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Director's Notes

Written by: Zange (talk)

Shroom2019 Zange.png

Ohhhhh boy what a months it's been so far. Happy July, and if you actually play video games on release (can't relate oof) then Happy Bananza!

A loooot has happened for me since last issue. I finished out the carpenter job I was working, for starters! I loved my coworkers, loved the work, and had a really good experience here for the most part, but to make a long story short I will not be going back next year unless a miracle happens! (yes there's tea behind this, if you don't already know and want to you can shoot me a PM on the Boards) After that I moved all my stuff into a new house! I live with a very good friend that I was in a show with together, and someone else who was also in that show is moving in next month!! I'm very excited hehe. Then to cap it all off I've had a veeeeery busy week this week, starting with Monday hitting the waterpark with some friends and getting sunburnt oof (before anyone asks yes I put on sunscreen but it must have washed off in places...) Anyways, the chaos is now over for a little bit. Can't wait to just sleeeeeep....0.

Anyways, we've got some fun and spectacular things here in Pipe Plaza for you this month! After a long break, NIWA News returns, this time being written by Trig Jegman (talk)! That's not all, because every other Pipe Plaza section you know and love is here too! Don't forget that you, too, can write a fun and spectacular section for Pipe Plaza, or any other 'Shroom team! Just head to the sign up page to get started!

That's all from me this month, I hope you enjoy your time in Pipe Plaza ^^

Section of the Month

Congratulations to this month's winners! In first place, we have Sparks (talk) with The History of Cozy Glow! For the second month in a row, in second place we have OH BABY A TRIPLE: Shoey (talk) with What's in a Campaign?, Waluigi Time (talk) with LEGO Look, and Zange (talk) with A Section of Muppetational Origins are all sharing silver this time! Thank you to everyone who votes for their favorite sections as well.

PIPE PLAZA SECTION OF THE MONTH
Place Section Votes % Writer
1st The History of Cozy Glow 5 27.78% Sparks (talk)
2nd What's in a Campaign? 3 16.67% Shoey (talk)
2nd LEGO Look 3 16.67% Waluigi Time (talk)
2nd A Section of Muppetational Origins 3 16.67% Zange (talk)
News and information
NIWA News
Trig Jegman (talk)
Stay up-to-date with the latest happenings from the NIWA wiki network!
read more
Mario Calendar
GPM1000 (talk)
Find out all about this month's Super Mario releases.
read more
To-Do Tracker
Camwoodstock (talk)
No clue what to do? Join the fun and see what's been done!
read more
Poll Committee Discussion
Sparks (talk)
The best analysis of the polls around!
read more
Anniversary Announcements
Lakituthequick (talk)
The ongoings of the Mario Awards.
read more
The 'Shroom Report
Waluigi Time (talk)
All the latest writers and all the milestones of the current ones.
read more
What's in a Campaign?
Shoey (talk)
This month's robot is sending opponents to their graves!
read more

NIWA News

Written by: Trig Jegman (talk)

NIWA logo with the japanese characters for garden in the background (にわ)

Welcome to this quarter's NIWA News panel, covering changes, developments, projects, promotions/demotions, and more across the NIWA organization. With the recent release of the Nintendo Switch 2, many wikis will be quite busy in the upcoming season to document the new games releasing for the console. Don't forget about the smartphone apps Nintendo Music or Nintendo Today!

New Member

Logo for Zelda Wiki FR

The recently-forked French Zelda Wiki has joined NIWA, becoming the second French language wiki to do so and marking the 40th wiki to join the organization. Zelda Wiki FR joins the recently-formed Spanish site to leave Fandom behind, and is also a member of the francophone alliance Alliance des Wikis Indépendants Francophones (AWIF). Give them a warm welcome!

Staff changes

  • Thespeon196 has been promoted to Administrator on Bulbapedia.
  • Vmario97 has stepped down from their role as Bureaucrat and Administrator of Nookipedia after six years of contributions. Thank you for your work, and best wishes!
  • Plague von Karma has stepped down from their role as Administrator from SmashWiki. Thank you for your contributions!

Major developments

Featured Wiki Projects

This new section of NIWA News showcases one or a handful of wikis and their major projects underway that could use more assistance in completing. This could be major image recaptures, article creation, new game mode documentation, article splitting, and more. Consider lending a hand to these wikis! Your help would be greatly appreciated. Don't forget to review their policies and rules when hopping onto a project.

F-Zero Wiki

F-Zero Wiki has been splitting its course planet pages into individual tracks, instead covering these topics as their own dedicated space. This change requires a lot of hands on deck, in order to cover all appearances of all courses. Those whom are able to help in this process are highly encouraged to participate in splitting! Most F-Zero titles can be found through Nintendo Switch Online, as well as F-Zero 99 being free to play. Entry into the series has never been easier, and your help would be greatly appreciated.

MiiWiki

Pages are being created for every CPU Mii that appears in major titles. With great headway, some games still are missing a large quantity of Miis. Some games in need of coverage are Wii Sports Club, Wii Party, and Wii Sports Resort. The game Wii Play Motion is also missing pages for some of the minigames themselves. Those interested in helping should consult Z-Gamer Guys for more information.

This concludes this installment of NIWA News. For questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, contact NIWA's Vice Coordinator Trig Jegman.

Mario Calendar

Written by: GPM1000 (talk)

Hello everyone, and welcome to July's edition of Mario Calendar! I hope everyone's had a wonderful start to their summers so far :) and enjoying the release of the amazing Donkey Kong Bananza!! Let's see what else came out this month, shall we?

