Gameroom Rock/Paper/Scissors Tournament III

[GeneralHankerchief]

I did two (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=120020) of these (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?124371-Gameroom-Rock-Paper-Scissors-tournament-II-Concluded) a while back, but it's been over two years since I've hosted one. However, seeing as how I'm a) graduated, b) unemployed, and c) no longer a moderator here, I have some more time on my hands. Thus, round three, baby! :charge:

Rules:
Pretty simple really. I create the one-on-one matchup, each participant sends me a PM saying which one they pick. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock. In the case of there being a tie, players will also send me a second choice in the PM. If there's still a tie, then the game ends in a draw.

Tournament structure will be a single round robin which will determine seeding. The knockout round will be your standard seeded ladder structure, with the top four seeds earning first-round byes. In the round robin, players get 1 point for a win, 0 points for a loss, and 0.5 points for a tie. There are no draws in the knockout round, obviously.

Best of luck to all, and happy WIFOMing!

Signed up: (12/12)
issaikhaan
Ishmael
BSmith
Zaccino
Visorslash
LazyMcCrow
atheotes
edse
Montmorency
classical_hero
The King
Sigurd

[seireikhaan]

:charge:

[Ishmael]

AHAHAHA! I shall CRUSH you all with ROCK!

...er, I mean paper. Yes, paper. :creep:

[BSmith]

I'll be the scissors to Ishmael's paper ...

[Zack]

I'll be the rock to BSmith's scissors to Ishmael's paper.

[Visor]

AHAHAHA! I shall CRUSH you all with ROCK!

...er, I mean paper. Yes, paper. :creep:

I'll be the Maroons to your Blues. :laugh4:

Also, in.

[LazyMcCrow]

Rock, Paper, Shotgun?
Yes please. (but I shall secretly be playing it as 'Pikeman, Archers, Cavalry'

[atheotes]

yes...lets call it 'Pikeman, Archers, Cavalry'

but whenever my Cavalry is faced with Pikemen, they will refuse to charge!

[edse]

I want to join.

[LazyMcCrow]

yes...lets call it 'Pikeman, Archers, Cavalry'

but whenever my Cavalry is faced with Pikemen, they will refuse to charge!

Then you will no doubt be forced to execute them for failing to protect their Lord!

[Montmorency]

Sounds like a brief one.

[atheotes]

Then you will no doubt be forced to execute them for failing to protect their Lord!

We will just call the battle a draw, take half a point each and live to fight another day!

[classical_hero]

Good old rock.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

I'm in!

[Sigurd]

:on_thumbup:

[GeneralHankerchief]

All right, we've got twelve. Determining the tournament schedule now. :yes:

[LazyMcCrow]

Oh my giddleys. I'm actually pretty excited about this :wideeyed:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Master list of matchups:

Day 1:
issaikhaan vs. Sigurd
Ishmael vs. The King
BSmith vs. classical_hero
Zaccino vs. Montmorency
Visorslash vs. edse
LazyMcCrow vs. atheotes

Day 2:
The King vs. issaikhaan
Sigurd vs. classical_hero
Ishamel vs. Montmorency
BSmith vs. edse
Zaccino vs. atheotes
Visorslash vs. LazyMcCrow

Day 3:
issaikhaan vs. classical_hero
The King vs. Montmorency
Sigurd vs. edse
Ishmael vs. atheotes
BSmith vs. LazyMcCrow
Zaccino vs. Visorslash

Day 4:
Montmorency vs. issaikhaan
classical_hero vs. edse
The King vs. atheotes
Sigurd vs. LazyMcCrow
Ishmael vs. Visorslash
BSmith vs. Zaccino

Day 5:
issaikhaan vs. edse
Montmorency vs. atheotes
classical_hero vs. LazyMcCrow
The King vs. Visorslash
Sigurd vs. Zaccino
Ishmael vs. BSmith

Day 6:
atheotes vs. issaikhaan
edse vs. LazyMcCrow
Montmorency vs. Visorslash
classical_hero vs. Zaccino
The King vs. BSmith
Sigurd vs. Ishmael

Day 7:
issaikhaan vs. LazyMcCrow
atheotes vs. Visorslash
edse vs. Zaccino
Montmorency vs. BSmith
classical_hero vs. Ishmael
The King vs. Sigurd

Day 8:
Visorslash vs. issaikhaan
LazyMcCrow vs. Zaccino
atheotes vs. BSmith
edse vs. Ishmael
Montmorency vs. Sigurd
classical_hero vs. The King

Day 9:
issaikhaan vs. Zaccino
Visorslash vs. BSmith
LazyMcCrow vs. Ishmael
atheotes vs. Sigurd
edse vs. The King
Montmorency vs. classical_hero

Day 10:
BSmith vs. issaikhaan
Zaccino vs. Ishmael
Visorslash vs. Sigurd
Lazy McCrow vs. The King
atheotes vs. classical_hero
edse vs. Montmorency

Day 11:
issaikhaan vs. Ishmael
BSmith vs. Sigurd
Zaccino vs. The King
Visorslash vs. classical_hero
Lazy McCrow vs. Montmorency
atheotes vs. edse

It is now Day 1! Scheduled matchups for today:
issaikhaan vs. Sigurd
Ishmael vs. The King
BSmith vs. classical_hero
Zaccino vs. Montmorency
Visorslash vs. edse
LazyMcCrow vs. atheotes

Please PM me with your choice for either Rock, Paper, or Scissors. In addition, please send me your backup choice in case the first throws end in a tie. Once I get all results, I will resolve them immediately. Good luck! :viking:

(Round robin schedule generated with a big assist from this site (http://www.teamopolis.com/tools/round-robin-generator.aspx).)

[LazyMcCrow]

..and instantly my brow is knitted. Nay! Furrowed even!
Should the pikemen advance, or the archers step forward a rank? Do I dare e'en sound the call for the cavalry to charge?

[GeneralHankerchief]

I've got 6/12 selections in already and all six are from different matches. Nice. :laugh4:

[Sigurd]

Heh..

I have a slight problem sending PMs. I have 3800 messages stored of 600 allowed. There is no way I am going to go through my PM box selecting the 3000 or so I need to delete in order to receive or send PMs..

[GeneralHankerchief]

Heh..

I have a slight problem sending PMs. I have 3800 messages stored of 600 allowed. There is no way I am going to go through my PM box selecting the 3000 or so I need to delete in order to receive or send PMs..

If you want to do an absolute mass-delete, at your inbox scroll down to where it says "folder controls" (it should have the red/yellow/green bar) and click the "empty folder" button. Voila. I did the exact same thing when I got ungreened.

[Sigurd]

If you want to do an absolute mass-delete, at your inbox scroll down to where it says "folder controls" (it should have the red/yellow/green bar) and click the "empty folder" button. Voila. I did the exact same thing when I got ungreened.
There are many that I would like to keep and I have them ordered in logical folders. I am not particularly fond of the downloadable versions as they lose the layout of complicated multi quote PMs.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Here, for the time being VM me your choices. We're both online and I'll delete it as soon as I see it.

[Sigurd]

TinCow fixed... you should have received my PM

[GeneralHankerchief]

Got it, yes. :yes:

[Double A]

Gah! I missed the sign ups!

AND I'M STILL NOT OVER THE FACT THAT GH'S NAME ISN'T GREEN!

[atheotes]

..and instantly my brow is knitted. Nay! Furrowed even!
Should the pikemen advance, or the archers step forward a rank? Do I dare e'en sound the call for the cavalry to charge?

You do realize that the best you can hope for against me is a draw, right?

[CountArach]

I can't believe I missed this chance to reclaim my rightful crown :(

Some of the best write ups on this forum were from these games, I'll be watching for sure.

[GeneralHankerchief]

CA! Didn't even know you were still around. I'll try to work you in this one, somehow.

Waiting on classical. If he gets them into me within the next hour or two I might be able to resolve these before I go to bed.

[Csargo]

Aww :sad:

[LazyMcCrow]

I can't believe I missed this chance to reclaim my rightful crown :(

Some of the best write ups on this forum were from these games, I'll be watching for sure.


CA! Didn't even know you were still around. I'll try to work you in this one, somehow.

Waiting on classical. If he gets them into me within the next hour or two I might be able to resolve these before I go to bed.

If there are no other options, I am totally willing to step down in favour of a defending champ. Let me know

[Montmorency]

Why was it capped at 12? Why not expand it to 16?

[atheotes]

Instead of expanding and waiting for new players...why not just include CA. You can just have one of the players play 2 matches each round (keeping the current fixtures and the second match will be against CA). Just thinking out loud.

[Montmorency]

There were 3 or 4 members who expressed desire to play, after the quota was reached. Just give it a day - a quick one!

[classical_hero]

If we can get four more it would be great. I have sent my order in.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Going from 8 to 12 was a pretty big leap for me in the second tournament. I'm not sure if I want any more than 12 right now.

All orders are in, things will be resolved shortly. :yes:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 1 results

After over two years of being dark, the stadium experiences signs of life again. Ever since the tournament was announced, the local crew turned the lights on and worked to get it ready to handle the tournament, but that wasn't the same thing. The lights may have been on, the doors may have been open, but it was still empty, still waiting to be used for its exact purpose. That purpose would be fulfilled today. Once again, the seats are all full. Once again, the crowd is screaming in anticipation. Once again, the players are about to put it all on the line to determine who is the Rock/Paper/Scissors champion of the world.

There are a few familiar faces, but not many. Most of these players have never quite experienced anything like this tournament. Will they be able to stand up to the immense pressure that builds on them as the tournament progresses? The only thing everybody knows is that one of them has to. The question is, who will that be?

This question hangs in everybody's mind as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

Up first is a match between two of the three tournament veterans: issaikhaan and Sigurd. In the previous tournament, khaan, seeded 11th, made some ripples by upsetting the #6 seed Sasaki Kojiro in the first round before falling to #1 Centurion1 in the quarterfinals. He is facing Sigurd, who is the most experienced player of the entire group, having made it to the semifinals in both previous tournaments but failing to advance in either of them. Sigurd, hoping the third time is the charm, gets out to a good start by throwing Paper, which triumphs over khaan's Rock.
Sigurd defeats issaikhaan

Up next are two of the many rookies in the tournament: The King and Ishmael. While both are eagerly excited to participate, neither of them knows quite what to expect on the first day of proceedings. It doesn't help things when both men throw Scissors initially. However, upon the tiebreaker throw, it is The King who gets a better read on his opponent, his Paper covering Ishmael's Rock. The King pumps his fist in triumph while Ishmael shakes his head, smiling; he knows there will be plenty of opportunities to catch up.
The King defeats Ishmael

The third match of the day is between BSmith and classical_hero. Both of these men, having watched the prior match, have expressed their desire for avoiding a draw, at least at this stage in the tournament. It would solve nothing. They both get their wish, however, the problem is with having a clear winner and loser, as BSmith quickly figures out, is that there is a clear loser. His Paper has come up short against classical's Scissors.
classical_hero defeats BSmith

The streak of matches without a draw continues in the next match, where Zaccino faces down Montmorency. The two rookies to the tournament face each other and stare each other down professionally before finally throwing, their concentration blocking out everything that is not essential. It is only after both men have thrown that their concentration breaks; Zaccino has dispatched Monty with a throw of Paper to Monty's Rock.
Zaccino defeats Montmorency

The "no draws" outcome is given a major test in the next match of the day between Visorslash and edse, who have both initially thrown Scissors. The crowd roars in anticipation of the final outcome, while Visorslash tries to act above it all. In the end, Visorslash and his facade of coolness, whether real or imagined, triumph. Once again there is no draw as he has adjusted, his new Rock defeating edse's repeat throw of Scissors.
Visorslash defeats edse

The last match of the day features the last returning player, atheotes, vs. another rookie, LazyMcCrow. In the very first tournament, atheotes held the #1 seed until he was passed on the final day of the round robin. Getting a tougher draw than anticipated, he ran into the eventual champion CountArach in the first round of the knockout round, and just like that his tournament was over. atheotes took the next tournament off, collecting his thoughts and vowing to become better, and at last he has joined competitive play once again. Despite Lazy putting up a good fight, atheotes shows no signs of rust, throwing Scissors to Lazy's Paper.
atheotes defeats LazyMcCrow

Standings through Day 1:

Sigurd: 1
The King: 1
classical_hero: 1
Zaccino: 1
Visorslash: 1
atheotes: 1
issaikhaan: 0
Ishmael: 0
BSmith: 0
Montmorency: 0
edse: 0
LazyMcCrow: 0

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

It is now Day 2!

