CC Dispatch [Issue 111 02-02-14] The Cat Nips Back

[Dukasaur]

Welcome Comrades to the 111th edition of the Dispatch

Our interview with Catnipdreams is featured here, and ironically it's also Groundhog Day today? Do you think groundhogs like catnip, also? Will the groundhogs perform better today if we feed them some?

With Valentine's Day soon to be upon us, we all start to wonder "what will this year's Annual Valentine's Day special bring?" In past years, it has brought us Cutesy Club, pink fuzzy dice, an epidemic of love, and a Wall of Pink.

So, what will it be this year? If I tell you, will you blow me a kiss through cyberspace? Hush, move closer now! I'm not allowed to tell you much, but I know that Cuddling will be involved, and a lot of sweet talk in Live Chat, and.... wait for it....

Valentine's Day will bring a huge array of contests, events and prizes!

Ok, watch out for official announcements coming up, but in the meantime, here's some more love from around the Club for you:

Mess Hall and Interrogation Room
(Contains the big interview, plus other fun stuff!)

Platoon Report
(News from the Clan scene)

War Games
(News from the Tournament world)

Cartographic Surveillance
(News from the Foundry)

Next Mission Brief
(Includes such things as the closing credits)

---------------------------------------------------
Conquer Club Dispatch
Chief Executive - Dukasaur


And finally some
Late-breaking News and Announcements

Spoiler

Here's what's new since the last issue of the Dispatch:

Right on schedule, the February Challenge was released, February Challenge: Turmoil in Thailand. For the first time, this challenge is freestyle. A setting many of us don't like, but that's the whole point: the Challenges are meant to be Challenging.


The update of Jan 14th brought a new concept to us. "Inventory" will be a place where special prizes can be stored. For now, the prizes have been only Conquer Stars, but soon there will be more items added!

The Jan 14th update also brought much more:

More new features:

• Scheduled AutoTournaments - Scheduled start times for autotournaments allows us to run speed and special event Autos far more effectively. Watch out for some scheduled Autos on the Tournaments Page.
• Transformation - Transformation is an expanded implementation of the Increasing / Decreasing Neutrals Suggestion by koontz1973 that allows mapmakers to control every territory on the map based on a very flexible set of rules. The new possibilities for gameplay that this opens up are endless! If you would like to participate in the Map Making revolution as it unfolds step on down to the Map Foundry.
• Announcements on left navigation - Announcements are now more tightly integrated into the site
• AutoTournament Upgrades - A variety of improvements and changes to Autos including changing how Speed Autos deal with offline players, showing more information on tourney pages and providing a tournaments tab in your my games section
• Automatic Game Snapshots, from a Suggestion by BGtheBrain - Note that this implementation takes an automated snapshot after each turn you play, when using the Panel Interface. At the same time we have cleaned up the snapshot functionality on this interface.
• Panel Interface Upgrades - Aside from the Automated Snapshots a variety of small improvements have been made to the functionality, including how Map Inspect behaves.
• Clan Leagues - Now have a tab on the Clans Page. Historic data will be getting populated over time, as will individual pages for Leagues be rolled out.
• "Waiting" Icon During Freestyle Waiting Period - Suggestion by Jdsizzleslice
• Increase Escalating Spoils to Avoid Stalemates - Suggestion by FabledIntegral
• 30+ Achievement Medal Structure - Continuing with the implementation of the Suggestion by Metsfanmax, the Tournament Achievement medals have been patched, per feedback, and the Tournament Organizer medals for 30+ Tournaments have been released

If you would like to apply to join the news team, please visit the thread below for more details!
Click here for Recruitment Details...
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[safariguy5]

Welcome back readers. Happy year of the horse! May your dice ever be in your favor. We've got the next round of trivia, a Scum Insider, and catnipdreams talks about cats, tofu, and friends.

Also, love is in the air! Be on the lookout for our Valentine day themed events. Keep your partners in harmony and the dice rosy.

You Stay Classy, CC.

safariguy5
Freestyle Executive

Dispatch Trivia - A Valentine's Special (Round 6 of 10) by iAmCaffeine

Spoiler

As always, please PM all answers to iAmCaffeine before the next issue of the Dispatch is released.

1. What colour has CC often been changed to to celebrate Valentines Day?
2. Who won Part 2 of the Valentines Day Tournament in 2012?
3. Which two couples were voted most compatible on CC in a poll started by saxitoxin?
4. Who wrote the Valentines Issue 25 article?
5. Who started the original pick up lines thread in General Discussion?
6. Which renowned mapmaker is currently working on a Valentines map?
7. How many stamps has the map received so far?
8. How many official Valentines maps have there been previously?
9. What is the typical slogan used by CC during the Valentines period?
10. In 2012, who organised Part 1 of the Valentines Day Tournament?

