Battle of the States Game

This is a game which revolves around the 50 states and their subjective value. The game advances through two specific processes: first, the acquisition of states using a bidding method, and second, the scoring of each state based on players’ choices and the views of the judges.

Players
• There will be 10 player slots in the game. However, to keep the game moving, teams of two players are encouraged.
• Players should be available to periodically check the thread and bid on states as they come available.
• Please be sure that you read and fully comprehend the rules before committing to play. Some knowledge of the states is obviously preferable.

States and bidding
• Each player will end up with 5 states each (10 players x 5 states = 50 states)
• States will be put up for auction one at a time. I will draw them at random, posting them in the thread. A state must be acquired before a new state is drawn for auction.
• Each player has a total of $100 to spend on his states via blind bids. Bids must be sent to me via PM. DO NOT POST BIDS IN THE THREAD.
• Only winning bids consume money. Any money bid unsuccessfully will be returned to your balance to use later. Bids must be made in whole dollars.
• You may pass (bid zero) on a state, but must still send a PM noting this.
• Tie bids will be won by the earliest bid PM received, except in the event of passes, in which case the last bid PM received gets stuck with that state.

Scoring
• There are five scoring stages during which the game is paused so that the judges can score the stage. Each stage ends when ALL players have added a new state (their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th state). Due to the random nature of the state draws and bidding process, some players may have more states than others at the end of a stage, but all that matters to end the scoring stage is that every player must have added a new state.
• When the end of a scoring stage is announced by me, each player should post their states for scoring (as described below) in the thread, not via PM.
• Each state is worth a maximum of 20 value points. Thus with five states, a player’s maximum final score is 100 value points.
• Each state has four value slots which are filled by the player to score points. Each value slot is worth a maximum of 5 value points.
• Players must fill the value slots of their state using only ONE OR TWO WORDS. What words to choose is entirely at the discretion of the players, but the value of each slot is dependent upon the judges’ understanding of the words. It’s up to the players to decide whether to be specific or general with their words
• Value slots are awarded points based on the following categories: Natural beauty [NB], Sports and Attractions [SA], Agriculture and Resources [AR], and History and Culture [HC]
• IMPORTANT: A player is not required to use every category, but a one-point value penalty is subtracted for each of the categories that a player ignores. Players must use the two-letter abbreviation to identify which category the slot is targeting.
• The two judges (Bucc and Wolfpack) will score each state. If there is a difference in the two scores, I will serve as the final authority and select the final score. I would also like to recruit a backup judge, if anyone is interested.

Example of value slots:

Let’s say that I have successfully bid on Washington DC (yes, I realize it’s not a state) and it’s time for scoring. I decide to use my slots as follows:

1. Smithsonian museums [HC]
2. Monuments memorials [HC]
3. Washington Redskins [SA]
4. Cherry trees [NB]

Since no slot was used for Agriculture and Resources, I’ll get dinged one point right off the top. Then, for the sake of discussion, let’s say the judges give me five points apiece for the two HCs, three points for the Skins, and two for the cherry trees. That makes 5+5+3+2-1 = 14 points for the state.

Team 1: sachmo71 & JeeberD [$0] South Carolina [16], New Jersey (11), Missouri (15), Kansas (13), Utah (13)
Team 2: wade moore [$0] Delaware (10), Mississippi (13), Virginia (15), Connecticut (11), Indiana (13)
Team 3: Butter of 69 [$0] Montana (16), Michigan (16), Florida (18), California (19), Wisconsin (16)
Team 4: path12 [$0] Pennsylvania (17), Illinois (15), Georgia (17), Vermont (16), Wyoming (16)
Team 5: gstelmack [$0] Massachusetts (17), Rhode Island (12), Alabama (14), Colorado (14), Oklahoma (0)
Team 6: TazFTW [$0] Oregon (13), Arkansas (12), Idaho (15), Maryland (17), New York (18)
Team 7: Masked [$0] Maine (16), Hawaii (18), New Mexico (15), North Carolina (18), Alaska (17)
Team 8: tarcone [$0] Texas (19), Iowa (12), Minnesota (14), South Dakota (15), Tennessee (12)
Team 9: Anxiety [$0] Ohio (13), Arizona (15), West Virginia (14), Washington (16), Nebraska (15)
Team 10: Radii/Oliegirl [$19] Kentucky (11), Louisiana (16), New Hampshire (14), Nevada (15), North Dakota (9)