Region Abbreviations

Abb. Region
ALL All Regions (JP/NA/EU/AU)
JP Japan
NA North America
EU Europe
AU Oceania/Australia
SK South Korea
CHN China
UK United Kingdom

Console Abbreviations

Abb. Console
NES Nintendo Entertainment System
Famicom Family Computer Disk System
SNES Super Nintendo Entertainment System
N64 Nintendo 64
GC Nintendo GameCube
GB Game Boy
GBC Game Boy Color
GBA Game Boy Advance
DS Nintendo DS
3DS Nintendo 3DS
Switch Nintendo Switch
Wii VC Nintendo Wii Virtual Console
3DS VC Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
Wii U VC Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console
VB Virtual Boy
G&W Game and Watch
64DD Nintendo 64 Disk Drive
MS-DOS Microsoft Disk Operating System
CD-i Philips CD-i
IQ iQue Player
NVS Nvidia Shield
ACPC Amstrad CPC
ZX ZX Spectrum
Coleco Colecovision
TI-99 Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
  • July 31

So, the big thing is obviously Donkey Kong Bananza. I don't have a Switch 2 yet, but between this and Mario Kart World, I can't WAIT. This game looks so great, and I love how it really puts Nintendo's increasing tendency to provide player freedom on full display. I see it as a total killer app for the console, and I would love to buy it if it was actually in stock…

But, let's not forget the other upcoming Switch 2 game - the Switch 2 version of Mario Party Jamboree! I never actually played Jamboree, so I can't say too much about this, but it does seem pretty cool! I still question how much of the Switch 2 playerbase will adopt the camera peripheral and integrate it into their games, but it'll be interesting to see how it goes!

Also just a quick shout that this is the month where Donkey Kong initially debuted on Arcade in Japan. And on Famicom two years later! So it's quite fitting that Donkey Kong Bananza came out all these years later :) anyways, that's it from me! Enjoy the rest of your month, and I'll see you all in August!

To-Do Tracker

Written by: Cam / Tori / Cecil / Claire / Macy (talk)

Greetings once again! A lot can change in a month, huh? We're in the middle of preparation for the awards season, and have even been promoted to patrollers now! And with this newfound power, what will happen to the To-Do Tracker...? ...well, not really much at all. At the end of the day, we're the same as we've always been, and it's not like our new duties are mutually exclusive with us keeping track of the various to-do items. So, let's get a move on with that, shall we?

Note: All dates here, unless otherwise noted, were taken fairly late at night in EST; around 1-3 AM EST. In this case, June 25th was taken at 11 AM EST.

June & July To-Do Items
To-Do Item Jun 18, 2025 Jun 25, 2025 Jul 2, 2025 Jul 9, 2025 Jul 16, 2025
Spotlight focuses 4 2 2 2 2
Ongoing TPPs 20 12 13 8 6
Unimplemented Proposals 30+ 30+ 30+ 30+ 30+
Unresolved Discussions 260 269 273 274 277
Construction Projects 105 105 105 104 105
Rewrites Needed 131 134 134 134 135
Sourcing Issues 19,933 19,892 19,848 19,841 19,845
Stub Articles 674 678 690 729 735
Wanted Articles 1000+ 1000+ 1000+ 1000+ 1000+
Suggested Moves 63 62 59 61 65
Suggested Merges 66 64 63 58 57
Suggested Splits 44 45 45 46 47
Deprecated Parameters N/A N/A N/A 630 143
Reference Errors 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Missing Romanizations N/A 1 N/A N/A N/A
Unknown Meanings N/A 1 N/A N/A N/A
Image Quality 3,953 3,859 3,864 3,874 3,877
Images Needed 724 726 735 686 693
Media Needed 289 303 318 332 342
Media Quality 5 5 5 5 5
Unused Files 100+ 100+ 100+ 100+ 100+
Files To Be Used 73 17 26 25 16

For some observations for how the numbers have progressed, and some potential targets:

  • Firstly, that huge spike in Deprecated parameters is thanks to Template:Mission infobox, which recently had its before/after parameters deprecated in favor of previous/next. If you're familiar with the changes to Level infobox, it's much the same ordeal here.
  • Despite the very noticeable dip in ongoing TPPs, a far cry from the peak of 30 last month, unimplemented TPPs have remained steady at 30+. If you've made one of these proposals, please pitch in and help implement it!
  • Between moves/merges/splits, moves has held more-or-less steady, and splits has slowly grown, but merges has actually managed a noticeable decrease. Congratulations!
  • Media Needed has continued its grim rise, as the expanded music coverage reveals a lot of previously missed tracks. There's a real chance it might reach 500 by the end of summer. If you're musically inclined, please feel free to pitch in!
  • Media Quality has once again managed to go through an entire month without any activity whatsoever. Old habits die hard, we suppose, but at least it isn't going up.
  • Files To Be Used has been on decent pace to clear itself out, going from over 70 files to just under 20. If you're someone responsible for those files, help pitch in and make sure they get put to use sooner, rather than later!

Poll Committee Discussion

Written by: Sparks (talk)

Oh boy! It's my turn to write Poll Committee Discussion! Such an exciting privilege...

Alrighty! Hi everybody! I'm Sparks, your friendly local pony fan! The past two times I've wrote something for Pipe Plaza, they were both about ponies, but now it's time for me to talk about polls created by the 15th Poll Committee in July 2025's Poll Committee Discussion! More specifically, I'll discuss the two most recent polls! I will introduce them and then go over their results in detail.

Let's get started! Here we have the two polls and their results:

Archives

How do you like to play Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 games? (Sparks (talk), June 8th, 2025)

How do you like to play Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 games?