Day 2 matchups:

The King vs. issaikhaan
Sigurd vs. classical_hero
Ishamel vs. Montmorency
BSmith vs. edse
Zaccino vs. atheotes
Visorslash vs. LazyMcCrow

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Good start.. for me! :evilgrin:

[Ishmael]

I'm curious to see if I can achieve a clean sweep of defeats.

[GeneralHankerchief]

It's a lot harder than it looks. :yes:

[Centurion1]

none of you shall match the eerie success i had in an iteration

until i got lazy.

[CountArach]

If there are no other options, I am totally willing to step down in favour of a defending champ. Let me know
No, no don't worry about it. Thank you though.

[Ishmael]

How about the winner of this tournament plays Count Arach in a best of 5 playoff?

[CountArach]

How about the winner of this tournament plays Count Arach in a best of 5 playoff?
I was dethroned last year, so I'm not even defending champion. I'm just a former champion resting on his laurels.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on Sigurd and atheotes, hopefully we'll have a resolution when I wake up. :yes:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Paging atheotes. Hmm, this tag system could be useful after all...

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 2 results

It is the second day of the tournament, and although the contestants for the most part have settled in, some of them still have frazzled nerves. It's to be expected of course; the pressure is intense and you never know what your opponent is thinking. In this early part of the tournament, it is the people who can best manage their nerves that will have the advantage in the early rounds.

The crowd is not helping things. As loud and all-consuming as ever, its continued cheering does little to put the contestants at ease. This cheering only settles down as the referee walk out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match of the day is between The King and issaikhaan. Although khaan has experience, he stumbled out of the gate yesterday, taking a loss. The oddsmakers gave him a free pass as that loss was to fellow veteran Sigurd, but now the oddsmakers will have to reconsider their outlook on things. After both men initially throw Rock, The King adjusts by throwing Paper while khaan sticks with Rock. As The King is now 2-0 and khaan has no points yet, perhaps experience is overrated at this stage in the game.
The King defeats issaikhaan

In a battle of winners, Sigurd takes on classical_hero in the second match. As per their victories yesterday, both men are equally initially, with two Rocks. On the rethrow, however, Sigurd proves triumphant, his Scissors cutting through classical's Paper. classical_hero for the first time has experienced the pitfalls that this tournament can provide and is already looking to rebound with tomorrow's match. This is the right attitude to have.
Sigurd defeats classical_hero

The next match is Ishmael versus Montmorency. After initial defeats, both men are looking to get on the board and start a bit of a run - with both The King and Sigurd winning out, a loss would mean they're already two off the pace. After an initial staredown, it looks like Monty has gained the psychological advantage as Ishmael is starting to sweat, but he recovers nicely, his Rock smashing through Monty's Scissors. Ishmael is only one match back, a far better position to be in than his opponent.
Ishmael defeats Montmorency

edse and BSmith, who both fell short yesterday, are both looking to put themselves in Ishmael's position. Naturally, they can only do so at the expense of their opposite number. Such is the way of the tournament. Despite their losses yesterday, both men decide to stick with their previous throws. This is a curious strategy for BSmith as his Paper comes up short against edse's Scissors. In interviews following the match, BSmith is noncommittal about whether he is going to stick with this strategy from now on.
edse defeats BSmith

Up next is tournament rookie Zaccino against returnee atheotes. Both men triumphed in the previous day's match, and Zaccino is looking to catapult his way into the ranks of Sigurd and The King. However, atheotes proves ready to stop him. Both men initially throw Paper. Zaccino, smirking, eyes his opponent for a good while before getting ready to throw again. Eventually, they do, and the crowd gasps as they see that both have thrown Scissors. Eleven matches in and we have our first draw of the tournament.
Zaccino and atheotes draw

The last match of the day is between Visorslash and LazyMcCrow, and neither of them want to be in Zaccino's and atheotes' position of having to settle for a draw. Gamers the both of them, they're both pulling for a win today. However, it seems as if Lazy has been studying the earlier matches from the day. The match between Ishmael and Montmorency nonwithstanding, Scissors has proven itself the winning choice for the day. Lazy elects to continue this pattern and gets good results from it, as Visorslash has thrown Paper.
LazyMcCrow defeats Visorslash

Standings through Day 2:


Sigurd: 2
The King: 2
Zaccino: 1.5
atheotes: 1.5
classical_hero: 1
Visorslash: 1
Ishmael: 1
edse: 1
LazyMcCrow: 1
BSmith: 0
issaikhaan: 0
Montmorency: 0

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

It is now Day 3!

Day 3 matchups:

issaikhaan vs. classical_hero
The King vs. Montmorency
Sigurd vs. edse
Ishmael vs. atheotes
BSmith vs. LazyMcCrow
Zaccino vs. Visorslash

[atheotes]

Zaccino - you were lucky to get away with a draw! I did not have enough preparation time due to the weekend round!

Ishmael will not be so fortunate. :charge:

[LazyMcCrow]

BSmith vs. LazyMcCrow

Opens the wine to let it breathe.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

I wish there could be a home field advantage...

[BSmith]

Opens the wine to let it breathe.

The question here is, do I change my strategy and pick rock to counter your scissors, or would I know that you would know that I would do that and pick scissors to counter your counter move of paper to defeat my rock? Or would I know that you would know that I would know that you would do that and just stick with paper in the first place?

[LazyMcCrow]

The question here is, do I change my strategy and pick rock to counter your scissors, or would I know that you would know that I would do that and pick scissors to counter your counter move of paper to defeat my rock? Or would I know that you would know that I would know that you would do that and just stick with paper in the first place?

I am certain the questions you have asked - being entirely too numerous - while providing an entirely adequate description of the scene before us (The table, the chairs, the exquisite cut crystal decanter etc.) - are the wrong ones.

[classical_hero]

I nearly kept my rock, but I did not want to remain the same. Oh well.

[Sigurd]

I nearly kept my rock, but I did not want to remain the same. Oh well.
I of course knew that and adjusted appropriately.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on Visorslash.

[LazyMcCrow]

Waiting on Visorslash.

Probably still smarting after I cut him to ribbons :gloat:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 3 results

The natural logjam that always occurs at the beginning of the tournament is beginning to split apart. The people that are going on early runs are established as the favorites for the tournament; the more distance they can put on the rest of the pack, all the better. Everyone else is jockeying for position, looking to establish themselves as powerful foes. Everyone is gunning for the points, but of course it is a zero-sum game. The oddsmakers, always eager to get a better idea of the situation at large, are eagerly anticipating another day which will bring greater clarity to how things really stand.

In the stadium, meanwhile, the crowd cares nothing for this. They simply want another day of great Rock/Paper/Scissors action, which they are about to get. The referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match of the day is between issaikhaan, still searching for his first points of the tournament, and classical_hero, who is looking to rebound and establish himself as a member of the upper tier after a loss yesterday. khaan, unyielding, throws Rock, but he can tell by a sharp cry of victory from his opponent that he has lost even before he sees what classical has thrown. Upon finally glimpsing, his suspicions are confirmed: it is Paper.
classical_hero defeats issaikhaan

Up next is a battle between two people going in different directions: Undefeated The King and winless Montmorency. Now, as the highly-educated contestants and audience (Rock/Paper/Scissors is the rare sport that appeals to the masses but still is very attractive to the intellectuals, you see) are all aware of the law of averages, which dictate that, all other things equal, Monty should be able to catch up to The King's point total. However, evidently, the law of averages has decided not to kick in quite yet, as The King's Paper covers Monty's Rock. The streaks continue.
The King defeats Montmorency

Sigurd watches this previous match and grits his teeth. He has been in this position before, trying to maintain pace with a leader. In the second tournament, Sigurd fell just short of matching Centurion1's blistering pace, drawing the #2 seed as a result and falling to Stildawn in the semifinals as a result. He has vowed not to let that happen again, though The King is proving a worthy opponent. Sigurd's match for this day, however, is against the equally capable edse, who logged his first victory of the tournament in high fashion yesterday against BSmith. However, it is quickly apparent that edse still has some work to do before being able to put on a run, as Sigurd's Rock smashes his Scissors. Sigurd has once again maintained pace.
Sigurd defeats edse

The next match is between Ishmael and atheotes. atheotes, a mere half-point behind the leaders, wishes too to maintain pace and hopefully start leapfrogging the competition starting with his match against The King tomorrow. However, perhaps atheotes is looking too far ahead for his own good. He receives a sharp rebuke when he sees that his Rock has fallen before Ishmael's Paper. Now it is Ishmael, incidentally, who is only one point off the leaders, but he notes that he is taking the tournament "one day at a time" in the press conference after the match.
Ishmael defeats atheotes

At the start of the day, there were three players that had not yet put points on the board. The first two of this group maintained their positions. BSmith is determined to leave that group - at this point, he'll take a draw. His opponent though, LazyMcCrow, is fresh off a victory against Visorslash and brimming with confidence. This will not be an easy task. However, BSmith is up to the challenge and cuts through Lazy's Paper with a throw of Scissors. Serenaded by cheers, BSmith smiles and sighs with relief. The monkey is off his back.
BSmith defeats LazyMcCrow

The last match of the day is between Zaccino and Visorslash. Having seen atheotes lose earlier today, Zaccino wants to establish himself as a clear-cut third, a mere half-point behind Sigurd and The King. Unfortunately for him, all he can accomplish is maintaining pace with atheotes for the third day in a row. Today, Visorslash's storyline has won out, courtesy of a throw of Paper to Zaccino's Rock. Visorslash smiles when he sees his name ahead of Lazy's - the man who defeated him yesterday - in the standings.
Visorslash defeats Zaccino

Standings through Day 3:


Sigurd: 3
The King: 3
classical_hero: 2
Visorslash: 2
Ishmael: 2
Zaccino: 1.5
atheotes: 1.5
edse: 1
LazyMcCrow: 1
BSmith: 1
issaikhaan: 0
Montmorency: 0

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

It is now Day 4!

Day 4 matchups:

Montmorency vs. issaikhaan
classical_hero vs. edse
The King vs. atheotes
Sigurd vs. LazyMcCrow
Ishmael vs. Visorslash
BSmith vs. Zaccino

[Visor]

:smug:

How's it going Lazy?