Scoreboard after Round 5
Scores should finally be correct, apologies.
#1 Ffraid (49)
#2 dakky21 (48)
#3 Gilligan (17)
#4 macbone (10)

Round 5 Answers
1. vodean
2. PIG 19 - 22 OSA
3. Black Canyon Porter
4. 3
5. Leehar
6. MrBenn
7. Flapcake
8. e
9. flexmaster33
10. Victor Sullivan or thehippo8

The Scum Insider by safariguy5

Spoiler

The Scum Insider

Newbie Help

Want to get into the Mafia scene, but don't know how to play or even what it is? Consult these threads: Mafia Information, Mafia and You, and Rules and Terms of Mafia.
Too much work? Too lazy to read through everything? No worries, you can always jump right into a game and ask for other players or the game runner to help guide you.

What is "Mafia"?
Mafia, for those of you that don't know, is a game that generally takes place in a town, where the townspeople have to determine who the mafia (or "scum") is and lynch them via a majority vote during the day and the mafia try to kill everyone at night and bluff their way out of getting killed by the town.

Mafia News
Another private mafia run by the Noxious clan is being played. So far, it's in the early stages, but you can track the game progress here.

Mafia Callouts
Calling all players interested! Some mafia games need some filling:

Sign-ups:
No games are currently in sign-ups.

Seeking Replacements:
Consult the Replacement Thread to see what games are in need of reserves/replacements.

Now get out there and investigate Mafia for yourself: http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=213

Advanced Roles and Strategy by safariguy5
Crafting roles are discussed this issue.

The Smith

What is It?
The Smith is a role where the player may spend a number of night phases building a tool. Each tool can be used for different purposes, but also may take different amounts of time to produce. The tool may or may not be giftable to other players.

Example
Jack is a Smith. He can spend one night to build a bulletproof vest, two nights to build a pair of handcuffs, and three nights to make a sword. The first gives one shot bulletproof, the second is a roleblock, and this third is a one-shot nightkill.

How to Play this Role
Smiths are generally more likely in larger games where they can have more utility towards the later part of the game. It's generally a good idea for a Smith to protect themselves first before making more time consuming items if possible. Gifting should only be done to confirmed town players as accidentally empowering a mafia player can be extremely detrimental to the town cause.

Interrogation of catnipdreams

Q. Assuming you like cats, do you own any? How many? What are their names and types? Any pictures to share?

It's a sad, sad story. Do you have a box of tissues nearby? May I make free use of them while I sneeze as I cuddle YOUR cat? I adore cats. I am utterly allergic to cats. Oh the irony.... If I could be the servant of a cat, I would first look to the humane society. Actually, I would never buy a cat from a pet store - a reputable breeder, maybe, but unlikely. I would love to have a Maine Coon cat, or a Norwegian Forest cat. An intelligent cat, that keeps me on my toes, or, a cuddly cat, or, a playful cat, or a needy cat, or.... Well, yeah, dream on...

Q. Do you prefer any wild cats over domesticated?

I like a veneer of civilization with a strong streak of wild underneath.

Q. Have you ever fed a dog, or CoF, cat nip?

I'm a vegan - I love anything that is leafy green. I would be perfectly willing to share, with any species, however... It appears that dogs are more interested in anise. So I suppose I could make some sort of stir fry with anise in it. CoF is a pretty sophisticated guy, so it might be challenging to cook for him...

Q. Have you ever met, or did you already know, anyone from CC? If so, who?

Nope. I found CC from a web search. None of my irl friends like Risk.

Q. How often do you dream about cat nip? Ever had nightmares about cat nip?

I have very vivid dreams, but they are usually pretty boring. I do tend to get lost in major cities quite often, and wake up while I am trying to figure out which subway train or bus to get on. Maybe I need better directions irl? The worst nightmare I ever had involved evil space aliens. I don't think they were interested in cat nip.

Q. What is your favourite cat nip? Please give three points explaining your choice.

That's a really tough question. Exotic varieties of lettuce are quite tasty, but I'd have to say cooked spinach. Not raw spinach - it has to be lightly cooked, with perhaps some tomatoes, or some kimchi. Three points... Um, taste, ofc. Micronutrient density. Vibrant color (assuming one starts with fresh spinach, and does not overcook it).

Q. Do robotic cats dream of electric nip?

Perhaps, but that is a classified Feline Consortium project - may I ask how you heard about that? Do we have unidentified canine infiltrators??!!

Q. What is a non violent vegan doing on a war/world domination website? How many more troops should you kill before you consider yourself responsible of a mass genocyde?

I toy with my prey in a very gentle fashion. The end is swift and (usually) painless. I honor those who have fallen to my feline dice. Since the CC troop breeding program is very robust, I doubt that even I can make a significant dent in the troop population, so let's not worry overly much about genocide labels, k?

Q. What is more enjoyable...the win in a team game or the "team" aspect of a game where everyone pitches in, offers ideas, and the right moves are made?

The team aspect, absolutely. Winning all alone, with no one to "high five", is a pale shadow of winning with a lively team. And a lively team mitigates the pain of losing.