Using a Wireless Pro Controller with only button controls. 29.96% (732 votes)
In handheld mode with both Joy-Cons attached to the console. 22.31% (545 votes)
Using two Joy-Cons with only button controls. 14.61% (357 votes)
I have no opinion. 9.95% (243 votes)
Using a Wireless Pro Controller with motion controls. 8.72% (213 votes)
Using two Joy-Cons with motion controls. 3.52% (86 votes)
Using a Wired Pro Controller (no motion) 3.48% (85 votes)
I prefer playing Nintendo Switch games a different way from those listed above. 3.23% (79 votes)
Using one Joy-Con with only button controls. 2.09% (51 votes)
In tabletop mode with both Joy-Cons detached from the console. 1.19% (29 votes)
Using Mouse Mode from a Joy-Con. 0.53% (13 votes)
Using one Joy-Con with motion controls. 0.41% (10 votes)
Total votes: 2,443

Which Kongs would you like to see return in Donkey Kong Bananza? (Boo1268, June 22nd, 2025)

Which Kongs would you like to see return in Donkey Kong Bananza?

Funky Kong 24.40% (1,623 votes)
Chunky Kong 11.88% (790 votes)
Lanky Kong 10.36% (689 votes)
Tiny Kong 9.92% (660 votes)
Candy Kong 9.31% (619 votes)
Swanky Kong 7.71% (513 votes)
Kiddy Kong 7.17% (477 votes)
Wrinkly Kong 6.92% (460 votes)
I have no opinion. 4.36% (290 votes)
I'm fine with the current Kongs shown so far. 4.27% (284 votes)
I would like to see a Kong not listed here appear. 3.71% (247 votes)
Total votes: 6,652

Analysis

How do you like to play Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 games?

This poll goes over the many methods of playing games on the Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2. So many ways to play too! I was the one who came up with the poll idea. This poll had a total of 2,443 votes.

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
What better way to play your games than with a reliable controller? It's the cream of the crop!

The most popular option voted for was to use a Wireless Nintendo Switch Pro Controller with only button controls, with a total of 732 votes, almost 30% (29.96% to be exact) of the total vote count! Unfortunately, I don't have one myself, so I don't know the wonders of having such an incredible controller. Maybe now I'll obtain one just to see if what everybody says is true. I can definitely see the advantages to having a Wireless Pro Controller though; being able to just grab one controller instead of two Joy-Cons and you can be anywhere you want while playing your favorite games! That's right, you don't have to worry about remaining in close proximity to your Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 because there aren't any wires involved. Just kick back, relax, and just play a game without having to swing your arms around everywhere. Simple button controls on a classic controller are the best after all! Well, at least that's what the general public thinks. I'm not judging! Kinda reminds me of an XBOX 360 controller actually, just without the big "X"... oh yeah!

In second place (also earning itself a silver medal) is to have both Joy-Cons attached to the console, with 545 votes, or 22.31% of all the votes! The Nintendo Switch is a revolutionary console, allowing people to play on the big screen (that's the TV!) or on the go thanks to its portability. With the ability to take it anywhere, it makes sense why so many voted for this option. I mean that's the point of the Nintendo Switch and its successor; you can take the fun wherever you go! Wanna get together with friends and family on road trips, sleepovers, or the like? This is the option for you! I find myself playing in handheld mode pretty often, but you have to worry about when the console gets low on battery. An upside to this is that you can charge the console AND the Joy-Cons at the same time! There's so much potential to be had here folks! The Nintendo Switch Lite would fall under this option too.

Coming in third place (bronze medal!) is the option to use two Joy-Cons with only button controls, racking up 357 votes (or if you're into percentages, 14.61% of all votes)! This is my preferred way to play my games, and this was the option I voted for. This is the perfect way to play with other people, whether it be at your home, a friend's house, or even a party or other exciting public event! It's the classic way to enjoy video games 'cause everyone can see the action happen right before their eyes! Oh, that's super amazing isn't it? The question is, do you play with both Joy-Cons attached to their unique controller or do ya hold them separately in each hand? Hmmmm, I should've made that an option. Oh well! The Joy-Cons also have a much longer lasting battery life than the console itself, so you can play all day without having to charge 'em up. When you go to sleep, that's when you let them recharge for so that they're ready for tomorrow! There also aren't any motion controls, so once again you can relax in the comforts of your couch, chair, bed, or wherever you are!

Up next is the most unexpected result of the poll, at least I think it is due to it being in 4th place - 243 voters (9.95% of all voters) have no opinion. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe people like multiple styles of playing and couldn't just choose one option? Or maybe they don't like any of the methods? Who knows? It's interesting to see this option in the higher end of the results though!

We finally have our first motion-based result! In fifth place, 213 voters (or 8.72% of all voters) prefer to use a Wireless Pro Controller with motion controls. Basically take everything I said about the Pro Controller and add the motion features to it. Be aware that you won't be able to kick back and relax however. You'll also have to wave the controller around using your arms like it's a superhero toy saving the day! Well, maybe don't be too reckless; those controllers aren't cheap! You'll be able to fully enjoy the games with motion controls involved, like Super Mario Odyssey, so once again there are advantages to using different control styles! Always look on the bright side of everything, you know? Pinkie Pie taught me that! What? I had to add in a pony somewhere!

OK! Receiving 86 votes (or 3.52% of the total vote count) is the option to use two Joy-Cons with motion controls! Pretty similar to the "Wireless Pro Controller with motion controls" option, so I won't spend too much time talking about this one. You can however do cool stuff that you wouldn't be able to do with a Pro Controller, like play WarioWare: Move It! That's... all I've got for this one. Moving on!

Ohhhhhhhh, we're halfway there... through our first poll!

Seventh place now! If these options were racers, these remaining ones would be complaining. Anyways, it's time for the Wireless Pro Controller's underappreciated sibling to get the spotlight! With 86 votes (one vote behind the previous one!), or 3.52% of all the voters is the option to use a Wired Pro Controller! This controller lacks motion capabilities, so if you use it, you can only play with button controls. Unlike the Wired Pro Controller, I actually have one of these! It's just sitting on the shelf collecting dust however... and I have reasons on why it is! My experiences with this particular controller haven't been positive sadly. The joysticks get stuck pretty often (way worse than Joy-Con drift!) and there's a strange button on the back that acts as another "A" button if I remember. What's up with that? Once I obtained new colored Joy-Cons, I had no use for the Wired Pro Controller anymore. I understand if you all like it though! Hopefully I didn't change your mind if you previously enjoyed using it... sorry if I did!

