Baptism of Fire 76 - Banija and Bollonich Host Bid

[Bollonich]

Banija/Bollonich Baptism of Fire LXXVI Bid

The Royal Banijan Soccer Association, Joined by the Football Federation of Bollonich, are officially submitting their bid to the Executive World Cup Committee to co-host the 76th edition of the Baptism of Fire.

Banija National Information
The Kingdom of Banija is a country that classifies itself as a semi-constitutional monarchy. A nation that is a member of Atlantian Oceania, it is led by the Kabaka(which translates to King), and the current monarch is Kabaka Mwanga. The Kabaka, alongside with the Waziri(translates to Foreign Minister), whom he picks and dismisses solely at his pleasure, is the Head of State and responsible for the country's foreign affairs. Upon reaching age 25, the Isebantu(Crown Prince), becomes the Waziri by constitutional right. The current Isebantu is Isebantu Mutungi. The full list of members of the Royal Family can be found here.

Kabaka Mwanga ascended into power after the assassination of his father, Kabaka Albert III during World Cup 82 Qualifying. This is, of course, a government with an elected element. The elected unicameral legislature is the Lukiiko(Parliament), and the Lukiiko is responsible for governance of domestic affairs. The Katikkiro(Prime Minister) is elected by the Lukiiko. After over a decade of rule by the left, this traditionally conservative nation has shown its true colors again by electing a coalition led by the center-right People's Protection Movement. The Katikkiro is Kobe Azizi, who is currently serving in his second term as Head of Government. The established church is the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, most commonly known as Puritan Mormonism. Well over 90% of Banijans identify as adherents to the state church, though freedom of religion is generally respected by the law and the populace. There is very little patience and open disdain, however, for atheism among the general populace. Courts are sometimes known not to enforce freedom of religion laws when it comes to those preaching atheism, which is considered an 'evil' view by many Banijans.

Due to the massive influence of Puritan Mormonism in this nation, they are relatively socially conservative. Abortion in this country is outlawed unless the mother's life is in danger, and polygamy for males is legal. The church's Universal Call to Motherhood, which teaches that the destiny of each and every woman is to give birth to children and raise faithful Puritan Mormons, has heavily shaped the nation's view on the role of women in society, forming the basis for Banija's prior sports gender segregation laws in the first place. Consumption of alcohol and the recreational use of marijuana in Banija is legal. Due to Mormon tradition, however, the purchase/sale of coffee products is illegal within Banija- however, the consumption is not. Fans and teams are allowed to bring in their own coffee products as long as they are declared at customs, where it is then taxed per pound. Any attempt or effort to sell the product, however, can and will result in arrest.

Most people in the country speak both Olusanke, the local dialect, and English. There is a smattering of Korean spoken within the country, thanks to Banija's Quebecois roots. Banija's currency is the shilling. The exchange rate to the NationStates Dollar is 100 shillings to 1 NSD. Conversion kiosks will be available at all hotels and at airports to exchange your money, as well as any banks. However, using the NSDs directly to purchase items is only guaranteed at stadiums and hotels- vendors outside of stadiums or hotels are not required to accept NationStates Dollars. Fans are also advised that street vendors will only take cash, according to Banijan law- as an issue of security to prevent against credit card theft.

Of course, Banija was for a long time known as a developing country and more of a backwater Economically. However, due to a recent discovery of large oil deposits in Hangaza during World Cup 82, the country has been engaged in an economic miracle since then, with the country almost reaching true developed country status. Public transit within cities is via the boda boda, though each team/delegation will have passenger busses provided by the RTC to transport players, coaches, staff, family, etc... To and from the hotel to the games and practices. The climate of Banija has a lot of natural rainforest and jungle, which means that there is no winter, only wet season and dry season. Temperatures generally range at their coldest around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and at their hottest around 110 degrees Fahrenheit. For the duration of the tournament, average high temperatures will range from 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Banijans have a tendency of being relaxed about time. While, of course, things like flights and matches will run on time, this is something that is observed generally, especially at restaurants. It is considered standard to arrive about 15-20 minutes late for a restaurant reservation, which is something Banijan authorities would like to make note of for travelling fans and visitors to the country for this tournament. This is very true for hangouts with Banijans, dates, weddings, etc... Within the country.