[atheotes]

Day 3 results

The next match is between Ishmael and atheotes. atheotes, a mere half-point behind the leaders, wishes too to maintain pace and hopefully start leapfrogging the competition starting with his match against The King tomorrow. However, perhaps atheotes is looking too far ahead for his own good. He receives a sharp rebuke when he sees that his Rock has fallen before Ishmael's Scissors. Now it is Ishmael, incidentally, who is only one point off the leaders, but he notes that he is taking the tournament "one day at a time" in the press conference after the match.
Ishmael defeats atheotes



CONSPIRACY!!!!!!!!!!! :soapbox:

[Ishmael]

CONSPIRACY!!!!!!!!!!! :soapbox:

Just a typo; I sent in paper. Sorry to disappoint :yes:.

[LazyMcCrow]

:smug:

How's it going Lazy?

:stare:[/GLOAT]

[GeneralHankerchief]

CONSPIRACY!!!!!!!!!!! :soapbox:

Yeah, it's paper, thanks for the catch. I do this about five times per tournament. :laugh4:

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Can't wait for my Day 7 match..

[GeneralHankerchief]

Quick heads-up, I'll be off the grid for a day or so starting in about 18 hours. Naturally, I'd like to have the next day of action written up by then, so if the two people I'm waiting on could send them in to me ASAP, it would be greatly appreciated. :yes:

[GeneralHankerchief]

All orders are in (thanks guys!) but I'm going to bed now. We'll have a new round before I go AFK, though. :yes:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 4 results

With the close of this day, the early part of the round robin will officially be over. Enough separation will have been established between the contestants to create actual tiers, the oddsmakers will finally be able to make their predictions with confidence, and most importantly, fans will be ready to circle the important and truly anticipated matches on their calendar. Whether or not this facade of order will actually hold up on contact, though, is another question. Many noted Rock/Paper/Scissors analysts will point to Sun Tzu's quote about no plan surviving contact with the enemy.

The audience is buzzing with anticipation as usual, but quiets down as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match of the day is between the two 0-fers still remaining in the tournament: Montmorency and issaikhaan. Both of them are eager to finally get the monkey off their backs, and there won't be an easier opportunity in the tournament to do so. For the person that loses, however, the pressure's really on. The oddsmakers, naturally, are predicting a draw. With the first throw it looks to be the case, as Rock has come up for both. However, upon the second throw, one of them has finally broke the losing streak. It is Montmorency, who has thrown Paper to khaan's Rock.
Montmorency defeats issaikhaan

Up next is classical_hero against edse, both of whom are looking to establish themselves as members of the upper tier. Even though classical has the overall points advantage, the two have the exact same record against common opponents so far - a win against BSmith and a loss against Sigurd. Initially it looks to be a draw as both have thrown Paper. However, upon the rethrow, classical has won out with Rock over edse's Scissors. classical has quietly put together a good tournament so far, his one blemish being a loss to Sigurd.

The third match is unbeaten The King against atheotes, who has experienced a bit of a slide in this tournament, having gone win-draw-loss in his past three days. This is not a good place to try to end that slide, and unfortunately for atheotes his fears hold. His throw of Paper has come up short against The King's Scissors. The crowd bursts into cheers as The King is the first person ever to go 4-0-0 in his first four matches of a tournament.
The King defeats atheotes

Looking to join The King in this regard is Sigurd, who is facing the uneven LazyMcCrow. Lazy, desperately trying to stop a juggernaut so that he can get back to where his rival Visorslash is in the standings, decides to go with the classic solid, reliable choice: Rock. However, Sigurd quickly demonstrates why he is now 4-0-0 and the odds-on favorite to win the tournament by responding with Paper. There is a huge buzz after this as the Day 7 matchup between Sigurd and The King is already shaping up to be the most-anticipated round robin matchup of all time.
Sigurd defeats LazyMcCrow

Ishmael and Visorslash are next. While Sigurd and The King are standing alone in the top tier of players, both of these men, with two points each, are looking to join classical_hero as the people in the tier right below that. Throughout this tournament so far, Paper over Rock has been far and away the most common result of the tournament, and once again this pattern continues, as Visorslash's Paper has trumped Ishmael's Rock. The King may be looking forward to a matchup against Sigurd on Day 7, but first he has to get through a difficult opponent in Visorslash tomorrow.
Visorslash defeats Ishmael

The last match of the day is between BSmith and Zaccino. BSmith, having finally dug himself out of the hole yesterday, is looking to make up some more ground, this time at the expense of Zaccino. Zaccino, for his part, is trying to once again break away from his scoring clone atheotes, whose results he has perfectly replicated every single day of the tournament so far. At first it looks like Zaccino may have a chance, as both throw Rock, but in the end BSmith gets his wish as he adjusts and throws Paper while Zaccino sticks with Rock. Once again, Zaccino and atheotes have achieved the same result.
BSmith defeats Zaccino

Standings through Day 4:


Sigurd: 4
The King: 4
classical_hero: 3
Visorslash: 3
Ishmael: 2
BSmith: 2
Zaccino: 1.5
atheotes: 1.5
edse: 1
Montmorency: 1
LazyMcCrow: 1
issaikhaan: 0

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

It is now Day 5!

Day 5 matchups:

issaikhaan vs. edse
Montmorency vs. atheotes
classical_hero vs. LazyMcCrow
The King vs. Visorslash
Sigurd vs. Zaccino
Ishmael vs. BSmith

[Zack]

CURSE YOU ATHEOTES!!!!

[LazyMcCrow]

DAMN YOU SIGURD!!!!!

[Ishmael]

Damn Queenslanders...(goes away and sulks until June 13).

[Visor]

Maroons: 1, Blues: 0.

:beam:

[atheotes]

CURSE YOU ATHEOTES!!!!

huh?

[Visor]

huh?

1) He means BSmith
2) You should've beaten the King

[GeneralHankerchief]

So off the grid didn't exactly happen as initially planned. WE ARE BACK ON SCHEDULE.

[Zack]

huh?


1) He means BSmith
2) You should've beaten the King
Have either of you been reading the updates? I'm cursing him for being my clone.

[classical_hero]

huh?

After his "explanation" I am still confused.

[Zack]

After his "explanation" I am still confused.

Don't patronize me because you can't wrap your head around such a simple concept. As noted in the writeups, atheotes and I have had the exact same result every day.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on Sigurd.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Waiting on @Sigurd (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/member.php?u=5461).

Why wait? I guess he just forfeited.. :clown:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 5 results

As the tournament goes on, more and more storylines are established. These storylines naturally overlap and weave with each other, and when combined, paint a wonderful picture of the overall tournament. It is one of the reasons why Rock/Paper/Scissors is such a popular worldwide brand. This year, however, there is one storyline that is absolutely dominating the others, and rightfully so: Can Sigurd and The King keep up their undefeated streaks, and if so, what will happen on their Day 7 clash of the titans? Behind the two of them, of course, are ten contestants jockeying with each other, trying to maintain pace, and even pick up some positioning should one of the two leaders falter. And of course, there is khaan who is rolling off a just-as-impressive streak of not even having registered a point in the tournament so far.

All the talk of storylines stop, however, when it comes time to actually throw. As such, the voracious audience quiets down as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match of the day is between winless issaikhaan against edse. After having given Montmorency his first points yesterday, khaan is facing another relatively easy opponent today in edse, who has not had the best tournament so far. edse, naturally, is treating this match as an opportunity to launch himself back into the middle of the pack, not particularly caring for khaan's storyline. Through one throw, the two are evenly matched, both coming up Rock. However, in the tiebreaker, edse gets his wish by throwing Paper, which covers khaan's Rock.
edse defeats issaikhaan

Up next is Montmorency against atheotes. It seems like a long time ago that atheotes was a mere half-point behind Sigurd and The King, but dropping two straight matches has put him (and Zaccino as well, by way of their strange connection) on the wrong side of the pack. Montmorency, who logged his first win yesterday against khaan, would now like to do so again against a credible opponent. In the end, it seems that atheotes's hard-luck streak has continued, as his Paper has come up short against Monty's Scissors.
Montmorency defeats atheotes

classical_hero is finally starting to get some recognition for his tournament so far, having reeled off three victories in the first four days, with the only blemish coming against Sigurd. His opponent, meanwhile, LazyMcCrow, has had the opposite record, his only victory coming against rival Visorslash on Day 2. The oddsmakers, after a few days of uncertainty, are confident that they've got this one figured out, and classical is the easy favorite. However, the uncertainty of the tournament strikes again as both men initially throw Scissors. The two of them stare at each other for a long while, neither one of them looking like they'll give an inch. This turns out to be exactly the case, as they both stick with Scissors on the rethrow. They both walk away expressionless after the uneasy draw, waiting to see how their immediate competitors fare before passing judgment on their own matches.
classical_hero and LazyMcCrow draw

The most anticipated match of the day is between undefeated The King and 3-1 Visorslash, who will almost certainly provide for The King's stiffest test yet. If Visorslash can pull off the upset, he will all of a sudden launch himself into the top two, perhaps even in a tie for first should Sigurd falter. However, it is not to be. The King quickly proves why he hasn't fallen in this tournament yet by throwing Scissors, trumping Visor's Paper. The King pumps his fist in victory and goes over to watch Sigurd's match. Day 7 is drawing closer.
The King defeats Visorslash

Sigurd's opponent today is the increasingly uneasy Zaccino, who is already starting to sweat. This is not the best of circumstances for Zaccino. First of all, his scoring clone atheotes has already fallen earlier today, and the two of them have always gotten the exact same result. Compound this by the fact that he is playing undefeated Sigurd, and Zaccino's not even sure his mother would like his chances for the day. This self-defeating attitude did not really help out matters as Zaccino, throwing Rock, is quickly dispatched by Sigurd's Paper. Zaccino's one consolation is that his clone atheotes will be playing issaikhaan tomorrow.
Sigurd defeats Zaccino

The final match of the day is between the two people with a 50% success rate in the tournament so far: Ishmael and BSmith. Thanks to Visorslash's loss, a win today for either contestant would mean that they would possess a share of 4th place, an important position due to the first four seeds receiving a first-round bye in the knockout round of the tournament. The oddsmakers are favoring BSmith ever so slightly as a result of his two-game winning streak, but today he comes crashing back to earth. After both men initially throw Scissors, Ishmael correctly predicts his opponent's next move and moves over to Paper, which covers BSmith's Rock.
Ishmael defeats BSmith

Standings through Day 5:


Sigurd: 5
The King: 5
classical_hero: 3.5
Visorslash: 3
Ishmael: 3
BSmith: 2
edse: 2
Montmorency: 2
Zaccino: 1.5
atheotes: 1.5
LazyMcCrow: 1.5
issaikhaan: 0

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

It is now Day 6!

Day 6 matchups:

atheotes vs. issaikhaan
edse vs. LazyMcCrow
Montmorency vs. Visorslash
classical_hero vs. Zaccino
The King vs. BSmith
Sigurd vs. Ishmael

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on four people. I guess because it's the weekend...?

[Ibn-Khaldun]

This suspense is killing me!

[Zack]

There are no draws in the knockout round, obviously.

If atheotes and I meet in the knockout round, this rule might need to be changed.

[GeneralHankerchief]

This suspense is killing me!

We're just waiting on Sigurd.