Eight is great! Eighth place goes to playing Nintendo Switch games a different way not listed! Hmmm... I wonder how the 79 voters (3.23% of all voters) play their games. Are there more controlling methods I'm unaware of? Or maybe there are new ways to play with existing controllers I don't know about? It's a mystery to me! I'll have to look further into this. That'll be for later though! I have to continue this section!

Footage of Mario Kart World shown on the Nintendo Switch 2
Playing on the go has never been more satisfying!

We've gone over some of the double Joy-Con options, so it's only fitting to discuss the first single Joy-Con one here - one Joy-Con with button controls! With 51 voters (2.09% of 'em all!), this one has respectfully claimed ninth place. Have you misplaced one Joy-Con by accident? Or are you waiting for one to finish charging? Fear not: you can still play with the remaining one! Thankfully, there are plenty of games that support such circumstances (Kirby Star Allies and Just Shapes & Beats anyone?), and you don't have to pretend it's a Wii Remote because motion controls aren't needed! Perfect for those who like simple controllers that function similarly to NES controllers and sideways Wii Remotes. Ooh nostalgia!

Getting there! Tenth place goes to playing in tabletop mode with both Joy-Cons detached from the console, which 29 voters (1.19% of all votes) voted for! This is the perfect way to play with your buddies when you're camping or going on a picnic... and there's no TV around to hook up the Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2. Gather around and play at a table or something similar! I've done it before! It's just as fun as playing on the big screen, trust me! It's another selling point of the Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 because fun can be had with friends and family anywhere, anytime. Cool!

In second to last place is to use one Joy-Con in Mouse Mode, voted 13 times, or 0.53% of all the votes! With the recent release of the Nintendo Switch 2, it was expected that this option wouldn't be high at all, due to it being exclusive to said console. That didn't stop people from voting for it though, and it's not dead last! I'm curious to try it out myself when I get a Nintendo Switch 2. I betcha it'll be lots of fun! Just make sure to have a solid surface nearby and not use the soft couch to control the "mouse", you want it to be as responsive as possible!

Finally (for this poll), we reached the least popular option: using one Joy-Con with motion controls! Only 10 people voted for this, or 0.41% of all the votes total. I can see potential with this option being the best. Super Mario Party is very likely the best game available that makes the most of this option. It's very comparable to a Wii Remote, which isn't a bad thing! There's still fun to be had here!

Now, taking a look at all the results in general. Most people prefer to play their games with controllers involving both of their hands and without the use of motion controls. That makes sense! Motion controls aren't always responsive, but simply pressing buttons always works no matter what, as long as they're not old or broken. The point is, buttons are more popular! It's also nice to see the handheld option very high up here; it's what the Nintendo Switch and its successor shine at!

Which Kongs would you like to see return in Donkey Kong Bananza?

It was created by the fancy phantom himself, Boo1268! There are a lot of Kongs in the Donkey Kong games, but which ones do you want to make a comeback for DK's newest adventure? This poll allowed for multiple choices! There were also a total of 6,652 votes! That's a really high number. Maybe the reason it's so high is because of the ability for people to vote for multiple options? Either way, it's great to see such engagement.

In first place we have - - (record scratch) OK. You know what? I spent too much time talking about that other poll. I'm gonna make this one fun!

Artwork of Funky Kong from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Funky Kong is perfect for parties and celebrations!

Here - - here - - here we go!

So they're finally here, chosen by you
If you know the words you can join in too
Or if you don't want to, that's totally cool
As I take you through this Kong poll!

In first place - it's Funky Kong!
With the most votes (1,623), it's where he belongs!
He's awesome, cool, and loves to race
Now we need him back 'cause he is an ace!

With the silver medal it's Chunky Kong!
Earning 790 votes he finished strong!
As we all know, he's one heckuva guy
If he makes it in, then the game's worth the buy!

Coming in third, it's Lanky's turn!
He got 689 votes, a bronze medal he earns!
With a funny face, and no style or grace
It makes sense on why he didn't get last place!

Who is next? Why it's Tiny Kong!
Getting 660 votes, she's next in this song!
She can float through the air and climb up trees
Want her in the game? Then say "yes please!"

Huh! DK! Donkey Kong! DK! Donkey Kong is here!

Now we're halfway there, only four to go!
Candy Kong is next, to continue the show!
How many votes? it's 619
Come on Nintendo add her in, don't be mean!

Swanky Kong's here too, what a cool design
He has 513 votes, so he's next in line
We need quizzes and prizes, as they're all great fun
With Swanky added then that problem is done!

Alright Kiddy Kong, it's your time to shine
You have 477 votes? That's perfectly fine
Don't judge him based on age and size
Especially for foes, 'cause that's not wise

It's now the end, but there's still one more
Wrinkly Kong is last, and she's not a bore!
She got 460 votes, that's quite a feat
Now let's end this rap, try to stay on the beat!

DK! Donkey Kong! DK! Donkey Kong!

This poll isn't finished yet! There are still three options that aren't covered yet. 290 voters had no opinion. Like the controllers poll, there are many reasons on why people might've chosen this option.

284 voters are fine with the current Kongs shown so far. Cranky, Diddy and Dixie Kong are all great Kongs, plus we have VoidCo, and I completely understand why people selected this option. It's nice to see lots of Kongs, but sometimes only the notable ones are necessary.

Lastly, 247 voters would like to see a Kong not listed here. There are many, many Kongs throughout the Donkey Kong franchise, including (but not limited to) Bluster Kong, Baby Kong and Rabbid Cranky. There probably won't be a pink variant of Donkey Kong Jr., but imagine if that was in the game! By the time this 'Shroom Issue releases, the game will already be out, so this section may become outdated. Who knows what'll happen?

