October 2019 Monthly Challenge - Christopher Columbus

[groovysmurf]

Official Monthly Challenge for October 2019
Brought to you by the Community Team.



Cristoforo Colombo or Spain is where the gold is!

The year 1492 should be familiar to many; a merchant originally from the Republic of Genoa named Cristoffa Corombo managed to convince the King and Queen of Spain to grant him a fleet of three ships to sail west in the hopes of landing in the far East and as a result he discovered the continent that would be named after someone else. But there is a lot more to the story than meets the eye.

On January 2, 1492, the King and Queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella completed the Reconquista, or the reclaiming of the lands from Islamic invaders with the official surrender of Granada which was negotiated a few months earlier under the Treaty of Granada, signed on November 25, 1491.

So now we come back to Cristoffa Corombo. He had detailed information on the exact size of the earth, but since that information had been expressed in Arabic miles rather than Roman miles he significantly underestimated the size of the globe. He first pitched his idea of sailing west to King John II of Portugal in 1485, and to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile the next year. Unlike King John II, they gave the merchant enough money to keep him from going to some other Christian monarch.

While we may never know the exact reasons for his voyages, some scholars suggest that he wanted to petition the ruler of the far east to fund, in both gold and manpower, a new crusade into the holy lands. With that in mind it is easier to see why the success of the Reconquista might have softened opposition to his far-fetched plans. This resulted in his voyage resulting in the sighting of land on October 12, and the rest, they say, is history.

So instead of concentrating on the voyage or even his destination, this month’s challenge will be the place where he spent almost seven years trying to convince someone to finance him, the Iberian Peninsula, or more specifically, the map known as Iberia.


Click Here to Join Waiting Games - Bronze

Click Here to Join Waiting Games - Silver

Click Here to Join Waiting Games - Gold


October SCOREBOARD

No Sign-Ups Required

Settings - Bronze
Maps: Iberia
Players Per Game: 7
Game Type: Standard, Assassin or Terminator
Initial Troops: Automatic
Play Order: Sequential
Spoils: Escalating
Reinforcements: ANY
FOG: NO
TRENCH: NO
Round Limit: 20 or 30
Round Length: 24 Hours
Joinablility: Public except for specifically-designated tournaments

Settings - Silver
Maps: Iberia
Players Per Game: 7
Game Type: Standard, Assassin or Terminator
Initial Troops: Automatic
Play Order: Sequential
Spoils: Flat
Reinforcements: Adjacent
FOG: NO
TRENCH: YES
Round Limit: 20 or 30
Round Length: 24 Hours
Joinablility: Public except for specifically-designated tournaments

Settings - Gold
Maps: Iberia
Players Per Game: 7
Game Type: Standard, Assassin or Terminator
Initial Troops: Automatic
Play Order: Sequential
Spoils: Nuclear
Reinforcements: No reinforcements
FOG: YES
TRENCH: NO
Round Limit: 20 or 30
Round Length: 24 Hours
Joinablility: Public except for specifically-designated tournaments

Medal Criteria
At least 1492 POINTS are required for a medal.

This month you do NOT need different kinds of medals, but you may find a combination advantageous.

Tokens are for wins only.

Each GOLD Token is worth 298 points
Each SILVER Token is worth 114 points
Each BRONZE Token is worth 41 points

Notes

• Games must start between CC Time: 2019-10-02 09:00:00 and CC Time: 2019-10-31 23:59:59 to be considered for the challenge.
• Wins will count until CC Time: 2019-11-30 23:59:59!!!
• Any issues will be solved by groovysmurf and Dukasaur, and our word is final.

[groovysmurf]

FAQs:

Who can play a Challenge?
Challenges are open to everyone!

How do I join?
No signups required. Join and/or create games that meet the given parameters for this month as found in the OP. Only public games count towards the challenge unless otherwise explicitly stated in the challenge OP. There is also a "join games" link in the OP to provide an easy list of qualifying games.

What are the prizes?
All players who meet or exceed the minimum number of required points for the month will earn a Challenge Achievement Medal. The point requirements change every month as we aim to provide a vast assortment of challenges which includes a varying level of difficulty.


Site Event Medals are awarded to the top three finishers on the challenge scoreboard.
1st:
2nd:
3rd:

In addition to the medals, the first place finisher receives: 1 Green Conquer Star

And the 2nd-5th place finishers receive: 1 Blue Conquer Star


When do I get my prize?
My goal is always to award prizes during the week following the completion of the event.