Q. Highlight of your CC experience?

There is no one highlight; I've been very fortunate to have found great people to play with almost from the start of my time on CC. Macbone may well be psychic - he was one of my SoC instructors, and without me having posted much of anything at all, and I don't believe any kind of feline related meanderings, he teased me with feline humor! How cool is that? He also was one of my first dubs partners - forever imprinting on me the critical nature of excellent team communication. He's a keeper. Then I encountered Denise - love at first sight! She was teaching SoC team skills, and I happened to read some of the team chat she had left in a teaching game. It was perfect. Just... perfect. Strategy, politeness, assertiveness, details... Couldn't ask for more. We played a game together, and I was invited to join Empire's training group. That was great fun! I learned so much, and had all the team games I could handle, with top notch players. Empire ROCKS! Then I was a part of Empire itself, had more great games, always learning more. Then a change of pace, and TOFU. Both great clans, and if I was a multi, I'd have loved to have been in both at the same time. Alas, the one competitive clan rule (and my law-abiding, rule-following nature) prevented that. My growth as a player continued (and continues) in TOFU, with excellent clanmates. Really, really excellent clanmates. I could write several pages of praise about them - suffice it to say I ♥ my clanmates! It's been an interesting, exciting adventure, and with all the site changes, there is definitely more to explore!

Q. Why are vegans so f*cking awesome?

Oh, indeed, such an amazing experience being a vegan. We are awesome in so many ways - I could list hundreds, likely thousands, of great reasons to be a vegan. But that's all over the web, for anyone interested in veganism to explore. And you didn't quite ask that. Being vegan is challenging in some ways - many vegans have to live with non-vegan family, friends, and communities. It's easier to just do what most others do, grab a burger from a fast food place, eat freely at a buffet, be an "easy" dinner guest, and so on. But taking control of one's health, and providing nutritional excellence to promote the healthiest possible organ and system function - that is charting one's own course through life, not just letting the current of life take you wherever others are headed. Perhaps off a cliff somewhere ahead. Folks who are taking deliberate steps to improve their lot in life are very attractive to me. Vegans do this. Therefore vegans are sexy as all get out.

Q. I've heard that happiness is a warm pussy. What's your phone number opinion?

My opinion is that you should stop letting freakns post from your account.

Q. What's the most dangerous thing you've done on purpose?

Purchased (and rode) a motorcycle in a major urban area with crazy traffic when I was young(er) and stupid(er).

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

San Francisco Bay Area, back when it was mainly farms and orchards. Wonderful climate, but waaaaay too many people there now.

Q. What's your favorite joke?

Anything from the movie "True Lies".

Q. Do you always wear identical socks?

Er, well, sometimes the holes in them are not identical...

Q. How many times will you use these ... " " in answering the "questions"?

I am "restraining" myself... Barely...

Q. You will often cross you claws during important dice rolls when you hope for luck. Will you please explain how you manage to roll the dice with your claws are crossed? Your paws must be quite dexterous.

The dice know what will happen to them if they do not respond immediately to the slightest tap from any one of my exceeding sharp claws.

Q. Do you enjoy the new poly games or dislike them, and why?

I enjoy them. It's a change of pace, and although it is lonely there in team chat with only myself to talk to, it is also strangely therapeutic...

Q. What is your favorite recent update and, if you have one, your least favorite?

I am so very glad there are bots now! I think it will really help folks new to the site to get a sense of what is going on. When I first joined the site, I had no idea about so many things; playing bots at first would have been a lot easier, both on me, and the other players in my first few games. And I'm enjoying playing the bots now, even after a few years of experience on CC.

Parachute forts are really fun, and I'm looking forward to more poly games when I have the time.

My least favorite was the transition from BOB. Not that the new panel system is terrible; I think it's great that popular add-ons are being made "official". But I was so very messed up for a few days! I had BOB set up perfectly; I can't make the new system the same as BOB, so it's causing a lot of extra work for me to do the same things I did almost effortlessly with BOB.

Q. Do you have a favorite game and if so what is it, and why?

One game totally stands out, not for my brilliant strategy, but for the amazing quality of the poetry in the public chat. Game 7969462

Q. What are your favorite maps & settings?

I enjoy giant, complex maps with lots of unusual paths/bonuses, nukes are just plain fun, trench is a nice twist, and fog... Lovely, tricky fog! The more thinking required, the better. I get a nice little thrill from using the random map option, but sometimes I end up with pedestrian maps...

Q. They say cats have 9 lives. Can I (Chariot of Fire) sponsor you to play polymorphic vs Josko?

Sure, I'll try anything a few times.

Q. catnipdreams is quite a surreal name (which I (Chariot of Fire) rather love btw). How did you come up with it and do you really dream of catnip?

Watching cats high on catnip - they seem to be having a ridiculous amount of fun - I like having fun! However, I don't react well to mind-altering substances irl (weird body chemistry, I guess), so I can only dream of being as goofy as cats on catnip are. What's that? I'm goofy anyway? Oh.

Q. Best player, best partner, best communicator?

I am so very fortunate to have several "Bests" in my CC world. You know who you are, and I'm not naming you publicly, because I don't want all your game slots taken up by other players! (I'm kinda possessive....)

