Carcassonne Central
Carc Central Community => Online Games and Competitions => Leagues (including expansion leagues) => Topic started by: danisthirty on May 31, 2016, 03:21:53 PM
-
Group A:
- Chooselife
- Decar
- khalidqasrawi
- Merlin_89
- MrNumbers
Please read the following tournament notes/ guidance/ rules before continuing:
1. Players have already been divided into four different groups (Groups A to D). Each player will play one game of Carcassonne against every other player in their group individually via a series of 2-player/ head-to-head games. The winner of each game will be awarded two league points whereas the loser gets nothing. If the game is tied, both players receive one league point each.
2. Players in each group will be ranked according to the number of league points they have scored. PD (Points Differential) will be used as an initial tie-breaker if there is no clear winner based on league points alone, and total combined score (from all games) will be used as a second tie-breaker if necessary. Your PD is calculated by taking the total number of points scored by you and subtracting the total number of points scored against you (combined across all games).
3. Games will be played online through the latest stable version of JCloisterZone (currently 3.4.2). Please ensure you have downloaded this and are familiar with its controls and features before the competition begins. It is also recommended that you have played at least one practice game against a live opponent (as opposed to a dead one) in order to identify and resolve any technical problems before your first game.
4. JCloisterZone includes a number of artificial aids such as farm hints, projected scores and even tile-counting assistance. I can't stop you from using any of these, and won't know if you do, but I do urge you to play under "exam conditions" as far as possible so that you're relying purely on your own wits, knowledge and experience rather than using anything else to help you. I know it's a competition and we all want to win, but let's keep it fair, fun and friendly as far as possible...
5. Each game will include the basic tiles plus the Tower expansion only (no other expansions please). This is 90 tiles including the start tile, so 89 tiles will be shuffled and randomly drawn for you and your opponent in turn. The starting player should be chosen at random through JCZ by selecting the “Randomize seating order” checkbox on the pre-game screen.
6. If any unexpected behaviour occurs during your game (for example if you think you have discovered a bug within JCloisterZone which may have altered the course of the game for you), please consult with your opponent and the CAR/ anyone else who happens to be in the chat room at the time to determine whether it appears to be a genuine bug. If it is, please save your game and post details of the bug along with anything else relating to how it came about on the forums. If however, you and your opponent are both happy to continue with your game despite the bug then feel free to do so, but don’t forget to mention the bug afterwards no matter how minor it may have seemed!
7. Please post a screenshot of your game, including final scores and score breakdown, back to your group thread as soon as your game is complete. It's always interesting to hear what happened during the game too, so please feel free to post any thoughts/ comments at the same time if you wish. If you're not sure how to capture/ post screenshots, please ask on the forums and either myself or someone else will explain how to do this (we're a friendly bunch!)
8. It is the players responsibility to liaise with their fellow group-members in order to find a mutually convenient time to play their game. This is expected to be done predominantly through Private Messages but feel free to use your group thread (here) too if this is easier. Please do keep any appointments you make, or at least give your opponent as much notice as possible if something occurs which prevents you from playing at the agreed time (more on the "Unwritten Rules" is available here (http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=2700)).
9. Each of the 4 initial groups contains 5 players so the first stage of the competition will end when every player (all 20 of us) has played 4 games. At this point, the pool will split into 5 groups of 4 depending on finishing position in the initial groups. So, the top-ranked players from groups A - D will form group E1, and those who came second in each group will form group E2. The same will be true for groups E3 to E5.
10. Play in groups E1 to E5 will constitute the second stage of the competition which will run in the same way as the first except with more groups and fewer people per group. League points, PD and total score will be reset at this point (but remembered for overall stats) so that no single player in any group has any kind of advantage. Finishing positions in groups at the second stage will determine overall rank: 1st=E1-1, 2nd=E1-2, 3rd=E1-3, 4th=E1-4, 5th=E2-1, ..., 16th=E4-4, 17th=E5-1, 18th=E5-2, 19th=E5-3, 20th=E5-4.
