official thread for
Baptism of Fire 64
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NS Guide To Sports Roleplaying | Saintland's Newcomer Guide | Referee Profiles
Welcome
Welcome to the sixty-fourth edition of the Baptism of Fire, hosted by Bonesea & Mercedini. This tournament marks the beginning of the seventy-seventh cycle of the NationStates World Cup, where we will be welcoming 32 nations that are about to compete in their first WCC competition.
This prestigious competition is one of three competitions making up the World Cup cycle, along with the World Cup and the Cup of Harmony (an invitational tournament for nations that fail to qualify for the World Cup finals), and entry into it is reserved to teams that have not entered the World Cup before, and as such, do not have a KPB ranking (i.e. NS Sports equivalent of the FIFA rankings). This competition is where those teams gain their first KPB points and begin their long road to World Cup success, making the BoF an important gateway to the World Cup.
Given the unique nature of the Baptism of Fire, being the only WCC competition with all entrants lacking any rank points, all 32 teams competing will start on an equal footing and therefore will have the same odds to go on to win the competition. However, there are two determining factors that will help you fulfil that goal: the first one is called roleplay (or RP). RP well and RP often and your chances to win will certainly increase. The other one is none other than luck, because in NS Sports things won't always go your way, and Margaret, NS Sports' "official" Goddess of Randomness will be constantly visiting us looking for people to reward or punish (yes, that too) as she deems appropriate.
This thread will be the place where you should post everything in-character (IC) related to the tournament, that is, your rosters and roleplays, and also the place where the hosts will be posting their nation info, stadiums, and of course, the results. Out-of-character notes, comments, observations, etc (including tags and placeholders of any sort) should not be posted here. OOC messages should instead go to the World Cup Discussion Thread (linked above) or to the hosts via telegram.
Group Draw
*Cosneolta automatically placed in the Bonesea half as a puppet of Mercedini.
Mercedini
Group A
Cetheque
Willinois
Kosovakia
Mriin
Group B
Ibixa
Verceola
Socialist Northern Islands
Ndaku
Group C
Turkmenbasyn
Drawkland
Kernovi
Amnarei-asud
Group D
Averyickan City
Verukt
Coldfield
Juvencus
Bonesea
Group E
Cosneolta*
Divadland
Rebuild the Wall
Kinzenland
Group F
Abristan
The Andromeda Archipelago
Savojarna
EEC
Group G
Zambanana
Nume *replacing Raschastan
Hernton
Great Caledonia and North Hybernia
Group H
The Mercenary Islands
Nagore
Nordernious
Freyhill
Format & Schedule
*Delayed by two days due to Raschastan CTE
Group Matches
16 JAN1 vs 4, 2 vs 3
18 JAN4 vs 3, 1 vs 2
20 JAN2 vs 4, 3 vs 1
21 JANTie-Breaker Matches (if required)
22 JANRound of Sixteen
R1Winner A vs Runner-Up D
R2Winner B vs Runner-Up C
R3Winner C vs Runner-Up B
R4Winner D vs Runner-Up A
R5Winner E vs Runner-Up H
R6Winner F vs Runner-Up G
R7Winner G vs Runner-Up F
R8Winner H vs Runner-Up E
24 JANQuarter-finals
Q1Winners R1 vs R2
Q1Winners R3 vs R4
Q1Winners R5 vs R6
Q1Winners R7 vs R8
26 JANSemi-finals
S1Winners Q1 vs Q2
S2Winners Q3 vs Q4
28 JANFinal & Third Place Play-Off
Cut-off time is likely to be 20:00-21:00 UTC in the Mercedini half; 22:00-24:00 UTC in the Bonesea half.
The tournament will be scorinated by way of xkoranate 0.3.3 SQIS formula using XK additive style modifiers. There will be generous RP bonuses emphasising quality over quantity and beginning with the initial roster post. Extra challenges and RP fodder provided for tournament participants (see below) are not requirements of RP and participants can choose to ignore them without penalty.
Group tie-breakers will be as follows;
1. Points
2. Overall GD
3. H2H Points
4. H2H GD
5. Tie-Breaker Match
Quickstart RP Guide
Fair attribution: This excellent guide was produced by Eura & Valladares for the 60th edition of the Baptism of Fire, and is well worth studying if you are new to sports RP.
New to NS Sports? Here are some tips for you.
First of all, if you are new to the NS Sports forum, you really should read the Guide to Sports Roleplaying. This guide presents you a general idea on what to do and how tournaments in NS Sports work. In case you have any additional questions, feel free to ask on the Discussion Thread (again, linked above) or send one of the hosts a telegram.
Now that you have already taken that step, you should start thinking in a roster for your team. A roster is -in its simplest form- a list of the 11 players in your starting lineup, their positions, manager/head coach, and also the players in your bench or reserves. Some participants often include some other information aimed at enriching the RPing experience and opportunities, for example, additional information on their players, coaching staff, their backgrounds, clubs, style of play, strengths and weaknesses and anything else deemed to be of interest or anything you want others to know about your team. There is no limit regarding the number of players you can include in your roster, and there's no gender- or species-based restriction of any sort, either, with several past World Cup champions and other established nations currently competing or having competed with all-male, all-female, mixed-gender teams, teams comprised by monks, and also teams made up of elves, sentient bears and ponies, among several others.