Q. CC soulmate?

Denise, with several lovely teammates right up there with her, but I don't want the guys getting jealous of each other, so shhhhh, no other names!

Q. If you could design a CC map what theme would you go for?

Kliban cats - they are fun loving, goofy, and creative - I'm sure something interesting could be done with them.

Q. As a peace-loving, non-meat-eating female.....how on Earth did you come across CC?

I'm weird.

Q. What would you do to break the ice between TOFU & KORT?

Lock CoF and Josko in a small room together, provide plenty of room temperature unseasoned tofu and filtered drinking water, along with unlimited fresh wheat grass juice. To unlock the door, both must solve a complex series of puzzles together. The puzzles require extensive conversation, as the solutions can only be discovered by sharing innermost thoughts with each other. Er, both must stay alive to unlock the door!!! Then, once out, the partnership will continue, as they begin searching for me irl, to, um, er... Thank me for bringing the two of them together in perfect harmony? No? Eek! Run! Hide!

Q. Would you kiss Josko if you were drunk under the mistletoe on New Year's Eve and he was wearing make-up?

Possibly. The timing would be critical. If I drink alcohol, I have about 5 seconds of impaired judgement, then I throw up and pass out. Josko would have to be really, really fast...

Q. Did you know that apart from me (Armandolas) of course,you have a someone crazy for you in CC? crazy4catnip

Isn't that wild? We were in a tournament game together; I had to reassure the other players that we weren't a team! And no, we don't know each other irl, and we did not coordinate our userids! But I am ofc very flattered...

Q. Who's one of your real-world heroes?

Anyone who helps make the world a happier, nicer, safer place is a hero to me.

Q. How much advice did you give Jennifer Lawrence to help her develop her character in The Hunger Games?

Sadly, my answering machine malfunctioned, so I never knew she called until after the movie came out. It appears that she had no trouble accessing her inner feline, though!

Q. You're walking across the beach and come across a partially submerged treasure chest. You open it, and inside you find your heart's desire. What is it?

Peace, respect, care, and love in people's relationships with themselves, each other, with other living creatures, and with the environment and earth herself.

Q. How many recipes for tofu do you know off the top of your head?

Hundreds! Or maybe just one. Tofu is a lovely chameleon, taking on the flavor of whatever you mix it in with. I tend to make a dish, and toss in the tofu, or legumes, as a neutrally flavored protein source. But seasoned baked tofu, cubed, and tossed with plain steamed broccoli, is just fine all by itself. Or maybe with a couple spoonfuls of kimchi, but that fights with the baked tofu, so I'd likely nibble on the baked tofu all by itself, and have just the kimchi and the steamed broccoli together. Rats! Now I'm hungry!

Q. What's your favorite color?

I like green and blue quite a bit, with cream and gold a close second. I tend to wear the greens and blues, and my home tends to be decorated in the creams and golds.

Q. How much of a troop advantage do you need before you feel comfortable that a game is won?

mmmm.... Usually triple digits, but I feel really warm and comfy with 4 digits...

Q. Which dog do you fear the most?

The slobbery ones - yuck!

Q. Why do cats always dig their claws in before they sit on your lap? Do they not know that the human body does not need fluffing like a pillow?

They want to make sure you are properly attentive to their needs. The gentle piercing of your tender flesh is a subtle reminder that you are the feline's servant, and that the feline is your owner.

Q. Are you the only vegan Cat on the planet?

Probably. Do you know any others?

Q. As Cats like to play with their prey before killing them, have you ever had a C&A report for holding a player hostage in a game?

Shhhh! I make sure my prey enjoys the process...

Q. Are you as sweet a person in real life as you are on here?

Er, well... [blush] I try to be. When I don't have my paw in my mouth. When my dear hubby isn't doing something that makes me totally insane, like putting icky garage junk on my nice clean kitchen countertops...

Q. Do you miss me (swimmerdude99)?

Of course! By the way, there is quite a bit of confusion about certain feline abilities. Cats definitely can swim...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgnU-SMgf4M

