March Madness 2026 (a.k.a the annual Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament)

The Sandbox Games
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Yeah, I think this might be the longest running tournament (we did have a really late tournament one year, where were started in April, for reasons I can’t fully remember and are now lost in the now-defunct AO). A lot of that is on me - I had some extra stuff I was juggling while running the tournament this year, and as such I didn’t feel right in applying the "#"s to people who didn’t submit throws each day. I think some folks picked up on that leniency, and thus that slowed things down a bit.

We are on pace to get this wrapped in May, so that’s the good news! Let’s all sit back and enjoy what I’m sure will be an entertaining Finals! :+1:

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My region really held things up. The other Final 4 spots were set, I was still slogging through a Round of 16 match and fighting through exam study and quarterly work. Then we had to do the regional final, then I was offline for much of 4 days, then you went 7 games.

We’re not on hold like other leagues were in 2020, we’re … think of this like it’s 1926 and we have to travel by rail, and every trip is across the continent, and every series has gone 7. It’s going to take a while, but we’re getting near the finish.

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RPS Finals - Game 2!

Ted_Hoffman is first on the board, taking the early 1-0 lead.

How will NerdAlert respond in Game 2?

P NerdAlert
P TedHoffman

Ah, no more quick games! Looks like our players will need to dig deeper to outfox the other!

So then what happened?

P-R NerdAlert
P-R TedHoffman

Dang! They’re really on top of things!

So then what happened?

P-R-P NerdAlert
P-R-S TedHoffman

It was a long fought battle… and that was just for Game 2!

Even though Ted_Hoffman’s halfway to the title, that’s only the easy half - I’m pretty sure NerdAlert’s far from done here!

(In fact, it might just be part of a bigger plan… :tfh: )

===============================================
Stay tuned for more Finals excitement… Game 3’s looking very important here! (But then again, all games are important in the finals, aren’t they?)

Final Four!

TedHoffman defeats NerdAlert in Game 2, TedHoffman leads (2-0)
P-R-P NerdAlert
P-R-S TedHoffman

NerdAlert   4 --- NerdAlert   0
NmrclNeurot 3

TedHoffman  4 --- TedHoffman  2
JFG         2

Key: * indicates throws submitted; # indicates throws need to be turned in or you will be booted

Note: Completed Region details found in Post 3

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I’m happy with how this is moving along!

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Glad that we could pick up the pace for you! :+1:

and right on cue…

RPS Finals - Game 3

We’re starting to hit a critical point now - Ted_Hoffman seems to have learned a lot from last year’s Finals, and has jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Will Game 3 be where NerdAlert starts making a move, or will Ted_Hoffman keep blazing along?

Game 3 was efficient - it only took one throw…

R NerdAlert
P TedHoffman

… and now Ted_Hoffman’s only one throw away from claiming the RPS title!
:astonished_face:

Meanwhile for NerdAlert…

:oh_noes: :oh_noes:

(… or NerdAlert’s about to initiate Operation Comeback, just as planned! :tfh: :tfh: )

Stay tuned for Game 4, where things could really get interesting-er (if that’s even possible!)!

Final Four!

TedHoffman defeats NerdAlert in Game 3, TedHoffman leads (3-0)
R NerdAlert
P TedHoffman

NerdAlert   4 --- NerdAlert   0
NmrclNeurot 3

TedHoffman  4 --- TedHoffman  3
JFG         2

Key: * indicates throws submitted; # indicates throws need to be turned in or you will be booted

Note: Completed Region details found in Post 3

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What? Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!..

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We are rooting for you Ted!

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Ted, Ted
He’s our boy
If he can’t do it
No one … will.

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I’m definitely not one to complain about your leniency. I’m just glad I managed to participate and go as far as I did. I was probably one of the reasons it was so slow the first couple rounds.

I just never remembered it going this late. Of course, after I’m out I don’t follow as closely as when I’m still in.

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RPS Finals - Game 4!

Current Status:
:oh_noes:

That’s right - Ted_Hoffman apparently carefully examined his performance from last year’s finals, where he was swept 4-0, and has (so far) perfectly applied that experience to this year’s finals to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Can NerdAlert break through and prevent the sweep (and start her comeback story), or will Ted_Hoffman complete the sweep?

