We haven't done one of these in a while sooo....
Announcing the great Ankh New Character Race!
The last time we ran this it seemed to work out well so let's not fix what ain't broken. Plus I get to be lazy and copy and paste from the last contest rather than typing a bunch of new stuff. There are a couple of changes to the rules though so make sure you read the post to the end.
Here is what we're going to do:
On race day you will show up with an empty character slot to make a brand new character. I will announce the race and class that everyone shall create. Everyone that races will have the same race and class to make it equal across the board.
After everyone has created their new character and finished the intro mission, we shall gather at an announced waypoint in the map. It is there that the fun shall begin. You will run this race with ONLY the starter armor and weapon. You may NOT go to your bank, have someone send you stuff, or run the race with anything other than the starter equipment. You may however, equip any drops you get while running the race course.
Next, you will be assigned a teammate to run the race with. Notice I said "assigned". No, you don't get to pick your teammate and practice with them in advance or anything like that. You'll be teamed up right before the race begins. You'll party up with your teammate to start the race.
After all the teams have been assigned, the race will begin. You'll be given the first checkpoint to make it to. Again, notice I said "first" because this race will be comprised of several legs through Tyria.
At the first checkpoint a judge will be there and once he or she has confirmed that BOTH team members are at the checkpoint, you'll be given the next checkpoint. BOTH team members have to make it to the checkpoint. If your teammate gets ambushed by a herd of nasty killer rabbits along the way then you'll just have to head back and rez them. If you both die after being attacked by viscous saber toothed frogs then you'll have to revive at the nearest wp and take off again. So I would advise you to grab waypoints along the way.
As each checkpoint is reached, the Judge at the next waypoint will tag up to show you where to go. The path you take to get to the next checkpoint is entirely up to you and your teammate. This race is as much about teamwork as it is speed. Remember that you will be crossing maps so if you do NOT see the Judge tagged up in that map then you'll have to party with the Judge so you can switch instances. If the Judge does not see you both then you will not be given the next checkpoint!
The first team (yes team, both of you have to finish it) to get to the final checkpoint will be declared the winners.
So what will you win? Here are the prizes:
1st Place: both team members will receive 5 Black Lion Keys each
2nd Place: both team members will receive 3 Black Lion Keys each
3rd Place: both team members will receive 1 Black Lion Key each
Everyone who completes the race will also win 5 gold. I'll be broke when it's done but it will be worth it to watch a whole herd of Ankhies run across Tyria.
As usual, trying to figure out a time for an event like this is a royal pain because of the difference in time zones. I know I'm not going to please everyone with this but we're going to run the race at 6pm eastern time on Sat, Sept 19th. That will make it 3pm for our friends on the west coast, 11pm for Neil, Dukesy, and Elaine (I hope you guys can stay up that late on a Sat night) and 8am Sunday morning for Scott and Plum (yeah, Plum is gonna beat me for getting her out of bed that early on a Sunday morning lol).
I will announce the race, class, and starting waypoint 30 minutes before race time so you can create your character and finish the starter area.
That means you have several weeks to come up with an empty character slot between now and race day if you don't already have one.
Now for a few changes to the way we did things last time. In keeping with the mantra of "No Ankhie left behind" and to make this both competitive and fun, I'm making the following changes to the rules:
Each judge (who may be on a level 80 character with the map open) is allowed to help the LAST team that comes to his or her checkpoint. When I say "help" that means the judge may help guide them to the next checkpoint, rez them if necessary, and provide encouragement for them. The judge may NOT give them armor or weapons or run ahead of them to clear out the baddies...
As each team finishes the race, that team may also go back and help the other teams to finish the race. In fact, you are encouraged to do so. However, any teams that finish must abide by the same rules that the Judges must when they go back to help another team.
Prizes will be handed out after all teams have crossed the finish line.
As usual, reply to this thread with any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions for the race. Also feel free to let us know if you're planning on racing or if you would like to be one of the waypoint judges. I'll need 4 Judges to help with this.
Myron