Now let's take a look at the entire poll and summarize what we just learned. All of the Kongs got the first eight placements, while the other options claimed the last three positions. Funky Kong also got more than double the votes of the second place winner, Chunky Kong. Goes to show how popular he is! I also noticed that the most popular Kongs were featured in the "DK Rap", minus Funky Kong. Obviously that doesn't mean the others are forgotten!

Whoo! Unfortunately, this marks the end of this month's Poll Committee Discussion... but never fear! Current chairperson Paper Plumm (talk) will continue coverage of these cool polls next month! What will the next two polls be you ask? I'd rather not spoil the surprise. But before you go, thanks for reading and stay tuned for next time! Goodbye!

Anniversary Announcements

Written by: Lakituthequick (talk)

“The meanest trick they could pull would be to release the Mario Kart World soundtrack between when the presentations are finalized and the awards ceremony.”
—jan Misali (talk · Boards)

Hello and welcome to the mid-winter (southern hemisphere) edition of Anniversary Announcements! It's the silence-before-the-storm month, the excitement is cooking, let's see what's new.

The polls are closed!

Indeed, the polls closed for voting a week after last month's release, and the results have been distributed to the presenters. The first check-in date has also passed, with the next one happening around a week after this writing.

Do not forget to note down Friday the 22nd of August, as the date of the Awards Ceremony! It is certain to be another blast!
Also don't forget that due to this timing, the next issue of The 'Shroom has been pushed back to Saturday the 30th of August.

Tournaments

In this section of AA, I shall update you on all things tournaments, including new ones and progress in ongoing ones.

One new tournament has appeared, and has also finished within nine days, over the last month.

Everyone is Mafia (with a Side of Roles)
A short variant game of Mafia where all players are Mafia and have the ability to submit a kill each night, in addition to traditional roles. The game ran for five nights, with Roserade ending up on top! Congratulations!

The events and games thread can be used to discuss and gauge interest for future activities.

Short but sweet, don't you say? Until next time, we hope to see you at the ceremony and have an excellent celebration with us! Buh-bye!

The 'Shroom Report

Written by: Waluigi Time (talk)

Hello there, 'Shroom readers! It's time to report on Issue 219, one of my favorites in a while! Seriously, if you missed it, go check it out. It was, as they say, "oh le banger". And as a bonus reporting fun fact, it had the second highest number of sections in any issue, only behind Issue 200! Thanks as always to Meta Knight for maintaining our spreadsheets, which made providing that factoid and all these other factoids possible.

Also, I'm tracking a new milestone! As of this issue, writers will now be mentioned for their first contribution to a team.

For new readers or anyone needing a refresher, please open the box below.

​
  • First-Time Writers lists everyone who wrote their first section for The 'Shroom in the previous issue.
  • New Sections lists recurring sections that started their run in the previous issue. This includes returning sections that previously went inactive.
  • Guest Sections lists one-off submissions from the previous issue.
  • Milestones covers certain section numbers reached in the previous issue. Writers are mentioned for every 10 sections written in a team and every 50 sections written overall, teams are mentioned for every 100 sections, and The 'Shroom itself is mentioned for every 500 sections. Additionally, writers are mentioned the first time they contribute to a particular team.
  • Most Sections Written lists the current all-time record holders.
First-Time Writers
Writer Section
Koopa (talk) Investigative Research
New Sections
Section Writer
Pyro Invents Stuff Legend 8
The Tattle Log Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Guest Sections
Section Writer
A Message from VoidCo Technetium (talk)
Close Encounters of the Shroom Kind ClawgripFan9001
Diggin' Up Dirt Waluigi Time (talk)
Investigative Research Koopa (talk)
News Flush Technetium (talk)
News Flush TheBlueCatMenace
News Flush Waluigi Time (talk)
Overlook Mountain Auction House Presents Shoey (talk) and Waluigi Time (talk)
Police Blotter ClawgripFan9001
Shop Scout Sparks (talk)
Why I HATE The 'Shroom! Boo1268
Criminal Case Files Boo1268
Community Art Boo1268
Community Art Waluigi Time (talk)
Die WAH With A Vengeance ClawgripFan9001
Random Image of the Month Shoey (talk)
The Triple A Gang Rob the Mushroom Kingdom Bank Sparks (talk)
Too Bad, Storytime! Waluigi Time (talk)
LEGO Look Waluigi Time (talk)
The History of Cozy Glow Sparks (talk)
Movie Review Sparks (talk)
Paper Mario Boss Ranking Waluigi Time (talk)
Super Ninelevendo Entertainment Reviews Ninelevendo (talk)
Fading Into Obscurity Shoey (talk)
Rising From Obscurity Waluigi Time (talk)
Teslas vs. an Evil Wizard Sparks (talk)
Classifieds The 'Shroom Staff
My Switch 2 Unboxing Aomaf (talk)
Milestones
Writer Milestone
Aomaf (talk) 1st Main/Staff section
BBQ Turtle (talk) 100 overall sections
Boo1268 1st Palette Swap section
FunkyK38 (talk) 550 overall sections
Hooded Pitohui (talk) 80 Main/Staff sections
Hypnotoad (talk) 210 Critic Corner sections
Koopa (talk) 1st Fake News section
Legend 8 20 Fake News sections
Ninja Squid (talk) 250 overall sections
Sparks (talk) 50 overall sections
Waluigi Time (talk) 60 Main/Staff sections
90 Palette Swap sections
450 overall sections
Zange (talk) 70 Pipe Plaza sections
Most Sections Written
Team Writer Number of Sections
Main/Staff Henry Tucayo Clay (talk) 142
Fake News Waluigi Time (talk) 165
Fun Stuff Shoey (talk) 159
Palette Swap FunkyK38 (talk) 209
Pipe Plaza Yoshi876 (talk) 128
Critic Corner Hypnotoad (talk) 210
Strategy Wing Hooded Pitohui (talk) 155
Overall Yoshi876 (talk) 747
'Shroom Trivia
Of the three 'Shroomfest point categories, efforts is the only one that has never been won by the losing team. The losing team has received more votes three times, and Team Beaches is the only losing team to receive more endorsements.

