! Announce: Warlords II World Tournament (Win Prizes!!)

From: The Warlords II World Tournament Organizers <gsb@CompuPick.com>

Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 00:00:00 +0000

[ Please forgive me if this has been posted already. ]

**===----===**  http://tournament.verdon.org  **===----===**

Greetings, Warlords Fans!

You stand on the battlements of your great castle, a mighty Warlord
atop the tallest tower on the highest, most strategic hill in your
kingdom.  The wind blows your hair straight out behind your head as
you gaze down and observe your troops practicing enthusiastically
in the fields below.  All is as it should be.

But then, in the distance, you spot a thin trail of dust rising into
the air.  A tiny black speck leads the trail, like some earthly cousin
of the great comets in the sky.  The speck expands as the dust trail
grows larger, closer, and your hunch is soon confirmed when your
sharp-eyed lookout announces: "Sire, a messenger is arriving."

You nod.  It is time!

The long-awaited moment is here.  You stride downstairs and summon
your squires to assemble your full battle dress.  There is just
enough time.  As you settle into your throne in the great Hall of
Audience, your aides announce the arrival of the messenger.
You wave your hand, and he is escorted in.  His strange garb can
only be the clothing of a distant land, from a distant continent
perhaps.  He bows before you and then, as he raises his eyes to
meet yours, you see that he is as excited as you are.

"Mighty lord," speaks the messenger, "I have tidings from Tournament
Headquarters.  The Warlords of the World have challenged you,
and every other Warlords fan, to compete in the new,
play-by-email, Warlords II World Tournament!"

You grin.  It is true!

"We know you may not know how to play Warlords by email,"
the messenger continues.  "But if you can send and receive files
by email, and install scenarios, then if you are willing to learn
our sages will teach you everything else you need to know,
no matter what version of Warlords II you have.  Dozens of
the greatest Warlords in the world have already registered,
and over 100 more Heroes from at least 19 countries are
flocking to our banner, having waited patiently on our
mailing list until this moment."

You smile.  It is ready!

"SSG offers you prizes:  the 16 top finishers, the 3 best role-players,
and the 12 players in the 3 most entertaining games will all
win free copies of SSG's upcoming products, including possibly
Warlords III or Reach for the Stars.  Even an average performance
will earn a premium position on the upcoming Head to Head Warlords
Ladder, where Warlords players from everywhere will challenge each
other in Warlords, Warlords II and Warlords III after the Tournament ends."

You gape.  It is awesome!

"You can join, or, if you prefer, you can sit in your cozy castle,
watch your troops practice against mindless computer opponents, and
continue to wait patiently for Warlords III.  It is your decision."

The messenger raises his hand as you open your mouth to speak.
"One thing more," he explains.  "This is a serious tournament.
We have spent over a year in preparation.  We have developed
special rules to prevent cheating, new utility programs for
fighting battles fairly, and several custom scenarios.
We will teach you what you need to know to compete, but
remember - the Tournament will consume at least 3 hours of
your time each week, for at least the next 4 months - and over
a year if you win.  Do not make your decision lightly!"

You blink.  It is amazing!

And before you can say a word yourself, the messenger places
a small scroll in your hands, and disappears - for he has
many other kingdoms to visit, and quickly!

You open the scroll, and see a mere two lines:

**** Register before June 13 at http://tournament.verdon.org ! ****
** No Javascript? http://tournament.verdon.org/tournament/nojava **

You beam.  It is now!  And you know what to do....

**************************************************************
******======------  Back to the Real World  ------======******
**************************************************************

To join the Warlords II World Tournament, all you need is a copy of
Warlords II or Warlords II Deluxe, and the ability to send and receive
files via email, preferably as attachments.  When you visit
our Registration site you should download (from our list)
any patches you need to update to the latest version.

Once we have your registration information, we'll teach you
everything you need to know, including how to win!

This tournament was organized by over a dozen Warlords fans who
volunteered their time to make it happen.  Remember to thank
them before you vanquish them in battle!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WARLORDS II WORLD TOURNAMENT:

For Further Information, see the Web sites above or try our contacts:

U.S and non-European Countries           Europe
====================================================================
Gary S. Best                             Martijn Dashorst
gsb@compupick.com                        dashorst@dds.nl

> From the Tournament Organizers:

Since SSG released Warlords II we all wondered, "Who really
*is* 'The Greatest' at Warlords?"  Many dreamed of organizing a World
Tournament to have fun finding out.  But until the spring of 1996,
a single problem killed every effort: it was too easy to cheat!  For
nearly 2 years stories abounded of players who reverted to win battles
and receive heroes.  The cheaters scored easy victories - they could
not lose!  Hope for a World Tournament wilted with each blow to fair
and honest play.  But then inspiration struck, and for the past year
"a mighty battle has been brewing"!  A talented and dedicated team
of Warlords fans - all volunteers - argued and debated and finally
playtested the rules and tools needed for the Tournament you are
about to join!

The Tournament style of play resembles "traditional" Warlords.
But special rules and a new Warlords Battle Odds Tool make cheating
easy to spot - and therefore a foolish decision!  Because of the
rules, when you join the Tournament, you may feel a little overwhelmed
at first.  Battles must be calculated beforehand and many actions
reported in a "turn-change message" sent by email each time you move.
But have no fear - after a few tries you'll find it's "as easy as
butchering sleeping cattle"!  We'll explain everything as we go
along, and your turn reports will take only a few minutes using
our standardized template.  And the new Warlords II Automatic Remailer
makes playing by email as easy as it is fun.  After 7 months of
playtesting, our veterans like the Tournament rules so much that
many no longer enjoy playing any other way!

With a little effort, you can join in the fun too!

To make things as easy as possible for novices, the Tournament
begins with a "Practice Round".  After we get everyone up to
speed on the basic techniques of play-by-email file transfer,
you'll get personal training by our veteran playtesters ("Moderators"),
and a step-by-step rules tutorial by the "Rules Gurus".  And then
we'll Let the War Begin!

Join us in this great adventure and we're confident you'll enjoy
Tournament games as much as we do!  Have patience and learn the
basics now, and you'll pick up the fine points in the Practice Round!

"Farewell, Warlord, we shall meet again" - in the Warlords II World
Tournament!

-- The Warlords II World Tournament Organizers