Note the crowd is slightly conflicted with comments like these:

It kinda makes ya wonder: Does NA really mean that, or is this all part of some semi-reverse psychology/“let’s mess with karma” tactic? :thinking:

(After all, it did get NA to the Finals, so you can’t say it’s not working, ya know? :person_shrugging: )

But I digress - back to Game 4! Did Ted_Hoffman complete the sweep?

(peeking at the results)

:frowning:

(Ah, but who is that :frowning: for?)

The :frowning: is for the audience, since the tournament now is over!

S NerdAlert
R TedHoffman

The redemption story is complete! Congrats to Ted_Hoffman, our 2026 RPS Champion!!
:party: :party: :party:
:clap: :clap: :clap:
:party: :party: :party:

Wow, that was a lot to take in! Let’s all catch our breath before we continue on with things. :+1:

Final Four!

TedHoffman defeats NerdAlert in Game 4, TedHoffman wins (4-0)
S NerdAlert
R TedHoffman

NerdAlert   4 --- NerdAlert   0
NmrclNeurot 3

TedHoffman  4 --- TedHoffman  4 --- TedHoffman **2026 RPS Champion**
JFG         2

Key: * indicates throws submitted; # indicates throws need to be turned in or you will be booted

Note: Completed Region details found in Post 3

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Wow! Nice job!

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Congrats @Ted_Hoffman ! I was only beat by the champion 2 years in a row.

Congrats on finally being successful at losing @NerdAlert !

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Incredible, both competitors in the finals played a flawless set of games for their desired outcome! Congrats!

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Congrats Ted!!!

Thanks UA? for all your work on this continued spring entertainment!!!

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Congrats @Ted_Hoffman and @NerdAlert ! You’re both winners (NA at losing, though it took her a while!)

Enjoyed it yet again @UltimateAnyone , thanks for doing such a great job.

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Wow, I don’t even know what to say. Let me see if I can get thoughts out before the band plays me off the stage.

@NerdAlert - congrats on the making the finals, even if you were trying to lose along the way. It’s an incredible accomplishment, hopefully at some point you’re going to feel good about it and think “OK, I really do want to win this.”

@UltimateAnyone - as usual, you put on a fantastic tournament and the updates are top-notch.

Like NA, I jumped into this a year ago for the first time. I really didn’t think I’d make the finals in Year 1, I really didn’t think I’d make the finals in back-to-back years. To be standing on top, … incredible, humbling, and there was definitely some luck involved along the way.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and anyone who cheered or jeered me on. I’m going to soak up the victory for the next ~10 months, until it’s time to defend.

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Now that the competitors have checked in, we can begin our closing ceremonies.

First of all, congrats to everyone who made it to the Final Four - JFG, NumericalNeuroticism, NerdAlert, and Ted_Hoffman. In honor of your achievements, a region will be named after you in the next year’s RPS tournament, and you have reserved rights for a #1 seed in your region, with the opportunity to defend it. It won’t be an easy task, but as Ted_Hoffman demonstrated, it can be done! So well done to you four! :clap: :clap:

Next, let’s openly congratulate Ted_Hoffman for winning March Madness 2026. It may’ve taken us a little while, but we did get done before Memorial Day, so let’s call that a small win. Ted_Hoffman, after last year’s Finals it would’ve been easy to be overly frustrated with the whole RPS game and you could’ve walked away bitter about everything… but instead you returned, more determined than ever, and those efforts paid off - your tenacity and dedication are a model that all RPS participants should look up to in the future. So with that, I officially crown you the 2026 RPS Champion! May you enjoy all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges therein! :clap: :clap:

And last, but most importantly - thank you all, both competitors and spectators alike, for helping keep the RPS tradition alive. It may not seem like much to some of you, and a little silly to others, but I really enjoy seeing a game where everyone can play, and everyone’s got a chance to win. It’s fun to see everyone’s varied approaches, as well as the cheering, heckling, and all around camaraderie that this event brings. So thank you all! :saluting_face:

… and with that, I officially declare March Madness 2026 complete. Thanks again, and enjoy the long holiday weekend! :+1:

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Thanks, @UltimateAnyone for another great season!

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… and speaking of said privileges, welcome to the club, @Ted_Hoffman!

https://community.goactuary.com/badges/123/rps-champion

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