What's in a Campaign?

Written By: Shoey (talk)

Hello, and welcome back to What's in a Campaign?, a section where I take a look at competitors from one of my childhood favorite shows, BBC's Robot Wars. Last month was my 50th edition, and to celebrate I took a look at the full career of the low-tech warrior Sumpthing. Unfortunately, Sumpthing was about as good at robot combat as the name "low-tech warrior" would suggest. And to be frank, the quality of robot isn't going to be improving that much this month. Because this month, we're taking a look at a robot I was for some reason fond of, Series 4's The Morgue!

Bright Color, Dangerous, Easily Seen!

A project from the Morriston Comprehensive School sponsored by Morganite Electrical Carbons Ltd., The Morgue's team was headed up by Dorian Caudy, Head of the Technology Department at Morriston, and joined by fellow Technology Department employee Mark Hooper. Originally the student lead on the project, Steven Bowen, was supposed to appear with the team, but he had to drop out due to exams. So instead, an employee of the sponsor, Huw White, accompanied the team.

For weapons, The Morgue sported a lifter controlled by a spiked lifting fork protected by 3mm aluminum check plates. The lifter had the capability to lift up to 150kg, meaning that it would have no problem lifting any robot in Series 4's 80kg weight limit field. But the weapon of The Morgue was really secondary to the distinct design of The Morgue, with the robot sporting a mustard-yellow shell built from Kevlar and a fiberglass shell with a terrifying image of the Grim Reaper on the side of the robot and an image of three chains connected (the logo of their sponsor) on its back. The shell was designed to be a rollover. In other words, if the robot was flipped or turned over, they would simply land back on their wheels. Somewhat slow, but weighing 76kg, The Morgue was here to lift the other robots out of the competition!

As a reminder, all pictures are sourced from the fantastic Robot Wars Wiki. If you'd like to watch any of these fights, a video has been provided with timestamps provided in the section.

In the qualifiers, The Morgue managed to reap the soul of its opponent VenoM by bashing it to death! After that convincing win, The Morgue was granted a spot in Series 4, being placed in Heat C. In the first round of Heat C, The Morgue would face off against former 'Shroom Director NS's favorite robot, the 5th-seeded Firestorm, as well as fellow newcomer Scar. The fight (1:34) starts with Firestorm immediately targeting the invertible spinner Scar, easily flipping them over and taking no damage in the process.

The Morgue briefly controlling the number 5 seed.

Taking advantage of Firestorm being distracted, The Morgue would charge into the side of Firestorm, even managing to briefly get a little under the side. But before they can lift up Firestorm, the quicker robot manages to get away and reposition itself to the front of The Morgue. As this is happening, Scar puts its blade into the backside of The Morgue, but it doesn't appear any notable damage has happened. The three robots meet in the middle as The Morgue and Scar bump into each other. Sensing that neither one of these robots is on its level, Firestorm targets Scar because, I suppose, a spinning blade is more dangerous than lifting forks. Firestorm easily gets under Scar and throws them over before its front collides with the forks of The Morgue. The Morgue uses this to its advantage and pushes Firestorm around the arena, then tricks Firestorm into driving itself into the arena wall. As The Morgue and Scar again face off, Firestorm quickly manages to escape the potential wrath of Shunt before breaking up The Morgue and Scar's face-off by again flipping over Scar. Firestorm would then attempt to get under Scar for another flip, but this time would fail.

A tiny design flaw…

After this failure, Firestorm decided to turn its attention to The Morgue, easily getting under them and flipping The Morgue into the arena wall with a mighty charge. Unfortunately for our boys, this exposes a key flaw in the rollover design. See, any other flip and The Morgue would have harmlessly rolled back on its wheels. But because they hit the wall, the angle with which they land on their back changes. Instead of landing on the elevated part, the wall causes them to get stuck more on the side. Because of this, The Morgue can't self-right, and, unfortunately for our boys, Death comes quickly on their championship hopes.

Now, normally this would be the part where we transition to some sort of side event like a Tag Team Terror or a celebrity special, but here's the thing! The Morgue isn't in any of the Series 4 specials, so what gives? Are we just going to talk about a single fight??? Well, no, because after the fight, the reaper's curse inflicts itself on Scar. Yes, that's right, Scar unfortunately irreparably broke down at some point. Because of this, The Morgue was reinstated in the competition and sent into the heat semi-final to face off with Ming 2! Having cheated death once, can The Morgue cheat death again against Ming 2? The fight (6:27) doesn't start too hot for The Morgue, which is only sluggishly moving, presumably still stiff from rigor mortis. The Morgue starts off by successfully fending off a charge from the quicker Ming 2, who rides up the lifting forks of The Morgue, allowing The Morgue to push them away. The two robots separate when The Morgue goes in for a charge but misses, instead driving over the flipper of Ming 2 and onto the flame pit. Ming 2 then launches its own charge, successfully ramming the side of The Morgue.

Luckily this time, the rollover actually works!

The two robots dance around each other each looking for an opening, but the quicker Ming 2 strikes, getting under the side of The Morgue and flipping it over. But unlike Firestorm, they flip The Morgue over in the middle of the ring. This allows The Morgue's rollover design to work, and the way it does is pretty dramatic. The Morgue slowly rolls over and for a second it looks like the design isn't going to work, leaving The Morgue stuck on its back. But then The Morgue lands back on its wheels and is back in the fight.

