd]

Good Game Visor... Your gut failed my analysis.
Until next time...

And thank you, again, for a well executed tournament GeneralH. Third in the series of setting the standard for this genre.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Two final pieces of tournament trivia:

1) (operating under the assumption that Visorslash is Australian, which I believe he is) Commonwealth nations have captured every single tournament so far, with Aussies taking two and a Brit taking the other one. The Western Hemisphere, the Continent, etc. need to step up their game.

2) The lower-ranked seed has won each Finals match. Maybe that #1 seed isn't so desirable after all.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

At least I managed to get into the history records of the tournament as a guy who never lost a match in round robin.