Finally, you may find the following links helpful: Carcassonne Central IRC Chat (http://sydby.com/carcassonne/irc/index.html) and JCloisterZone (http://jcloisterzone.com/en/).
The competition is now on! Good luck everyone... :) :(y)
-
Hi All,
Let the hostilities begin :P.
I'm usually available on GMT evenings as late as possible, but considering the strategic component and 90 tiles of Base+Tower, I would prefer not to start games after 23h00GMT unless otherwise impossible.
-
We are getting a little bit behind... Let's get it going!
-
Merlin_89 I'm able to play right now.
-
First game in group A is over!
Merlin_89 102-85 MrNumbers
It was truly blockbuster game, I can't remember to play so strategic and sharp game with Tower expansion. There was changing luck, but I did my best to put meeples into map (especially fields) and that way I won.
-
Yes, very tense and strategic game! I lost it for the same reason, as jungleboy described before: I haven't noticed growing tower, which was coming after my farmer (I could cap that tower safely). Once again, this expansion requires maximum concentration (or, change of the interface, for example, ring the alarm when opponent is placing the tower piece).
-
When Jéré published a list of the games with the highest combined ELO rating one year ago (http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=1895.msg25919#msg25919), 2696 was the top value.
This game between Merlin_89 (pre-game ELO: 1411) and MrNumbers (1356) is not only higher rated (2767) than that previous record, but I assume it may have been the highest rated game ever in a CarcC tournament.
Jéré, can you confirm that?
-
I had my 2nd...
129 Merlin_89 - Chooselife 83
Every game with tower is different. Chooselife constantly used every opportunity to shoot at my meeples, he wanted me off the map... on the other hand I had difficulties to use any of my ammo because he constantly chose small and quick features to score. In the middle point of the game he was left with 2 tower pieces and I had plenty of them. At this point I could play more freely.
I complain about my "hunting" results but I had one lucky moment when I took prisoner from Chooselife big nearly completed city, and in another turn I got just the right tile to finish it. That random moment changed the game.
PS @Leven I'm thrilled that unconsiously I could be part of CarcassonneCentral history! :D It is a pleasure to play against MrNumbers at any time.
-
The x-score list - T-League - Group A - 09 06 2016
-
118 Merlin_89 - Khalid 102
I love how the League allows me to understand deeper mechanics of another expansion.
This match looked a lot like tennis game, one player serves, another returns. I constantly put meeples to the map, and khalid was sending them away. And in circles... Different styles of playing were clearly visible.
I think, that khalid got majority of tower tiles, and he used them to his advantage, he had on average 3 yellow prisoners. He was focused on offence, but he scored big as well... he managed to score biggest of completed cities on the map. I tried to keep advantage on farms, and it's not easy with the Tower. I tried to constantly have there spare meeple which quaranteed control... but in the end (last 15 tiles) khalid was close to score on biggest farm... he would win. It didn't last long, I got tower piece and he was gone, 21 points in stake for him...
Khalid's last plan was sneakiest of all, he quietly started biulding tower to knock my farmer with last move of the game. 21 points in stake. You can counter it, but you know how easilly that can be missed (especially when you feel like a winner). I was already looking for best scoring position for my last meeple and tile of the game... when I saw that, I gasped, because it'd be a costly mistake...
Good game Khalid... and thanks to Dan! I keep loosing warm-up games to him (this time base), but I'm much more focused after that! :D
-
The x-score list - T-League - Group A - 12 06 2016
-
Hey, you know group B finished all their games? And we haven't crossed one page in our topic! :P
-
Slackers. You would think everyone was watching football or something.
Come on England!!!!!!
-
Slackers. You would think everyone was watching football or something.
I'm not. :P
Come on England!!!!!!
Down with this sort of thing.
-
The T-League Tournament runs since the 1st of June - today is the 18th of June:
In group A there have been played only 3 games till now. The last game was at the 10th of June.
