This tournament is taking place prior to the 51st NationStates Football World Cup, which will be held in Paripana and Septentrionia, and is intended for new nations announcing themselves to the world stage, or old friends returning from a lengthy absence.
Sally the Seal, mascot of the tournament, would welcome you if she weren't on fire
Scores are generated using a program called NSFootySim (NSFS). This combines a random number element with an RP bonus. This is a bonus that teams get for roleplaying during the 24 hour window prior to their match. Each day a cutoff will be announced (around 1300 UTC, after which no more RPs count, and then the scores are generated and posted. Because of this, roleplaying helps your team - but does not guarantee victory.
A third element of NSFS is ranking points, which will not be used in this tournament - because your teams don't have any. This is your first chance to earn some, and the ranking points your teams enter World Cup 51 qualifying with will depend entirely on your performance here.
The Introduction of Fire tournament strongly encourages active roleplaying from all participants. This makes it more fun for others taking part, more interesting to read, and helps establish storylines that could continue through many subsequent tournaments. It is a good opportunity to introduce your players, establish the culture of football in your country, and let us know about particular traditions, tactics, or trivia.
Roleplays commonly fall into one of the following categories:
- a match report, describing your previous match (example)
- a profile on one of your players (example)
- a behind-the-scenes storyline (example)
Any legitimate attempt at roleplaying will earn some bonus. Posts that feature humour, originality, references to other people's roleplaying, or show some degree of effort, will earn higher bonuses. In addition, you may like to consider the following themes:
- the tournament is taking place in Quintessence of Dust, where football is actually not very popular;
- the "Introduction of Fire" has been supported by a generous grant from the Department of Sport; however, this has necessitated a temporary renaming of the tournament, on account of the rigid secularist policies of the Quodite federal government;
- the World Cup held after this tournament will be, under some calendars, either the 100th or 200th anniversary of the first NSWC;
- the theme of the tournament is "Fairness, Fun, and Fruit".
The 40 entrants have been randomly drawn into 10 groups of 4. Each group has been assigned a different name based on a tasty piece of fruit, and all games within that group will take place at a different university around Quintessence of Dust.
- Persimmon Group - University College Highmark, Highmark City
The persimmon is an edible berry of the ebony tree family. It is a popular part of Quodite cuisine, particularly among the large Quintessential-Chinese ethnic minority that forms about 20% of the nation's population - well over 50% of whom live in Highmark City, the nation's capital. UCH is the nation's largest university and generally considered the most politically neutral, as opposed to the staunchly Liberal UWS and pro-Social Democrat SUP.
Tonarius
Vjiay
Negative Katana
Khytenna
Almond Group - West Pulona Technical College, Pulona
Commonly mistaken for a nut, the almond is actually a fruit. There is little hope in cultivating it in Quintessence of Dust's cold weather, so it is an imported delicacy, although the advent of hyproponics has made it more available. Crepes amandine are especially popular. The favourite sport of West Pulonans is rugby, thanks to the world famous Tourseilles Rugby Club, so the small ground at the WPTC might not see too many fans turn out for the football games.
Dennisov
Zenethj
Hillpiece
Vyknov
Fig Group - Institute for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences, Highmark City
One of three groups based in the nation's capital, Highmark, this group takes it name from a small, Mediterranean fruit that resembles some sort of extremely poorly slug. Since the advent of the Sweet Tooth Tax, which has made children's confectionery expensive, dried fruits - including figs - have become quite popular in Quintessence of Dust; however, the country's lack of Christian heritage or classical traditions means the symbolic fruit is largely shorn of connotations for most consumers. The IASSS is a prestigious postgraduate institute that is just pretentious enough to take a fleeting interest in sports.
Western Cuba
The Shinnian Islands
South Norwega
Hassett
Pineapple Group - State University of Pulona, Rahlia
Obviously, the pineapple is not native to Quintessence of Dust, but tinned pineapple has long been a staple of supermarket shelves. By contrast, the use of pineapple as a pizza topping is a serious criminal offence. Teams playing at Rahlia will find themselves in the atmosphere most supportive of football: the SUP has supplied many of the national team's players, and local sides Nowy Orpington United and FC Drongosnort are cheered on with wild abandon by the otherwise rather mirthless hardline Marxists of the university faculty.
