Arena History

Tuesday, March 31

Two Pandora items were used again tonight.

Both items were used on the same House. The attack was meant to be much bigger, but several Houses filled out illegal perk requests and attempted to have players spend more AP than they had. Those requests failed, which meant that other subsequent attacks also failed.

I will remind you of a portion of the final section of the rules of this game:
"The Number Games are intended to be an enriching educational experience that is also fun. If the game fails to be either, I will declare it as permanently over."

The coordinated attack today was against a House not even in first place. There is another House that has a large lead already. To me, that feels less like trying to win and more like trying to bully. I am VERY much against that. Furthermore, I will not allow this game to be used in that way.

For that reason, I believe that this year's game has run its course. The Number Games will come to an end 30 days from today. The final day of the Number Games will be Thursday, April 30. This should give all Houses and individuals time to make their final moves to become this year's champion.

Thursday, March 26

Friday, February 13

In an absolutely brutal and coordinated attack by multiple Houses, one poor team endured a heavy loss today. My condolences to this House and may brighter days lie just around the corner for you.

The assault began with the activation of a previously unseen Pandora item!

Mr. Clee's Death Star is now controlled by the House that selected this powerful item from Pandora's Box. The Death Star completely destroys the wall of any House, regardless of how heavily it has been reinforced. Even the Unbreakable Barrier cannot withstand a Death Star strike. And if that weren't enough, 300 XP is immediately vaporized from the target House.

For those players who may not know, the Death Star is is basically a giant, planet-destroying spaceship. It is from Star Wars. I have seen about 10 movies total in my lifetime and even I have seen Star Wars.

The Death Star struck today with devastating force, obliterating the reinforced wall, deducting 300 XP, and leaving the now defenseless House exposed to further attacks. The first wave that followed was another new Pandora item!

The Dracula item is a supercharged vampire attack. Dracula steals the same amount as a standard Vampire perk request, plus an additional 150 XP. Dracula also ignores built walls entirely. There is no defense that can stop a Dracula attack. After Dracula, more conventional attacks occurred against this unfortunate House.

And as if all of that wasn't enough, this occurred immediately afterward:

By the end of the chaos, a staggering 1450 XP had been lost, with a chance for more if the Doom Totem curse is not quickly broken. A setback, no doubt, but Number Games history shows that Houses have bounced back from even greater losses. Do not lose hope! The largest coordinated attack in Number Games history targeted a House that ultimately rose to become the overall Champion. It's a powerful reminder that resilience can turn even the greatest challenges into glorious and triumphant victory.

The game is far from over, with plenty of opportunities still ahead - including the final two minigames, which will award more XP than anything we have seen so far. The second minigame will begin in just ten days.

Thursday, February 12

Monday, February 9

Another Pandora item has been used!

The Revenge of the Underdog Pandora item allows its owner to vampire 300 XP from every House that is ahead of them in the Number Games standings. And if that wasn't enough, the House that holds this item immediately recharged it and used it again!

Shortly afterward, another Pandora item was used for the first time!

The Copycat item copies the effect of the last Pandora item used by another House. If the copied Pandora item is a rechargeable item, the copied effect may be used once, after which it disappears. If the copied Pandora item is a constant-use item, the copied effect may be used indefinitely until Copycat is recharged and used again. Copycat can store the effect of only one Pandora item at a time.

Brick walls do not protect Houses from Pandora items, only from vampire/avenger perk attacks and trolls. As I have mentioned multiple times, the Pandora items can be game changers. Hopefully, you were able to get one! Your Pandora item is displayed at the bottom of your home base. Be sure to refresh the page.

Two additional notes: remember that no achievements are repeatable. Once you unlock a particular achievement you cannot earn that same achievement again. Also, a few updates were made to the Perk Shop. Check them out when you get a chance!

Friday, February 6

A new Pandora item was used today!

The Doom Totem allows its owner to place a curse on the House of its choice, immediately removing 200 XP from their House total. The curse then remains active indefinitely, draining 200 XP each school day until the cursed House breaks it by purchasing 10 Gesundheit perks (which is, objectively speaking, the dumbest perk in the game).

If your House was the one unfortunate enough to be cursed, you will now see the Doom Totem image displayed at your Home Base. Be sure to refresh the page. Once 10 Gesundheit perks are purchased, the curse will be lifted.

Another Pandora item was used twice yesterday, but we have seen it before.

The Achievement Forge was used, recharged, and then used again! You'll just have to wait until someone unlocks these achievements to learn what they do.

In other news, Test 6 is finally in the books. This time there were no Flawless Victories, but there were some excellent grades. Congratulations to Helencopter from Fists of Factoring for earning the highest overall grade and unlocking the Test 6 Boss Achievement! In addition, Fists of Factoring earned the Top Dog achievement on the test. Well done!

A correction from last update: there was a Flawless Victory on Test 5 that I neglected to mention. Unknown014356 of Team Once did earn a perfect score on the all-proofs test! Amazing job! Be on the lookout for an update on the upcoming 2nd minigame in the next few days.

Friday, January 23

Happy blizzard weekend and welcome back to all players! Allow me to refresh your memories and give an update on where we are in the game.

Our first minigame came to an end with the start of Winter break. Congratulations to all Houses that were able to open Pandora's Box. My goal for the minigame was to challenge you to apply the principles of logic and reason, while encouraging you to think outside of the box. That is not a pun. I am not Mr. Hallman. I hope that you all had fun with the minigame. If you have any feedback, comments, or suggestions on improvements to Pandora's Box, please let me know. As with all Number Games details, if you would kindly not discuss the game with anyone who could end up playing in the future, I would consider it a great personal favor!

