50 States Game (FINISHED!)

[WSUCougar]

Battle of the States Game

This is a game which revolves around the 50 states and their subjective value. The game advances through two specific processes: first, the acquisition of states using a bidding method, and second, the scoring of each state based on players’ choices and the views of the judges.

Players
• There will be 10 player slots in the game. However, to keep the game moving, teams of two players are encouraged.
• Players should be available to periodically check the thread and bid on states as they come available.
• Please be sure that you read and fully comprehend the rules before committing to play. Some knowledge of the states is obviously preferable.

States and bidding
• Each player will end up with 5 states each (10 players x 5 states = 50 states)
• States will be put up for auction one at a time. I will draw them at random, posting them in the thread. A state must be acquired before a new state is drawn for auction.
• Each player has a total of $100 to spend on his states via blind bids. Bids must be sent to me via PM. DO NOT POST BIDS IN THE THREAD.
• Only winning bids consume money. Any money bid unsuccessfully will be returned to your balance to use later. Bids must be made in whole dollars.
• You may pass (bid zero) on a state, but must still send a PM noting this.
• Tie bids will be won by the earliest bid PM received, except in the event of passes, in which case the last bid PM received gets stuck with that state.

Scoring
• There are five scoring stages during which the game is paused so that the judges can score the stage. Each stage ends when ALL players have added a new state (their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th state). Due to the random nature of the state draws and bidding process, some players may have more states than others at the end of a stage, but all that matters to end the scoring stage is that every player must have added a new state.
• When the end of a scoring stage is announced by me, each player should post their states for scoring (as described below) in the thread, not via PM.
• Each state is worth a maximum of 20 value points. Thus with five states, a player’s maximum final score is 100 value points.
• Each state has four value slots which are filled by the player to score points. Each value slot is worth a maximum of 5 value points.
• Players must fill the value slots of their state using only ONE OR TWO WORDS. What words to choose is entirely at the discretion of the players, but the value of each slot is dependent upon the judges’ understanding of the words. It’s up to the players to decide whether to be specific or general with their words
• Value slots are awarded points based on the following categories: Natural beauty [NB], Sports and Attractions [SA], Agriculture and Resources [AR], and History and Culture [HC]
• IMPORTANT: A player is not required to use every category, but a one-point value penalty is subtracted for each of the categories that a player ignores. Players must use the two-letter abbreviation to identify which category the slot is targeting.
• The two judges (Bucc and Wolfpack) will score each state. If there is a difference in the two scores, I will serve as the final authority and select the final score. I would also like to recruit a backup judge, if anyone is interested.

Example of value slots:

Let’s say that I have successfully bid on Washington DC (yes, I realize it’s not a state) and it’s time for scoring. I decide to use my slots as follows:

1. Smithsonian museums [HC]
2. Monuments memorials [HC]
3. Washington Redskins [SA]
4. Cherry trees [NB]

Since no slot was used for Agriculture and Resources, I’ll get dinged one point right off the top. Then, for the sake of discussion, let’s say the judges give me five points apiece for the two HCs, three points for the Skins, and two for the cherry trees. That makes 5+5+3+2-1 = 14 points for the state.

[WSUCougar]

Team 1: sachmo71 & JeeberD [$0] South Carolina [16], New Jersey (11), Missouri (15), Kansas (13), Utah (13)
Team 2: wade moore [$0] Delaware (10), Mississippi (13), Virginia (15), Connecticut (11), Indiana (13)
Team 3: Butter of 69 [$0] Montana (16), Michigan (16), Florida (18), California (19), Wisconsin (16)
Team 4: path12 [$0] Pennsylvania (17), Illinois (15), Georgia (17), Vermont (16), Wyoming (16)
Team 5: gstelmack [$0] Massachusetts (17), Rhode Island (12), Alabama (14), Colorado (14), Oklahoma (0)
Team 6: TazFTW [$0] Oregon (13), Arkansas (12), Idaho (15), Maryland (17), New York (18)
Team 7: Masked [$0] Maine (16), Hawaii (18), New Mexico (15), North Carolina (18), Alaska (17)
Team 8: tarcone [$0] Texas (19), Iowa (12), Minnesota (14), South Dakota (15), Tennessee (12)
Team 9: Anxiety [$0] Ohio (13), Arizona (15), West Virginia (14), Washington (16), Nebraska (15)
Team 10: Radii/Oliegirl [$19] Kentucky (11), Louisiana (16), New Hampshire (14), Nevada (15), North Dakota (9)

