The Football Association of the Commonwealth of Baker Park is proud to submit a bid for the hosting rights to Baptism of Fire 81
Baker Park is centrally located in the heart of Atlantian Oceania, with a population of 53 million, and has from its inception been open and inclusive of all people seeking to establish settled lives here; more recently, the country has seen a rise in the number of immigrants from other AO nations and has worked to provide wider access & accommodation to sentient non-human species who have made their home within our borders. This is a natural continuation of the spirit and ethos of our history, as people of all nations, all ethnic groups, all religions, all colors came to take a leap of faith in a new land and built a nation which embraces diversity, community and equality.
Established in 1892, the nation is a federal, parliamentary democracy, consisting of 7 constituent states, each having their own unicameral legislative body. The Parliament of the Commonwealth is made up of the 231 member House of Assembly and the 56 member Council of State. Until 1978, the central figure of country was the Prince Regent, whose duties were largely ceremonial although he held a few specific rights and duties; the premature death of the last Prince left the country unprepared, as there was no immediate successor. The position was renamed Head of State and it became an elected office in 1996.
Baker Park is one of the top tourist destinations in the multiverse, welcoming over 2.5 million visitors per year. We have a seasonally temperate climate, with autumn and early winter the times of the year when precipitation is heaviest.
Baker Park prides itself on the strength of its protection of civil rights, civil liberties and freedoms; our social services, health care, educational system and public safety organizations are held up as examples of excellence throughout our region and the world.
The nation's economy is best exemplified by the industrial conglomerate that was founded by the family that established the nation, Baker International Corporation. Known by citizens as "The Company" or BI, through the first nine decades of the country's history it was responsible for nearly 50% of the nation's GDP, as nearly three of every five people employed worked directly for one of the 30+ companies in which it had full or partial ownership, giving rise to the claim that Baker Park was the “World's Biggest Company Town”; over the past 40 years it has divested itself from many domestic business sectors, opening up opportunities for more investment and growth for both those entities and competitors alike.
The Commonwealth has hosted the following events previously:
World Lacrosse Championships (3 occasions)
Under 18 Championships (SWC 11)
AOCAF 58 (co-host with Banija) & AOCAF 65 (co-host with Turori)
World Cup 84 (co-host with Cassadaigua) & World Cup 90 (co-host with Vilita)
Baker Park Open Cup (2 occasions)
AORC Sevens (2 occasions)
AOBowl (1 occasion)
Jenna Raven Cup/Women's World Cup (2 occasions)
in addition, we hold the Presidency of the World Lacrosse Council (first term).
Tech Specs
Xkoranate with SQIS formula and additive modifiers (this has been the standard for the bids for the BOF over many of the previous editions) and a full day max bonus for rostered nations, with all RP bonus accumulative throughout. RP will be graded over a generous bonus scale.
RP that is partially or totally generated by AI should be stated as such, with a penalty of loss of all RP score should it not be disclosed and discovered subsequently.
Group sizes of five or six are the preference, and the determination of whether 16 or 24 nations advance to the knockouts would probably have a cutoff point of around 44 entries.
32—4 groups of eight, top 4 in each group advance
36—6 groups of six, top 2 in each group + next four best placed sides
40—8 groups of five, top 2 in each group
42—6 groups of seven, either same as 36 or top 4 from each group
48—8 groups of six, top 3 in each group
50—10 groups of five, same as 36
54—9 groups of six, same as 36
56—8 groups of seven, same as 48.
All matches will be played within the host nation at the numerous venues that have been part of our long hosting history.
Final group order for advancement to the knockout stage shall be determined as follows:
(Points—of course, this is NOT a tiebreaker, it is a table sorting rule; being level on points is the reason for the need for tiebreakers)
Head to Head points
Head to Head goal difference
Overall goal difference—actually I think it's more accurate to say GD against the other teams in the group, if Team A & B draw one another, but Team A beat Team C by 2 goals and Team B beat C by 1 goal and they both beat Team D by the same difference, etc.
IC coin flip—I believe I will go with raw cumulative RP score (less roster bonus)
OOC coin flip—extra xkoranated match (personally in my own cup comp that is 2 legs/total goals, if two teams are equal on score, away goals, etc. I decide by best 2 of 3—it takes a tiny bit of the crazy result element away--I usually list it as a penalty win, but that is just my way and not how I would proceed in this competition).
Cutoffs will depend upon field size, obviously every other day is the ideal. Baker Park will cutoff within a window between 10pm-12midnight Eastern U.S. Time (-5 hours GMT/Universal time) although this is subject to revision.
We will not set up a tournament of any sort under crazy parameters just for funsies; I believe that the simplest, fairest setup is best. Saying that I “believe” in this or that doesn't mean that I am dead set with doing it that way.
This is THE most important tournament in NSWC—I know it and I want it to be right for encouraging new players, encouraging their participation, nurturing their RP skills.
We will provide optional RP prompts to help those stuck for ideas to encourage world building, national team building and interesting perspectives on storytelling, of course with no additional advantage or penalty should participants opt to participate or decline.
The Football Association of the Commonwealth have long had an interest in hosting the Baptism of Fire, as it was a substantial part of our early history in NSWC participation; we feel obligated to give back to the community by hosting the tournament and providing new nations entering the World Cup with a solid baseline for further advancement.