All participants are from Europe- so there is not much time difference.
Can you please explain why there are no more played games in this group?
Participants of this A-group in the T-League are:
- Merlin_89 : played 3 of 4 games
- Chooselife: played 1 of 4 games
- MrNumbers : played 1 of 4 games
- khalidqasrawi : played 1 of 4 games
- Decar : played 0 of 4 games
-
MrNumbers vs. Decar
76:73
Very close game, as you can see :) The biggest farm remained unclaimed, but I still have 4 tower pieces left. Tower's lesson learned: you need to defend your meeples from coming towers :D
-
Thanks for the game Mr Numbers - was a tense battle!
-
The x-score list - T-League - Group A - 22 06 2016
-
Dear all A folks
Sorry to have been absent for a while. Back to play. Who can play on Tuesday 5th July? Also, I'm probably available through the day tomorrow and definitely Monday and Tueday day times. I might also be in the chatroom on Sunday evening.
khalid
-
Good to hear from you,
I can do 5th July if we cant do sooner. How about 8.30pm?
-
My mistake. I meant Tuesday 28th June. Can you do that instead Decar?
-
I did wonder! Yes next Tuesday's even better!
-
Okay. Booked for next Tuesday 8:30pm unless we meet before. Depending on plans, I might be available earlier. I'm supposed to go to North Wales for a couple of days climbing this evening but the weather looks a bit grim.
-
Thankfully I've finished the 24th June much better than it started.
Chooselife: 95 vs Decar: 108
I got very lucky at the start and had some good/easy steals with towers, that gave me enough confidence to cap 2 towers threatening a large city in the centre of the map. We had a nice battle over the main farm which I won, the stupidly placed a cloister to make it larger, but there were plenty of tiles for Chooselife to glom on, even with only 12 tiles remaining.
(http://tehill.net/carcassonne/jcloisterzone/JCZ_ChooseLife_24_06_2016_score.png)
(http://tehill.net/carcassonne/jcloisterzone/Chooselife_Decar_20160624-213022.png)
-
Group stage is over for me...
99 Merlin_89-Decar 62
My 4th win! Tower component didn't play that big of a deal for me, I didn't get many of tower pieces, and I was concentrated on scoring (and quite lucky with that). I managed to complete cloister (not so often with Tower expansion). I played standard blocking tactics on Decar's meeples, and I was succesful with that - one meeple blocked on road, and two more in city (I was lucky with that, Decar missed all tiles needed there). In the end that was decisive for the game.
Fight for field started in the middle of the game and tower got operational for serious! Decar was close to capturing North field, but he made mistake with placing meeple in range of tower... Last 10 tiles, Decar was out of tower pieces, and I could place meeples freely (still I couldn't claim North field).
One more thing... We were confused with implementation of Tower's rules into JCZ. Decar managed twice to capture my meeple that were put on top of existing tower. I thought it was incorrect with rules but as I see publishers created mess with that game action. I was not aware of possibility of that...
Thanks Decar for playing this game!
-
The x-score list - T-League - Group A - 26 06 2016
-
One more thing... We found bug in implementation of Tower's rules into JCZ. Decar managed twice to capture my meeple that were put on top of existing tower. That's incorrect with Annotated Rules.
This is not a bug, The Carcassonne Annotated Rules contains a footnote:
There is a slight change in the rules here. The original rules stated that it was possible to take “one follower of an opponent prisoner,” while the new rules only say that it is possible to take “one follower prisoner.” It is now quite possible for a player to choose to “capture” his or her own followers, contradicting an earlier FAQ. The RGG edition of the Big Box also changes this rule.
JCZ follows the Big Box Rules - it made little difference, I was a sitting duck by then, but it allowed me to get a few meeple back!
Thanks for the game Merlin!
