! Warlords II World Tournament FAQ (Register by June 13th!!)

From: Tournament Headquarters <rfheeter@phoenix.princeton.edu>

Date: Thu, 05 Jun 1997 00:00:00 +0000

Greetings, Warlords fans -

14 days have passed since official messengers began visiting every Warlord
on the planet, bearing the news that the Warlords II World Tournament is
about to begin!  Over 140 Warlords from over 20 countries have already
registered and are now sharpening their swords for the Practice Round.  The
mother of all mighty battles is brewing...

But we don't want to leave anyone behind!

If you have already registered, please forward this message to every Warlord
who might be interested in the Tournament.  Almost every conceivable concern
is answered below.  Don't let your friends miss out on this adventure!

If you have not yet registered, but you love playing Warlords, then you
should point your Web browser over to the Registration site:

http://tournament.verdon.org   - or -
   http://tournament.verdon.org/tournament/nojava (Javascript-free)

We are confident that all Warlords players with access to email will enjoy
the Tournament.  There is not much time to procrastinate, however, so don't
miss your chance:

*** Registration ends on June 13!! ***

Below are many of the reasons why we think you'll enjoy the tournament.  If
you have any doubts about signing up, have no fear!  We've probably solved
the problem for you already - and if not, we'll certainly try.

Some common concerns that are answered below:

1) What if I'm unsure about the rules?  We'll teach you!
2) Aren't I at a disadvantage?  Not for long!
3) What if I don't like it?  But our playtesters love it!
4) What if I'm unsure about playing by email?  We'll help you!
5) What if I don't have Deluxe?  No problem!
6) Can I still win prizes even if I'm not an expert?  Yes!
7) How do I know that some cheater won't win?  Have no fear!
8) How much time will it take?  You only need 2-3 hours per week!
9) What if I can't check email every day?  Probably okay!
10) What if I won't able to finish?  Play anyway!
11) Are there any entry fees?  No, it's free!

================================================================
Why all Warlords with email should enter the World Tournament:
================================================================

1) What if I'm unsure about the rules?  We'll teach you!

*** It's easier than you think!

If you think the rules look complicated, have no fear!  They are as easy to
play with as Warlords itself; they just structure the game a bit to make a
fair tournament possible.  The first round was designed to get everyone
trained in tournament play.  In this unofficial "Practice Round" (10 turns,
lasting about 2 months) we'll teach you all the rules, explain why we made
them and how they work in practice, and give you a chance to learn them as
well as our playtesters have.  The entire focus is to answer your questions
and provide you with advice.  We want you in top form for the actual
competition!

2) Aren't I at a disadvantage?  Not for long!

* There's no big disadvantage in starting late:

If you're afraid that you're at a disadvantage because you haven't been
studying the tournament rules for the past few months the way the
playtesters have, consider what we've done to make the tournament fair for
all players:

(1) The turn reports and game email from most of our playtesting games
       are publicly available on the Web, through the Warlords Remailer
       (http://www.pixgen.com/elam/warlords/Remailer.html).  Anyone
       can study the past games and learn from them.

(2) Reading about a game is not a perfect substitute for playing one,
       though, so we've also digested the "standard tricks" that we've
       learned in playtesting.  These are then discussed during the practice
       round in a series of rules tutorials laden with tips.  The moderators
       running the Practice Round games will be sharing what they've learned
       as playtesters, too.

(3) Anyone who requests it will be allowed to play in multiple
       games in the Practice Round, to get as much experience as he/she
       can handle.  We'll answer any questions you have and even
       provide our won tips and tutorials!

(4) The tournament involves many different scenarios played under
       many different rules variations.  Most playtesters have only seen
       one or two of our 7 scenarios, so they do not know the tricks to
       *every* map.

Those who have been planning the tournament may have an advantage in the
first round or two, but we've done everything we could think of to minimize
it, and the tournament ratings will weight the later rounds more heavily, so
once the competition gets fierce after the second round or so, everyone will
have the same chance to win.  We created this tournament so everyone could
have fun and compete at the highest levels possible, not so we could
accumulate special advantages and pillage prizes from SSG's warehouse!  :)

3) What if I don't like it?  But our playtesters love it!

*** It's fun!

If you aren't sure you'll like the rules we've chosen for the tournament,
you'll be happy to know that the very first player to register (he snuck in
even before me!) was someone who originally thought he wouldn't enjoy the
rules.  Like many others who are now playtesters and volunteers, once he
tried a game, he changed his mind!  If you try the tournament rules, we're
sure you'll enjoy them too.  (In the worst case, anyone who isn't having fun
at the end of the Practice Round may drop out without shame, and the rest
will continue in the first officially-scored round of the tournament.)

4) What if I'm unsure about playing by email?  We'll help you!

*** We'll teach you how to play by email:

If you aren't comfortable playing Warlords by email, you will be happy to
know that we have learned from our experiences in playtesting and set up a
network of "Play-by-Email Buddies" who will teach you everything you need to
know about sending and receiving files and installing scenarios, so that
even before the tournament starts you will be 100% capable of playing
without frustration.  You will not face the start of a tournament game in
fear - except maybe the fear of battle!

5) What if I don't have Deluxe?  No problem!