Scoreboard:
85 - Team 3 (Butter of 69) = WINNER!!!
84 - Team 7 (Masked)
81 - Team 4 (path12)
75 - Team 6 (TazFTW)
73 - Team 9 (Anxiety)
72 - Team 8 (tarcone)
68 - Team 1 (sachmo71 & JeeberD)
65 - Team 10 (Radii & Oliegirl)
62 - Team 2 (wade moore)
57 - Team 5 (gstelmack)

[WSUCougar]

I need 10 players or player-teams

[sachmo71]

I don't know much about Wolfpack, but Bucc hates Texas. Bucc is a hater. :P


I'm up for this!!!

[Buccaneer]

Nah, it's geography and as a geographer, we appreciate the strengths and understand the weaknesses of each state. They all have them and the best any state has to offer will always be more valuable than the worse of any other state (if that makes sense)?

[sachmo71]

Team 1 will gladly add another Texan if desired.

[wade moore]

I'd be interested, but depending on the hours you plan to run the stages I would have to have another person as I don't have much computer access from 4:00 PM EST to 07:00 AM EST...

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I'd be interested, but depending on the hours you plan to run the stages I would have to have another person as I don't have much computer access from 4:00 PM EST to 07:00 AM EST...

I put you down for Team 2, Wade. I plan to run things mainly during the weekday hours anyway.

[Ryche]

Well, as a fellow geographer I'll be more than happy to criticize your state scores

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

I put you down for Team 2, Wade. I plan to run things mainly during the weekday hours anyway.

Awesome.. I'd definately be interested in a teammate as I have very strong East Coast knowledge, then good around a lot of the rest of the country, but certain states I struggle...

Are there any "gentlemen's rules" about googling, etc or is it all fair game?

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Are there any "gentlemen's rules" about googling, etc or is it all fair game?

I'd say it's all fair game.

Of course, at this rate, we'll have no game at all due to lack of participants...

[albionmoonlight]

I think this looks like a really fun idea. I just don't have the time commitment to participate right now.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I think this looks like a really fun idea. I just don't have the time commitment to participate right now.

Good thought... maybe some expectation of how the pace might go could help? To be honest, trudging through the rules was a bit difficult, so maybe the length of the rules is turning people off and if it stated early on what the time commitment would be, it would help? (FWIW, I like the rules, they're just a bit daunting at first)...

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I think this looks like a really fun idea. I just don't have the time commitment to participate right now.

Perhaps you could team up with someone?

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Perhaps you could team up with someone?

I'm guessing that was the reason you mentioned teaming up to start with?

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I'm guessing that was the reason you mentioned teaming up to start with?

Yes, it is.

In terms of time commitment, the only real aspect tied to timing is the state bidding, and then speed matters only in the sense of breaking a tie bid. Once I announce a new state I was hoping that we could get the bids in within an hour or two, to keep things flowing, but it's not a necesity. The rest of the game can be rather slow and steady.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Team 1 will gladly add another Texan if desired.

I'll be your assistant, Sach...

[Butter]

I'd do this... it would be best for me to team up with someone who checks at night though, as I only visit during the daytime hours (8AM - 4 PM EST).

[WSUCougar]

I won't be doing much - if anything - at night (besides maybe judging stages).

Damn, only three teams filled. You guys might need to start talking some state-smack to rile some folks up.

[Butter]

I will bid $99 if I have to to get Ohio.