The largest international airports within Banija are South Moravica/Istria International(called SMI International), Jinja City International, and Busukuma International. These serve the country's two largest cities, and the nation's capitol. All teams and dignitaries, upon their arrival to Banija, will fly into Gonzaga International Airport in Busukuma before reaching their final destination. Gonzaga International has long been known as the 'VIP' airport, catering to the royals, high-ranking government officials, and those deemed of special importance by the Government of the day. Most flights will go to one of those three airports before flying to the host city.

In terms of food, Banijans are very heavy meat eaters, and you'll find plenty of chicken, goat meat, beef, pork, and turkey options on your localized menus. In terms of non-meats, popular staple foods are jollof, matoke, Chapati, a rolex, and samosas. Strictly vegan restaurants within the country, outside of Istria and Busukuma, are almost non-existent, though of course you'll find non-meat options everywhere.


Bollonich National Info
Bollonich is a coastal nation located towards the north east of Rushmore with Græntfjall to the West and Weatherdon to the south. Bollonich is an advanced nation with two parties dominating the political scene. The most popular cities, Vreton and Fermont, are luxurious locations with great living facilities. Vreton is the capital of the Republic of Bollonich.
Football is the most popular sport in Bollonich and football in Bollonich is monitored and controlled by the Bollonischian Football Federation. Given Bollonich’s recent burst onto the multiversial footballing scene, hosting the 76th edition of the Baptism of Fire would go a long way in the further developement of football as a sport in Bollonich

Group Draw

We will do the group draw and post it on the boards approximately 24 hours after we post the IC thread.

Format

All formats are single round robin for group play, and single elimination in the knockout stages. All games will be played in Banija & Bollonich.

32 teams: 8 groups of 4. Single Round Robin. The top two in each group will advance to the knockout stages.

36 teams: 6 groups of 6. Single Round Robin. The top two in each group will advance to the knockout stages, alongside the four best third place teams. The group winners will be seeded 1-6, the group runner-ups 7-12, and the top four 3rd place teams, 13-16. The bracket will be drawn at that point.
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40 teams: 8 groups of 5. Single Round Robin. The top two in each group will advance to the knockout stages.

42 teams: 7 groups of six. Single Round Robin. The top two in each group will advance, and at that point, the group winners will be seeded 1-7, with the group runner-ups seeded 8-14, and the top two third place 15-16. The bracket will be drawn at that point.

48 teams: 8 groups of six. Single Round Robin. The top team in each group will directly advance to the Round of 16, meanwhile the second and third teams from each group will move onto a play-in round (Round of 24). The Round of 24 will be a seeded round, the winners of which will face the automatically qualified teams in predetermined fixtures.

Scorinating Experience
As Banija, we have hosted/co-hosted the following tournaments.

World Bowl XXXIV
World Bowl XXXVII
25th International Basketball Championships(co-hosted w/ Filindostan)
28th World Lacrosse Championships
29th World Lacrosse Championships(co-hosted with Razenthuria)
67th Baptism of Fire(co-hosted w/ Qasden)
76th Cup of Harmony(co-hosted w/ Xanneria)
Conferences in multiple seasons of both the NSCAA and the NSCF
Multiple seasons of the IDLO
World Cup 83(co-hosted with Equestria)
World Cup 81(co-hosted w/ the Federation of Free Republics)
AOCAF LVIII(co-hosted with Baker Park)
XIV Summer Olympiad(co-hosted with Liventia)
AOCAF LXII
IBS XIII


Bollonich
HWC 23 (co-hosted w/ Equestria)
IBS XIV
CRJ Sub 17 XII

Scorinating Method

We will be using version 0.3.3.of xkoranate, with the NSFS formula xkoronate style additive style modifiers. A roster shall be eligible for one full day's RP bonus. RP bonus shall be cumulative across the duration of the tournament.

Tiebreakers

1) H-2-H Wins
2) Overall Goal Difference
3) Wins
4) IC Coin Toss (aka RP bonus)
5) Coin Toss (scorianted tiebreaker match in xkor)

Other OOC Information
Any and all questions are welcome and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

[Banija]

[PotatoFarmers]

Hi there, interesting to see Bollonich writing in a host bid for the BoF with a really senior host. Could the bidders satisfy my thirst? (I ain't voting anyways, so it is just my thirst you are satisfying)

1) Can I assume that the knockout stages for the 8*4/8*5 formats will also be seeded at the Round of 16?
2) Could the bid explain their use for single round robin (vis-a-vis double round robin) for the group stage portion for the formats with group of 4? I have been here for not many cycles, so I ain't sure about "standards" per se about giving more opportunities for newcomers to RP.
3) Does the host bid have an explanation of how a play-in round work in terms of KPB?

