Welcome to The Amazing Race!
This game will simulate the popular and multiple Emmy winning reality show of the same name. If you've never seen it, watch this video from 3:52 until the greatest line in the history of television, and it pretty much justifies the whole show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oj2nf3GVsPE#t=234
(Also, the Guido edit in season one)
Let me explain basically how this works. Note: this is NOT a Phalla.
Teams!
When you sign up to play, you will need a teammate. Ideally this teammate will be someone with whom you have a pre-existing relationship. This relationship could come from offboard, it could come from Phalla (Blarney and Infidel, for example), it could come from other tabletop games, it could merely come from frequently agreeing/butting heads in D&D. If you sign up with a teammate, please include the nature of your relationship. Alternately, you can sign up in the thread without a teammate. If you do this, one will be provided for you. At which point you will make up a fake relationship. For example: Former drug addicts and current models and met in rehab and are now best friends.
Actual bio of the season 10 winners!
There will be 12 teams of 2 running this race. Every 2 days one will be eliminated, meaning this could potentially be a 20 day commitment, something like a PbP game. Be aware before signing up!
Legs
Each leg will consist of a flight to a new city followed by a series of tasks. How you get to each task within the leg is up to you within limitations provided by the host. For example, I might offer a bus, a subway, a taxi, or walking. (Mostly taxis/walking/drive yourself though) These will have varying costs and varying time expectations. There may be additional choices offered, such as whether you would like to purchase a map at the start of the leg.
Each leg will have a series of tasks to perform during them. Specifically, each leg will have a Detour, a Roadblock, and a Fast Forward.
A Detour is a choice of two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. Teammates will discuss which task they would like to perform and then do it together. For example, you could be offered the choice to walk down the stairs in a building or rappel down the side of the building. Or choose between solving a puzzle and mining coal. It's really anything, but what you'll be doing will be explicit in either option.
A Roadblock is a single task that only one team member performs. Teammates will decide who should perform the task based on location and a small clue. For example, if you were at the CN Tower and the clue says "which of you is ready to take a dive?" you should expect something like a bungie jump. Each team member can only do six roadblocks on the entire race, so keeping them balanced is a good idea.
The Fast Forward is a special clue that can appear at any point during the leg but will almost always be in the first day of a leg. It is an extra task that both team members perform, much like either side of the detour. Each team may only do one Fast Forward for the entire race, so you must choose when it's most advantageous to go for it. Upon successfully completing the Fast Forward, teams may skip ALL remaining tasks, and proceed directly to the pit stop (the end of the leg).
Performing the tasks and navigating will be handled by an RNG (specifically, a Gaussian one), adjusted by character traits. There's some luck on the race, so you'll have to deal with it. However, characters well suited to tasks will perform better on those tasks (example: a smart character will do puzzles fast), so making intelligent decisions both pre-game and during the race as to who does what tasks and which tasks you choose should be the most important factor. The die rolls will generate a time for each team. At the end of each leg, the slowest team will be eliminated.
Time IS cumulative, so the first place team in the first leg will leave before all other teams for the second leg. However, due to the nature of international air travel, other teams will probably be able to catch up at the airport.
The 10th and Final Leg will have three teams remaining. The winner of that leg of the race will be declared the winner of The Amazing Race!
So What, Exactly, Will Teams Do Each Day?
If we have each leg be one day this createpotentially insanes two problems:
1) A LOT of decisions each day
2) An increased feeling of randomness as you have less of an idea if you're in front or behind to make choices
So instead, each leg will be split into two days. On the first day of the leg, you will go to the airport, fly to a new destination, receive the fast forward clue, and get either the roadblock or the detour. You'll decide if you want to go for the Fast Forward, how to get to the places you need to go, whether to purchase a map for your new city, and which Detour choice you're doing or which player will perform the Roadblock. On the second day, you'll get the standings after the first half of the leg and the clue to second task. Again travel and task decisions will have to be made.
Money
At the start of each leg of the race, each team will receive cash money. The Race itself pays for all airline tickets, but otherwise teams must pay for everything they do on the race. Budget wisely. Money is also cumulative, so if you save $50 from the first leg, you can use that in addition to whatever we give you on the second. I didn't include money for food, but gas and lodging is sometimes a factor.
Teams may choose to beg at any time to improve their cash situation. The effectiveness of your begging will depend on your charisma and the GDP of the country you are currently in. Begging takes time though, so be careful!
Killer Fatigue
The race is EXHAUSTING. Not enough sleep, too little and too low quality food, 24 hours a day with the same person for a solid three weeks. Eventually your decision making process will start to decay, your body will break down, and generally you'll be having a rough time. As such, after each leg starting with the FIFTH, there will be rolls at the end of each leg. This roll will be an ENDURANCE check. If you fail the roll, you will lose a random stat point.
