Welcome to Althanas for the 2009 Tournament of Champions (ToC). As you might have already read, the ToC will consist of a series of matches where four characters (two per team) face off against each other in combat. This guide has been thrown together to familiarize the participants with Althanas’ battle system, which will be used for the tournament.
Althanas battles are story driven, much like T1 and other narrative platforms of old. However, they differ in one major aspect: at the end of the battle the quality of each player’s writing will be reviewed by a judge and graded according to a unique tournament rubric. The team with the higher average score will advance in the tournament while the other will be sent home. Keep in mind, then, that it is possible to win the battle in-character (and even kill your opponent), but not advance to the next round due to losing in the score.
Battles on Althanas are mostly free-form (as in limitless, we once had two characters exchange lyrics against one another) with two major exceptions: “powergaming” and “bunnying” are prohibited. “Powergaming” is the catch all for unfairness. It is when your character performs an action that is above their abilities (level 5, per the registration guidelines), performs an action that does not conform with those listed in their profile (i.e. invents new abilities without justification), or performs an unreasonable number of actions in one post. Those found "powergaming” will be penalized in their judgment and can be disqualified from the tournament in extreme instances. “Bunnying,” also known as “autoing” and “forcing a hit,” is when you control another player’s character without permission to do so. For example, having your character cut off the other character’s head without the other player’s consent is “bunnying.” Like with “powergaming,” those found “bunnying” will be penalized in their judgment and can be disqualified from the tournament in extreme instances. See below for how to deal these circumstances if they arise.
Each of the tournament rounds will last three weeks. While it might be tempting to end the battle early or drag it on to gain the upper hand, remember that you are telling a story. A good story has a beginning, middle and an end. The battle can consist of as many posts as necessary, but it is not recommended that you go above 30 posts, and you must have 12 total posts to receive rewards. A battle ends when both of one team’s characters are physically incapacitated, all players indicate that they wish for the battle to end (if the intended storyline reached its conclusion), or the round time limit is up.
So there you have it. Feel free post any questions about battling in the ToC Q&A thread if you are still unsure of anything or check below for some advanced pointers.
Submit Thread for Judgment