Bootcamp Challenges

2022 MPL bootcamp consisted of 6 different challenges, of increasing complexity:

### **Challenge #1: The Marsimuscle Gym**

This challenge focused on players' Strength. Players were given the option to lift a weight for 1 second for 30 guarantee REDDIES, or to attempt to hold it instead for 10 seconds for a chance at 70 REDDIES.

### **Challenge #2: On the Rocks**

The second challenge was in the Mars pub, and favored players with high Pace stat points. Players' choice was between flipping 3 beer mats for 40 REDDIES, or attempting to flip 12 mats for 75 REDDIES. It was in this challenge that the Red team began to pull away on the Participation leaderboard.

### **Challenge #3: The Training Ground**

This was a penalty kick challenge and highlighted the Finishing skill. Players faced off against Professor Gaffer, who defended the goal and had a choice of three directions he could dive: left, right, or center. Players could choose from among those same three targets, and if they chose the same target Gaffer chose, then their chance on goal failed. Players with higher Finishing skill had a greater chance of their shot being on goal, though they would still miss their chance if they selected the same target as Gaffer.

Added complexity came in this being the first multi-round challenge: if a player's shot was successful, they then had to choose between playing another round, or taking their REDDIES and walking away. With each round the REDDIES prize increased for a successful shot, but each round after the first round also included the chance a player might miss and lose any REDDIES they'd earned. There were 5 rounds total. A total of 58 players played all 5 rounds successfully, and earned 396 REDDIES each.

### **Challenge #4: The Keepy Uppy Club**

This challenge asked players to complete a Mars version of the football trick "Around the World," and included bonuses for certain undisclosed traits as well as for times of day. Players could go the safe route for 30 REDDIES, or choose a riskier path to win 50 REDDIES (or receive nothing if they failed). The base success rate for this challenge was 45% which was lower than previous challenges.

### **Challenge #5: The Pet Training Centre**

This challenge was the first known creation or use of an on-chain Prisoner's Dilemma. It was a step up in complexity both from a design standpoint and from a player standpoint: this was the first time players needed to consider what *other* players might do. The choice seemed simple: to pass, or to nutmeg?

There was an entry fee, though, of 10 REDDIES per player. Five REDDIES would be refunded once a player completed the game. Each player had an opponent, and both players would choose either "Pass" or "Nutmeg." Players receiving probability boosts were those with higher Passing stats (1.5% per stat point), Pets (8% boost), or Pet Whisperer quirks (20% boost). In addition, there was a "nutmeg jar" to be funded with a portion of entry fees and then shared across all players who lost to an opponent who chose "Nutmeg." This was to create an essential question of whether or not to cooperate with an opponent based on the risk/reward involved.

### **Challenge #6: The Bookie**

For the final bootcamp challenge players were introduced to The Bookie, a new character on Mars. The choice involved a REDDIES wager on an Earth game between English Premier League teams Manchester City and West Ham United. Also joining this challenge as a new character was Pundit Pete, who provided a breakdown of the two teams and his projections on match outcome. This challenge was so successful that The Bookie and Pundit Pete became a fixtures on Mars and continue to offer betting and projections.