-
MrNumbers vs. Khalid
103:102
One of the closest games I've ever played! At the start I was trailing by almost 30 points, but then I managed to complete my big city at the north (which Khalid considered as very unlikely to be complete) and I've got some lucky tower tiles draws - I had 5 Khalid's meeples prisoners at the end of the game! If Khalid had at least one meeple in hand, it would be a tie! There wasn't a big farm to fight for, but many small farms gave me needed points for a win.
-
MrNumbers vs. Chooselife
86:104
Again I missed coming threat from growing tower and lost the big city. Then it was all about luck to draw ccff tile and score vacant 36-point city. Chooselife draw it pretty quickly and after that I couldn't catch up and overcome such a big gap.
Group stage is over for me with 2 wins and 2 losses, and, if I am not mistaken, negative PD.
-
Chooselife vs khalidqasrawi
97:103
A really good fun game for me and Chooselife's second of the evening. My poor start was compounded by an early misclick in which I placed a farmer instead of a robber. The compensation was 6 points at the end of the game. I then established a farmer well protected by base game tiles. The farm grew and various ploys around the farm ended with my holding it but not before my "well protected" farmer was stolen! Along the way Chooselife had amassed a strong lead but the farm was enough to hold the win. My first of the tournament so at least I can hold my head up.
-
The x-score list - T-League - Group A - 29 06 2016
-
T-league - group A:
one game left:
khalidqasrawi against Decar
Do you have make an appointment for the game play?
We can't start the next round as long as this game has not been finished.
-
Decar is away at a wedding this weekend. As soon as he returns, we'll play.
-
Time to distribute cards C:-)
:yellow-meeple: Yellow to Chooselife.
:red-meeple: Red to both khalidqasrawi and Decar
EDIT: ...or I guess bright orange instead of red... as we're not going to exclude participants like that, but it's certainly really bad. :o
-
:yellow-meeple: Yellow to Chooselife.
:red-meeple: Red to both khalidqasrawi and Decar
Not sure why I got a yellow....... O0
-
:yellow-meeple: Yellow to Chooselife.
:red-meeple: Red to both khalidqasrawi and Decar
Not sure why I got a yellow....... O0
Number 3 (http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=2700.msg39878#msg39878)
-
You're right next time I'll tell my wife and kids "No vacations and no family quality time until the Tournament is finished!!" or maybe not play at all.
At least I've all my games played now even if it means playing until after midnight on a week day when I've to up by 06h30 on the next morning, sorry for the trouble.
Life is made of priorities......
-
https://youtu.be/pCqUZ99VsR8
-
Khalidqasrawi and I have determined that early Thursday evening will be the optimal time for us to play.
We'll let you know if anything changes.
-
You're right next time I'll tell my wife and kids "No vacations and no family quality time until the Tournament is finished!!" or maybe not play at all.
At least I've all my games played now even if it means playing until after midnight on a week day when I've to up by 06h30 on the next morning, sorry for the trouble.
Life is made of priorities......
I understand your situation because it resembles mine. Actually I was considering skipping this league because I knew June would be the busiest month ever. From June 1st to 27th, I spent 4 days at home: 2 weeks vacations with my family and 1 week in Denmark for work. However, I decided to take a chance and I have made HUGE efforts to comply with the rules: brought my laptop with me for the holidays (which I never do), scheduled 2 games the same evening to minimise the impact on my holidays, asked permission to play to my partner beforehands (she had the veto over that), scheduled and played the rest of my games during that 4-day window I was in the Netherlands, between 2 trips, despite being sick! All this, only to realise that I could have used an additional 3 weeks to do the same... I don't think this is very fair. :-\
https://youtu.be/pCqUZ99VsR8
Nice message Decar, but I don't think violence is the solution. :o
-
The final game of the group is organized.
We have had several complaints recently that there is too much 'spam' being generated by tournaments.
Please leave our Group be and keep your opinions or objections in your own Group's thread.
-
The final game of the group is organized.
We have had several complaints recently that there is too much 'spam' being generated by tournaments.
Please leave our Group be and keep your opinions or objections in your own Group's thread.