Q. What's your favorite thing about being on CC?

The people I know here. ♥ ♥ ♥

Q. Tell the truth. In your deepest of deepests, do you not yearn for a nice juicy steak, dripping with blood?

Surprisingly, not so much. I haven't been vegan for my entire life; for many years, I ate vegetarian and vegan meals interspersed with nice rare well marbled steak meals, and chicken wings were a favorite, too. As I moved into full on veganism, I gave myself permission to have non-vegan foods, if I craved them, but to get the absolute highest quality non-vegan foods, if I were to do that. What I discovered is that I crave fat and salt, not the animal protein. Think of the leanest (cheapest) cut of meat available, now grill it without any marinade, just the meat, and no salt, no steak sauce, nothing added. You kinda have shoe leather, whether rare or well done or in between. So if meat is really a substrate for marinades, added oil, salt, and so on, why not use vegan substrates? The taste is different, but with proper seasonings, quite tasty. Since I have not gone to the trouble of searching out a source for top quality beef (pasture raised/grass fed, no feedlot finishing, no routine antibiotics, humane treatment at all times, zero stress slaughter right there on the farm, and so on), clearly my cravings have been minimal. I've had more difficulty with the wing bar that is near the salad bar in my local grocery store. The smell permeates that area of the store. Thing is, if you analyze wings, you get to the same place as beef. Would you really eat a platter of, say, unseasoned chicken wings that had been (shudder!) boiled in a big pot of water? Would you really want to eat the skin when it's been boiled, not broiled or deep fried? And again, consider where those chicken wings came from - factory farms, where the conditions are beyond appalling, most likely. Ever had a chicken wing break in the middle? That's not a sign of a healthy chicken!!! If I encountered a wing bar that had real free range chicken wings (and I mean those chickens had real access to the outdoors, spent plenty of time outdoors, ate bugs and whatnot outdoors, were as contented as chickens can be), that had been marinaded in high quality oil and seasonings, then oven baked (commercial deep fryers are disgusting!!!), I might be tempted. But again, I can buy wing sauce and use it on a vegan substrate, and recreate the fatty/salty taste of wings without all the baggage.

Great questions! It was fun to think about the answers; thanks for asking me to do the interview.

[Swifte]

Welcome Conquer Club clan enthusiasts to another edition of the Platoon Report!

First off, congratulations to Manifest Destiny on winning the first ever edition of the Lindax Handicup, and to Imperial Dragoons member Twopoint on winning the MVP award for the event.

This edition of the Platoon Report, IcePack brings us an update to the F400, including a new number 1 in the rankings... so be sure to check that out! I also take a look at the Shakers and Movers from January 2014, where we've seen another flurry of player movement on the clan scene, including 2 new clans and one clan that has been around since 2009 closing up shop.

Thanks for checking out the Platoon Report - more updates on the major clan events next issue!

Swifte
Clan Executive

F400 Update by IcePack

The F400 is a results based ranking system, based on (almost) all available results that include 12 games or higher. Most league results are reflected within this ranking system, as well as most wars*. (*Unless leagues do not meet some minimum entry requirement criteria, and wars with multiple clans involved).

Spoiler

This edition, ACE shows their muscle by becoming the newest #1 clan on Conquer Club! The CCup will have a big effect on who comes out on top.

January 2014 Shakers and Movers by Swifte

Spoiler

Here are the players that found a new clan home in January. As always, apologies if I've missed anyone, there's a lot of clans to look at!

Atlantis - SC MAN
Fire and Dice - TODRICH
Magnificent Bastards - Anglo Brown
Magnificent Bastards - top banana
Memento Mori - Mike Horton
Memento Mori - hlbart
One Step Ahead - God's Dad
One Step Ahead - Beko the Great
One Step Ahead - Tiberius Maximus
One Step Ahead - lXeneXl
One Step Ahead - Sea Devil
One Step Ahead - bpbp
One Step Ahead - Hannibal 19
One Step Ahead - Sir conquer
The Fallen - co-co
The Headless Horsemen - eddie2
The Headless Horsemen - JCsolidrock
The Legion - jcstriker
The Pack - D00MandD3A7H
Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus - EASTOFEDEN
Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus - hammer1967
Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus - Glassyyy

In addition to movement between existing clans.... meet the first new clan to CC in 2014... The Walking Dead!

sdh
sekretar
Shaun850
Afroaction
bigg chief
Mass Miracle
tony1973
vaz2103
msantop
supermtt6
Andrito
Taylor Bishop
Greg Bishop
bebis72
MyTurnToWin
Kschame1
Alexkabooms
Sirius kase
millondollarman
Detroitsteel
ZONDA
Demen
erv
Zhukov1968
soundman
madmom
bosche

And another new clan... Splinter Cell!
denominator
Chewie1
notyou2
VicFontaine
OliverFA
Tviorr
M00NZIE
luxbock
Evil Semp
Eternal Shadow
DukeHazzard
40kguy

Sadly, in January, we bid farewell to Dynasty. Dynasty was formed in November 2009, and accumulated a 7 - 11 record in wars over the years, including victories over OSA, Legion, and TFFS. They exit the F400 ranked at #29, recently finishing 3rd overall in the Third League of CL5. I hope to see their members go on to other great things in the clan world.

Congrats and best of luck to everyone in their new clans as we press on in to 2014!

[anamainiacks]

Hello friends, and welcome to your favourite part of the Newsletter, "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments, and other stuff in the Tournament scene!

In this issue, mcshanester29 takes a personal trip down memory late, reminiscing about the time he organised his first tournament, in Remembering My First Tournament! Hopefully this will inspire some aspiring TOs out there to try your hand tournament organising! We do indeed have a wonderfully supportive community out there that is more than happy to give assistance along the way!

Now pulling double duties for the Freestyle Team and Tournament Team, iAmCaffeine has kindly taken on the responsibility of what I hope will be a regular section in our CC Dispatch for a long time to come - the monthly Tournament Winners Update. I'm really pleased to have him on board, and must say he has done an excellent job so far! So, here is our very first edition of the feature in all its glory!