How do we deal with deadbeating?
Please report deadbeats in your games by sending me a PM. I will periodically do a random check however I cannot monitor every game. We will evaluate the distribution of prizes to a violating player on a case by case basis.

Tiebreakers?
Ties are awarded to the player who reached the point threshold first.

A player has me foed and it is preventing me from joining a lot of challenge games. What can I do?
PM the player in question. Be courteous and non-accusatory, ask why you are foed. Do your best to resolve any issues with the other user in this manner. However, if they decided not to remove you from their foe list then you will need to join games without that player or start your own.

What if I want to run a parallel tournament to the challenge?
Okay, awesome! Individual tournaments can be added to the challenges so that those games drop tokens. Send me a PM and we will get it added for the month.

Rulings:
1. Deadbeats will have entry points stripped.
2. Wins by round limit will drop tokens.
3. Inventory relating to the challenge will vanish at the end of the year.
4. Bot games do not drop tokens.
5. Any unforeseen abuse is still abuse. Don't take advantage of the system.

If you have any further questions or issues not covered here please either post in the active challenge thread or PM groovysmurf.

Last Updated: November 2018

[MSpitts24]

why not New World?

[shoop76]

Do we need exactly 1492 points or can we have more?

[Dukasaur]

Do we need exactly 1492 points or can we have more?

Yes, you can have more.

[tzor]

why not New World?

"New World" is so "Old" ...

But if you think of it, New World is a scenario long after the initial voyages of Columbus. Portugal didn't start exploring until 1499. The French didn't start until the 16th century and the dutch until the 17th century. So the "New World" doesn't really represent the singular voyage of Columbus but the subsequent free for all that followed many decades later.

That's why "looking back" seemed a better option than fast forwarding ahead. Columbus day, much like the first landing on the Moon, is the end point, not the start point. So looking back seemed the best idea. Plus, it wasn't something that was already "done to death."

[ConfederateSS]

------What ????Nobody gave the old rhyme ....In 1492...Columbus sailed the ocean blue... ...Don't they teach kids anymore ... ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion)...

[Symmetry]

------What ????Nobody gave the old rhyme ....In 1492...Columbus sailed the ocean blue... ...Don't they teach kids anymore ... ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion)...

What a crock of shit you are.

[ConfederateSS]

-------Knights of Columbus --------Where are all the Knight's T.V. commercials? ... ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion)...

[ConfederateSS]

-----------Now that things have settled down in C and A,by ES....How will things be settled here in the events,Grooysmurf and Duk???....As I said in C and A...Yes,I think Bwana was doing something wrong in speed games...With or without writergirl or Fogernth knowing...1 speed game could have been a mistake but so many...no way to defend that...But as I said in C and A...I think the 3 of them in this Event played fairly...Although most of the time,I was playing in 100's of games ,zipping through them...A lot of others who played in them have super doubts...about collusion among the 3...Will you Event leaders be looking into the C and A report when handing out the awards,medals,prizes...???... ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion)... ...Thank You Kindly... ......As I've studied the games more clearly...... Something could be rotten in Denmark........If that's the case...1st place should go to one with the letter b as the first letter in their name...Lower case "b",that is...b00060...Some, if wrong has been done in your eyes Groovy and Duk...Should not receive medals,etc...Everyone else moves up on the scoreboard...As if wrong doers were never there...if there are any...If your think such action is required...A few years ago one was abusing a Feb... challenge...Since nothing was done...see what I did as the only Honorable thing to do...it was the Febenario 2016 Challenge.........You say your word is final...Then if wrong has been done...Let it be known...Wrong doing will not go unnoticed or unpunished......

[Elaterate]

-----------Now that things have settled down in C and A,by ES....How will things be settled here in the events,Grooysmurf and Duk???....As I said in C and A...Yes,I think Bwana was doing something wrong in speed games...With or without writergirl or Fogernth knowing...1 speed game could have been a mistake but so many...no way to defend that...But as I said in C and A...I think the 3 of them in this Event played fairly...Although most of the time,I was playing in 100's of games ,zipping through them...A lot of others who played in them have super doubts...about collusion among the 3...Will you Event leaders be looking into the C and A report when handing out the awards,medals,prizes...???... ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion)... ...Thank You Kindly... ......As I've studied the games more clearly...... Something could be rotten in Denmark........If that's the case...1st place should go to one with the letter b as the first letter in their name...Lower case "b",that is...b00060...Some, if wrong has been done in your eyes Groovy and Duk...Should not receive medals,etc...Everyone else moves up on the scoreboard...As if wrong doers were never there...if there are any...If your think such action is required...A few years ago one was abusing a Feb... challenge...Since nothing was done...see what I did as the only Honorable thing to do...it was the Febenario 2016 Challenge.........You say your word is final...Then if wrong has been done...Let it be known...Wrong doing will not go unnoticed or unpunished......