[Banija]

Hi there, interesting to see Bollonich writing in a host bid for the BoF with a really senior host. Could the bidders satisfy my thirst? (I ain't voting anyways, so it is just my thirst you are satisfying)

1) Can I assume that the knockout stages for the 8*4/8*5 formats will also be seeded at the Round of 16?
2) Could the bid explain their use for single round robin (vis-a-vis double round robin) for the group stage portion for the formats with group of 4? I have been here for not many cycles, so I ain't sure about "standards" per se about giving more opportunities for newcomers to RP.
3) Does the host bid have an explanation of how a play-in round work in terms of KPB?

#1 Yes, you can assume that the knockout stages for the 8x4/5 formats will be seeded at the Round of 16.

#2 Single round robin has been the traditional group stage format for the Baptism of Fire. I believe it makes more sense to use the traditional single round robin format for the Baptism of Fire since the BoF is only the first step of a multi-step race, aka going right into World Cup Qualifying. So it is not as if, in groups of 4, there will only be 3 matchdays and done to RP.

In addition, the single round robin reflects the major tournament feel we use for this sport. It is rare in soccer on these forums (although common in other sports on NSS!) to have a double round robin group stage, so with the entire group stage happening in the host countries anyways, it makes sense to keep the group formats as straightforward as normal, to better reflect how the sport works in practice on these forums.

#3 My suggestion to the rank keepers, for the play-in round with 48, would be to count the Round of 24 winners, alongside with the teams who received a bye, as earning a KO stage win for rank purposes. Earning enough points to miss a KO stage round is functionally a win in practicality (advances you to the next round without even trying), so I think that makes the sense.

[Tumbra]

Interesting bid, thank you! Good to see experienced hosts bring new hosts into the fold.

I do not have a vote, but I do only have one question:

1. Why NSFS instead of SQIS?

[Bollonich]

Interesting bid, thank you! Good to see experienced hosts bring new hosts into the fold.

I do not have a vote, but I do only have one question:

1. Why NSFS instead of SQIS?

From my limited experience on NSS, what I feel the main attraction and reason for using SQIS is to allow RPing sides a chance to compete with ranked sides which are not RPing. The increased randomness that SQIS provides here is a good thing as teams are more often than not rewarded for their RPing with results even against high ranked non-RPing sides. But considering the Baptism of Fire is a tournament where all participants start off from the same level and there are no ranks in play, the extra randomness provided by SQIS wouldn't necessarily be a good thing in such a tournament where the only other thing apart from randomness that counts is the RP bonus. I hope this clarifies our thinking process behind choosing NSFS over SQIS.

[Legalese]

Related question: how are y'all planning to set the max points feature? Since that controls the randomness element in NSFS, it can be used to decide if you want an RPer to be dominant at the level of a #1 vs an unranked, or if that's a little too broad of a range for the BoF.

[Bollonich]

Related question: how are y'all planning to set the max points feature? Since that controls the randomness element in NSFS, it can be used to decide if you want an RPer to be dominant at the level of a #1 vs an unranked, or if that's a little too broad of a range for the BoF.

This was something which Ban and myself discussed for some time and we very quickly came to a conclusion. The max rank which determines the randomness on NSFS will be set on the RP Bonus of the participant with the highest RP Bonus. This will not be too broad a range for the BoF given that it's a competition for newcomers and anyone regularly RPing should have the best chance of winning without disrupting the chances of other RPers who also RP often but might not as regularly.

I scorinated 1000 games with A's rank 1, B's rank 0.9 and max 1 and did the same thing again but this time with max 2 to check the disparity and the effect this might have on teams who are close to the max RPer's skill.

Max Rank 1               Pld      W     D     L      GF     GA     GD     Pts 
1 a                      1000    389   268   343    1367   1272    +95    1435
2 b                      1000    343   268   389    1272   1367    −95    1297

  Max Rank 2             Pld      W     D     L      GF     GA     GD     Pts 
1 a                      1000    395   260   345    1343   1263    +80    1445
2 b                      1000    345   260   395    1263   1343    −80    1295

The results from the tests show that effects on closely rated teams is negligible with it only having an effect on low rated teams who will most probably be non-RPing or unrostered opponents and we believe that teams should have an advantage while facing such opponents.

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TL;DR - We will set the max rank at the RP points of the participant with the highest RP score.