Tournament Winners Update: January '14 by iAmCaffeine

Spoiler

The Dispatch recently received a suggestion from kuma32478 to include a section to list all recent tournament winners. We thought this was a great idea and will now include a monthly release of all players that have won community-run tournaments. This will not include autotournaments.

• SOS Africa Qualifier: Lower Egyptian Triple Trouble organised by ManBungalow, won by CAPK81, aalii and didosdildo
• The Championships - 1v1: Satellite 7 organised by chapcrap, won by Enormastitz
• The Championships - 1v1: Satellite 5 organised by chapcrap, won by Masli
• The Championships - 1v1: Satellite 8 organised by chapcrap, won by stuboy
• The Championships - 1v1: Satellite 6 organised by chapcrap, won by Jurasu
• SOS Africa Qualifier: Rorke's Drift Doubles organised by chapcrap, won by jackal31 and zips5000
• Feudal Warriors organised by JohnAarson, won by Frox333
• The Dark Knight Returns organised by Phatscotty, won by emilywink
• MC's World's Deadliest Assassin #3 organised by mcshanester29, won by bahrain
• Osman's Safari to 3 wins at Africa organised by osman76, won by Beko the Great
• Own the Left Coast organised by Silly Knig-it, won by cyrenius
• George Orwell's 1984 organised by JohnAarson, won by danryan
• 313's Halloween Hollows 4 DE organised by merch313, won by osman76
• KISS Transsib 1914 organised by greenoaks, won by bplp49
• KISS Quads Australia organised by greenoaks, won by bahrain, Butters1919, lanyards and BuJaber
• I would kill for a cold beer! organised by Beko the Great, won by osok68
• Beta Blockers 003 organised by superkeener, won by Ratrin
• Dukasaur Plays Baltic 09 organised by Dukasaur, won by uyumaykimaw
• Mikey's Pearl Harbor (trips 5000+) organised by codierose, won by ubcman64, Dualta and downfall
• ATP 2013 W35 BNP Paribas Masters organised by osujacket, won by copernicus
• IanG's 4th Mixed Bag of Tricks organised by IanG7, won by PaRKoN
• UK and Ireland Cup II organised by JohnAarson, won by Tripitaka
• Conquer Your Neighbours, Take Over the World! organised by jeremscarem, won by ChadTomer
• JA's 50th Tournament organised by JohnAarson, won by bahrain
• SOS Africa Qualifier: Egypt: Nubia 1 vs 1 organised by mcshanester29, won by kuma32478
• KISS Dubs Australia organised by greenoaks, won by Wharfedale7 and artur1
• It's A Knockout!!! WWII Poland organised by Serreski, won by cavill
• Know your Settings in North America - TPA3 organised by therealdeal_37, rescued by mcshanester29 and won by callmenorcal, iwillrocku and JimmyRROKZ
• The Patriots - Quads Style organised by PaRKoN, won by Momo33, arno30, djelebert and General_Tao
• Deadly's 1v1 ATP Style - AoR3 3! organised by MoB Deadly, won by RKCVED
• SOS Africa Qualifier -- The Battle for the Cape organised by Dukasaur, won by Dafydd
• All winners are boss! organised by waauw, rescued by sempaispellcheck and won by Gabriel13
• b00060's Arms Race Tournament V Poly organised by b00060, won by xroads
• MC's World Terminators [TPA2] organised by mcshanester29, won by uckuki
• b00060's Classic Tournament XIV Poly organised by b00060, won by bahrain
• Santa Vs. The Snowman organised by dazza2008, won by cooldeals
• CONMEBOL Qualifier [WCTS] organised by jdean1, won by Leverpuller
• Fake Quads 2 organised by benga, won by dkmaster
• Deadly's 1v1 ATP Style - Doodle 8! organised by MoB Deadly, won by bahrain
• MC's List of Maps 1vs 1 - Christmas organised by mcshanester29, won by Enter Smith
• 4 Star Meats 5,4,3,2,won organised by dazza2008, won by BlackKnight_6
• NASCAR 2012: The Chase organised by chapcrap, rescued by elonpuckhog and won by The Pom
• [TPA3] My Favorite Maps 2 organised by plurple, won by chidone
• ST Series - Mongol Emperor organised by Teflon Kris, won by redspyder
• Osman's 9th Random Nuclear Trench DE organised by osman76, won by benga
• KISS Trips World 2.1 organised by greenoaks, won by ChrisPond, Denise and betiko
• KISS Dubs World 2.1 organised by greenoaks, won by benga and GROND 2cd.
• Best CC Team Ever: Leehar's Maps! organised by greenoaks, won by puppydog85
• ATP 2013 W33 Kremlin Cup organised by shoop76, won by uckuki
• Count's 1 vs 1 Conquerors Quest organised by Count Belisle, won by V.J.
• pearl harbor team trips organised by simmons4, won by davsweeney, smegal69 and simmons4
• pearl harbor team trips 2 organised by simmons4, won by willedtowin1, benga and Auger13
• Formula One 2013 COMPLETE organised by Serreski, won by Serreski
• Deadly's 1v1 ATP Style - USA West 3! organised by MoB Deadly, won by kuma32478
• Das dubs (4000+) organised by SaviorShot, won by AslanTheKing and t4mcr53s2
• b00060's Arms Race Tournament IV Poly organised by b00060, won by xroads

Congratulations to all that have won tournaments this month, thank you to those that have taken the time to organise the tourneys, and good luck to players still competing!