* You can register with any version of Warlords II:

The Tournament is open to anyone with any version of Warlords II (2.x or
1.x, CD or non-CD, Deluxe or "Classic").  All players will be allowed to
compete in the first three rounds.  Once we eliminate the bulk of the
players, the later rounds will be played using the CD/Deluxe versions, but
only then (about 8 months from now) do you need to worry about Deluxe.
We'll help anyone who has trouble with this.

6) Can I still win prizes even if I'm not an expert?  Yes!

* There are prizes for fun as well as for victory:

SSG is offering 31 prizes, all of which will include copies of some of their
upcoming products, like Warlords III and Reach for the Stars.  If you are
afraid that you "aren't good enough" to win a prize, you'll be happy to
learn that 15 of the 31 prizes will be given for role-playing and *fun*
things during the early rounds - and we assume you're perfectly capable of
having fun even if you don't expect to win!

7) How do I know that some cheater won't win?  Have no fear!

*** It's cheat-resistant:

You don't need to worry about cheaters winning unfairly, like in normal
play-by-email games.  We've created a set of rules which allow most of the
fun aspects of Warlords, but which regulate the revert option so that it's
very difficult for anyone to cheat, because all cheats can be easily
noticed.  This is essential for a fair tournament, and our playtesting
results show that the rules work!

8) How much time will it take?  You only need 2-3 hours/week!

* It won't take all of your time:

If you're not sure you'll have time, just think about how much time you
already spend playing Warlords and other games.  If you spend 2 or 3 hours a
week gaming, then you can certainly handle the tournament!  (If some of that
time is spent in other play-by-email games just get those players to
register too.  Slow down your current games a little and you can do both!)

9) What if I can't check email every day?  Probably okay!

* You won't be glued to your computer:

You won't need to check your email absolutely every single day, because we
have created rules for "timeouts" (4 days per 20-turn game) and
advance-notice "absences" that allow players some leeway in getting their
gamefiles out.  In addition, Saturday is a grace period so that you always
have extra time on weekends.  Also, since we use the Warlords Remailer to
track the gamefiles, you'll always know whose turn it is and when you can
expect the gamefile to arrive.  You are also able to receive other player's
gamefiles so you can plan your move before it gets to you.

I myself never have access to email on Sundays, and every couple months I
have 3-4 day periods (and the occasional week-long vacation) where I cannot
check email.  Nonetheless, I'm not only involved in 3 playtesting games, I'm
the tournament coordinator!  As long as you *normally* check email at least
once a day, and you don't have many sudden long absences, you should be able
to keep up with the pace of the tournament.  We want the tournament to move
as swiftly as possible, and we expect players to play responsibly and get
their moves in on time, but we don't want it to completely take over your
life.  We can always add more timeouts or increase the turnaround time if it
becomes necessary.

10) What if I won't able to finish?  Play anyway!

* All tournament players will be seeded on the Head-to-Head Ladder!

If you won't be able to complete the tournament due to upcoming time
problems, or because you do not have access to Deluxe right now, it's still
worth registering and playing the first few rounds.  (We do ask that you
finish any round you start.)  You see, the fun won't end with the
tournament, because all tournament players will be seeded (using their
tournament rank) on the upcoming "Head-to-Head Warlords Ladder"!  The
Head-to-Head Ladder is a play-by-email ranking system where players compete
individually (or in teams of two in the Doubles Ladder) against others on
the Ladder.  Whoever holds the top rung of the ladder is The Greatest!  The
default Ladder Rules are a modified version of the tournament rules, but the
two players in any given Ladder Match can play with any rules they agree
upon.  So if you can't complete the tournament, don't like the ranking you
receive, or want to try different rules, you can join the ladder and fight
your way to individual glory there!

A more detailed official announcement about the Ladder will be sent out
after we finish organizing the Tournament and complete the playtesting for
the Ladder.  If you are interested in the Ladder idea but not the
Tournament, let me know because we could use more playtesters for the
Ladder!  An out-of-date but still interesting draft of the Head-to-Head
Ladder rules can be found on the Web at

http://www.princeton.edu/~rfheeter/w2home/head2head.html

11) Are there any entry fees?  No, it's free!

* The Tournament is FREE!

We've all volunteered our time and effort to organize this tournament for
one reason:  we love Warlords!  If you love the game as much as we do, join
us and play in the first ever Warlords World Tournament to determine, once
and for all, who truly is "The Greatest"!

=========================================================================

http://tournament.verdon.org   - or -
   http://tournament.verdon.org/tournament/nojava (Javascript-free)

If you do register, we'll give you all the help you need, and we're
confident that it will be worth it!  That's what our 22 playtesting games
have told us, and we think it's why most of our playtesters have volunteered
in various ways to help us start the tournament as fast as possible!

If you have any questions about anything related to the Tournament, please
email Tournament Headquarters <rfheeter@phoenix.princeton.edu>.  We would
hate to see any dedicated Warlords players miss the Tournament!

Hope to see you in the Tournament soon...

-- Bob Heeter, Warlords II World Tournament Coordinator,
     ... on behalf of the Warlords II World Tournament Volunteers,

P.S. After you register, please tell your Warlords-playing friends about the
Tournament too!  The more players we have, the more exciting the tournament,
and the more glorious the battles will be!