Scoreboard:
85 - Team 3 (Butter of 69) = WINNER!!!
84 - Team 7 (Masked)
81 - Team 4 (path12)
75 - Team 6 (TazFTW)
73 - Team 9 (Anxiety)
72 - Team 8 (tarcone)
68 - Team 1 (sachmo71 & JeeberD)
65 - Team 10 (Radii & Oliegirl)
62 - Team 2 (wade moore)
57 - Team 5 (gstelmack)

I need 10 players or player-teams

I don't know much about Wolfpack, but Bucc hates Texas. Bucc is a hater. :P


I'm up for this!!!

Nah, it's geography and as a geographer, we appreciate the strengths and understand the weaknesses of each state. They all have them and the best any state has to offer will always be more valuable than the worse of any other state (if that makes sense)?

Team 1 will gladly add another Texan if desired.

I'd be interested, but depending on the hours you plan to run the stages I would have to have another person as I don't have much computer access from 4:00 PM EST to 07:00 AM EST...

I'd be interested, but depending on the hours you plan to run the stages I would have to have another person as I don't have much computer access from 4:00 PM EST to 07:00 AM EST...
I put you down for Team 2, Wade. I plan to run things mainly during the weekday hours anyway.

Well, as a fellow geographer I'll be more than happy to criticize your state scores :)

I put you down for Team 2, Wade. I plan to run things mainly during the weekday hours anyway.
Awesome.. I'd definately be interested in a teammate as I have very strong East Coast knowledge, then good around a lot of the rest of the country, but certain states I struggle...

Are there any "gentlemen's rules" about googling, etc or is it all fair game?

Are there any "gentlemen's rules" about googling, etc or is it all fair game?
I'd say it's all fair game.

Of course, at this rate, we'll have no game at all due to lack of participants... :(

I think this looks like a really fun idea. I just don't have the time commitment to participate right now.

I think this looks like a really fun idea. I just don't have the time commitment to participate right now.
Good thought... maybe some expectation of how the pace might go could help? To be honest, trudging through the rules was a bit difficult, so maybe the length of the rules is turning people off and if it stated early on what the time commitment would be, it would help? (FWIW, I like the rules, they're just a bit daunting at first)...

I think this looks like a really fun idea. I just don't have the time commitment to participate right now.
Perhaps you could team up with someone?

Perhaps you could team up with someone?
I'm guessing that was the reason you mentioned teaming up to start with?

I'm guessing that was the reason you mentioned teaming up to start with?
Yes, it is.

In terms of time commitment, the only real aspect tied to timing is the state bidding, and then speed matters only in the sense of breaking a tie bid. Once I announce a new state I was hoping that we could get the bids in within an hour or two, to keep things flowing, but it's not a necesity. The rest of the game can be rather slow and steady.

Team 1 will gladly add another Texan if desired.

I'll be your assistant, Sach...

I'd do this... it would be best for me to team up with someone who checks at night though, as I only visit during the daytime hours (8AM - 4 PM EST).

I won't be doing much - if anything - at night (besides maybe judging stages).

Damn, only three teams filled. You guys might need to start talking some state-smack to rile some folks up.

I will bid $99 if I have to to get Ohio.

Oh, and Texas sucks. OH YEAH, I SAID IT, WATCHA GON' DO NOW BITCHES??????

How's that?

Ohio's not even worth talking smack about.

Ohio's not even worth talking smack about.


partner, or significant other. :)

I've asked a couple of people to jump on my team and they all think they don't have time... *grumble*...

*sigh*

Looks like this one may never get off the ground. Oh well.

I'd say give it a little time, might be a bad day or something.. I'm going to keep trying to recruit...

I'll try it.

w00t!

I'm in. I'm able to check pretty regularly during weekday (east coast) hours, so I won't necessarily need a teammate.

Sweet! Halfway there.

Oh, and for the record, I didn't check this thread until now because the title made me think WSU was pimping some new wargame on the Revolutionary War, and since I find that era notoriously difficult to reproduce in a fun wargame, I ignored the thread for most of the day. That might be part of the issue in getting enough people to look in here and sign up.

Either that or they are all too busy discussing the "nipples" turn the Maximum Football thread took...