Next up, you may want to include a style modifier for your team in your roster. A style modifier is a number ranging from -5 to +5 which will be inputted into the scorinator and will also serve to give others an idea of your style of play. Teams with negative style modifiers tend to be more defence-focused and will concede (on average) fewer goals at the cost of having more trouble at scoring goals. On the other hand, if your team is more offence-focused, then you should choose a positive style mod. Teams that play offensively tend to score more goals on average...but also tend to concede more goals in return. For those of you who would rather a more balanced style, a neutral style mod of 0 is also available. Teams will also be assigned a style mod of 0 if they don't state a style modifier.
Okay, so you already have a list of players and have chosen a style mod for your team. Good. Now pay attention to this part, because this is one of the most important things to include in your roster as it will have an effect on your opponents' RPs. Ladies and gentlemen, now we present to you the RP Permissions Box:My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes/No
Godmod scoring events: Yes/No
RP injuries to my players: Yes/No
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes/No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes/No
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes/No
Godmod other events: Yes/No
The box above will be the tool enabling you to tell your opponents what you are willing to allow them to do, as well as what you are not allowing them to do. Please copy and paste it somewhere into your roster indicating your preferences as well as any restrictions for every option. Now let's review the meaning of each of these options:
Choose my goalscorers allows your opponents to choose which player(s) score your team's goal(s), should they RP the match before you do. Almost everyone allows this option since the most common form of roleplay in this forum is the traditional match summary/report, and it would be really difficult to write one of those without identifying the goalscorers. Godmod scoring events enables your opponents to RP goals that are scored in an unrealistic way or not likely to happen in reality.
The RP injuries to my players option is pretty self-explanatory: it allows your opponents to injure your players. However, most participants who allow others to injure their players will also set restrictions on the severity and causes of those injuries, thus retaining some extent of control on how badly injured their player is and future consequences and impacts of that injury on their teams. Just like "Godmod scoring events" for unlikely/unrealistic goals, Godmod injuries to my players refers to your opponents RPing injuries on your players but caused in less common and/or unrealistic ways. This option is generally used for more drastic injuries than those of the standard injury option, ranging from rendering your players unable to play the remainder of the tournament, ending their careers, or even killing them. That causes this option to be restricted by most players.
Yellow cards and red cards are an important part of the game, as yellow cards are handed out to players who aren't following the rules of the game as a warning, with red cards being handed out either after a second yellow card or as a result of a particularly severe violation of the rules or unsportsmanlike behaviour. Those players that are shown a red card are sent off the field, forcing their team to continue the remainder of the match with less players. Basically, if you choose "yes" to any or both of those options, you are allowing your opponents to enact such disciplinary actions against your players in their RPs. However, you can also set limits on the number of those cards if your players are less prone to carrying out actions that cause them to be booked and/or sent off.
Finally, Godmod other events refers to other unrealistic and/or unlikely events not related with goals or injuries. This can include from severe weather conditions, events by fans in the stands, to the opening of a portal to another dimension at the center of the pitch in the middle of the match. There are several things that can fall into this option, therefore you might deem it appropriate to set some limits for your opponents.
In order to help inspire your journey through this tournament, the hosts will provide a range of useful snippets you may be able to use in your RPs. This includes the detailed nation & stadium guides in the following two posts; links to referee profiles for match officials; and some daily updates on the goings-on in the countries that you are visiting. You do not have to use any of this material, but it might give you an idea or two to help you along.
Can't find what you need? Have we neglected to name the brewery in an isolated village up in the mountains where your legendary rogue midfielder mysteriously disappeared before a crucial match? Want to know what the nation's favourite candy bar/hot drink/takeaway dish is? Or the name of the local patrol officer who seems to appear a little too frequently at the team hotel? As hosts it is our job to make your participation a rewarding experience, and we are here to help. Always feel free to TG Mercedini or Bonesea if you need any extra in-character information on any aspect of the tournament or the countries you are visiting.
And here's a little extra incentive for keen RPers...
Goal of The Tournament
Your hosts will be closely following all the RP lines throughout the tournament of course, making copious notes, replaying all the highlights in detail, and swapping observations on sublime and ridiculous moments at this prestigious tournament. And we'll be shortlisting for the 'Goal of The Tournament'; which will be voted on by the community. Will your star striker win this important extra medal that could add a couple million to his international transfer value? Or will the team mascot, which may or may not be a couple of leprechauns dressed up in a sheep costume, accidentally hit a winning goal during an unlikley pitch invasion missed by the half-blind referee? In NS Sports almost anything is possible, and we will be looking for the best described goal through the competition. It may well be the best goal ever seen, but it will only get a nomination if it's well RPed. It might be the worst imaginable own-goal; if it is brilliantly described, it could still be in with a chance of winning. We appreciate all forms of RP, from dedicated serious sports journalism, to the weird, the wonderful and the hilariously wicked.
We the hosts will nominate a short-list of the best described goals at the end of the tournament, and then like any public goal of the month tv vote, we will put it to the World Cup Community to vote on the best one. The winning goalscorer will receive a fabulous in-character prize, while the user who wrote the winning entry will forever have the prestige of being Baptism of Fire 64 Goal of The Tournament Winner. And no-one else in the entire world of RL or the multiverse of NS will be able to claim that.
Closing Notes
Have fun... be sure to follow your opponents RP permissions, and then anything else goes. With a bit of luck and some dedicated RPing, you could be a champion by the end of the month.