Test 5 is finally (almost) in the books. There were some extremely high scores on the test, which consisted entirely of proofs. There were no Flawless Victories, but three players came within 1 point of a perfect test! Because three or more players earned the top score, no Test 5 Boss achievement was awarded. I was, however, able to award the Top Dog achievement to the Banana Breads for earning the highest House average on the test! Well done!

Most of the Test 6 achievements were also posted today. Top Dog and the Boss achievements can't be determined yet. As of now, there are no Flawless Victories, but there are a few scores over 100%!

A Pandora item was used again today:

I'll close with a bit of advice. It is a good idea to keep track of what your opponents are doing. Try to predict what they might be planning to do next. If you are sleeping on the other Houses, it could quickly be game over!

Until next time,

Wednesday, January 7

A Pandora item was used today!

The Infinity Gauntlet allows players to convert each AP point directly to 5 XP points. As I have said before, some of the Pandora items are game-changers. Be sure to refresh your pages often to see the latest updates to walls and achievements. There will always be a degree of delay, but I will try to update things as fast as I can.

Friday, December 19

Wednesday, December 10

The first Pandora item was used today!

The Achievement Forge item has been used for the first time! The House holding this item has designed an achievement. All criteria for activation and XP/AP totals have been set at their discretion. When a player (or House) meets that criteria, they will unlock that achievement.

When a House uses a Pandora item, it will be posted for all to see, but I will not reveal who owns which item. I would advise keeping your item a secret for as long as you can. Some Pandora items (like the Achievement Forge) can be used and then recharged to use again for 100 AP. Others do not need to be recharged and are always in effect. It depends on the nature of the item.

We now have three Houses who have completed the Pandora's Box minigame. Great job to those groups! There are still nine items left in the box. Remember that the minigame will end next Friday, 12/19 at 2:00 PM. Any House that hasn’t opened the box by then will lose the opportunity entirely. Items left unclaimed will disappear from your game forever.

For the first time in Number Games history, it looks like every House has a realistic shot at opening Pandora’s Box and conquering the minigame. If you are stuck, do not hesitate to purchase a hint. There has never been a Number Games champion who has failed to open Pandora's Box. Good luck to all Houses! I am rooting for you!

Monday, December 8

Saturday, November 22

This week, I introduced the first of three planned minigames - Pandora's Box. A link to the rules of the game can be found on the right side of this page.

Remember that it is against the rules to work on anything involving the minigame when you are supposed to be involved in your classes. I will give you the first 5 minutes of each Geometry class to work on and collaborate about the game. The game must not interfere with anything you are doing in any other class in any way. There are severe penalties if another teacher informs me that you were working on the game when you were supposed to be involved in class. If you have free time in another class, it is fine to work on the game.

I am free on some days during periods 4 or 7. If you have any free time during those periods and your teacher gives you permission, you can set up a time with me to come to the room to work on the game. We will set these sessions to be about 10 minutes long. You can also stop by for a minute or two before lunch or in between periods if you'd like. Remember that it is important that you keep progressing. If you are stuck for more than a day, it might be a good idea to purchase one of your three Phone a Friend perks to get a hint.

Several of the prizes inside Pandora's Box are game-changers. When you see them, you may ask, "Why would you put such a thing into this game?" Answer: "Why wouldn't I put such a thing into this game?" All Houses are very much still in the running to becoming this year's Number Games Champions. Good luck with the first minigame! Many houses are off to a fantastic start! Want to set the all-time record for fastest to open Pandora's Box? Complete the minigame on or before Wednesday, December 3.

Look for Test 4 achievements to be posted on Monday!

Wednesday, November 5

Friday, October 31

Tuesday, October 21

After a relatively slow first week, things are about to pick up with Test 3 upcoming next week. Expect many achievements to be unlocked!

The Restart perk will be removed from the Perk Shop on Friday. You only have a few days remaining to undo your starting House setup choices. Remember that your Home Base is password protected and is a private page for your House members only. When I said that others would see the XP/AP numbers, I meant only that your fellow House mates will see them. Players from other Houses will have no access to these numbers or anything else in your Home Base.

Remember that all perks are private within each House. You will know which perks your fellow House-mates have purchased, but you will not know what other Houses are purchasing with their AP. You'll have to watch the XP and AP totals in the standings to try to determine who is doing what.

Congratulations to the Pi-Hards and Team Once for taking 1st place in our first two House vs House challenges! Congratulations to all other Houses who were also able to prove the theorems during class!

Tuesday, October 14

Welcome to The Number Games! You can click your House flag at the top of the page to navigate to your House page.

Today, I unveiled The Number Games Constitution and this game website. You can each access your private Home Base by clicking the link on your House page. Please check to make sure that your username/password gives you access to your Home Base. House folders have been added to Schoology for you to use as well. These are also private and can only be viewed by players within your House.

If your House submitted all setup requirements on time, then you have unlocked an achievement! Five special House achievements were unlocked by Inedible Objects, The Banana Brigade, The π-Hards, Team Once, and Fists of Factoring. Many people both young and old voted to determine the winners of these awards. Check out the House pages and Leaderboards to see who won what!

If you are unhappy with any of the game setup choices that you made (or that I made for you), you can make changes for the first 2 weeks only (for a nominal AP fee). Check the Perk Shop for details.

Good luck to all Houses! Let the Games begin!