Oh, and Texas sucks. OH YEAH, I SAID IT, WATCHA GON' DO NOW BITCHES??????

How's that?

[JeeberD]

Ohio's not even worth talking smack about.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Ohio's not even worth talking smack about.

partner, or significant other.

[wade moore]

I've asked a couple of people to jump on my team and they all think they don't have time... *grumble*...

[WSUCougar]

*sigh*

Looks like this one may never get off the ground. Oh well.

[wade moore]

I'd say give it a little time, might be a bad day or something.. I'm going to keep trying to recruit...

[path12]

I'll try it.

[WSUCougar]

w00t!

[gstelmack]

I'm in. I'm able to check pretty regularly during weekday (east coast) hours, so I won't necessarily need a teammate.

[WSUCougar]

Sweet! Halfway there.

[gstelmack]

Oh, and for the record, I didn't check this thread until now because the title made me think WSU was pimping some new wargame on the Revolutionary War, and since I find that era notoriously difficult to reproduce in a fun wargame, I ignored the thread for most of the day. That might be part of the issue in getting enough people to look in here and sign up.

Either that or they are all too busy discussing the "nipples" turn the Maximum Football thread took...

[WSUCougar]

Point taken, Greg.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Point taken, Greg.

What, no comment on how "Battle of the States" should have made me think "Civil War", not "Revolutionary War"? I'm disappointed

[TazFTW]

Can I get an example of what an Agriculture and Resources answer would look like?

Would it be like 'produces coal'?

[path12]

Originally Posted by TazFTW

Can I get an example of what an Agriculture and Resources answer would look like?

Would it be like 'produces coal'?

Maybe "wheat fields" for Kansas? That's how I imagine it.

[WSUCougar]

Yup, both of those would work.

[TazFTW]

Okay, I'm in.

[Young Drachma]

Yo, I'm in for New Jersey..of course.

[tarcone]

ill play

[wade moore]

So with 2 spots left, I'll totally play without a partner.. if someone approaches me once we get going, I can always reconsider and pick someone up...

[WSUCougar]

Bump. Two more brave souls and then we can get rolling.

[Abe Sargent]

You can add me.


-Anxiety

[WSUCougar]

On hold, for want of one more measly player...

[Radii]

I'm a sucker for a WSUCougar game. I'm in.

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by Radii

I'm a sucker for a WSUCougar game. I'm in.

Wahoo! Thanks, Rad. We are good to go.

I'm going to give everyone a little heads-up post here: I'll draw the first state for bidding here in a little while.

In the meantime, have any questions or need any clarifications about the rules?

[Radii]

Yeah i'm a bit confused by this one, can you clarify or give an example?

• There are five scoring stages during which the game is paused so that the judges can score the stage. Each stage ends when ALL players have added a new state (their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th state). Due to the random nature of the state draws and bidding process, some players may have more states than others at the end of a stage, but all that matters to end the scoring stage is that every player must have added a new state.


Is there a limit to how long a stage can be? If one team doesn't add a state after 20 draws, but everyone else has already added two states, is the stage still going on? Or is a stage 10 states and everyone can only add one state out of that 10(I don't read it that way but I coudl be wrong).

Thanks!

[wade moore]

Similar to Radii's question...

Are there going to be five stages in which all 50 states go up for bid? Or am i misunderstanding that?

If so, can words be reused for those states?

[wade moore]

Dola: Disregard my question, I figured it out.

[wade moore]

double dola: Depending on when we start, I might not get a bid in until this evening...

[WSUCougar]

The only thing that determines the end of each stage is the point when every team has reached their 1st (or 2nd or 3rd or 4th or 5th) state. So theoretically, one team could have all five of their states before the initial stage is over.

No, the 50 states are spread out over the 5 stages.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

The only thing that determines the end of each stage is the point when every team has reached their 1st (or 2nd or 3rd or 4th or 5th) state. So theoretically, one team could have all five of their states before the initial stage is over.

Thanks. I think that clarifies everything for me.