The World Cup Discussion Thread (OOC, Version IV)

[Eshialand]

Would seeding teams 1-6, 7-12, then 13-16 be considered more fair?

Yes, as it imposes the seeding after the group stage based on performance, rather than a priori. This is how BoF73 worked.

I wonder if the hosts would even be willing to make a change like that at this point...

[Audioslavia]

It'd be unusual to change the format at this stage but not unreasonable. It's more of an in-character issue than a fairness issue. By the end of the first round, the actual skill levels of each advancing team (according to the scorinator) is likely quite close, and the likelihood of a very good team as finishing runner-up in a group behind a very lucky team is high.

[Sarzonia]

I don't know. I would consider a change in format at this late stage of the competition to be unreasonable.

Then again, both the NHL and NBA changed their playoff formats from their usual when they came back from COVID last year to add more teams, so it might not necessarily be outside the realm of reasonableness.

[Audioslavia]

OOCly it's fine. ICly it'd work best with short blast of ret-con cannon.

[PotatoFarmers]

I noticed fixed brackets like these are commonplace in smaller regionals IRL. As both the Asian Cup and the European Championships both deal with 6 groups (albeit they have 6 groups of 4), they have fixed brackets where certain winners play third-placed teams while certain winners don't. If I am not mistaken, this particular bracket was the exact bracket used in the 2019 Asian Cup. The upcoming Euros have their different order, but they all don't use seeding.

It would then have to depend on what has been the NSS standard. While I don't think it is an issue, if there is some consensus among participants that they prefer using seeding, I believe something could be done.

[Eshialand]

I for one am pro-seeding. Teams that do better overall farm the right to play easier opponents, and teams that do worse have to work harder.

[Eshialand]

Sadly, my game score will be announced at 5 a.m. in my time zone, so I'll have to wait for the morning to find out how I did. I feel like a kid the night before Christmas, waiting to see if I get the gift I've been waiting for all year.

In the meantime, I may as well make some OOC comments on the Reçueçn games.

Qzvarkian Qaz 1 - 0 Central Antarctic Peninsula
This was a bit of a shame. I was cheering for CAP... however, I completely expected this result.

Shreekaristan 1 - 2 Innovative
Again, I completely expected this. If you don't post a roster, don't expect results.

Revlona 1 - 4 Talkasa
Same thing applies here. I absolutely love the fact that the nation with the flag that I think looks quite Nazi got trounced in tonight's only multi-point game... fash bad, kids.

Atheara 0 - 0 Galeanna
I was cheering for Atheara, so this scoreless tie was a bit of a shame, but hey, it could've been worse. I can't help but wonder what would've happened if Galeanna didn't post their roster and RP at the last second...

Gergary 1 - 0 Bunkaiia
Completely expected. Yet again, no roster, no points for you...

Sendhang 0 - 1 Tolanka
...unless you're Tolanka? Margaret apparently had other plans for this one. I was cheering for Sendhang too... darn.

[Electrum]

From my point of view, whether to seed or reseed is not as important in the Baptism of Fire. Nations start unranked so they are only distinguished by roleplay and randomness. This means it is more possible to get into the top spots by pure chance rather than skill.

Recuecn and I went with a system that reflects what happens in real life, such as Euros 16 and Asian Cup 2019. Whether you reseed or not, it is inevitable that there will be two runners-up teams that will be facing a group winner -- it's really a matter of which two teams should face a group winner. Because luck plays a bigger factor of BoF, you can either draw the short straw at the very beginning because of the draw or at the very end (e.g. those who roleplay but are unlucky and fall behind teams that don't, or being in a group with many roleplayers). In other words, performance in a group stage does not necessarily always correlate to roleplay effort. We felt that this system was a recognisable system used in real life, was transparent and provided more certainty with teams knowing in advance who they will be facing (it also prevented group stage rematches).

Regardless of which system is used, some teams will benefit and some teams will have a tougher road to the finals.

However, given the view of the community, we have decided to switch to a seeding system. Winners will be seeded 1-6, then runners up 7-12, and then third ranked nations 13-16.

[Silvedania]

Sadly, my game score will be announced at 5 a.m. in my time zone, so I'll have to wait for the morning to find out how I did. I feel like a kid the night before Christmas, waiting to see if I get the gift I've been waiting for all year.

In the meantime, I may as well make some OOC comments on the Reçueçn games.

Qzvarkian Qaz 1 - 0 Central Antarctic Peninsula
This was a bit of a shame. I was cheering for CAP... however, I completely expected this result.

Shreekaristan 1 - 2 Innovative
Again, I completely expected this. If you don't post a roster, don't expect results.

Revlona 1 - 4 Talkasa
Same thing applies here. I absolutely love the fact that the nation with the flag that I think looks quite Nazi got trounced in tonight's only multi-point game... fash bad, kids.

Atheara 0 - 0 Galeanna
I was cheering for Atheara, so this scoreless tie was a bit of a shame, but hey, it could've been worse. I can't help but wonder what would've happened if Galeanna didn't post their roster and RP at the last second...