I'm very curious about this too. I found a couple games that is was extremely obviously Bwana was getting help from more then one player to win assassin games.

[zeus111]

Rulings:
1. Deadbeats will have entry points stripped.
2. Wins by round limit will drop tokens.
3. Inventory relating to the challenge will vanish at the end of the year.
4. Bot games do not drop tokens.
5. Any unforeseen abuse is still abuse. Don't take advantage of the system.

are the rules just for show ???? we have the challenge winner playing four accounts more so in this month . rule 5 applies here and bwana stable of accounts were in play in far to many games to consider his play was in any way fair . is it fair to have 4 accounts in foggy games all played on same computer one of these games in fact exposed them all as family and odd game play . game chat comments clearly show the team at work . not to mention site has blocked them all from future games so there is cause . send the message duk and groovy we may not have the huge player base but the ones we do have play fair!!

[Dukasaur]

Will you stop spazzing out? No medals have been awarded while we discuss this. It's not exactly time sensitive. Nobody said the rules are just for show. Nobody said anything at all. In case you haven't noticed there are multiple projects going on. Nobody will die if we don't get to this for a week or two.

[zeus111]

Will you stop spazzing out? No medals have been awarded while we discuss this. It's not exactly time sensitive. Nobody said the rules are just for show. Nobody said anything at all. In case you haven't noticed there are multiple projects going on. Nobody will die if we don't get to this for a week or two.

if thats directed at me hell no i wont relax on this issue . how the hell can i know multiple projects going on . this guy logs into 4 accounts to cheat our honest straight up members but like u say no one will die . im asking if the rules are for show indeed they sure appear to be .

i see why u left your burnt out . take a nap ease into a hot bath put some enya on and chill out ole timer but if you think im letting the biggest cheater on site get away this m8 you sadly mistaken

peace out duk maybe just smoke a huge joint u seem frazzled . sorry if bwana is your m8 . if thats the case .


zeus111

[Kotaro]

[zeus111]

muhaahaahaaaaaa wheels in motion is all that matters a week or 2 <chuckles> thats one slow ass wheel . as its posted above zeus wants it NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

on a serious note its before you two at this point im done with this issue . not my place to go any further .

best of luck with this .

bwana is exposed my jobs over and will accept any decision made

[Mad777]

zeus, please calm down, the C&A has been dealt with, here, it’s about the monthly Challenge and you were told the Team is working on it.

One more post like that and directly against a CC Mod and I will lock the thread and work on issuing a warning or small vacation to you.

Thanks for your understanding.

[zeus111]

giver i dont care one bit . find it funny a dude logs on with four accounts runs it for year and a half no ban yet you want to ban me please go for it , i cant stand you to begin with , and really just dont care what ya do . feel free to delete my account .

one open game so its a great time to end this . mad you in past went in to my post and changed them out right admitted to hunt me so lets just end it now elmer . if site allows ya to boot us boot me cause when i see the biggest cheater on site abuse us all his siblings accounts and out right cheat im always going to the extreme .

i play seldom now anyways quite simply the speed games lack players so many dbs there is just no real competitive edge .

so do your worse homie

[Mad777]

This thread has been locked until further notice.

[Dukasaur]

I guess it's time to make a ruling.

I have wrestled with this for some time. I've asked a good number of people for input, including admins and other senior mods. Various people have shared various opinions, but in the end it's up to me to make a decision.

Tonight I looked again at 16 games in particular, the flat rate games where Bwana, writergirl, and fogernth appear together. In the escalating or nuclear games, the cards often decide the direction of the game and make it really hard to establish who was trying to do what. In flat rate games, it's easier to discern people's strategies.