Point taken, Greg.

Point taken, Greg.What, no comment on how "Battle of the States" should have made me think "Civil War", not "Revolutionary War"? I'm disappointed http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Can I get an example of what an Agriculture and Resources answer would look like?

Would it be like 'produces coal'?

Can I get an example of what an Agriculture and Resources answer would look like?

Would it be like 'produces coal'?

Maybe "wheat fields" for Kansas? That's how I imagine it.

Yup, both of those would work.

Okay, I'm in.

Yo, I'm in for New Jersey..of course.

ill play

So with 2 spots left, I'll totally play without a partner.. if someone approaches me once we get going, I can always reconsider and pick someone up...

Bump. Two more brave souls and then we can get rolling.

You can add me.


-Anxiety

On hold, for want of one more measly player...

I'm a sucker for a WSUCougar game. I'm in.

I'm a sucker for a WSUCougar game. I'm in.
Wahoo! Thanks, Rad. We are good to go.

I'm going to give everyone a little heads-up post here: I'll draw the first state for bidding here in a little while.

In the meantime, have any questions or need any clarifications about the rules?

Yeah i'm a bit confused by this one, can you clarify or give an example?

• There are five scoring stages during which the game is paused so that the judges can score the stage. Each stage ends when ALL players have added a new state (their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th state). Due to the random nature of the state draws and bidding process, some players may have more states than others at the end of a stage, but all that matters to end the scoring stage is that every player must have added a new state.


Is there a limit to how long a stage can be? If one team doesn't add a state after 20 draws, but everyone else has already added two states, is the stage still going on? Or is a stage 10 states and everyone can only add one state out of that 10(I don't read it that way but I coudl be wrong).

Thanks!

Similar to Radii's question...

Are there going to be five stages in which all 50 states go up for bid? Or am i misunderstanding that?

If so, can words be reused for those states?

Dola: Disregard my question, I figured it out.

double dola: Depending on when we start, I might not get a bid in until this evening...

The only thing that determines the end of each stage is the point when every team has reached their 1st (or 2nd or 3rd or 4th or 5th) state. So theoretically, one team could have all five of their states before the initial stage is over.

No, the 50 states are spread out over the 5 stages.

The only thing that determines the end of each stage is the point when every team has reached their 1st (or 2nd or 3rd or 4th or 5th) state. So theoretically, one team could have all five of their states before the initial stage is over.

Thanks. I think that clarifies everything for me.

Thanks. I think that clarifies everything for me.
Ditto.

actually, one more...

will the scores be shown by category, or just as a total for the state?

Side Note:


• IMPORTANT: A player is not required to use every category, but a one-point value penalty is subtracted for each of the categories that a player ignores. Players must use the two-letter abbreviation to identify which category the slot is targeting.

Depending on how generous the judges are with points, I could see this not being a big enough penalty...

will the scores be shown by category, or just as a total for the state?
Both

Alright, folks, here is the first state to bid on. Remember to send your bids to me via PM and not post them here.

Massachusetts

sent! Also, add Oliegirl to my team please, if I'm unavaiable she can bid for me.

Bid sent.

sended

Thanks for consulting with me... :(

Sent.

sent

sent

Snet


-Anxiety

Snet, and bump.

Sent.

Okay, gstelmack gets out of the gate fast and nabs Massachusetts with a robust $35 bid. Reminder: No need to choose your value words for judging until everyone has their first state.

Next state on the block: Oregon

Sent. But if it's all the same to you, I probably won't respond with "sent" any more unless you want me to. I don't want to clutter the thread.

Sent. But if it's all the same to you, I probably won't respond with "sent" any more unless you want me to. I don't want to clutter the thread.
Yeah, it's not necessary. Thanks.

wow, $35.

wow, $35.
I had a similar thought here... makes me wonder what I was missing ;)...

I had a similar thought here... makes me wonder what I was missing
Just try not to slobber too much when the Old Dominion pops up for bid. :D

Just try not to slobber too much when the Old Dominion pops up for bid. :D
Don't you go tipping my hand!

Don't you go tipping my hand!
Er...um...I meant to say Wyoming. :redface:

(In my best Mr. Burns voice)

Excellent.

Er...um...I meant to say Wyoming. :redface:
now i'm REALLY screwed ;).