Gergary 1 - 0 Bunkaiia
Completely expected. Yet again, no roster, no points for you...

Sendhang 0 - 1 Tolanka
...unless you're Tolanka? Margaret apparently had other plans for this one. I was cheering for Sendhang too... darn.

Also strange to see a puppet beat a not puppet. But there isn't a penalty for puppets. Still weird.

[Eshialand]

I honestly wish there were some sort of penalty for puppets, since they have experience with sports RPing and the rest of up don't. Luckily, my group only has one puppet (who hasn't even posted a roster yet) so I have a chance to make it to knockouts, but I'd hate to be in a group like C, E, or F... I'm sure that if the shoe were on the other foot and I was the puppet, I'd be against a puppet penalty, so I can't blame anyone for that not being a thing.

[Starblaydia]

I honestly wish there were some sort of penalty for puppets, since they have experience with sports RPing and the rest of up don't.

There's two main reasons why we don't have some sort of puppet penalty (except the fact that puppets are the first nations we throw out if there are too many entrants). Firstly, having a puppet means you've got twice the amount of RPing to do, which is in itself a hindrance to getting out quality RPs at a high rate. Secondly, having experience at RPing with one nation doesn't always mean you're going to be necessarily "better" at it than someone who's just discovered it for the first time - creativity doesn't work like that.

RP Bonus, and NS Sports in general, is not a writing competition. Sure, it helps, but it's not the be-all and end-all of what we do.

[Montana Verde]

--snip--

Thanks for listening to concerns and responding. :)

[Eshialand]

I think it's high time to comment on today's Electrum games.

Sonindia 2 - 3 Islands of Ventro
I completely expected this one.

Aut-Ves-Nat 1 - 3 Eshialand
However this came as a major surprise, but I never think I deserve anything, so take that with a grain of salt. LET'S GO OWLS! HOOT! HOOT! HOOT, HOOT! LET'S GO OWLS!

St. Trinian's 0 - 0 Le Choix
Scoreless draws are so boring... at least St. Trinian's team is entertaining even without fun games!

Srednjaci 2 - 0 Istoreya
I figured that this one would be closer than that, either a one-goal game or a draw...

Bigtopian Isles 1 - 2 Suimede
No comment, since I didn't get to see either team's roster before the game.

Sahuarita 2 - 1 Montana Verde
I half-expected MV to win that one, but it was so close that this doesn't surprise me.

[Bunkaiia]

Sadly, my game score will be announced at 5 a.m. in my time zone, so I'll have to wait for the morning to find out how I did. I feel like a kid the night before Christmas, waiting to see if I get the gift I've been waiting for all year.

In the meantime, I may as well make some OOC comments on the Reçueçn games.

Qzvarkian Qaz 1 - 0 Central Antarctic Peninsula
This was a bit of a shame. I was cheering for CAP... however, I completely expected this result.

Shreekaristan 1 - 2 Innovative
Again, I completely expected this. If you don't post a roster, don't expect results.

Revlona 1 - 4 Talkasa
Same thing applies here. I absolutely love the fact that the nation with the flag that I think looks quite Nazi got trounced in tonight's only multi-point game... fash bad, kids.

Atheara 0 - 0 Galeanna
I was cheering for Atheara, so this scoreless tie was a bit of a shame, but hey, it could've been worse. I can't help but wonder what would've happened if Galeanna didn't post their roster and RP at the last second...

Gergary 1 - 0 Bunkaiia
Completely expected. Yet again, no roster, no points for you...

Sendhang 0 - 1 Tolanka
...unless you're Tolanka? Margaret apparently had other plans for this one. I was cheering for Sendhang too... darn.

Where can I post my roster? Eshialand

[Kohnhead]

Sadly, my game score will be announced at 5 a.m. in my time zone, so I'll have to wait for the morning to find out how I did. I feel like a kid the night before Christmas, waiting to see if I get the gift I've been waiting for all year.

In the meantime, I may as well make some OOC comments on the Reçueçn games.

Qzvarkian Qaz 1 - 0 Central Antarctic Peninsula
This was a bit of a shame. I was cheering for CAP... however, I completely expected this result.

Shreekaristan 1 - 2 Innovative
Again, I completely expected this. If you don't post a roster, don't expect results.

Revlona 1 - 4 Talkasa
Same thing applies here. I absolutely love the fact that the nation with the flag that I think looks quite Nazi got trounced in tonight's only multi-point game... fash bad, kids.

Atheara 0 - 0 Galeanna
I was cheering for Atheara, so this scoreless tie was a bit of a shame, but hey, it could've been worse. I can't help but wonder what would've happened if Galeanna didn't post their roster and RP at the last second...

Gergary 1 - 0 Bunkaiia
Completely expected. Yet again, no roster, no points for you...

Sendhang 0 - 1 Tolanka
...unless you're Tolanka? Margaret apparently had other plans for this one. I was cheering for Sendhang too... darn.