Aside from those exciting new features, our writers continue to deliver their news staples with mcshanester29's latest MTTW Interview with RKCVED and my selection of tournaments awaiting signups in Join This? Or Not!. DaveH has been on vacation lately, but he has still provided us with an update of TPA happenings in TPA Wrap, correct as of 16 January.

Enjoy!

anamainiacks
Tournament Executive


Remembering My First Tournament by mcshanester29

Spoiler

Yes this is a quick walk down memory lane for me....it is sort of like watching someone else's home videos!!
Anyways it is interesting how quickly time flies and how easy it is to forget running those first tournaments.

My first tournament was MC's Battle for Europe. I had bugged the poor TD's, read the handbook like 6 times. I was excited and nervous with thoughts like "What if I totally screwed up something in the description?" and "What if everyone thinks its a crap idea and doesn't sign up?" etc. I was ready to update the players that signed up almost immediately after they posted "I am in" and had to wait an excruciating 5 days for the tournament to fill.

Thankfully some of the players gave me insight as they signed up, such as " What are we going to do with the deadbeaters?" or "4 player no spoils game will turn into a stalemate so you should have a round limit". (Round limits weren't even an option for games at this time.)

So before you fall asleep five minutes into the "This is us in Bora Bora" and "This is Junior finally walking at 5 yrs. old", take a trip down memory lane of when you organized your first tournament.

For those of you who have wanted to start organizing tournaments but just haven't taken the first step yet, remember all of us who organize tournaments were there once as well. Take the leap, bug the other TO's and the TD's, read the handbook a few times, and wonder if your tournament will fill. Then one day you can have that trip down memory lane as well!!

Meet the Tournament Winners: RKCVED by mcshanester29

Spoiler

1. So how did you come up with the user name RKCVED...does this have to do with pheasants? Anything interesting you want to tell us about yourself?

I had just retired - thats the R. K is for my 1st initial. CVED was the division (State Police) that I had worked in for 16 years. Back to work though. Just a short retirement.

2. How many tournaments do you usually like to play in at a time?

Does not matter, I don't keep track

3. Do you remember your first tournament win? Did everyone within a 1 mile radius know about it?

Sweet Sixes - not a lot. Mostly kept it to my friends.

4. With a very impressive 45 tournament wins do you still have the thirst to win more?

Always. I hate to lose, but its just a game and there many good players on the site.

5. I noticed that you have won quite the mix of tournament types, teams, 1v1, terminator, etc, which are your favorite types to play in?

Team games because you have to work together.

6. Snickers or Milky Way?

Thats a tough one .......................................Milky Way



7. Do you have regular team mates for tournaments?

Yes - - and my hat is off to them!

8. What is something that you would like to see improve in tournaments?

Nothing

9. What kind of tournaments would you like to see more of?

I think there is a good mix now.

Does it bug you that I ended that question with "of"?

Life is to short for that

10. What is your favorite map/settings to play?

AOR 2 Speed freestyle nukes unlimited trench.



11. Is there something that you wished I asked and didn't?

If I wanted a free year

How about a CC get together at a convention center??

I would be up to a CC get together...anyone want to come to Idaho??

TPA Wrap by DaveH

Spoiler

TPA Season 2: State of Play

Click image to enlarge.

No completed tournaments since the last newsletter so three yet to complete: "A History of Europe", "CC Golf Match Play Season 2" and "MC's World Terminators".

The running order is: Swifte (6,760 points), dowian2 (5,301), leehar (4,015), arno30 (3,442) and barterer2002 (3,437).

TPA 2: Standings
The TPA2 spreadsheet is up-to-date. (Remember to scroll to the right see the TPA2 totals after deducting all of the lowest scores over the Standard and Premier allowances.)

TPA Season 3: State of Play

Click image to enlarge.

No completed tournaments since the last newsletter so there are 28 completed tournaments and 13 yet to finish. Tournament leaders: uckuki (7,455); benga (6,544); Swifte (4,659); Aussie02 (4,4532); Gilligan (4,262). These scores have now been corrected to account for the best 8 Premier scores rather than all Premiers played.

TPA 3: Standings
Link to Individual Scores (The Google scoreboard has been updated with the latest results).

TPA Season 4: Tournaments in Sign-Up

Click image to enlarge.

[/url]
No TPA4 tournament available for you to join at the time of writing this.

There are 15 ongoing tournaments but none have yet finished.

Join This? Or Not! by anamainiacks

Spoiler

And now for our regular look at a selection of the tournaments in sign-ups!


