EventShell:Piratey Whack-a-Mole

From YPPedia

Synopsis

Contestants race to find the hidden puzzlers, called moles, and then challenge them to their corresponding parlor game (Sword fighting, Drinking, Rumble, Treasure Drop). Moles hide on various islands within an archipelago and change spots after every match. Win a match, extra points!

Full Description

The Goal: Find and beat as many moles as ye can within the 1 hour time limit. 8 moles (Players assisting with the event who the contestants will challenge) of high puzzling standing hide on various islands in an archipelago. Moles are assigned officer in the event crew so that communication is easier. They wear color coordinated outfits. Contestants job into an event crew and gather in a large house between 30 and 15 minutes prior to the event. Similar to BoNB, the rules are posted in the news. Before starting, a few moles are sent off to find their hiding spots. Once in place, it is announced over crew chat that "____ (mole) is hiding on ____ (island). I started the event by announcing them myself, but soon realized it was much easier for the moles to announce themselves. For the next hour, moles are continually cycled through islands. After a mole finishes a match, they announce over officer chat both who found them and if that person won or lost the match. A player earns 1 point for finding a mole and an additional one if they win. After an hour, the moles finish their match and return to the house. Tournaments are created to keep contestants busy while scores are tabulated. Finally, winners are announced, tie-breakers take place, prizes are handed out.

For this event, I used 2 SF moles, 2 Rumble, 2 Drinking, and 1 TD as well as 1 "everything" mole. The specific settings for the matches were determined by the contestants, although the moles had the right to reject challenges which seemed too long.(for instance Drinking to 3000) Moles would also not accept wagered matches, but would occasionally wager surPRIZES.

Materials

  • Matching outfits for the moles (Color coordinated to their particular puzzle)
  • A large house to gather in
  • Volunteer Moles, with officer badges
  • An Event crew where you are a fleet officer (so you can promote to officer)*Lots of Patience

Prize Precedents

Prizes were awarded to 1st-8th place.

  • Renamed and painted sloop "Whacky Molefish" (Rename provided by OMs)
  • Golden Ticket for BoNB (provided by Piplicus)
  • Ancient Bust furniture item (Provided by OMs)
  • Green/Blue Shortsword
  • Yellow Tankard
  • Maroon/Navy Gaff
  • Green Goblet
  • Trough furniture

Notes: Due to many ties towards the last few prize places, other people received 1,000+ poe. Also 1st-5th received plain Lime and Violet ribbon trinkets. Moles kept their outfits as a token of appreciation. "surPRIZES" were wagered by moles during random matches, all were eventually won.

Strong Points

  • Fun Format, everybody seemed to enjoy it.
  • The simplicity of the rules limited the amount of confusion.
  • Does not run for a long time, only about 2 hours. Can easily be shortened/lengthened if high/low turnout.
  • Provides a nice in-game event that focuses on all-around parlor game ability without the use of tournaments.
  • The concept of the event is able to be modified numerous ways, each with their own advantages. It is applicable to any audience, crew through ocean-wide.

Weak Points

  • Hectic for the helpers and moles. Tasks were not broken down enough. This is easily fixed.
  • A few moles had problems in RL where they could not make it on time, or at all. This was unfortunate and most likely won't be a huge problem if this is run in the future.
  • Jobbing time ended up being extended due to the overwhelming amount of people wanting to participate. I still received at least 30 tells during the event asking if it had started yet.
  • Despite many warnings and reminders, some players insisted on crowding around moles while they were in a match. Since the moles move after every game, the contestants were only hurting themselves.
  • Some complaints about lag, though the moles themselves seemed to be lag free.

Links to Precedents

http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=700441#700441

Status

I would love to run this event again with some different twists and modifications. Anyone who has any ideas, or wishes to hold this event themselves can contact me (PM on the main forums as JD6627 or in-game on Viridian as Kovy). I've already received several requests to hold this event within flags and have been happy to share its success. Don't be shy to ask, chances are I won't mind.

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