The Thread
While you're in the race, I would like for you to write about your "experience" on the course. Confessionals as it were. So the thread is not just me posting instructions and results. Role play it up, please. This is not required, but I'd appreciate it to make the experience more fun for everyone.
Is There A Prize?
Maybe! If this proves popular, I will almost assuredly host a sequel. The winning team will not be eligible for this sequel because the hardest part of designing this monstrosity is deciding the course. As such, I am drafting the winners to assist in PATAR2. This can range from purely countries/locations you would like me to include to (ideally) actually helping with suggestions for what the tasks should be and where they should happen.
Clarifications
As is tradition, clarifications should be requested in
dark orange
The idea that your vote is a moral statement about you or who you vote for is some backwards ass libertarian nonsense. Your vote is about society. Vote to protect the vulnerable.
Posts
Sign up by creating a character there. Also post in the thread.
Distribute 30 points among the following traits:
Strength - Useful for brute force challenges like "move this heavy thing or paddle the boat."
Agility - If it requires general athleticism, this is a thing you want to have. Small walking advantage.
Bravery - More bravery = better performance on daredevil tasks and dangerous/unfamiliar tasks.
Intelligence - Smarter contestants do better with puzzles. Small airport advantage
Endurance - Moderately useful for challenges, mostly good for preventing stat decay
Charisma - If you need to talk to locals, charisma is valuable. Small taxi advantage
Select two perks. If you choose "fluency" PM me the language you would like to be fluent in. You may choose fluency twice with two different languages.
Fluency - Choose a language. Your interactions with locals will be improved in any nation with that language as one of its commonly spoken or official languages. There's a risk here because there's no guarantee a location on the race will speak, for example, Italian.
Mechanic - If you have to work with machines/build something, you get a bonus
Skilled Driver - Advantage when driving yourself, any driving tasks
Cartographer - If you buy a map upon landing, you get a small bonus to all in city travels, large bonus to all "drive yourself" travel
Flirt - Bonus to begging
Meticulous - If a task requires attention to detail, you get a serious bonus
Determination - Once per leg, can use to go beyond your usual abilities. Add 3 to any stat, but increases the likelihood of Killer Fatigue setting in.
Encouraging - Once per leg, you may improve one of your partner's traits by 2.
Stomach of Steel - Eating challenges are no problem for you, treat them as if your bravery was 10.
Jokester - Prevents killer fatigue in the racer of your choice. You may not choose to target your partner with the joke
Animal Lover - You do great with animal tasks
Select one anti-perk:
Can't drive stick - If a task requires you to drive stick you will have serious problems. If you and your partner both can't drive stick on a drive yourself with a stick shift car (spoiler, they're all stick shift), you will face serious delays.
Can't swim - Swimming challenges will be a serious struggle
Jackass - Once per leg you must lower your partner's relevant trait by 1 (intelligence on a puzzle challenge, for example)
Acrophobia - Lose 3 bravery in all height based challenges
Aimless - You'll face slight delays in all in city travels, moderate delays in all "drive yourself" travel
Weak willed - Your partner has to do EVERYTHING. Increases the likelihood of Killer Fatigue setting in for your partner.
Ugly American - Small loss to all local interactions
Things which are semi-obviously contradictory cannot both be selected.