Oregon...get your Oregon here.

I need a ruling - can multiple state owners claim the same thing?

-Anxiety

I need a ruling - can multiple state owners claim the same thing?

-Anxiety
Huh? Do you mean can you use the same words for multiple states?

I'd give 7 cents for Oregon if I were playing.

I need a ruling - can multiple state owners claim the same thing?
If said thing applies to both states, yes. If you need to be specific with your question, PM me.

Surely if Mass. is worth $35, Oregon is worth more than $.07.

Oregon is getting a bad rap. But then, I'm from the Pacific Northwest.

Damned East Coast media bias.

Oregon bid bump

Well, I gave Jeebs most of the day, so I'll send ours in on my own.

Sorry, Sach. I was busy all day yesterday...

Last call for Oregon before we move on.

TazFTW takes Oregon for a $17 bid.

Next state on the block: Texas

This should prove interesting...

I bid 17 bazillion dollars on Texas.

Texas-sized bump

Last call for Texas

Tarcone snags Texas for $33.

Up for bid now: Rhode Island

Tarcone snags Texas for $33.

Up for bid now: Rhode Island

Man, I thought Texas would go higher. Shoulda went 35.

Damn tarcone... :mad:

Rhode Island[/B]


this is the one state I wanted to see the result and breakdown on.

Last call for Rhode Island

gstelmack adds Rhode Island for $10, grabbing his second New England state.

South Carolina is now on the block.

Last call for South Carolina

The sachmo71/JeeberD team acquired South Carolina for a $28 bid.

Delaware is next up on the block.

Huzzah!

Damn, I went a little too conservative, but not by much.

Last call for Delaware

wade moore takes Delaware for $13.

New Jersey is next on the block, sticking with the eastern theme.

Interesting. I'm pretty happy with that.

"Wade Moore: He's pretty happy about Delaware."

paid for by the Elect Wade Moore for Governor of Delaware group

"Wade Moore: He's pretty happy about Delaware."

paid for by the Elect Wade Moore for Governor of Delaware group

I do it all for the little people.

Get to know the DuPont family. They own Delaware.

damn i know very little about the east coast
what does NJ produce besides pollution?

damn i know very little about the east coast
what does NJ produce besides pollution?


nothing.

Come on NJ, Big Bucks!

Witches?

Pharmaceuticals. Campbell's soup.

No help, please.

Wow, long time.


-Anxiety

Wow, long time.

He said he was trying to keep it to the weekdays for the working crowd, so I assume it's on pause over the weekend...

wait, he's making people pay for Jersey? That seems unfair.

Last call for Jersey

The sachmo/Jeeber team claims New Jersey as their second state, for $20.

Iowa is now on the block.

"If you bid it, they will come."

nice

Rock on!

Iowa...how appropriate. :)

Last call for Iowa

tarcone takes Iowa as his second state, with a $20 bid.

Arkansas is on the block.

Pay me $5 and I'll take it off your hands.

Last call for Arkansas

TazFTW spends $17 to take Arkansas as his second state.

Pennsylvania is now up for bid.

Keystone-shaped bump (last call for Pennsylvania)

As a non-American, $17 for Arkansas is laughable. Isn't that state Hicksville, USA?

Well, I admit it will be interesting to see what Taz puts together for his Arkansas entry. We all have different perspectives on relative state values, but that's part of the fun.

I can think of a couple of things that would make it worthwhile. Only a couple, though...

Well, I admit it will be interesting to see what Taz puts together for his Arkansas entry. We all have different perspectives on relative state values, but that's part of the fun.

I have a theory about this that I will share after the game is over, or at least after the first round.

How much will the state of Euphoria go? Begs to question...

*rimshot*

How much will the state of Euphoria go? Begs to question...

How much will the state of Euphoria go? Begs to question...


http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1056808/a/State+Of+Euphoria.htm

path12 bids up to grab Pennsylvania for $41

Ohio is next up on the block.

wow, I knew it would be high, but I didn't go quite high enough.

Jesus. $41?

Jesus. $41?

Gotta pick and choose. Though it'll probably mean I end up with Wyoming for $0 later.

Gotta pick and choose. Though it'll probably mean I end up with Wyoming for $0 later.

http://www.mtvchina.com/images/upload/2005/14/122390714.jpg

Last call for Ohio

If anyone would like to join the game on Dark Cloud's team (since he has not responded recently), I'd appreciate it.