[GeneralHankerchief]

All orders received, I'll try to get the writeup done within the hour.

We've got some interesting results today. :juggle2:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 6 results

With one day to go until the most highly-anticipated round robin match of all time, the question on everybody's minds is: Can Sigurd and The King both continue their undefeated streaks? So far, both men are a perfect 5-0-0 in the tournament, a record. For comparison, nobody has ever started out a tournament winning more than two games in a row before. Sigurd and The King's competitors today, Ishmael and BSmith respectively, are trying to become something more than footnotes at this stage in the tournament. The rest of the field is desperately hoping for some sort of means to catch up to the two leaders as well as a way to put distance between themselves and the rest of the pack. Finally, it seems like issaikhaan has attracted something of a cult following as he continues to put up his equally impressive pace of not logging a single point in the tournament.

With all of these storylines ready to continue, the audience's buzz starts to mute as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match of the day, seen mostly as a "get it out of the way" type of deal among fans, is between atheotes and issaikhaan. Perhaps the only two people who are interested in its outcome are atheotes himself and Zaccino, who so far in the tournament has been inexplicably bound to whatever result atheotes gets. Looking to right a three-game losing streak, atheotes banks on khaan's continued predictably, throwing Paper. Before even seeing what khaan throw, he hears Zaccino's triumphant whoop. khaan has once again stuck with Rock.
atheotes defeats issaikhaan

Up next is edse and LazyMcCrow, both of whom are looking to make up some ground on the leaders. Both of them had good results yesterday with edse winning his match and Lazy picking up a draw against the strong classical_hero, so naturally both of them are looking to build on this. Initially, both men throw Paper, and wryly grin. They're going to have to better than that if they want to make up ground. However, they will have no luck: they both throw Rock on the tiebreaker. Lazy chuckles with particular mirth; this is his second draw in a row.
edse and LazyMcCrow draw

The third match of the day is a well-regarded tilt between Montmorency and Visorslash. Monty is on a bit of a hot streak, having won his previous two matches after dropping the first three, and Visorslash is in good contention to pick up one of the four first-round byes in the knockout round. Additionally, he already has one of his two matches against Sigurd and The King out of the way, but Monty is unfazed. Ignoring all of the talks of higher seeding, Monty concentrates and throws Scissors, but grimaces when he sees Visor's Rock. Back to the drawing board.
Visorslash defeats Montmorency

classical_hero notes that his opponent, Zaccino, is displaying some signs of irrational confidence before their match today. He fathoms this is because his scoring clone atheotes has already triumphed today, but surely that can't mean anything. All it is is freakish coincidence, which will not hold up against superior gameplay. classical_hero, after all, is sitting in third place behind only The King and Sigurd, and Zaccino is near the bottom of the standings. Today he will prove that skill triumphs over luck and coincidence once and for all. He does so by throwing mighty Rock... and then sees Zaccino's Paper. Well then, so much for skill. As classical walks off, mumbling to himself about skill, Zaccino has a look of disbelief on his face - once again he and atheotes have gotten the same result.
Zaccino defeats classical_hero

A hush falls over the crowd as the last two matches of the day, featuring the undefeated contestants, begin. The first is between The King and the right-in-the-middle-of-the-pack BSmith. BSmith looks like he's doing his best to block everything out and concentrate solely on delivering The King his first loss, but it is anyone's guess as to how well he's succeeding at this. At any rate, he does well for himself on the first throw, matching The King's Paper equally. BSmith sighs with relief - there's no shame in losing to The King on a second throw. However, the crowd gasps in shock; both men have followed up their Paper with Rock. The King smirks and shakes BSmith's hand, shaking his head. He's still undefeated, but going into the match tomorrow with Sigurd a minor crack in his armor has appeared.
The King and BSmith draw

The last match of the day is between Sigurd and Ishmael. At long last, Sigurd has an opportunity to gain sole possession of the #1 seed. If he can fend off Ishmael today and then defeat The King tomorrow, Sigurd will almost certainly have the #1 seed locked up and will be basically assured of a first-round bye. Ishmael, though, has other ideas. Emboldened by BSmith's effort, he comes storming out of the gate and matches Sigurd's Paper. Sigurd, displaying no emotion on his face, tries to stare his opponent down, but Ishmael is having none of it. Once again, he matches Sigurd's throw, this time Rock. The crowd goes nuts, both for Ishmael's performance and for the fact that Sigurd and The King are still evenly-matched going into their showdown tomorrow.
Sigurd and Ishmael draw

Standings through Day 6:


Sigurd: 5.5
The King: 5.5
Visorslash: 4
classical_hero: 3.5
Ishmael: 3.5
BSmith: 2.5
Zaccino: 2.5
atheotes: 2.5
edse: 2.5
Montmorency: 2
LazyMcCrow: 2
issaikhaan: 0

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

It is now Day 7!

Day 7 matchups:

issaikhaan vs. LazyMcCrow
atheotes vs. Visorslash
edse vs. Zaccino
Montmorency vs. BSmith
classical_hero vs. Ishmael
The King vs. Sigurd

[Ishmael]

Hah! Interesting results indeed.

[Visor]

classical_hero notes that his opponent, Zaccino, is displaying some signs of irrational confidence before their match today. He fathoms this is because his scoring clone atheotes has already triumphed today, but surely that can't mean anything. All it is is freakish coincidence, which will not hold up against superior gameplay. classical_hero, after all, is sitting in third place behind only The King and Sigurd, and Zaccino is near the bottom of the standings. Today he will prove that skill triumphs over luck and coincidence once and for all. He does so by throwing mighty Rock... and then sees Zaccino's Paper. Well then, so much for skill. As classical walks off, mumbling to himself about skill, Zaccino has a look of disbelief on his face - once again he and atheotes have gotten the same result.
Zaccino defeats classical_hero


:laugh4:

This is hilarious. You should host these more often.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Interesting indeed!

[seireikhaan]

I am the greatest.

[classical_hero]

You are the strongest competitor, since you are holding everyone up.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on the atheotes and Visorslash matchup.

Which means yes, we do have a result for Sigurd-The King. :yes:

[Zack]

Waiting on the atheotes and Visorslash matchup.

Which means yes, we do have a result for Sigurd-The King. :yes:
The result of atheotes-Visorslash matters much, much more to me.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 7 results

Even though we have only reached the early second half of the round robin tournament, there is a palpable playoff atmosphere in the air here at the stadium. The reason for this is simple: Today, at last, is the matchup between Sigurd and The King. Tournament historians have pored through the records and are proclaiming this the single-most anticipated round robin match of all time. The two players are evenly matched, having run the table and posting astonishing 5-0-0 records before both briefly stumbled yesterday and were "only" able to attain draws (issaikhaan, meanwhile, would see a draw increase his scoring percentage by infinity). The other contestants are happy this match is happening for two reasons: First of all, with all attention on Sigurd-The King, they are under far less pressure today than normal. Second of all, finally, one of those two has to lose, or at the very least draw. Either way, somebody is going to make up ground on at least one of these two contestants. Everyone is primed and ready, eager for another day of Rock/Paper/Scissors matches.

It takes a lot longer than usual for the audience to quiet down, but they eventually do as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

Perhaps someone who has an equally notable (though not equally impressive) stretch of matches as Sigurd and The King is issaikhaan, who today faces LazyMcCrow in an attempt to break his "sparkling" 0-fer streak. Lazy, tied for second-to-last, is probably khaan's last best shot at registering a point, but Lazy is taking this matchup very seriously, trying to wonder if khaan's going to pull something on him and if so, trying to outthink him. At first, the audience gasps: Both men initially throw Rock. But then Lazy, confident that khaan isn't going to pull anything, switches to Paper on the rethrow which trumps khaan's Rock.
LazyMcCrow defeats issaikhaan

Up next is probably the second-most anticipated match of the day, between atheotes and Visorslash. Out of all the contestants, Visorslash is in the best position to take advantage of the loser of Sigurd-The King as he's in third, and of course there is a morbid fascination towards atheotes as he and Zaccino seem strangely bound by the results they get. atheotes, Zaccino, Sigurd, and The King are probably all hoping for an atheotes victory, but in the end Visorslash delivered, his Rock slamming atheotes's Scissors. Zaccino's groan can be heard throughout the stadium.
Visorslash defeats atheotes

Meanwhile, edse watches this match and grins. He's facing Zaccino next. Regardless of whether or not edse believes that Zaccino and atheotes actually do have a strange connection, he's in a good mood because the psychological advantage clearly rests with him at the moment. Deciding to play with his opponent, he raises his eyebrows at Zaccino in an almost flirtatious manner and licks his lips. Zaccino won't look edse in the eyes after this. In the end, edse maintains his psychological edge, defeating Zaccino's Rock with a throw of Paper. Seven days in and the creepy pattern holds.
edse defeats Zaccino

Montmorency plays BSmith next. Both men have attempted to dig themselves out of early holes, with BSmith doing a slightly better job. He has 2.5 points to Monty's 2, but there is a world of difference in the standings with that half-point. Monty attempts to cross that gap with this match today, but BSmith initially matches him and both men throw Scissors. Before the rethrow, Monty takes a step back, trying to analyze what BSmith will do next from afar before the referee finally signals to get on with it. Whatever impromptu analysis Monty did evidently works, as his Rock crushes BSmith's Scissors on the rethrow.
Montmorency defeats BSmith

Next up is a match between classical_hero and Ishmael. These two higher-tier contestants are trying to maintain pace with Visorslash (as well as Sigurd/The King) as well as put some distance between each other. As these two are currently tied for fourth place, a crucial first-round bye in the knockout round could very well be at stake with this match today. However, it looks like the two of them are tied for fourth for a reason: They both initially throw Scissors. Grinning, they both go throw the motions and immediately rethrow: Rock. It looks like the battle for fourth will have to be resolved another day.
classical_hero and Ishmael draw

Finally, we have arrived at the moment: The battle for first. Sigurd vs The King. At stake is a hammerlock on first place and an almost-assured first round bye in the knockout round. On the other side of the coin, due to Visorslash's win earlier today, a loss today would mean that despite having gone undefeated with only one draw prior to this point, they would only be 0.5 points ahead of Visor for second. Such is the way of the tournament. Sigurd, who has gone through this before, knows what is in store for him in the knockout round and wants the easiest possible route to the finals. Due to his experience and his perceived greater hunger for the #1 overall seed, the oddsmakers have made him a slight favorite going into today's match. However, The King has openly been preparing for this match since Day 3. In the end, both men come out firing Paper, causing the audience to roar in delight. This truly is a worthy battle for #1. With the stadium's roof about to blow off from all of the cheering, Sigurd and The King try to block out the noise and concentrate on each other. Nearly a minute passes by with the two of them just staring at each other silently. Finally, the referee signals for the rethrow, and the crowd instantly goes quiet. Sigurd has switched to Rock, but The King has stuck with Paper. He instantly raises his arms in celebration as the crowd goes wild, leaving Sigurd to shake his head. It will be an uphill climb for that #1 seed. Meanwhile, The King is now looking all but invincible. The match is over.
The King defeats Sigurd

Standings through Day 7:


The King: 6.5
Sigurd: 5.5
Visorslash: 5
classical_hero: 4
Ishmael: 4
edse: 3.5
Montmorency: 3
LazyMcCrow: 3
BSmith: 2.5
Zaccino: 2.5
atheotes: 2.5
issaikhaan: 0

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

It is now Day 8!