Aimless + Cartographer
Skilled Driver + Can't Drive Stick
Encouraging + Jackass
Weak willed + Determination
Roster
1. Grunt's Ghosts and Buddha73 (Real life brothers) - Eliminated in Chania in 6th place
2. Sir Fabulous and undergroundmonorail (Real life friends) - Eliminated in Lagos in 9th place
3. TheRoadVirus and Auralynx (Friends and improv comics) - Eliminated in Billund in 7th place
4. SaberOverEasy and ObiFett (Bounty/Bounty Hunger) - Eliminated in Kununurra in 4th place
5. NotoriusBEN and Iron Weasel (Former PMCs) - Eliminated in Cordoba in 8th place
6. jdarksun and Ringo (Siamese Twins) - Eliminated in Ratchaburi in 5th place
7. El Skid and Rend (Flatmates and Detectives)
8. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth (Bros)
9. The Anonymous and discrider (Mystery Team) - Eliminated in Gobabis in 10th place
10. Invictus and CesareB (Chefs)
Leg 1, Part 1: Ann Arbor, Michigan, to San Francisco de Yare, Venezuela
Leg 1, Part 2: San Francisco de Yare, Venezuela, to Angel Falls, Venezuela
Results
Leg 1:
1. NotoriousBEN and Iron Weasel - 1 day, 3 hours, 55 minutes, 12 seconds
2. discrider and The Anonymous - 1 day, 3 hours, 55 minutes, 26 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
3. jdarksun and Ringo - 1 day, 3 hours, 56 minutes, 40 seconds
4. El Skid and Rend - 1 day, 4 hours, 6 minutes, 28 seconds
5. Invictus and CesareB - 1 day, 4 hours, 13 minutes, 50 seconds
6. Auralynx and TheRoadVirus - 1 day, 4 hours, 24 minutes, 13 seconds
7. Grunt's Ghosts and Buddha73 - 1 day, 4 hours, 25 minutes, 15 seconds
8. ObiFett and SaberOverEasy - 1 day, 4 hours, 44 minutes, 38 seconds
9. Sir Fabulous and undergroundmonorail - 1 day, 4 hours, 52 minutes, 4 seconds
10. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 1 day, 5 hours, 29 minutes, 20 seconds (saved by non-elimination leg)
Leg 2, Part 1: Angel Falls, Venezuala, to Gobabis, Namibia
Leg 2, Part 2: In Gobabis
Results
1. jdarksun and Ringo - 3 days, 13 hours, 10 minutes, 19 seconds (leg completed, you have to do nothing today) (Fast Forward exhausted)
2. undergroundmonorail and Sir Fabulous - 3 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes, 46 seconds
3. El Skid and Rend - 3 days, 13 hours, 35 minutes, 42 seconds
4. NotoriousBEN and Iron Weasel - 3 days, 13 hours, 45 minutes, 28 seconds
5. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 3 days, 13 hours, 45 minutes, 42 seconds
6. Invictus and CesareB - 3 days, 13 hours, 48 minutes, 37 seconds
7. Grunt's Ghosts and Buddha73 - 3 days, 13 hours, 48 minutes, 38 seconds
8. ObiFett and SaberOverEasy - 3 days, 13 hours, 49 minutes, 5 seconds
9. TheRoadVirus and Auralynx - 3 days, 13 hours, 52 minutes, 20 seconds
10. discrider and The Anonymous - 3 days, 13 hours, 56 minutes, 48 seconds - Philiminated in 10th place
Leg 3, Part 1: Gobabis, Namibia, to Lagos, Nigeria
Leg 3, Part 2: In Lagos
Results
1. TheRoadVirus and Auralynx - 4 days, 18 hours, 6 minutes, 20 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
2. Grunt's Ghosts and Buddha73 - 4 days, 19 hours, 45 minutes, 19 seconds
3. CesareB and Invictus - 4 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, 59 seconds
4. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 4 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes, 15 seconds
5. NotoriousBEN and Iron Weasel - 4 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, 8 seconds
6. jdarksun and Ringo - 4 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, 19 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
7. Rend and El Skid - 4 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, 50 seconds
8. ObiFett and SaberOverEasy - 4 days, 19 hours, 49 minutes, 40 seconds
9. Sir Fabulous and undergroundmonorail - 4 days, 20 hours, 19 minutes, 18 seconds (Eliminated in ninth place)
Leg 4, Part 1: Lagos, Nigeria, to Gibraltar
Leg 4, Part 2: Gibraltar to Cordoba, Spain
Results
1. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 6 days, 47 minutes, 56 seconds
2. Rend and El Skid - 6 days, 1 hour, 9 minutes, 54 seconds
3. Grunt's Ghosts and Buddha73 - 6 days, 1 hour, 14 minutes, 27 seconds
4. CesareB and Invictus - 6 days, 1 hour, 26 minutes, 54 seconds
5. Obi Fett and SaberOverEasy - 6 days, 1 hour, 59 minutes
6. TheRoadVirus and Auralynx - 6 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes, 13 seconds (Fast Forward Exhausted)
7. jdarksun and Ringo - 6 days, 2 hours, 41 minutes, 55 seconds (Fast Forward Exhausted)
8. NotoriousBEN and Iron Weasel - 6 days, 2 hours, 42 minutes, 22 seconds - Eliminated in 8th place
Leg 5, Part 1: Cordoba, Spain, to Odense, Denmark
Leg 4, Part 2: Odense Denmark, to Billund, Denmark
Results
1. Rend and El Skid - 7 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes, 40 seconds
2. Grunt's Ghosts and Buddha73 - 7 days, 8 hours, 58 minutes
3. CesareB and Invictus - 7 days, 9 hours, 1 minute, 48 seconds
4. jdarksun and Ringo - 7 days, 9 hours, 10 minutes, 42 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
5. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 7 days, 9 hours, 27 minutes, 19 seconds