Inabi
Sentient Nukes
Rick Roll Land
Sierra Apathia
Pear Group - University of Zyarn, Zyarn [games played at the Eli F. Baker Memorial Arena]
Lucky members of the Pear Group find themselves in a group named one of the more common fruits of Quintessence of Dust, as well as playing their matches at a full-sized stadium that has hosted over four and a half international football matches. Slightly less fortunately, they will otherwise be imprisoned in the frozen wasteland that is the south half of the country.
Upper North Yorkshire
Undeadzombiee
Zarbli
Mount Shavano
Plum Group - University of West Sponson, New Cleethorpes
The international flavour of coastal town of New Cleethorpes mixes an open-minded cafe culture with an unshattering belief that the rest of the country are morons. They have led wars of secession, twice, and lost, twice, and are now incredibly bitter. Unlike the sweet, juicy plum - which they grow hydroponically, but refuse to sell domestically for fear of giving their eastern adversaries a moment's pleasure. They hate football, and shoot to kill.
Emothica
St Timothy Isles
Toy Toy
Unitopolis
Elderberry Group - Grinwarick Central University, Highmark City
Elderberries are sweet, delicious, and provide the entire nutritional demands of an adult male. Well, they don't, but I like the cordial so I'll give them a break. In Quintessence of Dust the elderberry is regarded as an exotic specimen, much like cars with left hand steering, the sport of cricket, and the elderly. Few exotic specimens are present at the grey, grim GCU, a modern polytechnic/social training facility with wireless access, a canteen that serves lukewarm hot chocolate, and the pungent aroma of despair. Also carpet cleaner.
Senzymnia
Dimoniquid
Parilisa
Kazzoria
Gooseberry Group - University of Verinque, Veringia
The humble gooseberry is a hairy, unappealing blob that tastes surprisingly good, if you try to block out the mental image of devouring a live caterpillar. By contrast, there are no hairy, unappealing blobs at the University of Verinque: the nation's oldest and only fully private university, it has become known as the last refuge of the wealthy, Anglo-Quodite conservatives of the nation's centre, and their spoiled, moneyed, but irritatingly good-looking children. You'd want to punch them in the chin...if it wasn't so beautifully defined.
Odinex
Kryosis
Aluetiva
St Paul's Isle
Kiwi Group - University of East Sponson, Greater Scunthorpe Municipality/Slurry Reprocessing Orb
Also known as the "Chinese gooseberry" or "worst fruit ever", Quodites have more sense than to eat much kiwi fruit; when they do, it's generally only in fruit cocktail form. The UES a generous endowment from alumnus Eli Baker, son of the late President of the Democratic States, has ensured there is a top quality football pitch. They mostly use it for yoga class.
Colurada
Palatazze
WalesaIreland
Tarmeny
Cloudberry Group - Blaubeck University, Westhampton
The only edible fruit that was indigenous to Quintessence of Dust prior to human colonisation, the cloudberry is not really up there with apples or bananas in the world fruit pantheon. It can be used to make jam or liqueurs. But Quodites have a stubborn pride in their inventive cloudberry recipes, and hold the world's largest (and only?) annual Cloudberry Cook-Off every year in Westhampton, in the lower half of the Quodite Alps that line the country's north. Blaubeck is situated a little higher up, in beautiful scenic settings.
Quattrablegia
DRo Alba
Chocolate Pencils
Lovable Weirdos
Teams will play group games according to following schedule:
Thu 6 May: 1v4 2v3
Fri 7 May: 1v2 3v4
Sat 8 May: 1v3 2v4
Sun 9 May: 1v4 2v3
Mon 10 May: 1v2 3v4
Tue 11 May: 1v3 2v4
At the end of the group stage, the group winners plus the six teams with the next best records qualify for the Round of 16 playoffs.
From now until Monday, you have time to post your rosters. A roster should contain, at bare minimum, the names of your teams players. More detailed rosters could include their positions, their strengths and weakness, details about tactics, even mini-biographies. You should also include a guide to "RP permissions", indicating whether the person you are playing against can decide who scored your goals, whether any of your players earned yellow/red cards, whether there were injuries, etc. It is vital that you adhere to your opponents' permissions boxes when posting your own roleplays.
If there are any questions, please TG Quintessence of Dust.
Playoff round schedule information