Wow... You should be ashamed! Is it that difficult to acknowledge that you do something wrong? I guess that how you gauge the level of maturity of someone... No signs of apologies... you persist and tell me to shut up. How rude.
-
The final game of the group is organized.
We have had several complaints recently that there is too much 'spam' being generated by tournaments.
Please leave our Group be and keep your opinions or objections in your own Group's thread.
Wow... You should be ashamed! Is it that difficult to acknowledge that you do something wrong? I guess that how you gauge the level of maturity of someone... No signs of apologies... you persist and tell me to shut up. How rude.
I don't think this branch of the discussion is helpful or appropriate. Please can we leave it at that and carry on with the competition. A date for the last game has been set, no further comments (and several of the previous ones) are necessary.
-
I don't think this branch of the discussion is helpful or appropriate. Please can we leave it at that and carry on with the competition. A date for the last game has been set, no further comments (and several of the previous ones) are necessary.
:(y)
-
khalidqasrawi 98 : Decar 87
What a game! The most tense I've played in an extremely long time.
It started very strong for me, I managed to get an early farmer down in a small field and also managed to complete 2 medium sized cities. Shortly afterwards Khalid manged to join the farm and start a very large city of his own. These were the significant fighting points of the game.
As we approached mid-way Khalid had caught up and had taken a small lead, and then managed to snipe my farmer, I had placed a tower next to Khalid's large City, but I couldn't find a good way to glom on. I managed to snatch the main farm back as we approached the last 1/4 of the match, and by forcing initiative was able to cap the neighbouring tower.
In the dying minutes of the match, the scores were neck and neck and it was clear the winner would claim the large city. I misplayed a sequence, when I couldn't decide if claiming a 6pt cloister was worth capping a tower in the new farm that joined; instead i took a knight who wasn't doing very much. This costed me the game, because that Tower was then capable of grabbing the knight I had in the large city.
With 6 tiles left, Khalid was able to block in his last knight, safe from a tower. I was able to get another farm in the hope I could use a FFRR to join 2 more cities, and I was able to attack the large city one last time.
But alas, my last tile was a CCRF Tower tile, unable to cap it, my knight was doomed :(
(http://tehill.net/carcassonne/jcloisterzone/JCZ_Khalid_07_08_2016_scoreboard.png)
(http://tehill.net/carcassonne/jcloisterzone/JCZ_Khalid_07_08_2016_board.png)
Thank you very much for finding the time to play Khalid, certainly on the the best games I've played in a very long time...heart racing and everything!
Best of luck in the subsequent round!
-
The final x-score list - T-League - Group A - 07 07 2016
-
Mr Numbers, Merlin, Khalid & Chooselife,
Thank you very much for taking the time to play; the Tower has certainly been a very turbulent tournament; with many surprises throughout. The games have been most enjoyable and I'm happy and lucky to have played you all. Best of luck in your future games!
Also thank you to:
Danisthirty for organizing another competition;
kettlefish for her amazing X-Score sheets;
Jere for keeping the magic-ELO up to date.
-
:(y)
-
Elo update for Group A:
(participants sorted by finishing position)
| 1. | Merlin_89 | 1442 | +31 |
| 2. | khalidqasrawi | 1233 | +11 |
| 3. | MrNumbers | 1338 | -18 |
| 4. | Decar | 1185 | -16 |
| 5. | Chooselife | 1154 | -8 |
-
When Jéré published a list of the games with the highest combined ELO rating one year ago (http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=1895.msg25919#msg25919), 2696 was the top value.
This game between Merlin_89 (pre-game ELO: 1411) and MrNumbers (1356) is not only higher rated (2767) than that previous record, but I assume it may have been the highest rated game ever in a CarcC tournament.
Jéré, can you confirm that?
I completely missed that one, my apologies!
Yes, this match is #1, but also tie with the last game in group D1 of the P&D league!
As you can see below, the previous league (ie. P&D) has pretty much reset the whole table!
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160708/c0b3652fe03087c67d7b602240dbaffc.png)