Anxiety pays $35 for Ohio as his first state.

We head southwest for Arizona as the next state up for bid.

Last call for Arizona

Dammit. I wanted Arizona more than most any state. I was pretty close.

Wow, Anxiety goes up the ladder to grab Arizona for $36 in a tight bidding battle.

Next up is Kentucky.

FYI, Masked has replaced Dark Cloud in Team 7.

I almost thought about bidding 37 so someone bidding 36 to outbid 35 would lose. But I figured I didn't need to eBay this that hard.


-Anxiety

Last call for Kentucky

Boy, Missouri will be difficult now that we don't have Quinn Snyder for the Sports and Attractions section...

Team Radii gets on the board with Kentucky for a $23 bid.

Missouri is now on the block.

Boy, Missouri will be difficult now that we don't have Quinn Snyder for the Sports and Attractions section...

Maybe not, but it is the home of WSUCougar and primelord. You can't put a price on that!!!! :)

Maybe not, but it is the home of WSUCougar and primelord. You can't put a price on that!!!! :)

Sure you can. In a day or so, we'll find out just what that price is ;)

Team Sachmo grabs their THIRD state already, taking Missouri with a $25 bid.

Next on the block is Maine.

AR 17 bucks.
MO 25 bucks.

Having lived in both states a majority of my life...I find this interesting.

Just a bump, Maine-ly.

Last call for Maine

Masked takes Maine as his first state, bidding $16.

Louisiana is now on the block.

Once Butter grabs his first state round one will be over and we'll move to the first judging stage.

Don't rush me, man. I'm biding my time.

:D

Take your time. The first round has played out a little differently than I expected but it's not an issue.

:D

Take your time. The first round has played out a little differently than I expected but it's not an issue.

Did you think most teams would get 1 state before many had 2?

Did you think most teams would get 1 state before many had 2?
More or less. Plus some bidders have been low-balling, either as a strategy or just to get a feel for various state prices.

More or less. Plus some bidders have been low-balling, either as a strategy or just to get a feel for various state prices.

I'm actually surprised you didn't expect that.

I'm actually surprised you didn't expect that.
I didn't expect that you'd be surprised I didn't expect that. And I'm surprised about that.

I didn't expect that you'd be surprised I didn't expect that. And I'm surprised about that.

i'm confused, you win! ;).

Louisiana bayou bump

Team Radii takes Louisiana as their second state for a $25 bid.

Idaho is next up on the block.

FYI, I will be out of town from tomorrow through next Tuesday, so the game will be on hold until then.

I really wasn't sure about my Louisiana bid, but think I've got two solid states without having to go over $30 on anything yet, so I'm happy.

Back in town.

Last call for Idaho

TazFTW grabs Idaho as his third state with a $15 bid, and still has a big bankroll to fill out his team.

Mississippi is on the block.

The big question is: will this game wrap up before Puerto Rico joins as a 51st state?

I bid $0.01 on Mississippi.

I bid $0.01 on Mississippi.


you know a lot about the state, i take it?

Huckleberry just doesn't have much left to spend since he shot his gajillion dollar wad on Texas.

you know a lot about the state, i take it?

I've been there. Spent some time there. Wasn't so bad. The problem is that I used my budget already.

I bid 17 bazillion dollars on Texas.

Last call for Mississippi

wade moore jumps all over Mississippi for $27.

Illinois is now up for bid.

Last call for Illinois

No, I mean the really last call for Illinois
(one more opportunity due to the board being down)

path12 spends a big chunk of his cash ($36) on Illinois.

Virginia is now on the block.

Bump for the Old Dominion

Last call for Virginia.

Out of curiousity, is there a list of how many states people have and how much money they have left?

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=1077385&postcount=2

In a big surprise (wink wink), wade moore spends a $41 wad on Virginia.

Alabama is now up for bid.

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=1077385&postcount=2

Ah, thanks. I guess it would help to actually check the friggin' thread. Jesus, Butter, grab a damn state so we can get ON with it! :p

In a big surprise (wink wink), wade moore spends a $41 wad on Virginia.

Alabama is now up for bid.

WOOHOO!!! ;)...

I considered annoying you and bidding like $1 ;)...