Ming 2 then gets under The Morgue again, but this time they get under The Morgue by the front, so instead of being able to flip The Morgue over, it's more like they just lightly throw them. The Morgue, who landed right on its feet, charges at Ming 2, pushing it back and causing it to flee. The two robots then meet head-to-head, and this time it's The Morgue who gains the upper hand, using its forks to start just lifting Ming 2 off the ground. It's a pretty cool visual, too, because the forks of The Morgue go through the flipper panel of Ming 2, allowing them to lift Ming 2. Of course, because of the lack of true leverage, The Morgue is only barely lifting them, but I suppose this would also count as damage points!

I'm a sucker for visuals like this.

Despite being ever-so-slightly off the ground, Ming 2 manages to win the pushing battle, pushing The Morgue all the way to Matilda's CPZ. But since this is Series 4 Matilda, nothing happens. In fact, I'd argue Matilda actually helps The Morgue, because it's her pushing The Morgue back that allows The Morgue to get to the side of Ming 2 for a quality aggression points shove. The pit begins to descend as The Morgue briefly drives over the escape pit. Ming 2 manages to get under The Morgue but just barely misses with a flip as The Morgue attempts to escape. Ming 2 then pushes The Morgue into Dead Metal's CPZ, but once again The Morgue cheats death, escaping without taking any damage. Driving in reverse, The Morgue bangs into the side of Ming 2 before coming back with a swinging ram into the other side of Ming 2. And you know what? At the last second, it quickly becomes apparent that the icy hand of death has claimed Ming 2. The last ram to the side immobilizes Ming 2, sending The Morgue into the heat final. It's kind of funny; I completely misremembered this fight. I remember it as The Morgue getting dominated and only winning because Ming 2 randomly broke down. But while, yes, if the fight had gone to the judges' decision, then Ming 2 would have won the fight, The Morgue legitimately KO'd Ming 2. Ming 2 was still moving until that last ram, so, no, far from being an undeserving robot who only won by pure luck, The Morgue won by legitimately ramming their opponent to death!

In the heat final, The Morgue would face off against the robot that already tried to bury them once - Firestorm. With vengeance on their mind, The Morgue is ready to try and claim another victim. The round-one rematch begins (11:49) with the nippier Firestorm getting in a little push as it looks for an opening on The Morgue, but the Morgue responds with a little push of its own. But the much quicker Firestorm outmaneuvers The Morgue, getting under the side of it and almost again hurling it at the wall. This time, however, The Morgue manages to reposition itself while on top of Firestorm's flipper so Firestorm isn't able to throw it over, forcing Firestorm to reposition after it throws The Morgue off its flipper. The Morgue turns, trying to meet Firestorm's flipper head-on, but the much more maneuverable Firestorm is able to turn itself at the last second, getting just to the side of The Morgue and again getting under it. This time, Firestorm gets a better lift on The Morgue, but again they aren't able to flip over. The Morgue lands back on its wheels. Firestorm gives chase to the fleeing The Morgue, but this time, when The Morgue goes to face Firestorm head-on, it works. The Morgue rams Firestorm with its lifting forks and begins pushing the seeded bot, but this doesn't last long, as Firestorm is able to turn away, sending The Morgue into Dead Metal.

But The Morgue again gets away from a house bot unscathed as Firestorm attempts to get to the side of The Morgue once more. They successfully get to The Morgue's side, but aren't able to get under it. The Morgue then reverses, trying to get some distance from Firestorm who quickly gives chase. The Morgue attempts to block any attacks from Firestorm by keeping its lifting forks in front of Firestorm's flipper, but Firestorm is simply too quick for The Morgue and again Firestorm gets under the side of The Morgue. Try as they might, again they can't get them flipped over as The Morgue retreats. Firestorm gives chase, keeping up the pressure on The Morgue. Under pressure, The Morgue makes a mistake, attempting to turn in order to get away from Firestorm but putting itself under Firestorm's flipper.

Go on, Morgue, buck that Warthog!

Firestorm fires its flipper, but again The Morgue doesn't go over! But this, time instead of landing safely on its wheels, The Morgue lands back on top of Firestorm's flipper. This time, Firestorm does manage to flip The Morgue, sending them rolling over the tusks of Matilda and nearly into the arena wall. Now in disarray, The Morgue again attempts to flee as Firestorm won't let up its offensive. The two robots meet front-to-front and, for a brief second, The Morgue gets the better of Firestorm and pushes them back. But Firestorm simply reverses and uses its superior speed to again charge under The Morgue, flipping it over and again rolling The Morgue over. The Morgue briefly parks itself over the flame jet as Firestorm comes charging in, spinning The Morgue around with its flipper. Desperately behind on points, The Morgue attempts to go on the offensive, but its forks are too high off the ground to really get under Firestorm, and The Morgue is just too slow for proper positioning. Again, Firestorm outmaneuvers The Morgue, getting to the side of it and pushing it towards the wall. Firestorm attempts to use its flipper to pin The Morgue on the arena wall, but the rollover design doesn't allow that to happen.

The two robots dance around each other when, finally, The Morgue manages to launch a decent attack, making a powerful charge that slams Firestorm into the arena wall. The Morgue even manages to land a successful lift of its forks on Firestorm, but this doesn't last long as Firestorm shoves The Morgue out of the way to escape. The two spin around in a circle, each looking for an opening as the pit descends. And this is where the fight gets totally fucked. Firestorm attempts to push The Morgue into the pit but fails. The Morgue attempts to get away from Firestorm, but backs not into the pit, but on it. Yes, somehow The Morgue manages to get itself stuck on the pit itself, its wheels over the pit and its body stuck on the two sides of the pit, preventing it from falling in.

Huh… I'm not sure what we do about this.