10 of the 16 games were won by one or another of the three members. That's higher than an expected win rate, but not spectacularly so. I dove in and read the logs in some detail. (Apologies that it took so long but this is part of the reason -- it's slow and tedious work.) Iberia has four "corner bonuses" -- Galicia, Catalonia, Valencia, and Alentejo. Flat rate games are often decided by possession of small bonuses in corners or protected areas. And although the log is not a true replay and doesn't tell you how many troops were on a stack, etc., it did seem to me that once one of the three accused players had taken a corner bonus, the others lost interest in it and moved to a different corner. They also appeared to do "softening up" hits on their opponents, although once again we're hampered by the fact that the logs aren't true replays.

This is not necessarily intentional cheating. Sometimes when playing games with friends, one is naturally reluctant to play the bad boy and go breaking a friend's bonus. Nonetheless, when it happens over and over again, it's a problem, and it certainly takes on the appearance of cheating, whether intentional or not. I can certainly see why the report was made.

When you combine the high win rate, the fact that the accused often joined games sequentially, and the fact that they usually passed on opportunities to break each other's bonuses, it certainly looks bad. Is it conclusive proof? No, but it looks bad. I'm not a judge and this is not a criminal court. It's a game, and I'm just a referee on the sidelines. The standards of proof here are not the standards of a courtroom, but the standards of the field. I can only call it as I see it.

My ruling is that Bwana, writergirl15, and fogernth, in too many cases for random chance, at least stayed out of each other's way and at worst co-operated to drive other players away from their bonus areas, creating an unfair advantage for each other and the appearance (rightly or wrongly) of cheating. Accordingly, they are all disqualified from this Challenge.

Thread is unlocked. Feel free to comment, but keep it civil. This is not a casual forum; it is an official working forum for the monthly Challenges, so flames or other breaches of the peace will be punished.

[ConfederateSS]

-------------A fair and just call... Thank You Kindly...Duk ...You did leave out fog games...where,the many accounts could see just about the whole map...and assassin...where ...more than one would attack the winner's target...ouch...But here nor there..I guess....I am glad The real winner will be b00060...He earned it... ...A little of the sting I have..Left over from the Ruling,or statements made in Febenarino 2016 Chal..Stings a little less today...What took place there was so wrong...I didn't start out to win the whole thing ...but just a medal...Others never got a chance,because of Code_RED...That is why I went all out to stop him...I fell 12 pts short...Because no ruling or even a glance at one...He won the event...As a statement for Justice...I fell on my sword,and refused my medal...If you look at Code_RED's signature...It was not me he mocked...But the Ones who didn't stop him from his abusive play...his own style of cheating..I am so happy this time ,the player or players will not be rewarded...for unfairness... Thank you kindly once again...I feel like Victor Lazzlo and you ...Rick(Boggy)...In Casablanca..Just before the plane takes off...This time I know our side will win ...Even Wayward Day is smiling ...For this day...The cheaters have been shown...Not in our Club ....I am not mentioning some people's names...That they have earned ... Hurray!!!=D> ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion)... ...A Special Thank You Kindly ...Great Job...goes to ...:):)...crrriles...:):)...without you...there would have been no Justice....Once again..Thank You Kindly...:):)...

[zeus111]

it never easy to take something away from anyone but in this case it was really necessary for a few reasons . we may not be 20k plus in active members but the ones who remain deserve a fair and level playing field . this will show members that its not tolerated and for the most part some one gives a crap. we must up hold the few basic rules we have no secret diplomacy or any manipulation of our scoring system is unacceptable .

i get this is just a past time with zero real life consequence and what does it really matter to cheat or why i personally devote a good amount of cc time looking into these reported cases . its not for any other reason then i give a shit about fair play i have to say its not to be a prick its in most cases helping the game play . some ask if i like driving members away to them i reply they do it too them selves i just go through game history and look at the evidence make it real easy for mods to see whats what i can honestly say this was by far the worst case of un fair playing i have seen in my cc club time by a long time member .

from the players comments to the time stamped turns taken to the one player logging into 3 accounts to the point /medal point manipulation all the 3 way 4way games between the group passing points for the vast majority to bwana to the 4 secret diplomacy if not one running all 4 take your pick it was simply out of control.

CONGRATS TO b00060 a straight up hell of a month of playing to claim your rightful first place title!!

quick note to any one thinking of cheating on site just know you will be caught every game is archived and if ya end up being questioned i will take the time needed to expose you too . so just take the dice as they come play through the fair and honest way .

zeus111

[groovysmurf]

Awards have been given. Thanks to all who participated.