"Vive L'Empereur!" by Dukasaur - Freemium Friendly!
After last year's high profile tournament, "Gratuitous Transfer of Wealth" with a premium prize sponsored by BigBallinStalin, Dukasaur is back again with another large tournament with a Premium Prize at stake! This time, the tournament will be a double elimination 1v1 bracket tournament, and will feature maps and settings based on the battles of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The tournament definitely features a large variety of settings, with some less popular settings thrown into the mix (Zombie spoils for one, and Trench on another), so you're sure to encounter some obstacles along the way. That said, it'd probably be just as much of a challenge for your opponent eh? But after all, if there's the promise of a Premium Prize, what challenge can possibly deter you from signing up? So signup for this one for your shot at the awesome prize!


Murder in the Conquer Club: an Agatha Christie tourney by LittleMao - Premium Only.
Just the second tournament he is hosting, but I'm already impressed with the stuff this TO, LittleMao, is producing. Based on the popular classic mystery novels by Agatha Christie, this tournament is a wonderful nod to the mystery writer and her works. The tournament is divided into 3 stages with different sets of gameplay involved - each cleverly modelled after some of Christie's most famous novels.

The first round is your typical Standard game with points for the winner - except that there is an assigned murder going to happen, with points awarded for successful murderers and players who can spot the murder before it happens. The second round features 4 Terminator games with the players with the most kills moving on. Finally, the players play a series of Assassin games from 10 players till there are only 2 left. The winner isn't necessarily the last man standing, but the player who makes the most assassinations by the end of the final round. Definitely some unique gameplay here, so hurry on down to signup for this!


These are my picks, but if you don't like any of these go to the Create/Join a Tournament forum or Tournaments Tab and take a look at the many others waiting to be filled.

If you're craving tourney action now, check out the Requests for Immediate Players section of the tournament forum. You can be playing very quickly after signing up as a reserve.

If you would like your tournament to be featured in the next edition of the CC Newsletter, please PM anamainiacks with the details of your tournament.

[Seamus76]

Welcome my fellow map enthusiasts to issue number eleventy-one! Speaking of J.R.R. Tolkien, does anyone know of a beta map that has one of his quotes on it? I'll give you a hint, when you find it you won't be getting hotter, you'll be getting colder.

In this issue we'll continue to highlight all those great maps in development, and I'll borrow Koontz1973's spotlight and shine it around to see what we can see.

And now on with the show.

Seamus76 -- Foundry Executive

Maps in Development by Seamus76

Spoiler

Melting Pot: Map IdeasHighlight on some up and coming maps.
Battle Legends by generalhead
Democratic Republic of Congo by Avapocalypse
Greater Boston - 1852 by Bruceswar
Shootout by bamage

Drafting RoomWhere maps start life. But like all new babies, this is where they need the most attention.
1066 Anno Domini by Oneyed
Apocolypse Z: Atlanta by Seamus76
Soccer Affair by Blackkrose
Tank Battle (1v1) by Oneyed

Map FoundryThe main block of work is done here.
Age of Discoveries: World for Two by Armandolas]
Massacre à Paris by cairnswk
Whodunnit? by degaston
Rail S America by cairnswk
Research & Conquer by isaiah40
Stronghold (GCCM Winner) by ManBungalow
The Temple of Jin by blakkrose
Ziggurat by jonofperu

Spotlight on Ziggurat by Seamus76

Spoiler

Sitting on version 12, let jonofperu know you're thoughts

Map Name: Ziggurat
Mapmaker(s): jonofperu
Number of Territories: 65 total (16 starting spots)
What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made: Battle for HIGH GROUND! Auto-deploy bonuses which increase as players conquer higher ground; higher levels bombard all lower levels; starting spots with auto-deploy that one-way attack the pyramid and bombard the first 2 levels on their side. The summit E01 is the only territory that can kill starting spots.

Map Image:

Click image to enlarge.

Show your support for jonofperu

The Mas Sue Review by Mas Sue67

Spoiler

"The last time I saw this many rails from one guy it was at a Chris Farley party...too soon?" Mas Sue67 Unofficial CC Map Reviewer

And as Alex Berger said, "Maps are the foundation on which adventure is built." Enjoy.

[Dukasaur]

Submitting Your Own Articles

If you have a story you think the ConquerClub Community would find interesting, you can submit your articles to Dukasaur and you may just see your article published in the Newsletter!

ConquerClub Dispatch Team

• Dukasaur - Chief Executive

• safariguy5 - Freestyle Executive -
  • iAmCaffeine - Freestyle Writer
• Swifte - Clan Executive -
  • Betiko - Clan Freelance
  • IcePack - Clan Reporter
• anamainiacks - Tournament Executive -
  • DaveH - Tournament Reporter
  • mcshanester29 - Tournament Reporter
• Seamus76 - Foundry Executive -
  • koontz1973 - Foundry Reporter

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.
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[Dukasaur]

Publication date February 2nd, 2014.

[Leehar]

Congrats to Ace on #1. Another important litmus test coming up for us!

I forgot to ask Cat how much she's looking forward to the war!

[macbone]

Great interview with cat! I'll be honest, I enjoy the Interrogations the most in each Dispatch. =)