Jesus, Butter, grab a damn state so we can get ON with it! :p

Nah, I think my plan is working out nicely, thanks.

Nah, I think my plan is working out nicely, thanks.

fwiw, I think I've figured it out, and I don't know that I think it's the best plan ;)...

Dude's camped on North Dakota

gstelmack takes Alabama as his third state with a healthy $26 bid.

Montana is now on the block.

Last call for Montana

gstelmack takes Alabama as his third state with a healthy $26 bid.

Roll Tide!

Butter grabs a state!!! Montana goes for $15, and thus ends the first stage.

We now proceed to the first scoring stage. Post your state (for those of you with multiple states, pick one) and its value words according to the rules in Post #1 of the thread. Please do not edit your info once it is posted. If you have any questions, fire away.

Bucc and Wolfpack, you are on notice. :D

Butter grabs a state!!! Montana goes for $15, and thus ends the first stage.

We now proceed to the first scoring stage. Post your state (for those of you with multiple states, pick one) and its value words according to the rules in Post #1 of the thread. Please do not edit your info once it is posted. If you have any questions, fire away.

Bucc and Wolfpack, you are on notice. :D

Deadline?

Deadline?
How about tomorrow night?

How about tomorrow night?

I'll take your tomorrow night and raise you some of that darned good Taffy you guys have down there...

Arizona:

1. Grand Canyon (NB)
2. Oldwest: Tombstone (HC)
3. Hoover Dam (AR)
4. Kartchner Caverns (SA)



-Anxiety


P.S. - Should we provide links and whatnot as help?

I'll put mine out there first... this is hard.

Kentucky

1. Kentucky Derby [SA]
2. Kent State [HC]
3. Mammoth Cave [NB]
4. Lincoln Birthplace [HC]

I'm not using an Agriculture and Resource slot here.

I like Kentucky a lot (since I grew up 20 miles from the KY/WV border). I think you have some solid choices there.

-Anxiety

I like Kentucky a lot (since I grew up 20 miles from the KY/WV border). I think you have some solid choices there.

I was thinking the same thing about Arizona. I was willing to bid more for it than pretty much any other state, and still fell a bit short :)

Okay, thanks for getting the ball rolling, guys. Anxiety, in general we need to avoid descriptive paragraphs because the idea is to pack your value into one or two words and let the judges decide from there. You can make comments and defend your rationale (which I think is part of the fun) after the scoring is announced. Please edit your post down.

No links or yes links?

Montana

1. Yellowstone Park [SA]
2. Little Bighorn [HC]
3. Great Plains [AR]
4. Glacier Park [NB]

Oh, and can we get a lessening of the restriction that says ONE OR TWO WORDS ONLY. Some titles of things are longer than two words, and you should be able to use the entire title.

-Anxiety

No links.

Can you PM me an example of a more-than-two-words description?

Pennsylvania:

(HC) Continental Congress
(HC) Gettysburg
(NB) Poconos: Autumn
(SA) Pittsburgh Steelers

Not using Agriculture for this one.

One of the posted sites is in the wrong state. tsk tsk Edit: I won't say which, because I don't want to be run off by torches and pitchforks as an outsider.

One of the posted sites is in the wrong state. tsk tsk Edit: I won't say which, because I don't want to be run off by torches and pitchforks as an outsider.
I noticed that, too. Shhhh!

No links.

Can you PM me an example of a more-than-two-words description?


Just did.


-Anxiety

Arkansas:

Pea Ridge (HC)
Razorback football (SA)
Hot Springs (NB)
BACON! (AR)

Can I critique someone's choices yet?

Massachusetts:

Patriots [SA]
Cranberries [AR]
Freedom Trail [HC]
Martha's Vineyard [NB]

Edit: To reduce the first sports entry to one word per WSUCougar's instructions.

Can I critique someone's choices yet?

I think the hope is that you do, but not until after scores are shown.


and Anxiety - My thought was that MUCH of the point of this was boiling down your items to one or two words, it is much of what makes it challenging. Adding even one word changes the game dramatically.

Can you PM me an example of a more-than-two-words description?

Or see my entry...

Or see my entry...

I don't really understand why that couldn't be "Patriots". That's the point, and to me, that entry is not valid.

