Big Battle Axe

Big Battle Axe (154920)

WINNER OF HATTRICK MASTERS
Preceded by DEOPS	Season 49 CHAMPION	Succeeded by Mishima Zaibatsu

Managed by NickMan
Club information
Nickname	Axes
Location	Kyustendil, Bulgaria
Geographic area	Eastern Europe
Founded	12-08-2003
Stadium	The Boiling Cauldron (102 487 seats)
Team colours
http://res.hattrick.org/kits/9/89/890/889499/matchKitLarge.png
Prize shelf

Big Battle Axe is a Bulgarian team managed by NickMan, Hattrick Masters winner in season 49. In seasons 45 and 47 the club is national double champion and in season 49 becomes the third treble champion in Hattrick's history.

Prize shelf

• Hattrick Masters Champion (global) season 49

Champion Vissha Liga season 33

Cup Winner season 33

• Vissha Liga Champion season 32
• Cup Winner season 31

Vissha Liga Champion season 31

• Vissha Liga Champion season 30
• Cup Winner season 29

Vissha Liga Champion season 29

• II.3 Champion season 28
• III.13 Champion season 27
• IV.8 Champion season 25
• V.67 Champion season 24
• VI.875 Champion season 22
• VI.875 Champion season 21
• VI.875 Champion season 20
• V.242 Champion season 17
• III.5 Champion season 9
• IV.14 Champion season 5

Palmares

• Hattrick Masters Champion

1 (global season 49)

• Bulgarian National Cup Champion

3 (global season 45, 47, 49)

• Vissha Liga Champion

5 (global season 45-49)

• Double Champion

3 (global season 45, 47, 49).

• Treble Champion

1 (global season 49).

HT-Press

Counteractions with predetermined outcome

Written by LA-blah_blah (January 2013)

Introduce yourself briefly!

Male, 43 years old, Gemini, programmer, power gamer.

Nickname in HT: NickMan

The name of the team in HT: Big Battle Axe

You won the title 5 times in a row; in that period you also won 3 national cups and won the Masters once. You say

The only thing that matters is the financial return (in HT currency) from the results. The titles/cups have no value of their own...

But do these titles/cups have to be measured only by their financial return? What about the prestige from the success after many seasons of planning? What about the fun from competing or the pride of overcoming the competition? What do you have "to get" when you win title/cup?

I don't have to prove anything. I'm not interested in bragging or showing off. What I wanted was simply to play a game and eventually play it well. Ironically, playing is the only thing that isn't allowed in HT. So:

1. Yes, the titles/cups have only monetary value. They give absolutely nothing else. Well, unless someone needs to prove him-/her- self over the Internet. In that case, the trophies add to the self evaluation. The person becomes somehow important... over the Internet.

2. One doesn't really need a title for the prestige or for the success. One needs to leave a track, to be him-/her- self. One needs to play, not to be played. The titles/cups can't make you a better player.

3. One can compete at any level, not only at the top. So, no, the fun "up there" is not different than the fun "down there". And to be proud from seeing your plans fulfilled, no matter at what levels, doesn't require a title or a cup. If it was possible, I would gladly give all my trophies to anyone that feels they will do something good to him/her, with all the rights to brag about them.

4. Titles/Cups have to give something in-game. Something, that money can't buy. Something, that time can't cover. For example, higher cap for the skill drops – by skill, by age or by both. Or faster training. Or... well, you get the idea – something to play for!

Last season was controversial for the Axes – lost the cup final and sabotaged the league at the end (you were the certain champion with two games to go, but decided to go for two walkover losses). Why did you do it? Did you want to illustrate more clearly your discontentment from the game by damaging your team?

It is strange to ask me this. Especially after you know why I was here. I've stated numerous times, that I didn't play for cups and titles. I played for the process of playing itself. For the challenge. For the feeling. The cups and the titles had only monetary value for me. In my last season, they didn't even have that. My goal was to defend the cup (no one managed to do so in Bulgaria) without sacrificing the league performance. Only sort of a challenge could have motivated me enough to play in this last season.

I knew what I was up against but nevertheless I was quite disappointed to see one more time that I didn't play the same game as the others. My league mates played chaotic and without plan. As a result, they still had no chance to win the title, but more or less affected my performance for the cup. Even more – some of them had a quite comfortable cup run because of my decision to go for the cup. Many of their opponents didn't MOTS, being afraid/aware, that next they will meet my team.

The cup... I read some ridiculous statements about how I should and shouldn't have played in the final, while all the authors had no clue about the subject they were talking about. Anyway, the result there was normal. My opponent did enough to win. Deserved to win I would say. I lost that final not in the day it was played. I lost it earlier.

As I stated in the forum, this was my sweet revenge. My actions make difference, because I know exactly why I do the things I do. Of course I could just take the title and move away. Yet, like a normal person, I also have feelings. My decision to throw away the title had financial and other consequences – the champion would have additional at least 1.2M euro/usd (title bonus + at least one match in the Masters) at his disposal against the other teams in the league. 4 teams had chances for the title. Some of them had direct clashes during the last rounds. All but one of their managers would feel what it is to lose something in a single (maybe unlucky) match. And next season, a team with massive amount of cash enters the division.

And about my team – it's gone. I created it and I destroyed it. My decision at the end had no effect whatsoever, save leaving this site two weeks earlier. Another positive thing!

And finally – what is the probability for you to return to Hattrick? A) I might never quit (~ 100%) B) If a certain aspect of the game is changed (50%) C) Not likely in the following months (~ 15%) D) Surely not in the foreseeable years (~ 0%)

Not ever (exactly 0%). Being a programmer, I know how much code can be written in a few months, as long as there’s desire to do so. After 8 years nothing is accomplished, therefore there’s simply no will for that. Obviously, HTs see no problem and all is a garden of roses for them. The trouble is I don’t fit in this garden …

Also, I believe before one starts looking for a solution to a certain problem, one must first accept there’s a problem, and secondly, to have the desire to solve it. (Quote from private correspondance)

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