Essentially, The Morgue team has somehow defied physics by wedging itself over the open pit. At about the same time this happens, Firestorm for some reason spins itself into the pit, actually falling into the pit. Cease is called and The Morgue team begins celebrating, thinking that they've won while the Firestorm team looks despondent. It looks like The Morgue has scored an absolutely stunning upset over Firestorm, but Craig Charles announces that, technically, The Morgue went into the pit first, and while they weren't immobilized for 30 seconds, Firestorm was winning on points, so they give the fight to Firestorm and sending The Morgue back into its grave.

This ending is super controversial and is still debated to this day among people that care. Like, there are a lot of people who claim the only reason Firestorm was given the win over The Morgue was because of seed bias. The argument is that The Morgue was not in the pit, but rather that they were stuck on the pit, and since they weren't in the pit, they shouldn't be considered pitted. I don't subscribe to that theory. I think that, for all intents and purposes, The Morgue was in the pit. While it's true they weren't technically in the pit, the fact that their wheels and body were over the pit in such a way where they couldn't escape to me means that the idea that they weren't pitted is such a semantics-based argument that they should considered pitted. But here's the thing! The judges don't apply that standard from here on out. In the Series 6 Championship fight Tornado was hung over the pit by Razer, but because of Tornado's fucking bullshit wireframe anti-crushing device, Tornado was literally incapable of actually being placed in the pit. Even so, Tornado had no way of driving off the pit. But the judges ruled that, because Tornado wasn't in the pit, they couldn't be considered pitted. So by that standard, The Morgue wasn't pitted and should have been considered the winner.

It was the wrong decision then and it's the wrong decision now!

Now, again, I don't believe that and personally I think the Series 6 Championship fight was one of the most just bullshit that's ever happened in Robot Wars from start to finish and that Razer should have been declared the winner. But the standard is the standard. The other argument is that, even if you don't consider The Morgue pitted, it and Firestorm were immobilized at essentially the same time, therefore it was a double immobilization, which goes to a judges' decision. But you could argue it's not a double immobilization because a robot who is immobilized is supposed to get 30 seconds to get mobile or they're counted out. But the pit has always been treated as an instant loss. So, you could argue that, if The Morgue is not considered pitted, they should have been given the win because their 30 seconds wasn't up and therefore they were not considered immobile while Firestorm went into the pit and instantly lost. Therefore, The Morgue should be the winner by KO. But that's getting hyper-technical and there have been times where the judges have ignored the 30 second rule. For instance, there's the Series 6 Wild Thing vs 259 fight where 259 was only immobilized for 26 seconds before the cease timer was called, but the judges still gave it to Wild Thing because they felt they couldn't send an immobile robot through.

This would be the high point of The Morgue's Robot Wars career because, while they'd appear in every other classic Series except for Series 6, they'd never make it out of the second round in any tournament they appeared in. For some reason, in Series 5, now under the name Mini Morg, the bot was given the 19th seed, which is crazy. Like, I realize they're a heat finalist, but it's on the back of losing in round one, beating an average Ming 2 in the heat semi-final, and getting dominated by Firestorm. They're probably the second-least deserving non-Series 4 seed, only surpassed by Ming Dynasty since the Ming bots had never made it to a heat final in four attempts and Ming Dynasty was using a fucking drill as a weapon (a weapon that was bad in Series 2 let alone Series 7!). Oh, also, Mini Morg would reward the producers' faith by getting dominated in the first round by Kat 3 in a decisive defeat. Mini Morg would also compete in the Extreme 2: Tag Team Terror with X-Terminator, where they'd fall in the second round to Barbaric Response and Hyrda. For Extreme 1 and Series 7, the team would enter Mega Morg, a larger robot then Mini Morg. This is the one I remember!

The bash brothers, Mega Morg and Diotoir!
It's just kind of inexplicable.

Probably the most notable of the machines, Mega Morg had some cool moments like being the original Tag Team Partner of Diotoir in the Extreme 1 Tag Team Terror and upsetting the Series 4 Tag Champs King B3 Powerworks and 101. They actually probably would have made the finals of the Tag Team Terror Tournament considering their second-round opponents were Spawn Again and Comengetorix, but Mega Morg had to pull out because the team blew all their speed controllers. But before that happened, Mega Morg managed to lose a vengeance match against Ming 3 before having a boring match with Plunderbird 5 over who was the better singer – a match that, while boring, had some fun interviews. Then in Series 7, they had a cool moment in the first round of their heat when them and fellow Welsh-bot Panic Attack teamed up to pit Edge Hog so that they could both go through. Also, they had inflatable sheep and that was kind of fun.

I was very fond of The Morgue when I was a kid, and honestly I'm not sure why! I'm sure it had something to do with them teaming with Diotoir in Extreme 1, but I remember rooting for them every time I saw them. And they must have been pretty popular with the fans because they made a minibot toy of them for some reason. I don't know why out of all robots Mega Morg got a toy, but it did! I own it! One of the funniest things about the toy is that, despite the BBC's prohibition of advertisements, the Mega Morg minibot still contains the logo of Mega Morg's sponsor as a decal on the back of the machine!

The team and its robots were essentially a mid-level comedy team. It wasn't quite in the upper ranks like Plunderbird and Diotoir, but still a fun robot to have around. The Morg(ue) robots themselves were inoffensive, but the team itself shined in interviews, usually talking about how much they drink and singing. They even had their own gags, like their mascot the inflatable sheep or putting a picture of The Weakest Link host Anne Robison, hoping it would be destroyed because I guess she said mean things about the Welsh? I don't know; it's pretty dated! So, you know, an "eh" robot with a fun team sums up The Morgue. They never lit the world on fire with match quality or performance, but they were good on the mic and made for good TV, and there's always going to be a place for that in televised robot combat!

That's all for this month! Join us next month for what I promise you will be a high quality of robot!

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The 'Shroom: Issue 220
Staff sections Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Credits
Features Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing
Specials Welcome To Cosmo Kart
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