Deleware

1. Blue Hens [SA]
2. Bethany Beach [NB]
3. Constitution Ratification [HC]
4. Poultry [AR]

I don't really understand why that couldn't be "Patriots". That's the point, and to me, that entry is not valid.


I think that's overly rulesque. That would make a proper title that is over two words long a bad choice, when the idea is auction, then choose, not to be unable to select something because it has four words in the title. But hey, I'm not a judge either.


-Anxiety

I think that's overly rulesque. That would make a proper title that is over two words long a bad choice, when the idea is auction, then choose, not to be unable to select something because it has four words in the title. But hey, I'm not a judge either.


-Anxiety

Players must fill the value slots of their state using only ONE OR TWO WORDS. What words to choose is entirely at the discretion of the players, but the value of each slot is dependent upon the judges’ understanding of the words. It’s up to the players to decide whether to be specific or general with their words

Notice the MAJOR emphasis on "ONE OR TWO WORDS". I think idea of the auction is that it is very specific that you have to accomplish your goal with one or two words. It was very specific and I'm not sure how this point is confusing to anyone. It affected my bidding, and I'm hoping it did others.

Notice the MAJOR emphasis on "ONE OR TWO WORDS". I think idea of the auction is that it is very specific that you have to accomplish your goal with one or two words. It was very specific and I'm not sure how this point is confusing to anyone. It affected my bidding, and I'm hoping it did others.

I'm with Wade on this one FWIW. I think boiling down things to one or two words is an important part of the challenge.

TEXAS

Palo Duro (NB)
Dallas Cowboys (SA)
Oil (AR)
The Alamo (HC)

Or see my entry...
Greg, please reduce that to a two-word entry. The rules are indeed explicit.:cool:

Greg, please reduce that to a two-word entry. The rules are indeed explicit.:cool:

Okay, done. I'll be far more careful next time, I promise.

Okay, done. I'll be far more careful next time, I promise.
:D

If not, I'll put you in...THE COMFY CHAIR!!! :eek:

By the way, two words would work there, too (i.e., Patriots football, or NFL Patriots, or somesuch).

:D

If not, I'll put you in...THE COMFY CHAIR!!! :eek:


Not the fluffy pillows!

By the way, two words would work there, too (i.e., Patriots football, or NFL Patriots, or somesuch).

Yeah, but Patriots is sufficiently obvious. Of course, given Boston Girls, I could have just put "Patriots" for the HC and NB categories as well and been done with it ;)

Maine

[AR] Lobster
[NB] Acadia Park
[SA] Maine Hockey
[HC] Aroostook War

New Jersey:

Blueberries [AR]
Vince Lombardi [SA]
AC Boardwalk [SA]
Washington's Crossing [HC]

New Jersey:

Blueberries [AR]
Vince Lombardi [SA]
Atlantic City Boardwalk [SA]
Washington's Crossing [HC]
Please change that to "AC Boardwalk" or something with one or two words. :cool:

Sweet.. looks like once Sach fixes his, we all have our entries in...

I'm VERY curious to see the scoring.

Please change that to "AC Boardwalk" or something with one or two words. :cool:


Done, but perhaps in the future we could make a bit of an exception for city names? Seems a bit silly to me.

It's now in the hands of the judges...

Stage 1 Scoreboard:

Texas (tarcone): 19
Palo Duro (NB) 4
Dallas Cowboys (SA) 5
Oil (AR) 5
The Alamo (HC) 5

Massachusetts (gstelmack): 17
Patriots [SA] 4
Cranberries [AR] 4
Freedom Trail [HC] 5
Martha's Vineyard [NB] 4

Pennsylvania (path12): 17
(HC) Continental Congress 4
(HC) Gettysburg 5
(NB) Poconos: Autumn 4
(SA) Pittsburgh Steelers 5
-1 penalty

Montana (Butter of 69): 16
Yellowstone Park [SA] 5
Little Bighorn [HC] 4
Great Plains [AR] 2
Glacier Park [NB] 5

Maine (Masked): 16
Lobster [AR] 5
Acadia Park [NB] 5
Maine Hockey [SA] 3
Aroostook War [HC] 3

Arizona (Anxiety): 15
Grand Canyon (NB) 5
Oldwest: Tombstone (HC) 4
Hoover Dam (AR) 3
Kartchner Caverns (SA) 3

