Tournament General Guidelines

Registration and Fees

Each tournament will have the fees posted directly under the event box accordingly. The first price is the price during the registration period while the second one is the price at the door on the day of the event.

All players must submitted 1 printed copy of their army (or a neatly written version in ink) to the TO (tournament organizer) no later than the day before the event. The army lists will be checked for validity and errors and handed out to the player on the day of the event. The players must use no other army lists and make no further changes at the returned army lists during their matches on the event day (aside from marking wounds). Any violation without getting an OK from the TO is considered cheating and is subject to the proper punishment noted in the later paragraphs.

All army lists submitted on the day of the event will be reviewed on a first come first served basis. Any extra time taken by the TO after the round had started will be counted against the player.

Tournament Specifications

Tournament Specifications, TS for short, are special limitations or scenarios that TO may set up during any Tournaments. These are posted directed under the entry fees and are meant to offer additional challenges to players who are seeking challenges in a competitive environment. Due to their numerous accounts, a specific section is dedicated in this handbook. Please read the related section regarding TS in detail before participating in any events to avoid possible confusions and frustrations during a game.

A tournament/event with no TS posted under its entry fees is considered running under the “Standard” format specified in the TS section.

Tardiness

In order to offer all of our players the best gaming experience in a time efficient manner, we implant the following rules to prevent unnecessary delays at games.

	- Any player who is late after the round has started will forfeit any dice roll regarding: terrain preference, placement, first turn determination.
	- Any player who is more than 10 minutes late must yield to his opponent a loss instead of a draw if the match ends unfinished and the tallied victory points would net a draw.
	-Any Player who is more than 25 minutes late into the round can get a no better than a draw if the match ended up unfinished.
	-Any Player who is more than 40 minutes late into the round is considered forfeiting the match in favor to his opponent.

Miniature Requirements

All miniatures participating in the tournaments must be assembled, painted, and based accordingly to the game system which they represent. Conversions of any models need not be from the same line of manufactures as the game systems but must be clearly presented as a model for the participating game system. Army rentals from the store are welcome. Proxies, however, of any models are forbidden no matter the game systems.

Any miniatures failed to meet the above requirements are considered casualties during the game and are removed before the start of any game rounds.

Format

Though the tournament format may run differently depend on the game systems, the followings are the general guidance for any tournaments on the event day.

	- The tournament will start promptly 1 hour after the store’s opening.
	- Unless otherwise specified, all tournaments run a minimum 3 heat/match/round that last 2 ½ hour each with 30 minutes of break in between.
	- The tentative starting time for each round during normal store hours is then: 1200, 1500, and 1800.
	- The starting/terminating time of any given round may be extended/shortened upon receiving the consents of ALL participating players.

Rankings and Prize

Fire & Sword will adopt a ladder ranking system to better illustrate the abilities of our players and distributions of prizes. The details of each ladder system and the affiliated prize are depended on the specified game system. These are covered in length in each respected chapter regarding each system.

Improper Behaviors and Cheating

Since the most important aspect of gaming is to have fun even under a competitive environment, we have adopted a zero tolerance towards improper behavior and cheating as they destroy that very fundamental. Simple warnings maybe given during minor violations, but more extreme cases may result in expelling from the shop or worse posting the violator’s name over the internet to share with the entire gaming community.

The following are few examples of improper behaviors and cheating:

	- Showing disrespects to other players (this include improper languages)
	- Picking up an opponent’s gaming piece/equipment without permission
	- Repeated moving game pieces without references then take back the moves
	- Kibitzing about other’s game in an audible voice
	- Intentionally damage another player’s miniatures and/or belongings
	- Changing the tournament score to a more favorable outcome
	- Intentional delay of games (this include excessive “Rule Lawyering”)
	- Obvious cheating methods: weighted dice, extra dice, spying army lists, etc.

Tournament Specifications (TS)

This section is dedicated as a reference guide to all the possible acronyms and short notes used to indicate each specific TS. Unfortunately, not all TS are shared across all systems and the same TS may act differently depend on the game systems. Thus, their applicability are noted directed under each TS’s entry and how they may function are detailed under each respected game system followed.

Standard

-All game systems This is how a typical tournament is run with no additional TS. The detail regarding each game is printed under each respected section.

Points [e.g. ####, #K] -All game systems This will often be the first TS righter below the registration fees. This specifies the maximum army points allowed in the tournament. #K is used from time to time when space becomes an issue on the schedule.

Ladder Ranking [e.g. LR ####] -All game systems From time to time, tournaments will be held for players who qualify for different ladder rankings for better competitive plays. Here are a few examples on how it might show up on the event schedule.

- LR 1200+: open only for players with a ladder ranking of 1200 or higher - LR 900-: open only for players with a ladder ranking of 900 or lower - LR 1200~1400: open only for players with a ladder ranking between 1200 to 1400 - LR Closed: open only for players with an active ladder ranking for over 3 month

An event without a LR TS is considered “Open”, available to players from all ranges.

Extended

-All game systems Instead of playing 3 two and half hour matches, 4 two hour long matches are played in a day instead. The break time between each match is also shrunk down to 20 minutes instead of the usual 30 minutes. The tentative starting time for each round under normal store hours is then: 1200, 1420, 1640, and 1900.

Limited [e.g. L (???)]

-WFB, 40K, WM This TS simply limits certain aspects of the game to make the matches more challenging. It varies from game to game and covers a wide range of game elements. It may limit the amount of troop choice that a player has access to or it may limit the amount of magical items that a player has available to. Please reference to the TS section under each game system to find a detailed list of possible limitations.

Restricted [e.g. R (???)]

-WFB, 40K, WM This TS is similar to Limited with the exception that anything noted in the parenthesis would be illegal to field for the specified event. A game with R (WM) simply means no war machine models may be fielded by any players in the game. Please reference to the TS section under each game system to find a detailed list of possible restrictions.

Event

-WFB, 40K An event TS simply indicates that there would be a specified event/scenario that would affect all matches played on the tournament day. The event however would not be decided ahead of the time but on the tournament day. Please reference to the TS section under each game system to prepare for any possible unknown factors in an event.

Sanctioned

-Confrontation, Rag’norak Thus far only two game systems will receive the sanctioned tag as players who play them may also belong to the NACORD and may wish to receive a tournament standing from within the CORD. In the events when such resources are available to us, we would be more than glad add the “Sanctioned” tag on our event schedule to compliment our players.

League

-All game systems This TS indicates only players who are current league members of the specified game system may participate in the tournament.

Special

-All game systems From time to time, there will be special TS included to the tournaments for both added flavors and change of pace. These special TS are covered in detail under each appropriate section and are scheduled only by popular demands from our players.