Day 8 matchups:

Visorslash vs. issaikhaan
LazyMcCrow vs. Zaccino
atheotes vs. BSmith
edse vs. Ishmael
Montmorency vs. Sigurd
classical_hero vs. The King

[atheotes]

LOL...Zack, now you are going before me. better start winning now...

[BSmith]

Let's go Lazy, Let's Go!!

[classical_hero]

Poor issaikhaan.

[Zack]

Poor issaikhaan.

It's obviously intentional, or else he would play something besides rock.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on LazyMcCrow.

[Zack]

He fears me.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

LazyMcCrow don't be lazy! :whip:

[GeneralHankerchief]

I got the PM, but need to do a few RL things before resolution.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

How many players will get to the second round? 8?

Edit: Never mind, read the previous game..

Noticed one thing though..


Not really, it will be a nice and relaxing break for you once my rock beats your sissors.

Edit: I mean my paper beats your Rock!

Edit: Edit: You know RPS III should include betting :)

So.. why didn't we include it?! :clown:

Also, if I should loose any games from now on it's because I'm still celebrating my victory over Sigurd. :tongue:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 8 results

In the aftermath of the Sigurd-The King showdown yesterday, everyone is adjusting to the new order of things. The King wants to pad his lead, Sigurd wants to rebound. Farther down, Visorslash, only a half-point behind Sigurd, wants to capitalize off of Sigurd's misstep. classical_hero, Ishmael, and edse are all in good position to take the final first-round bye. As for the rest of the contestants, they all want to do well, but they're all in a tricky position as the #5 seed will almost assuredly face issaikhaan in the knockout round. issaikhaan, who, despite throwing Rock at every single opportunity, is now looking like the most dangerous opponent of all because he has given his potential opponents no data to go on.

With four days to go in the round robin, the game is truly afoot. The margin of error, if there ever was one, is decreasing. It is to a very tense atmosphere that the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match is Visorslash against issaikhaan. While most people at this stage would want to avoid the #5 seed, Visorslash has his sights set on loftier goals. He's currently the #3 seed, has a solid cushion between him and the people directly below him, and is gunning for even higher. After Sigurd's loss yesterday, the Dragonslayer is only half a point ahead. The #2 seed has never looked closer. And so, Visorslash isn't fooling around. He promptly throws Paper, which of course triumphs over khaan's Rock.
Visorslash defeats issaikhaan

The match between LazyMcCrow and Zaccino is next. Zaccino, for the first time in a while, feels free. For once, he is not beholden to scoring clone atheotes's results, as Zaccino is now going first. Plus, while Lazy is certainly no slouch, he's not a heavyweight in the tournament and has been somewhat unlucky, having recorded more draws than anybody aside from Ishmael so far. At first, it looks like Lazy might pick up a third draw, with both him and Zaccino throwing Scissors. On the rethrow, though, Lazy succeeds, his Paper covering Zaccino's Rock. Afterwards, Zaccino mouths "sorry" to atheotes, shaking his head.
LazyMcCrow defeats Zaccino

atheotes, playing BSmith, just shakes his head. For whatever reason, he has never been as bothered as Zaccino about their weird connection. Perhaps it was because atheotes always used to go first, maybe he felt less responsible about upholding the connection. One thing was sure, though: he certainly wasn't going to let the result of another match influence his way of thinking for this match at all. Zaccino can go rot near the bottom of the standings. He's going to make a run for a bye. Staring down BSmith, he throws Paper, only to see that his opponent has done the same. On the rethrow, he switches to Rock... and sees BSmith's Scissors. The crowd gasps in surprise. At last, the connection is broken.
atheotes defeats BSmith

Up next is edse vs. Ishmael in a match that has playoff implications. edse has been perhaps the most quiet player in the tournament so far but has secured exactly the even amount of points so far, 3.5 out of 7. Ishmael, meanwhile, has survived a cracker of a schedule so far, defeating BSmith and securing two very respectable draws against classical_hero and Sigurd. If he can get by edse today, Ishmael's schedule for the final three days of the round robin is very doable and he'll probably have the inside track to the final bye. edse doesn't care about any of this. He just wants to get the win and keep on plugging. In the end though, Ishmael roars in triumph as his Scissors takes down edse's Paper. None of his next three matches are against people in the top six.
Ishmael defeats edse

Montmorency is next, playing Sigurd who is seeking to reverse course after yesterday's defeat to The King. Thanks to Visorslash's victory from earlier today, Sigurd is actually in danger of sinking to #3 for the first time in the tournament if he loses against Monty. Sigurd is determined not to allow that to happen. However, Monty, smelling blood, comes out firing, throwing Rock. Sigurd looks down and sees Scissors. The truth is now undeniable: After five straight wins, Sigurd is now in a freefall, having drawn one and outright lost the other two of his last three matches.
Montmorency defeats Sigurd

On the other side of the coin, classical_hero is looking to do anything he can to stop the freight train that is The King. classical has seen Ishmael, his closest competition for the final bye, win earlier today and knows Ishmael's easy schedule for the rest of the tournament. If there's ever a time to win and avoid the #5 seed, it's now. The King, though, has absolutely no sympathy, matching classical's initial Paper with his own. classical_hero grits his teeth and sweats it out on the rethrow, finally throwing Rock, but sees The King has once again done the same. Ah well, he supposes that considering the opposition, a draw is about as much as he could have hoped for. After all, the half-point he needs to get back into fourth is very easy to make up.
classical_hero and The King draw

Standings through Day 8:


The King: 7
Visorslash: 6
Sigurd: 5.5
Ishmael: 5
classical_hero: 4.5
Montmorency: 4
LazyMcCrow: 4
edse: 3.5
atheotes: 3.5
BSmith: 2.5
Zaccino: 2.5
issaikhaan: 0

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

It is now Day 9!

Day 9 matchups:

issaikhaan vs. Zaccino
Visorslash vs. BSmith
LazyMcCrow vs. Ishmael
atheotes vs. Sigurd
edse vs. The King
Montmorency vs. classical_hero

[Ibn-Khaldun]

8 days without a defeat? Wow..

[seireikhaan]

Oh noes, the host found me out!

[GeneralHankerchief]

Oh noes, the host found me out!

The host knew about it from the start. :laugh4:

[Montmorency]

It's a very tricksy approach.

[seireikhaan]

The host knew about it from the start. :laugh4:
GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!!!


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHRAAAAAAAAAAA

[edse]

edse has been perhaps the most quiet player in the tournament so far. :lipsrsealed:
In the end though, Ishmael roars in triumph as his Scissors takes down edse's Paper.
Ishmael defeats edseYou can't have known...

[Zack]

Oh noes, the host found me out!
Well, you did the exact same thing last game.

[Visor]

:evil:

I'm catching up, King.

[GeneralHankerchief]

:evil:

I'm catching up, King.

It's worth noting that The King holds the tiebreaker over both you and Sigurd should you end up with the same amount of points since he beat you both head-to-head. If you want that #1 seed, you'll have to outright score more points than him.

[Visor]

It's worth noting that The King holds the tiebreaker over both you and Sigurd should you end up with the same amount of points since he beat you both head-to-head. If you want that #1 seed, you'll have to outright score more points than him.
Number 1 seed would be nice, but I doubt I'll get it. I'll settle for 2, 3 or 4.

[LazyMcCrow]

A public sorry for the delay over the last couple of days. The days off work associated with The British Queen's Diamond Jubblies restricted my online time significantly.

[classical_hero]

Oh noes, the host found me out!

Then you change your approach and still lose.

[Ishmael]

I just know 'khaan will choose to change his strategy in the round I play him :yes:.

[Visor]

I just know 'khaan will choose to change his strategy in the round I play him :yes:.

It's a more nervewracking round with him then it is the King/Sigurd, because he has the potential to change the game.

[Sigurd]

It's a more nervewracking round with him then it is the King/Sigurd, because he has the potential to change the game.
He will most likely change when the finals start. Being bottom seeded, he will meet the top seed... :sneaky: Will he change to Scissors or Paper? keeping Rock because his top seed opponent expects that he will change?
That is why I am aiming for a more mid tree seed. I don't want to play 'khaan in the first knock outs.

[Visor]

He will most likely change when the finals start. Being bottom seeded, he will meet the top seed... :sneaky: Will he change to Scissors or Paper? keeping Rock because his top seed opponent expects that he will change?
That is why I am aiming for a more mid tree seed. I don't want to play 'khaan in the first knock outs.

It's a good thing that I won't get first seed then isn't it. Dodged a bullet there.

[classical_hero]

So far I am 3 Wins, 3 draws and 2 loses, so I bet that I will lose this round, to make it even.

[GeneralHankerchief]

#1 seed only plays khaan if he wins his first playoff matchup. It's #5 that goes in truly blind against him in the first round.

Waiting on Montmorency.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Right, I'll get to resolution before I go to sleep tonight.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 9 results

With only three days left to go in the round robin portion of the tournament, everyone is jockeying for position. There is quite a bit still up for grabs; seven people stand within a point and a half of one of the first-round byes. The only things that look completely solid are the bookends of the tournament: issaikhaan seems perfectly content with putting up a bagel for the entire round robin, and The King has yet to outright lose a single match. Everywhere else lies uncertainty. Even tournament mainstay Sigurd, who was looking so invincible a mere two days ago, is now in danger of dropping out of the top four entirely.

After today, a clearer picture will most probably be painted, and it is with this in mind that the audience starts cheering. They finally settle down as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

issaikhaan is up first, playing fellow bottom-feeder Zaccino. Zaccino, whose strange connection with atheotes was finally broken yesterday, is looking to move forward and establish some momentum going into the knockout round. He couldn't have picked a better opponent to start with, as khaan is clearly looking ahead to matches farther on in the schedule. As a precautionary measure, Zaccino first throws Rock which naturally evens with khaan's. Satisfied that khaan won't be changing the pattern now, Zaccino switches to Paper, which covers khaan's Rock. Pumping his fist, Zaccino is just happy to get a victory. Meanwhile, if BSmith wins today, khaan will have mathematically "clinched" the #12 seed.
Zaccino defeats issaikhaan

The match between Visorslash and BSmith is next. Visorslash, riding a hot streak, is enjoying the #2 position for the first time all tournament and is eyeing The King's #1 overall seed. On the other end of the spectrum, BSmith is looking to match Zaccino's "feat" of recording a win today, however unlikely that may be. However, BSmith has done his homework. Visorslash may look strong, but his only truly impressive victory came against Ishmael back on Day 4, before Ishmael had established himself as a contender for a bye. In addition, Visorslash lost to The King and has yet to play either Sigurd or classical_hero, who are his final two matches. This bit of information regarding Visor's schedule gives BSmith confidence and he throws true, his Rock smashing Visor's Scissors. Visorslash, previously riding so high, now faces two very strong and dangerous opponents to close out his round robin.
BSmith defeats Visorslash