Arkansas (TazFTW): 12
Pea Ridge (HC) 3
Razorback football (SA) 3
Hot Springs (NB) 4
BACON! (AR) 2

New Jersey (sachmo71 & JeeberD): 11
Blueberries [AR] 3
Vince Lombardi [SA] 2
AC Boardwalk [SA] 3
Washington's Crossing [HC] 4
-1 penalty

Kentucky (radii & Oliegirl): 11
Kentucky Derby [SA] 5
Kent State [HC] 0
Mammoth Cave [NB] 4
Lincoln Birthplace [HC] 3
-1 penalty

Delaware (wade moore): 10
Blue Hens [SA] 3
Bethany Beach [NB] 2
Constitution Ratification [HC] 3
Poultry [AR] 2

Comments and discussion are encouraged on the Stage 1 states. In the meantime, we begin Stage 2 with Hawaii on the block.

Yeah, value!

The Hoover Dam get's 3 points? Jeez

Only two for Lombardi? WTF?

Wow.. I don't get how being the first state to ratify the constitution is on par with being the birthplace of Lincoln... to me the former is much more important...

Wow.. I don't get how being the first state to ratify the constitution is on par with being the birthplace of Lincoln... to me the former is much more important...

Not to mention: The CONTINENTAL CONGRESS! Pretty key convention I'd say. Dude, that should be a 5.....

Not to mention: The CONTINENTAL CONGRESS! Pretty key convention I'd say. Dude, that should be a 5.....

I'm with you on that one actually...

I am an idiot :)

I am an idiot :)

I bet you were reading people's comments going "HAHA! Some idiot put something in the wrong state!" ;)...

I bet you were reading people's comments going "HAHA! Some idiot put something in the wrong state!" ;)...


I asked if I could change it once I realized and that was vetoed.

As I said in my embarrassing PM to WSUCougar, I learned about Kent State in school(high school I think, maybe middle school?) and somehow it just became ingrained in me that Kent = Kentucky. I even googled it to make sure I had the facts about the event right in my mind and that it was a worthy event, read 4 or 5 webpages on it, and totally glossed over the location and still picked it. Oops :)

19 points....woo hoo
should be 20 though. palo duro canyon is the 2nd largest canyon in NA plus it is where the location of Lonesome Dove is based on

not to sound ungrateful of course

not to sound ungrateful of course

-2 for ungratefulness

Even though I scored at the bottom, I think that was a pretty good use of $11. I knew Deleware would be tough, and I thought I might get a few more points for Bethany Beach, but getting more than 3 things became REALLY difficult.

2 points for bacon? This country was founded on bacon! (I guess I should have used diamonds)

For the sports, I was thinking of using 'Razorback track' because they have won 42 national titles but I wasn't sure if winning would have given me points over using a more popular sport team. Plus I wasn't sure if 'Razorback Track' would have lead the judges to Track and Field.

I thought about using Trail of Tears for HC but couldn't because of the two word limit. I don't know if it was going to give me more points than Pea Ridge though. The Trail of Tears does go through the battlefield, so maybe it was counted.

2 points for bacon? This country was founded on bacon! (I guess I should have used diamonds)


Bingo.

The McRib is made from Arkansas' pork. ;)

2 points for bacon? This country was founded on bacon! (I guess I should have used diamonds)

For the sports, I was thinking of using 'Razorback track' because they have won 42 national titles but I wasn't sure if winning would have given me points over using a more popular sport team. Plus I wasn't sure if 'Razorback Track' would have lead the judges to Track and Field.

I thought about using Trail of Tears for HC but couldn't because of the two word limit. I don't know if it was going to give me more points than Pea Ridge though. The Trail of Tears does go through the battlefield, so maybe it was counted.

When I think Pork, I do NOT think Arkansas... the Pork capital of the country is not in Arkansas...

When I think Pork, I do NOT think Arkansas... the Pork capital of the country is not in Arkansas...

Iowa hogs wish they were raised (and slaughtered) in Arkansas.

Anywho, I just wanted to see how the scoring would go. I am content with that knowledge.

Iowa hogs wish they were raised (and slaughtered) in Arkansas.

Anywho, I just wanted to see how the scoring would go. I am content with that knowledge.

I wasn't talking about Iowa either...

I had to ask Coug if I could comment and he said yes. So my thoughts, opinions and reactions coming up...