Where can I post my roster? Eshialand

You can put your roster in the Baptism of 75 Everything Thread https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=502565 and you can also post roleplays about how your team does, about other players, or about anything really

[Recuecn]

Hi BoF participants, unfortunately my washing machine broke and I returned home to a flooded basement. Cutoff for my half will be pushed back tonight (most likely an hour or two at most).

[Eshialand]

Well, it looks like it's time for Eshialand's OOC results reactions part 3!

Central Antarctic Peninsula 0 - 0 Shreekaristan
Margaret is really making it hard for CAP right now... not to mention the fact that it was yet another scoreless draw... it's a bit weird TBH, because didn't CAP set a style modifier of +5?

Brookstation 3 - 2 Qzvarkian Qaz
Huh, I really expected QQ to get that one. Looks like Margaret is really making this tourney spicy!

Talkasa 0 - 1 Atheara
Again, I didn't expect this after the first matchday. It's a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

Kannap 0 - 1 Revlona
No rosters, no expectations.

Bunkaiia 1 - 1 Sendhang
Ouch, Sendhang got robbed again. And that's why predicting based on RP alone just leads to Margaret disappointing you every time.

Marigred 1 - 0 Gergary
Not too much to say here.

[Barunia]

I think it's high time to comment on today's Electrum games.

Sonindia 2 - 3 Islands of Ventro
I completely expected this one.

Aut-Ves-Nat 1 - 3 Eshialand
However this came as a major surprise, but I never think I deserve anything, so take that with a grain of salt. LET'S GO OWLS! HOOT! HOOT! HOOT, HOOT! LET'S GO OWLS!

St. Trinian's 0 - 0 Le Choix
Scoreless draws are so boring... at least St. Trinian's team is entertaining even without fun games!

Srednjaci 2 - 0 Istoreya
I figured that this one would be closer than that, either a one-goal game or a draw...

Bigtopian Isles 1 - 2 Suimede
No comment, since I didn't get to see either team's roster before the game.

Sahuarita 2 - 1 Montana Verde
I half-expected MV to win that one, but it was so close that this doesn't surprise me.

I’m glad you are enjoying St Trinians RP, but I really don’t think this belongs here. If everyone does this fo every natch day, this thread is gonna get cluttered. Put it in the BoF thread.

[Eshialand]

I was just putting it here because these are OOC comments.0These simply don't fit in the BoF thread.

[Sarzonia]

They blur the line between IC and OOC in a way that we typically don't do here.

You can have a character make these observations and put them in the IC thread, but we generally keep this thread solely for OOC posts.

[Eshialand]

They blur the line between IC and OOC in a way that we typically don't do here.

You can have a character make these observations and put them in the IC thread, but we generally keep this thread solely for OOC posts.

Yk what? I'm not even gonna bother anymore. I have a certain type of post I make in the IC thread. I'll make those posts and only those posts. I don't want to waste any more of anybody's time than I already do, I RP more than enough as it is.

[Audioslavia]

We used to have these types of comments in the WC Discussion Thread more often. Mostly the chatter has migrated to the NS Sport Discord.

It's not a problem at all to have them in the WCDT.

[Eshialand]

For those of you who want them, here are my OOC reactions to last night's Electrum games. For those who don't... feel free to not click on this spoiler.

Islands Of Ventro 0 - 1 Aut-Ves-Nat
Way to go Aut-Ves-Nat, playing the spoiler right when I needed it most!

Naufre 0 - 1 The united states of sonindia
I would've preferred a draw here, I don't like Sonindia being on my tail like that...

Le Choix 0 - 1 Srednjaci
That's it, Srednjaci is winning this thing, I'm calling it.

Deniria 2 - 6 St. Trinian's
What the actual heck? I thought I was hallucinating when I saw this score... I can't wait to read this RP when it's posted!!

Suimede 1 - 4 Sahuarita
I take back my comment about Srednjaci, Sahuarita may win this thing instead.

Grandistania 2 - 0 Bigtopian Isles
Didn't really expect anything else here.

[Recuecn]

I meant to tg you earlier Eshialand, my bad for not doing it right away... I've been loving your commentary posts! I definitely don't see a problem with them in this thread, but I was going to say that as Sarzonia alluded to, they'd make great rp material if you just pretended that it was someone in your nation writing the posts. If you want to continue to post them here that's fine, but if you make them IC and post them in the BoF thread you could also be getting rp bonus for them. :)

[Eshialand]

I meant to tg you earlier Eshialand, my bad for not doing it right away... I've been loving your commentary posts! I definitely don't see a problem with them in this thread, but I was going to say that as Sarzonia alluded to, they'd make great rp material if you just pretended that it was someone in your nation writing the posts. If you want to continue to post them here that's fine, but if you make them IC and post them in the BoF thread you could also be getting rp bonus for them.

I just don't think I should clog the RP thread any more than I have. I seem to post there a lot...

EDIT: But... I guess I could try adapting it and come up with some good idea for an IC journalist if the idea is popular enough... but do I really need 3 posts a day?