Up next is Ishmael against LazyMcCrow. Ever since losing to Visorslash on Day 4, Ishmael has ripped off something of a streak, recording two wins and two impressive draws against Sigurd and classical_hero. However, Lazy, his opponent today, has done the exact same thing in that same timeframe. In addition, a Lazy victory today would temporarily give him the #4 seed, at least until classical goes later today. With his biggest stakes yet since the tournament began, Lazy throws Paper... and sees it cut up by Ishmael's Scissors. Just like that, Lazy stands two points back of Ishmael and is going to need a near-miracle to get into the top four. Ishmael, meanwhile, has temporarily vaulted ahead of Sigurd and tied himself with Visorslash for second place.
Ishmael defeats LazyMcCrow

atheotes is next, looking to capitalize off a reeling Sigurd. This looks far more doable than it appears at first glance. After all, atheotes is going off an emotional high yesterday after finally separating himself from Zaccino with a victory, and Sigurd has scored a paltry 0.5 total points in his last three matches. Today, though, the Dragonslayer rights course, throwing Rock to atheotes's Scissors. With Visorslash's loss, Sigurd is back in second place with a huge match against Visor looming tomorrow. atheotes, meanwhile, can't help but shake his head. This loss means that he's tied with Zaccino once again.
Sigurd defeats atheotes

edse gets the "honor" of playing The King in the next matchup. There are far better ways to try to kick-start a hot streak at the end of the round robin phase, but that's the way the schedule falls for edse, who has an outside chance of securing one of the byes. The King is looking absolutely unstoppable; in eight matches, he's rolled off six victories and two draws. To put things into perspective, the #1 seed last year scored 7.5 total points in his 11 round robin matches. A victory today would see The King eclipse that with two days still to go. In any event, the freight train continues, with The King's Scissors topping edse's Paper. edse gives The King a knowing smile and shakes his head; he is no longer in contention for a bye.
The King defeats edse

The last match of the day is between Montmorency and classical_hero. With edse, LazyMcCrow, and atheotes all losing today, the battle for #4 has lost a lot of participants, but these two are the only two left that can potentially unseat Sigurd, Visorslash, and/or Ishmael for one of the byes. Both men have done well of late, Monty defeating BSmith and Sigurd, and classical having drawn Ishmael and The King. Today, though, it is Monty's streak that continues, his Scissors making quick work of classical's Paper. Monty still needs a lot of help if he wants to get in the top four (both Ishmael and Visorslash hold the tiebreakers over him), but the win today certainly helps.
Montmorency defeats classical_hero

Standings through Day 9:


The King: 8
Sigurd: 6.5
Visorslash: 6
Ishmael: 6
Montmorency: 5
classical_hero: 4.5
LazyMcCrow: 4
edse: 3.5
atheotes: 3.5
Zaccino: 3.5
BSmith: 3.5
issaikhaan: 0

Some notes:
- issaikhaan has clinched the #12 seed, and will be playing whoever secures the #5 seed in the first round of the knockout round.
- The King has clinched a first-round bye and can place no lower than third.
- Montmorency, classical_hero, and LazyMcCrow can all still secure a first-round bye if the scenarios break exactly right for them. edse, atheotes, Zaccino, and BSmith are all mathematically eliminated from the top four.

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

It is now Day 10!

Day 10 matchups:

BSmith vs. issaikhaan
Zaccino vs. Ishmael
Visorslash vs. Sigurd
Lazy McCrow vs. The King
atheotes vs. classical_hero
edse vs. Montmorency

[Ishmael]

So far I am 3 Wins, 3 draws and 2 loses, so I bet that I will lose this round, to make it even.

Very prescient of you :beam:.

[classical_hero]

Well no one knows my strategy, not even me.

All I care about is not ending as number 5 seed. Anywhere else will be fine.

[LazyMcCrow]

Well no one knows my strategy, not even me.

All I care about is not ending as number 5 seed. Anywhere else will be fine.

I'm not surprised that khaan decided to stick with the losing formula in order to preserve inscrutability once we get to the knockout rounds, but I am surprised at everyone elses reluctance to face him.

[Zack]

I'm not surprised that khaan decided to stick with the losing formula in order to preserve inscrutability once we get to the knockout rounds, but I am surprised at everyone elses reluctance to face him.
It's because there's no data on him at all, and his move will be completely unpredictable.

[classical_hero]

#1 seed only plays khaan if he wins his first playoff matchup. It's #5 that goes in truly blind against him in the first round.

Waiting on @Montmorency (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/member.php?u=74339).

Wouldn't it be the fourth seed that will play the winner of the 5 vs 12 series?

[seireikhaan]

Fear my donut.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Wouldn't it be the fourth seed that will play the winner of the 5 vs 12 series?

No, because I reseed after every round. So (and pretending there aren't byes at the moment), the #1 seed would play the lowest remaining seed in every single round as opposed to the winner of a set pairing.

[LazyMcCrow]

It's because there's no data on him at all, and his move will be completely unpredictable.

No more unpredictable than the players who are choosing randomly and also its entirely possible that Khaans' strategy thusfar may cause him more headaches than his opponent. He - after all - is the one who has to decide whether or not to stick or twist.


Fear my donut.

...or donut.

[seireikhaan]

No more unpredictable than the players who are choosing randomly and also its entirely possible that Khaans' strategy thusfar may cause him more headaches than his opponent. He - after all - is the one who has to decide whether or not to stick or twist.
That, sir, assumes I'm stressing over this. I assure you, I am not.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on classical_hero and Montmorency.

Note: I suppose now's as good of a time as any to say that I will most likely be slower with results than usual from Saturday through Monday (USA time) as I have quite a busy weekend and don't know how much internet access I'll have.

[classical_hero]

I thought I had already sent my orders in, my bad.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 10 results

It took nine entire days, but at long last the players can be clumped into tiers.

Standing alone at the top is The King, who has had a round robin for the ages. He has yet to lose in this tournament, has already clinched a bye, and will in all likelihood secure the #1 seed today. Behind him are the three people on the inside track for the other byes: Sigurd, Visorslash, and Ishmael, who all only have to hold course to keep their coveted positions. Staring in from the outside are Montmorency, classical_hero, and LazyMcCrow, who can all still grab a bye with two more wins plus a bit of luck. Behind them are edse, atheotes, Zaccino, and BSmith, all having no chance to get a bye but are still gamely playing out the tournament in hopes of building momentum for the matches that truly matter. Bringing up the rear is issaikhaan, who is clearly marching to his own drummer and, in spite of his 0-9-0 record, is probably the most feared opponent heading into the first round of the knockout round.

At this point in the tournament there is no breaking out of tiers; instead, only intra-tier movement is possible. There are lots of storylines that still need resolving, and they are in fact about to be resolved, as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

BSmith plays issaikhaan in the first match of the day. khaan is clearly not taking this one seriously, which is just fine with BSmith as he's looking to put some separation between himself and the rest of the cluster of 3.5-point players. BSmith first covers his bases by throwing Rock, and then, seeing that khaan has done the same, throws the expected winning Paper against khaan's Rock. So far, so good in terms of separation.
BSmith defeats issaikhaan

Up next is the match between Zaccino and Ishmael. Ishmael is shaping up to be a very dangerous opponent in the knockout round, not having lost in nearly a week of play. Zaccino, meanwhile, is searching for some separation and some consistency, his tournament so far being marred by losses and the strange connection with atheotes. A win today would mark his first two-match winning streak of the entire tournament, which doesn't hold up quite so well to Ishmael's gunning for the #2 or even #1 seed. Nevertheless, the two start evenly-matched, both throwing Paper. The audience gasps in shock, though, on the rethrow as Zaccino unexpectedly triumphs with his Paper covering Ishmael's Rock. The cheers of Montmorency, classical_hero, and LazyMcCrow are among the loudest; Ishmael is suddenly looking a lot more vulnerable.
Zaccino defeats Ishmael

Visorslash takes on Sigurd in the most anticipated match today. With Ishmael's loss just now, the winner of this matchup will most likely secure the #2 seed - Sigurd would outright clinch it and Visorslash would still need to take care of business tomorrow but would hold the inside track. Sigurd is a half-point up, though he knows that means very little if anything. Unfortunately for the Dragonslayer, this proves to be exactly the case as he finds his Paper having come up short against Visor's Scissors. Sigurd's resume against the projected players with a bye is looking very shoddy: two losses to The King and Visorslash and a draw against Ishmael. Meanwhile, Visorslash pumps his fist in celebration. This match has given him confidence going into the knockout round.
Visorslash defeats Sigurd

In the next match, LazyMcCrow faces off against The King. Out of the three players that have a chance of moving up into the top four going into today, Lazy faces the slimmest odds, being two points behind Visorslash and Ishmael, meaning he'd need to win both matches and have Visorslash lose both of his (Ishmael would win over Lazy due to tiebreakers). In addition, one of Lazy's two wins would have to come against The King, who is cruising to the #1 seed and hasn't lost at all in this tournament. Visor's victory against Sigurd rendered all of this moot, but The King delivers a final eulogy to Lazy's playoff hopes with a throw of Paper, which covers Lazy's Rock. The crowd explodes in celebration as The King has officially clinched the #1 seed in the tournament with this victory.
The King defeats LazyMcCrow

atheotes battles classical_hero in the next match. atheotes is a bit annoyed; two people in his tier have already won today, meaning the best he can hope to do is keep pace. Meanwhile, classical still has hopes of leaping over Ishmael into the fourth playoff spot. Lazy's loss has just made sure nobody can creep in from behind. In the end, though, it is atheotes who is able to keep pace with a throw of Paper, defeating classical's Rock. There is now officially a massive logjam in the middle of the pack at 4.5 points, with four people already there and a fifth, edse, potentially able to hit it as well with a win. Naturally, atheotes notes, Zaccino is in that group.
atheotes defeats classical_hero

The final match of the day is between edse and Montmorency. edse's storyline of the day is something of an amusing one (to everyone but the tournament organizers); can he be a part of the massive cluster of players with 4.5 points with one day to go? However, in terms of drama Monty's storyline wins out easily: he is now the one remaining player on the outside with a chance of securing a first-round bye. Unfortunately for Monty, though, better storylines mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. edse quickly knocks him out of contention with a throw of Rock, smashing Monty's Scissors. Everyone at the top breathes a sigh of relief; with Monty's loss, their byes are secured. Everyone else though will be in an absolute dogfight for position with only one day to go in the tournament that will most likely require multiple tiebreaker rounds to sort out.
edse defeats Montmorency

Standings through Day 10:


The King: 9
Visorslash: 7
Sigurd: 6.5
Ishmael: 6
Montmorency: 5
classical_hero: 4.5
edse: 4.5
atheotes: 4.5
Zaccino: 4.5
BSmith: 4.5
LazyMcCrow: 4
issaikhaan: 0

Some notes:
- The King, Visorslash, Sigurd, and Ishmael have all clinched first-round byes (Ishmael holds a tiebreaker over Montmorency).
- The King has clinched the #1 seed.
- Visorslash can finish no lower than third, Sigurd can finish anywhere from 2-4, and Ishmael can finish no higher than third.
- In the extreme likelihood that tiebreaker rounds will be needed to determine final seeding among the gigantic cluster, I will explain the tiebreaking procedure when the scenarios are fully determined at the end of Day 11's matches.

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

It is now Day 11!

Day 11 matchups:

issaikhaan vs. Ishmael
BSmith vs. Sigurd
Zaccino vs. The King
Visorslash vs. classical_hero
Lazy McCrow vs. Montmorency
atheotes vs. edse

[classical_hero]

I have absolutely nothing to gain from winning, I have just sunk rock bottom after a good start.

[LazyMcCrow]

I have absolutely nothing to gain from winning,

Except some dignity damn it.

