User blog:RA2/Robot Wars Rankdown: Extreme 1 Discussion & Questions

Note: This is a discussion thread, signups won't be open until the Extreme 1 Rankdown blog post opens. This post is to iron out the kinks, and address any questions people might have about this new format. There will be 7 players, meaning 6 slots open. You may post whether or not you're interested in taking part, but no signups will be accepted until the proper Rankdown post comes out at around Weds., June 6th, 10:00 PM EST

Format
Previously we were using the “Follow the Leader” format, this time, we’ll be using the “Pick-n-Mix” format. In this game, rather than one player nominating a pool and the rest cutting from it, players will instead fill the pool one by one.

In round 1, you may cut any robot in the entire population. You will then nominate one other robot, whom you believe should get cut ASAP, to go into the pool. You can’t cut or nom a robot that’s already been cut or nommed. In round 2 and beyond, players will cut a robot in the pool, then add another. Here’s an example of the flow. The example has 5 players, our game will have more:

Round 1:
 * Player 1: Cuts any one robot and explains why, nominates one other robot for the pool (no explanation needed for the nomination).
 * Player 2: Same, with any robots not cut or nominated yet
 * Player 3: Same, with any robots not cut or nominated yet
 * Player 4: Same, with any robots not cut or nominated yet
 * Player 5: Same, with any robots not cut or nominated yet. Lists out all the nominated robots for the benefit of the next player (note: Player order does not rotate, if you're player 5, you will always be player 5.  All players have equal levels of involvement, so don't worry about that.)

Round 2 and beyond'
 * Player 1: Cuts one of the 5 robots in the pool (cannot cut one of their own nominees), and explains why. Nominates one other robot for the pool (no explanation needed).  Lists out all the nominated robots for the benefit of the next player.
 * Players 2-5: Same

This will continue for 9 rounds. After that, players will rank the surviving robots, and the averages will determine final rankings.

I'll be pretty open about the criteria you use to make your cuts, just a few rule & guidelines:
 * Try to insulate it to the series in question - we're strictly ranking the Series 2 incarnations of robots
 * No discussing how it was received by the fandom - you can call a robot overrated or underrated, complain about fanboys, etc, as long as that is not your only reason for cutting
 * No troll-moves. Everyone's entitled to their opinions, but if I see a move that's clearly intended to get a rise out of people or an individual, you will be booted.  Slots are very limited, do not take one unless you plan on taking this seriously.
 * You can make backroom deals with other players, but keep in mind, there is no recourse if someone breaks the deal.
 * You must have watched & be familiar with all episodes of the series in question, even the obscure ones - it won't do to have a bad robot slip under the radar because people forget to nominate it. Since this is Extreme, you'll have to remeber all the different appearances that each robot made.  The series is on YouTube if you need to refresh your memory, and I will post a spreadsheet in Google Docs, listing all robots in the game, and their status in the rankdown.
 * Please be punctual and check in often. The game only works if each person takes their turn in good order.
 * This will now be enforced, in order to keep the game moving. If a player does not take their turn within 36 hours of the last player, the player will receive a strike, and the turn may be taken by anyone not participating in the rankdown.  If a player gets 3 strikes, a replacement will be sought.  I'm sorry to have to do this, but it is not fair to the other players to keep them waiting an indeterminate amount of time.  If you don't have time to write out a summary, I'll accept just the robots names, and you can post the writeups later.
 * Most importantly, have fun, and don't take it personally if a robot you like gets cut sooner than you want it to.

Included

 * All Heavyweight robots, including international entries, that had a fight shown in Extreme 1

Excluded

 * Any robot that was mentioned in the "Guide" but didn't actually show (eg Mortis).
 * Non-Heavyweights
 * TX-108 for not having a televised appearance

Spreadsheet
Here is the spreadsheet listing the 76 robots that took part in Extreme: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rdc5AUOOX2lhLjT9Agf1Kftei5qSQS-iyCysfkJJKi4/edit#gid=0

Also, here is a list that CrashBash made, showing how many wins & losses each robot attained in Extreme - very handy! http://robotwars.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:CrashBash/Extreme_1_Robot_Rankings

Questions?
I have gotten some feedback that Extreme and Series 5 should be combined, rather than seperate as I planned. Whilst I'm not completely cemented into seperating, I do believe that Extreme 1 by itself has enough material to stand on its own, and that robots whose only good shot was there, deserve a chance to rank high. I'm open to anything that might change my mind.