6. ObiFett and SaberOverEasy - 7 days, 9 hours, 28 minutes, 11 seconds
7. TheRoadVirus and Auralynx - 7 days, 9 hours, 44 minutes - eliminated in 7th place
Leg 6, Part 1: Billund Denmark, to Knossos, Greece
Leg 6, Part 2: Knossos, Greece, to Chania, Greece
Results
1. ObiFett and SaberOverEasy - 8 days, 11 hours, 17 minutes, 25 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
2. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 8 days, 12 hours, 3 minutes, 52 seconds
3. Rend and El Skid - 8 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds
4. CesareB and Invictus - 8 days, 12 hours, 10 minutes, 25 seconds
5. jdarksun and Ringo - 8 days, 12 hours, 21 minutes, 27 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
6. Grunt's Ghosts and Buddha73 - 8 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes, 33 seconds (eliminated in sixth place)
Leg 7, Part 1: Chania, Greece to Mumbai, India
Leg 7, Part 2: In Mumbai
Results
1. CesareB and Invictus - 9 days, 17 hours, 5 minutes, 11 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
2. ObiFett and SaberOverEasy - 9 days, 18 hours, 41 minutes, 34 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
3. Rend and El Skid - 9 days, 18 hours, 54 minutes, 20 seconds
4. crimsoncoyote and TheSloth - 9 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes
5. jdarksun and Ringo - 9 days, 19 hours, 19 minutes, 44 seconds (saved by non-elimination leg) (Fast Forward exhausted)
Leg 8, Part 1: Mumbai, India, to Bangkok, Thailand
Leg 8, Part 2: Bangkok, Thailand, to Ratchaburi, Thailand
Results
1. Invictus and CesareB - 10 days, 16 hours, 56 minutes, 6 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
2. SaberOverEasy and ObiFett - 10 days, 17 hours, 4 minutes, 22 seconds (Fast Forward exhausted)
3. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 10 days, 17 hours, 11 minutes, 47 seconds
4. Rend and El Skid - 10 days, 17 hours, 40 minutes, 37 seconds
5. jdarksun and Ringo - 10 days, 17 hours, 42 minutes, 28 seconds + begging time I didn't calculate because they were in last anyway (eliminated in 5th place)
Leg 9, Part 1: Ratchaburi, Thailand, to Kununurra, Australia
Leg 9, Part 2: Various things in Australia
Results
1. Rend and El Skid - 12 days, 1 hour, 11 minutes, 28 seconds
2. crimsoncoyote and TehSloth - 12 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds
3. CesareB and Invictus - 12 days, 6 hours, 8 minutes, 7 seconds[/s]
4. SaberOverEasy and ObiFett - 12 days, 6 hours, 16 minutes, 35 seconds - eliminated in fourth place.
EDIT: Technically the course is only half done, but for this aforementioned reason I wanted to get this up this week. It'll be done before you get there!
Depending on the start time though, I'm going to actually be gone this week with limited internet access until Friday night. I wont know until later on 11/4 if I'm doing this work trip or not.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
If he's good to go, then we can do it!
We've been friends for, what, 7 years now?
Switch Friend Code: SW-1406-1275-7906
We have no real-world relationship, so it's going to be something cooked up just for this.
DON'T YOU BELITTLE WHAT WE HAVE
We had drinks that one time and then you tried to friend me on Myspace and everything got so weird.
I only even pretended to be interested because you had that fake Santa beard on and I was up for a little seasonal ho-ho-ho!
He said that he dressed up like that only for me! LIES!
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
Loose cannon!
Turn in your gun and badge!
Danger to the precinct!
I'm still totally in, don't you worry!
Friend Safari: Fighting - Machoke, Pancham, Riolu | In game name: Jessica
Official Weather Gym Leader of the G+T Pokémon League. @me to try for the Climate Badge!
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
We are both lazy people and the problem just compounds itself the closer we are until you reach a singularity of utter meaninglessness and pokemon discussions.
Switch Friend Code: SW-1406-1275-7906
Switch Friend Code: SW-1406-1275-7906
Ryan, I'm not sure this was a good idea.
We get to get away from Drew and we can maybe finally get paid for once!
I've been getting angry voicemails from Wayne, though. Did you know he has a really scary heavy metal voice? I did not expect that!
... well, I kind of like it when Aisha does it.
Guess what 2 x 0 is!
Go ahead! Guess!
You're... englishtralian of some sort. You're probably good at your 'maths'
Switch Friend Code: SW-1406-1275-7906
Also known as season eight.
What? No? Of course not. I'm just a weatherman. You're the main anchor. Who is also a robot.
B...back to you!
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
I got into competitive Pokémon and failed my Physics class at the same time. This is fact.
Friend Safari: Fighting - Machoke, Pancham, Riolu | In game name: Jessica
Official Weather Gym Leader of the G+T Pokémon League. @me to try for the Climate Badge!
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7hjdC8-jbw