& what about the King? - Hats off sir :bow:

[Ishmael]

Go on Zaccino, take down The King! If nothing else, it will make me feel better :beam:.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Winning or losing this match doesn't mean anything. What matters is that I wouldn't lose in the play offs.

[LazyMcCrow]

Winning or losing this match doesn't mean anything. What matters is that I wouldn't lose in the play offs.

yeahhhhh - that would be a bit of an anti-climax :creep:

[seireikhaan]

That's one heck of a logjam there. 5-11 separated by only a point.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on Sigurd and LazyMcCrow.

If both get their orders in within the next couple of hours I'll be able to resolve Day 11 before my net access gets iffy.

[Sigurd]

Next couple of hours @ 4 am in the morning.... sheesh aren't we the optimist.

[atheotes]

Sleepyhead!

[LazyMcCrow]

Sorry bout the delay again. I've got family staying and my wife's away so I'm full time worker/carer right now. Will try to keep up but time differences aren't helping

[GeneralHankerchief]

No worries, this is a really busy weekend for me.

All orders received, may be a while before I can write it up though.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 11 results

(Apologies for the poor quality of this writeup.)

The referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match is between issaikhaan and Ishmael. Seeing his opponent, Ishmael figures that he'll be in a good position to sneak the #3 seed, and he is right. khaan sticks with Rock to the very end, pulling off the first-ever 0-11-0 record in round robin play. Ishmael's Paper holds up, putting the pressure on Sigurd to win if he doesn't want to fall any farther back in the seeding.
Ishmael defeats issaikhaan

Up next is BSmith versus Sigurd. BSmith, part of the gigantic cluster of players, is looking to set himself apart from the rest of the group somewhat and throws Rock, but sees that Sigurd matches the throw. In the end though, Sigurd delivers with the pressure on and defeats BSmith's Paper with his own Scissors, securing at least the #3 seed. BSmith, meanwhile, is hoping that he doesn't get passed too much.
Sigurd defeats BSmith

Zaccino looks to try to keep his momentum going and ride a three-win streak into the knockout round, but he has picked the worse possible opponent to finish up. The King has had an incredible tournament so far, and with nothing but pride to play for defeats one last opponent, his Rock smashing Zaccino's Scissors. With nine wins, two draws, and a mind-boggling zero losses in eleven days, The King is the heavy favorite to win the tournament.
The King defeats Zaccino

In the next match, Visorslash looks to hold on to the #2 seed against classical_hero, who is desperately trying to end his desperate tumble before the knockout round begins. The two start evenly-matched, both throwing Rock, but in the end it looks like Visor is going to have to settle for the #3 seed as his Scissors is trumped by classical's Rock.
classical_hero defeats Visorslash

LazyMcCrow plays Montmorency next. Monty, currently sitting on the somewhat undesirable #5 seed, will most likely not be trying very hard to win today as a victory would mean a date with khaan in the knockout round. However, whatever Monty's mindset, perhaps he should keep it for the knockout round as it served him well today. After initial throws of Paper from both, Monty's Rock tops Lazy's Scissors. Monty openly groans at this result. Meanwhile, Lazy isn't too happy either, as he is now locked in as the #11 seed.
Montmorency defeats LazyMcCrow

In the final match of the round robin, atheotes plays edse. Both are looking for separation and want to put themselves above the cluster that formed with the merging of the two tiers yesterday. In the end, perhaps fittingly, atheotes is finally able to split himself from Zaccino for good by winning, his Paper defeating edse's Rock.
atheotes defeats edse

Standings through Day 11:


1. The King: 10
2. Sigurd: 7.5
3. Visorslash: 7
4. Ishmael: 7
5. Montmorency: 6
6. atheotes: 5.5
7. classical_hero: 5.5
8. edse: 4.5
9. BSmith: 4.5
10. Zaccino: 4.5
11. LazyMcCrow: 4
12. issaikhaan: 0

Tiebreaker notes:
- For two-way ties, head-to-head results were used. Visorslash defeated Ishmael on Day 4 and atheotes defeated classical_hero on Day 10. Their positions reflect this.
- For the three-way tie, I used head-to-head as well. Luckily, this time it worked out nicely as edse went 2-0 against BSmith and Zaccino, BSmith went 1-1 against edse and Zaccino, and Zaccino went 0-2 against edse and BSmith.

Somehow this worked out without me needing to do a single tiebreaker round. :dizzy2:

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

The Knockout Round has begun!!!

As previously mentioned, the top 4 seeds get a first-round bye, meaning they get back to sit and watch the madness for once. Seeds 5-12 will play each other in matchups determined by seeding. 5 plays 12, 6 plays 11, etc. Participants will be re-seeded after each round - i.e. the #12 seed will always play the highest seeded player left in the tournament. There will be no draws, and matches will go as long as they need. Therefore, I ask that players send me as many backup choices as they think is necessary. Win 4 matches (or 3, if you're one of the top seeds) and you are officially the Rock/Paper/Scissors champion of the Gameroom.

Good luck, everybody! :charge:

Round 1 matchups:
5 Montmorency vs. 12 issaikhaan
6 atheotes vs. 11 LazyMcCrow
7 classical_hero vs. 10 Zaccino
8 edse vs. 9 BSmith

(Note: In all likelihood I won't be able to resolve orders until Monday evening USA time, so there's no rush.)

[classical_hero]

Visor, why didn't you get my hint?

It would be funny if The King goes out in the next round, after not losing a single match.

[Visor]

Visor, why didn't you get my hint?

It would be funny if The King goes out in the next round, after not losing a single match.

I pretty much sent in my order after the last round and didn't pay much attention after that.

[Montmorency]

I think we knew for a while that it would come to this, Khan.

:bow:

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Visor, why didn't you get my hint?

It would be funny if The King goes out in the next round, after not losing a single match.

Hey, that would be NOT funny!!! :stare:

I hope Monty will defeat khaan...

[seireikhaan]

I think we knew for a while that it would come to this, Khan.

:bow:
:bow:

Let the real demon's souls R/P/S start here...

[classical_hero]

Hey, that would be NOT funny!!! :stare:

I hope Monty will defeat khaan...

I think it would be absolutely funny.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Okay, I'm back to normal activity and everyone's got their orders in. Expect the writeup in the next few hours. :yes:

[GeneralHankerchief]

First Round results

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."
~ Michael Jordan

Finally, after eleven days of essentially preliminaries, the real tournament is about to begin. The tiebreakers have been sorted out and the matchups have been determined. The top four seeds: The King, Sigurd, Visorslash, and Ishmael, have all earned a well-deserved rest. Today, at least, the pressure is not on them. Instead, it is on the eight men who failed at what the other four were able to accomplish: securing one of the top four seeds. As a result, their path to eternal glory is all the much harder for it.

The storylines, of course, are out in full force. Can any of the players, especially those seeded in the double-digits, start a run today and knock out the favorites? Can atheotes and Zaccino, who almost always achieved the same exact results until the final day, both get hot and meet up in a later round? Can edse or BSmith, two of the lesser-heralded players in the tournament, top each other and go onto greater things? And, of course, what will happen with the greatest X-factor in the entire tournament, issaikhaan, now that all bets are off?

For the first time all tournament, the oddsmakers have previous head-to-head data to go on when determining the numbers. As it turns out, of the matches today, three of the higher seeds defeated their opponents during the round robin, with only #10 Zaccino prevailing against #7 classical_hero on Day 6. Everyone in the audience will soon find out if this feat is repeated today, the higher seeds all win out, or if there are further upsets this time around.

Meanwhile, as a part of the heightened atmosphere, the audience is as loud as it has been all tournament, although they finally do get quiet as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

#5 Montmorency vs. #12 issaikhaan
This match is actually off the board; the oddsmakers are refusing to accept bets. It's understandable to see why. After twelve straight matches of throwing nothing but Rock, issaikhaan is finally playing for real. As a result, nobody, including Montmorency, quite knows what to expect from the #12 seed. Monty's admirable 6 points, including wins in four out of his last five matches, means absolutely nothing. However, it seems like karma has a stake in this match. Monty throws Paper, hoping for the best... and sees that khaan has, for the eighteenth straight time this tournament, has thrown Rock. He (along with everyone else in the tournament) breathes a huge sigh of relief. After the match, in the press conference, khaan reveals that he was going to throw Paper next should there have been an initial tie.
Montmorency advances

#6 atheotes vs. #11 LazyMcCrow
Redemption. In a word, that's what atheotes is looking for in this knockout round. In the very first tournament, atheotes was the #1 seed heading into the final day of the round robin phase. He ended up losing to Andres, tumbling to the #4 seed, and then lost to the eventual champion, #5 CountArach in the first round. Wracked with disappointment, atheotes walked away from the game for a while and sat out the second tournament. Now, however, he's back, and although his tournament has been marred by inconsistency and overshadowed by his weird connection with Zaccino, he's ready to go on a run. It's very possible it could start here. atheotes after all has logged a 5-0-1 record against people seeded lower than him in the tournament (though he doesn't like the mention the 0-5-0 he went against the top five seeds), including a victory against LazyMcCrow on Day 1. However, it looks like redemption will have to wait another day. After both initially throw Rock, it is plucky #11 seed Lazy that ends up moving on with a victorious throw of Scissors, defeating atheotes' Paper. Lazy will have a mammoth task ahead of him; the undefeated #1 seed The King lies in wait.
LazyMcCrow advances

#7 classical_hero vs. #10 Zaccino
Zaccino was able to score a victory against classical_hero on Day 6, which means despite the seeding disparity he is listed as the slight favorite to win the match. He sees that atheotes has been knocked out and, smiling, is looking to separate himself between his longtime scoring clone for good. The oddsmakers, though, should have perhaps been looking at the greater trends. classical, after having a miserable second half of the round robin, finally turned it around on Day 11 with an impressive victory over #3 Visorslash, who had a lot to play for. Both players start out with Paper. However, perhaps sensing that Zaccino is going to stick with Paper for as long as it takes, classical adjusts and throws Scissors, taking the victory. It seems like the classical_hero from the early part of the tournament is re-emerging, unluckily for all the players remaining. Meanwhile, Zaccino can't help but shake his head and laugh. It is all too fitting that he and atheotes were eliminated in the same round.
classical_hero advances

#8 edse vs. #9 BSmith
By definition, 8-9 matches are toss-ups, and this one is no exception. Even though edse did defeat BSmith in the round robin, their match was all the way back on Day 2 and really not all that relevant to their current streaks. Evening this out, BSmith has the slightly better tournament resume as he flat-out defeated #3 Visorslash on Day 9 of the round robin and, most impressively, fought #1 The King to one of his two draws on Day 6. Perhaps fittingly considering their seedings and exact same point totals during the round robin, the first throw is not enough to decide things as both throw Rock. As the crowd gets worked up in a frenzy as they wait for things to be decided, the players take a step back and analyze each other for a moment. In the end, though, it seems that head-to-head results prevail over tournament resume as edse's Scissors cut through BSmith's Paper. The two shake hands respectfully before BSmith walks off for his postmatch press conference. edse, meanwhile, stays onstage. His run in the tournament gets to continue.
edse advances

Interestingly enough, this is the second time in a row where the #6 seed has been upset in the first round. Perhaps you guys should have been trying to avoid that one instead of the #5. :laugh4:

Congratulations to the four players who advanced, as well as to the ones who lost for their great efforts. The real challenge for these four begins next round, as they get to play the top four seeds in the tournament for the right to advance to the semi-finals.

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

It is now Round 2!

Round 2 matchups:

#1 The King vs. #11 LazyMcCrow
#2 Sigurd vs. #8 edse
#3 Visorslash vs. #7 classical_hero
#4 Ishmael vs. #5 Montmorency

[Montmorency]

I'll count this as my


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6v2Frked58&feature=related

[Zack]

First time paper has failed me.

[seireikhaan]

Well, at least I'll get the top draft pick.

[LazyMcCrow]

@ atheotes ----> :bow:

[LazyMcCrow]

The King ---> :surrender:

[Ibn-Khaldun]

The King ---> :surrender:

Oh .. you give up? So kind of you! :laugh4:

[LazyMcCrow]

Oh .. you give up? So kind of you! :laugh4:

I thought you might take it like that. Hope the first round break did you good and that you haven't forgotten how to play.

[classical_hero]

No hints for you this time around.

[atheotes]

another first round exit...:no:. I am retiring till the next tournament.


@ atheotes ----> :bow:

Happy WIFOMing to you and the rest of the contenders :bow:

[BSmith]

First first round exit. I think I'll retire until the next tournament too. :clown:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on Sigurd, classical_hero, and Montmorency.

-edit- Just Sigurd now.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Apologies for the delay. We're in the process of resolving the longest set of tiebreakers in tournament history.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Second Round results

"On any given Sunday, anything can happen."
~ American football, traditional

As the contestants progress through the knockout round, the stakes get progressively higher. After the matches of the first round, the novelties, the underachievers, those who could not live up to the pressure, have been weeded out. In their place come the four top seeds of the tournament, all of them powerful players who will take serious effort to knock out. At stake in each of these matches is a berth in the semi-finals, where a mere two match win streak stands is needed to grant the contestants eternal glory.

First, however, they must take care of business today. And with that in mind, the crowd noise builds to a fever pitch as the contestants take their places in the stadium. There will be no pushover matches for the rest of the tournament.

The referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

#1 The King vs. #11 LazyMcCrow
LazyMcCrow scored the one upset of the previous round, having defeated #6 atheotes. His reward is a date with the man who put together the greatest round robin performance in tournament history and the heavy favorite to go all the way, #1 The King. The King, like he did to all but two players on his way to a 9-0-2 record, defeated Lazy on Day 10, but the #11 seed figures that he is playing with house money and has nothing to lose anyway. It is with this in mind that he meets The King's gaze and matches his Scissors with the same throw. However, The King isn't worried. After all, three of his victories, including the one against #2 Sigurd, came after the first throw was a draw. However, nobody expects what happens next. The audience makes a noise it hasn't made all tournament, something like a cross between a shout and the world's loudest collective intake of breath. After a split second of silence, confirming what they have just seen, the stadium explodes in bedlam. For the first time in the entire tournament, The King has fallen, his Paper defeated by Lazy's repeat throw of Scissors. It is easily the greatest upset in tournament history. Lazy can't believe his luck, shaking his opponent's hand with a bemused expression on his face. A minute later, The King walks off, saluting the crowd. They respond with an extended standing ovation. Even though his tournament run ended prematurely, no one will ever forget what The King accomplished to this point, and they are acknowledging him for it. However, among all the cheers and the acknowledgement is a note a finality: the ovation, after all, signals that his tournament is over.
LazyMcCrow advances

#2 Sigurd vs. #8 edse
The defeat of #1 The King suddenly makes this tournament a wide open affair, truly anyone's game. #2 Sigurd, a two-time semifinalist but never able to get over the hump, is smart enough to know that he's just been given a gigantic opportunity, one that would be terrible to waste. His opponent, #8 edse, would seem like nothing more than the first step on the way to glory, but Sigurd knows better. edse is one of the most unpredictable players in the entire tournament and is the hot hand, having just beaten #9 BSmith yesterday while Sigurd was resting. Everyone has just witnessed firsthand how easy it is to trip up a higher seed and knock him out of the tournament just like that. Sigurd takes his opponent very seriously as they both initially throw... and both come up Paper.
Of course this wasn't going to be easy. Sigurd gives edse a little smile as they both move to throw again. This time, the result for both is Rock.
Sigurd's smile disappears. In round robin play, this would mean that both contestants would have earned a draw, but this is the knockout round, where play continues for as long as it has to. He has been in situations like this before, in the first-ever tournament semifinals against CountArach. The two of them got two tied throws before CountArach defeated him on the third and went on to become champion. Sigurd does not want that happening again. He rears back to throw, as does edse... and both show Paper.
The crowd's fervor, already at a fever pitch, becomes even greater. With this third tie, Sigurd and edse are officially entangled in the longest match in tournament history. Neither is particularly enthused about being a part of this piece of history. They're too busy gritting their teeth, trying to gain the advantage over their opponent and finally winning the opportunity to move on. For the fourth time, they rear back to throw: Paper for each.
By this point, sweat is pouring down both contestants' faces. The constant mental stress of trying to figure out what your opponent is going to throw can really get to you, and both Sigurd and edse have been pushed beyond the limit. There's really nothing left to say to or acknowledge to each other, so each man simply prepares to throw again. At last, there is separation: Sigurd's Rock smashes edse's Scissors. The audience explodes with cheers. Sigurd and edse, meanwhile, embrace. There is no way you can go through a match like that and not have the utmost of respect for your opponent. edse's tournament may be over, but he went out like a warrior.
Sigurd advances

#3 Visorslash vs. #7 classical_hero
Two matches into the round have brought the most shocking upset in tournament history and the longest match in tournament history. Visorslash, comparatively, is hoping for a nice and easy match, just a boring defeat of his opponent, #7 classical_hero. However, it will not be easy. After a terrible second half of the round robin, classical has acquired something of a hot hand, having won two straight matches. One of those two wins came against Visorslash himself on the final day of the round robin. Because of this, the oddsmakers have set the match as "too close to call". Through the first throw, it looks as if the drama of the two previous matches is going to continue as both men throw Scissors. Visor steps back and starts talking to himself, psyching himself up for the throw that's to come. classical, meanwhile, stays put, brimming with cool confidence. His tournament problems are well behind him now, and he knows it. After a minute, Visorslash steps back in, deliberately looking at anywhere but his opponent. This unorthodox strategy appears to work, as his Scissors cut through classical's Paper on the second throw. Visorslash's primary emotion is one of relief more so than jubilation that he's making the semi-finals. classical's, not surprisingly, is of disappointment. Just when he thought he had it turned around, he faltered again. Such is the way of the tournament.
Visorslash advances

#4 Ishmael vs. #5 Montmorency
Order has finally been restored. Maybe. Hopefully, thinks Ishmael. Like Visorslash, he too is looking forward to a boring, simple victory after putting together an extremely solid round robin performance to secure the #4 seed. However, with The King's defeat, #5 Montmorency is unquestionably the hottest player left in the tournament, having won five out of his last six matches. Ishmael's victory over Monty on Day 2 seems like a lifetime ago, and both men know it. Ishmael, for his part, closed his round robin with three victories in four days, but they were mostly against lower seeds. His signature performance was probably only a draw against Sigurd on Day 6, while Monty's was meanwhile a huge sigh-of-relief victory against a man who had absolutely no data at all to go on, #12 issaikhaan. However, none of that matters when both men step into the stadium and prepare to throw... unless, of course, it does. In a bit of a letdown after the past three incredibly-tense matches, Monty dispatches Ishmael in one move, his Paper covering Ishmael's Rock. Ishmael shakes his head in disappointment. There will be no repeat tournament victory coming from the #4 seed. Meanwhile, Montmorency is going into the semi-finals as the man who nobody wants to face, a position he seems to have inherited from the man he vanquished in the first round.
Montmorency advances

Speaking from a host's standpoint, I've run three of these things now and this was without a doubt the craziest day I can remember. Big thanks to everyone who took part for making it like this; it's things like this that make me love the Gameroom. Congrats to our semi-finalists, of course, on a job very well done (as well, naturally, for their gallant opponents for making it this far). And finally, I'd like to make a special mention to The King. Even though he's out at the hands of Lazy, I'd just like to recognize his absolutely incredible run he had through the round robin to get him the #1 seed. Nine wins and no losses through 11 days of play. I think I can say with 100% certainty that we'll never see anything like that again. :bow:

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

It is now the semi-finals!

Matchups:

#2 Sigurd vs. #11 LazyMcCrow
#3 Visorslash vs. #5 Montmorency

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Well, all good things must end one day.

Good luck to who ever wins this! :balloon:

[Ishmael]

Well played Montmorency :bow:.

My money is on Visorslash to win it though.

[Zack]

:laugh4:

[LazyMcCrow]

Well, all good things must end one day.

Good luck to who ever wins this! :balloon:

bravo!




Speaking from a host's standpoint, I've run three of these things now and this was without a doubt the craziest day I can remember. Big thanks to everyone who took part for making it like this; it's things like this that make me love the Gameroom. Congrats to our semi-finalists, of course, on a job very well done (as well, naturally, for their gallant opponents for making it this far). And finally, I'd like to make a special mention to The King. Even though he's out at the hands of Lazy, I'd just like to recognize his absolutely incredible run he had through the round robin to get him the #1 seed. Nine wins and no losses through 11 days of play. I think I can say with 100% certainty that we'll never see anything like that again. :bow:

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

It is now the semi-finals!

Matchups:

#2 Sigurd vs. #11 LazyMcCrow
#3 Visorslash vs. #5 Montmorency

Never say never :)

[atheotes]

that was a crazy round!

[Ibn-Khaldun]

This is how I managed to win. A common sense and some analyzes. And the only time when I went for a gut feeling.. I lost.

https://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ibnkhaldun/stuff/rpstournament.png

Here are all the throws you made during round robin.

[Zack]

Well I made a spreadsheet too, and I got my butt whupped.

[Ishmael]

This is how I managed to win. A common sense and some analyzes. And the only time when I went for a gut feeling.. I lost.

https://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ibnkhaldun/stuff/rpstournament.png

Here are all the throws you made during round robin.

That's significantly more sophisticated than my 'record my opponent's previous throws on notepad' approach :beam:. I kept telling myself I should keep a record of all players each round, so that I could work out who was also analysing, but I never got around to it.

[GeneralHankerchief]

that was a crazy round!

You're telling me. I wrote over 1,500 words for that last writeup. 1,500 words for Rock/Paper/Scissors! :dizzy2: :laugh4:

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on the Sigurd - LazyMcCrow matchup.

[LazyMcCrow]

Waiting on the Sigurd - LazyMcCrow matchup.

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

[GeneralHankerchief]

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

And yet still no actual orders. :whip:

[LazyMcCrow]

And yet still no actual orders. :whip:

:daisy: - 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!

:on_punch::on_beatup:

[Ibn-Khaldun]

I'm no good!

:on_punch::on_beatup:

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! :yes:

[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.

https://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr309/desertSypglass/jvgy.jpg

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! :medievalcheers:

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. :yes:

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Congratulations Visorslash! Also to Sigurd and LazyMcCrow !

GeneralHankerchief, those write ups are just amazing!! :bow:

[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. :laugh4:

[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! :beam:

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. :bow:

[Visor]

:bow: 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. :laugh4:

[LazyMcCrow]

I think I sent my choices in when I was drunk as well. :laugh4:

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.

:on_pushups:

[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. :wink:

[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. :laugh4: