A. General Conditions
1. The World Masters Email Diplomacy Tournament is both a Team and an
Individual event. Teams will consist of a minimum of seven players. They
may have a non-playing captain and/or a non-playing GM and/or replacement
player(s) in addition to that. All individual signups will be given a
chance to form a team. Those players that can't find a team will be
randomly grouped to a team.
2. The tournament governing body will consist of one Tournament Director
and up to two Assistant Tournament Directors. In addition there will be a
Tournament Management Committee (TMC) of between 5 and 8 people.
3. Duties of the TD will include, but shall not be limited to:
i) Setting tournament begin and end deadlines;
ii) Coordinating and or delegate distribution of all players to boards;
iii) Breaking ties on any TMC votes;
iv) Overseeing any non game specific issues as may come up from time to time;
v) Being the point of contact for appeals brought to the TMC and attempting
to mediate a quick resolution between
the parties before calling for a full TMC vote.
4. The Tournament director may not play in the tournament nor have any
affiliation with a team.
5. The TMC is a committee that exists solely to arbitrate game specific
issues that for whatever reason cannot be resolved at the game level.
6. A TMC decision will require that at least 2/3's of the sitting body vote
on an issue for the decision to be binding (Sitting body includes Assistant
TD's unless one is in the TD post at the time of the vote, in which case,
he/she is temporarily not considered part of the sitting body). The TD does
not normally vote in TMC votes but instead will cast only a tie breaking
vote. In the case of a tie, the TD will cast the tie-breaking vote and the
majority decision will decide the issue.
7. The TMC may issue changes or revisions to these House Rules. The TD must
approve any TMC change to the HR. If the TD vetoes the change or addition,
the TMC can override the TD with a 2/3 majority. In order for an override
to be valid, at least 3/4 of the TMC sitting body must vote.
8. TMC members should not play in the tournament nor have any affiliation
with a team.
9. The TD will appoint a number of Tournament Observers and make sure that
each game has a Tournament Observer. The role of the T-O will be to observe
the game and its adjudication and point out errors/mistakes according to
the rules of the game and the Tournament. In addition, the
Tournament-Observer will serve as a first-point of contact for players if
they have questions concerning the Tournament Rules or need to contact the
TD/TMC.
A Tournament-Observer will NOT make any decision concerning the game, but
observe the game and point out mistakes
and errors. These include, but are not limited to:
- Deadline errors (violation of tournament rules, incorrect dates etc)
- Adjudication errors
- Adjudication Format Problems
A Tournament-Observer can and must report any problem he considers to be
unfairly influencing the game to the TD.
10. Tournament Observers may be, but do not have to be, players, captains,
or GM's. Assistant TD's or TMC-members may not serve as Tournament
Observers, and a person may not serve as Tournament Observer for a game in
which he or one of his teammates is directly involved (ie plays in or is
the GM).
11. The TD will appoint a Chief-GM. The role of the Chief-GM is to set the
rules/guidelines for publishing the results and its format, to check on GMs
and to monitor the results database. The Chief-GM is also the first point
of contact for GMs in case they have questions concerning the Tournament
Rules or need to contact the TD/TMC.
12. The GM is a neutral party in all matters. Do not complain to the GM
regarding another player's behaviour or lack thereof. Such complaints are
more properly directed to the Tournament Director. Complaints concerning
adjudications, interpretation of orders or other actions of the GM should
be taken up in the first instance with the GM concerned and the player
should only approach the TD if he is still not satisfied.
B. Tournament Structure
1. There will be four rounds to the WM2004 tournament.
2. All players in the Tournament will be required to be members of a team.
People may either register as teams, or may register individually and be
assigned to teams by the organising committee. Such groupings will be
random and a captain will be appointed. All teams will be accepted up to
the deadline. Individuals will be accepted to the deadline only in
multiples of seven, the remainder automatically forming the start of an
official reserve list.
3. The first and second rounds (the team rounds) will play until Fall 1909,
the semi-final will play to Fall 1912, and the final will play to Fall
1915. At this point, if the game is not complete, the current SC counts
will apply for scoring purposes.
4. The second round will be 28 boards, except where this leads to greater
than one half advancement from Round 1 to Round 2 or less than one third
advancement from Round 1 to Round 2, in which case the respective
percentage will be applied (rounded down where advancement would otherwise
exceed one half, and rounded up where advancement would otherwise not
exceed one third, to the nearest whole number of boards). In the extreme
case where more than 147 teams enter the tournament, the second round will
be limited to 49 boards; in the opposite extreme where less than 42 teams
enter the tournament, the second round will become the semi-final and will
no longer apply to the team competition.
5. For the first round only, the person completing the team sign up process
will assign great powers to individual players. For rounds following the
first, all great powers will be assigned randomly. No seeding will take
place in any round.
6. The following rules will be applied wherever possible.
a) No two players from the same team will play the same power in any team
round.
b) No two players from the same team will play on the same board.
c) Players will not play the same great power twice in the tournament.
d) No two players will play against each other twice in the tournament.
e) No teams will face each other more than once in one round.
7. Any player may be replaced at their own request at any time, or in the
case of an NMR by his team. The replacement may be temporary, if the player
or replacement declares the period of the replacement to all players and
the GM before or concurrently with the time of the replacement. No player
may be replaced for more than four seasons total in any single round. Where
the player and replacement contradict each other over the prospective
replacement period, the player's decision will be final. If a replacement
period exceeds the original specification, the replacement will become
permanent.
8. Replacement players will be dealt with as follows:
a) In the team rounds the right to choose a replacement is given to a team
captain.
b) In the event of an NMR the GM will notify the TD who will send a an
email to both the Team Captain and Team Members.
c) For the first round only, a game will not be delayed due to NMR (except
in the case of 1901 as described in rule D.VII(6)(b). The Team Captain will
be treated as the official default replacement and may conduct negotiations
or send in orders as they see fit, subject to the provisions of rule B9.
The original player will maintain right of return until such time as the
Team Captain or player designated by the Team Captain submits orders for
the position, at which point they become the new official player. The
original player may return to the game after this, or another player may
take over the position, but the Team Captain will need to announce it at
least 48 hours prior to any current deadline. A position placed in Civil
Disorder will not preclude any subsequent orders being submitted by the
Player or Captain at any time, regardless of how many NMR's have been
incurred, so long as they conform to the above procedure stated in this
section.
d) For rounds after the first, where the Captain or the Team do not
exercise this right within 48 hours (or 96 hours if the period includes a
weekend), a replacement will be found from a pool of reserves. For rounds
following the first this pool will include people eliminated in prior
rounds and the highest ranked eliminee to reply within the given time will
be accepted first.
e) Where a captain or team fail to provide a replacement, they will lose
any points given to the position. Any player from the pool of reserves will
score only as an individual permanent replacement.
f) If a replacement is still not found within the given periods the
position falls into civil disorder.
9. No player will be permitted to be a permanent player in more than three
games in any one round, nor shall he be permitted to play as a permanent
player and temporary replacement for a total of more than three games at
any one time
10. The Tournament Director may reject a proposed substitution or
replacement if, in his sole opinion, there could be a "conflict of
interest" caused by the substitution or replacement.
C. Scoring and Advancement
1. Games will be scored on the basis of a positional bonus plus the current
SC count with eliminated players scoring zero.
2. The positional bonuses for each round will be as follows:
First place: 32 points
Second place: 16 points
Third place: 8 points
Fourth place: 4 points
Fifth place: 2 points
Sixth place: 1 point
3. In the event of a tie, bonus points for the tied positions, where
appropriate, are shared (Three players end at 8 means 1st, 2nd and 3rd
place points are totalled and allocated equally to each player).
4. A solo win (18 SCs or more) will be considered to be a 34 SC win with
all other players eliminated.
5. In the event of a solo conceded by vote, the SC counts at time of
concession will be carried to the penultimate year and the solo will only
be applied in the final year. Any other result accepted by vote will have
the current SC counts applied to all remaining years.
6. In the first round only, players in the top ten teams will be given
credits (10 points for each player on the top team, 9 points for each
player on the second team, etc.) towards advancement to the second round.
These credits will be lost after advancement is calculated. Where two or
more teams are tied for a place, the following tie-breakers will be applied:
a) Total score with the highest individual score removed from the
calculation (or with further scores removed until a result is achieved).
b) Highest ranking individual player based on criterion set out in Rule C.7
7. Advancement from round one to round two will be based on the highest
first round score with team credits applied (see above). Where two or more
players are tied for a place, the following tie-breakers will be applied:
a) Least successful country (ie. Great power with lowest total score across
the boards in Round 1.)
b) Highest score without team-credits
c) Highest positional Bonus
d) Count-back (ie highest total centres held at the end of 1908 then, if
further tiebreak is required, highest total centres held at the end of 1907
etc.)
e) Highest ranking team (with non-associated players ranking last).
f) Highest roll on 100-sided dice
8. Advancement from round two to the semi-final will be based on the
highest aggregate of round two score plus one half of round one score.
Where two or more players are tied for a place, the following tie-breakers
will be applied:
a) Least successful country (ie. Great power with lowest total score across
the boards in Round 2.
b) Highest positional Bonus in Round 2
c) Count-back of Round 2(ie. highest total centres held at the end of 1908
then, if further tiebreak is required, highest total centres held at the
end of 1907 etc.)
d) Highest ranking team
e) Highest Round 1 ranking based on criterion set out in Rule C.7
9. Highest scoring player from each semi-final board will advance to the
final masters board. In event of a tied result, the tiebreakers are as follows:
a) Least successful country (ie. Great power with lowest total score across
the boards in the Semi-Final)
b)Count-back (ie highest total centres held at the end of 1911 then, if
further tiebreak is required, highest total centres held at the end of 1910
etc.)
c) Highest ranking based on Round 2 criterion set out in rule C8.
10. If a player qualifies for the final round but declines to play, then
the otherwise non-qualifying player with the highest overall Round 3
positional bonus qualifies in his place with the tiebreaks as follows:
a) highest overall Round 3 score
b) highest ranking based on Round 3 criterion set out in Clause C9
11. The winner of the individual tournament will be the person with the
highest number of supply centers at the end of the final game. In event of
a tied result, the tiebreakers are as follows:
a) Count-back (ie highest total centres held at the end of 1914 then, if
further tiebreak is required, highest total centres held at the end of 1913
etc.)
b) Highest ranking based on semi-final criterion set out in rule C9.
12. The winner of the team tournament will be the team with the highest
number of points in total when adding all players' points from round one to
points from round two, and deducting any points forfeited in accordance
with Rule B8. In the event of a tied result, the tiebreakers will be as
follows:
a) Highest number of players who advanced to the second round.
b) Total score with the highest individual round two score removed from the
calculation (or with further scores removed until a result is achieved).
c) Total score with the highest individual round one score removed from the
calculation (or with further scores removed until a result is achieved).
d) Highest ranking team at the end of round one.
13. The best country trophies will be based only on games in the first two
rounds. Tie breakers are as follows:
a) Round 2 outranks Round 1
b) Count-back (ie highest total centres held at the end of 1908 then, if
further tiebreak is required, highest total centres held at the end of 1907
etc.)
c) Highest roll on 100-sided dice
14. A player who is replaced for more than one turn due to arranged
absence, or a player who took over a position as a standby, will receive
pro-rated points. The pro-rated score will be calculated as follows:
"Total number of points" x "Number of seasons played" / "Total number of
seasons in the game"
Seasons unplayed due to early termination will be credited to the player
active at the time of the termination.
Summer and Winter turns will not be considered in this calculation. For
example: Fred replaces Wendy in a second round game starting with the Fall
'06 builds and continues until Fall 1908 when he scores a solo. Either Fred
will be credited for his part in the game (Spring 07 - Fall 09: 66 x 6 / 18
= 22 points) or Wendy will be credited for her part in the game (Spring 01
- Fall 06: 66 x 12 / 18 = 44 points). The team will be credited the full 66
points.
15. A player may only qualify for advancement from one round to the next
based on their score, pro-rated or otherwise, in the first game
(chronologically) for which they are permanent, either as the initial
player or as a permanent replacement.
D. Gameplay Rules
I. GM Discretion, Rulebook
(1) GM Guidelines.
a) Because this is a tournament with standardized scoring, all GM's must
follow these tournament rules.
b) Summary of items requiring GM's to list policy in HR.
D.II (2)
D.III (3)
D.VII (3)
D.X (1)
(2) Disputes.
a) In the case of disputes, the Tournament Management Committee, which will
consist of individuals with GM experience who are not playing in the
tournament, will arbitrate any items. A player or GM may bring a question
to the Tournament Director, who, if unable to resolve the issue themselves,
will then bring it to the Tournament Management Committee and the TMC, by
majority decision, will make a decision. If the Panel rules on an item
brought before it, the decision will be considered binding on both Player
and GM, provided, however, that both the player and GM agree that the
question that was ruled on represented both the proper and specific issue.
Whether either agrees with that ruling is immaterial. They must only agree
that the TMC answered the proper question.
b) By accepting a position in the game players agree to abide by these
rules, to respect their opponents, to give earnest competition, and above
all, to remember that this is game played by most for its entertainment
value, and that real life is more important.
(3) Rulebook:
The 2000 Diplomacy rules as published by Hasbro at
http://www.worldmasters.net/Diplomacy.pdf will be used as standard for all
games, with the following exceptions and clarifications.
II. Status of Orders:
(1) Preliminary and Final Orders:
Submission of preliminary orders is strongly encouraged, but not required.
All orders will be considered preliminary unless marked "Final".
(2) Identification of Order Sets:
The GM will state his requirements for all order sets submitted, including
content and/or subject line format. The GM is not required to accept order
sets that do not meet these requirements, nor will the GM be required to
search for nonconforming order sets. Unless the GM states another policy at
the outset of the game, orders must contain the GM's e-mail address in
either the "TO" or "CC" box to be valid.
(3) Orders Submitted by Proxy:
Orders submitted by proxy will not be permitted.
(4) Perpetual Orders:
An order set is required to be submitted by each player for each turn, and
the GM will not accept instructions to make an order set perpetual.
(5) Conditional Retreat or Adjustment Orders:
Retreat or adjustment turns will be separate from movement turns.
Conditional retreat or adjustment orders are not required, and negotiations
are allowed prior to a retreat or adjustment turn. Players are strongly
encouraged, however, to submit conditional retreat, build or disband
orders, when the situation of the game permits, as this will help speed the
pace of the game and reduce the likelihood of NMRs occurring. Rule D.III(5)
will not be applied for conditional orders, where the first possible option
reading left to right or top to bottom will be used.
III. General Adjudication Rules:
(1) Abbreviations:
Spelling out province names and other words used in orders is preferred,
but any abbreviations that are not ambiguous are acceptable.
Players are encouraged to spell out the entire province or at least a
significant part (eg. West Med). For the benefit of both Player and GM, a
list of official abbreviations can be found at
http://www.worldmasters.net/wm04/abbrlist.aspx. Additionally a player may
submit an individual list of preferred abbreviations with the GM provided
that he does it at the outset of the game (or if he is a replacement not
later than he submits his first set of orders). Abbreviations found in
these lists will not be adjudicated as ambiguous but players are reminded
that a small typographical error can change an order significantly (eg. A.
Mun - Ber / A. Mun - Bur). Where a player opts to give an individual
abbreviations list to the GM, the GM may veto some or all of the
abbreviations on this list prior to the deadline for the first turn. Once
any additional abbreviations list is agreed between the player and the GM
it will be made public to all players at the outset of the game.
(2) Inferred Orders:
If a unit or units of a particular player are not ordered by that player,
the GM will not look to the orders of other units for the purpose of
inferring an order for an unordered unit.
(3) Multiple sets of orders:
The last set of orders submitted before the deadline will be used. In the
event a partial set of revised orders are submitted, previous order sets
will be disregarded when the GM receives a revised order set. The GM will
not look to an earlier order set to fill in missing orders in a revised
order set.
The GM has the discretion to use the following alternative rule, provided
that he states this to be his policy at the outset of the game:
Alternative Rule: The last set of orders submitted before the deadline
takes place will be used. In the event a partial set of revised orders are
submitted, the GM will adjudicate using the most recently submitted order
set, but will examine previously submitted order sets in order to
adjudicate with a full set of orders consisting of the most recently
submitted order for each unit.
(4) Movement Orders:
Any unit adjudged by the GM to have been ordered illegally will be presumed
to have been ordered to hold, and may receive support to hold. A unit will
not be adjudged to have been ordered illegally, if, before the turn was
adjudicated, such movement would have been possible with the aid of other
units on the board, irrespective of nationality of such other units. Any
unordered unit or units will be considered to have been ordered to hold,
and may receive support to hold.
(5) Multiple Orders for Units:
In the event that a unit is ordered more than once within the same set of
orders, the last order reading from top to bottom (left to right) of the
order set will be used.
IV. Specification of Unit Type, Unit Nationality and Coast in Orders:
(1) Omitted or Inaccurate Designations:
An omitted or inaccurate designation of the type of a unit (A or F) in
orders other than build orders will not invalidate the order.
(2) Omitted or Inaccurate Nationality of Units:
An omitted or inaccurate designation of the nationality of a supported or
convoyed foreign unit will not invalidate the order.
(3) Missing or Inaccurate Coastal Designations for Fleets:
a. Hold orders: Missing or inaccurate designations will never invalidate
hold orders.
b. Movement orders: Missing or inaccurate designations will never
invalidate movement orders, except in the following ambiguous situations:
F Mid-Atlantic Ocean - Spain
F Portugal - Spain
F Constantinople - Bulgaria
c. Support orders: Missing, inaccurate or conflicting designations will
never invalidate support orders. Any support order to a province with two
coasts is considered a valid support order for movement to either coast.
V. Adjustment Orders:
(1) Omitted Build Designations:
If a player fails to designate the type of unit to be built in a build
order, no unit will be built based upon that order if the Supply Center
specified by the player can produce armies or fleets, but an army will be
built if the Supply Center can produce armies only, except that if a legal
coast is specified, a fleet will be built on that coast.
(2) Excess Builds or Disbands:
If a player attempts to build or disband more units than the position would
allow, the builds or disbands will be followed in order, from bottom to top
(right to left) of the order set until the correct number of builds or
disbands are reached.
(3) Multiple Builds in a Center:
If a player attempts to build more than one unit in a single turn in the
same supply center, the first build order, reading from bottom to top
(right to left) of the order set will be followed.
(4) Civil Disorder Removals:
When a removing player fails to order sufficient removals, the GM removes
further units to meet the required number. He removes first the units that
stand most distant from home. To measure the distance from home, an army
counts the smallest number of moves it would have to make to reach a home
center in its own country, if it were the only unit on the board and if it
had the fictional ability to enter both bodies of water and land provinces
(but not Switzerland); a Russian army in Constantinople, for example, would
stand two spaces distant from home. A fleet measures the distance from home
a little differently: it counts the smallest number of legal fleet-moves it
would have to make to reach a home center in its own country, if it were
the only unit on the board, but with no fictional ability; a Russian fleet
on the south coast of Bulgaria, for example, would stand three spaces
distant from home. It does not matter for this purpose, incidentally,
whether a foreign Power controls the nearest home center; in the examples,
the Russian army and the Russian fleet could still trace routes to
Sevastopol, even if Turkey presently controlled that center.
When an army and a fleet stand equally distant from home, the GM removes
the fleet before the army. When two units of the same kind stand equally
distant from home, the GM removes first the unit that stands in the space
whose name comes earlier in English-language alphabetical order. For the
purposes of this rule, the names of the spaces and provinces are those
listed within the Hasbro rules.
(5) Impermissible Designation in Build Order:
If a player orders a fleet to be built in a Supply Center that cannot
contain a fleet, no unit will be built based on that order.
VI. Convoy Orders:
(1) Retreat of Units After Dislodgement by Convoyed Armies:
If a unit has been dislodged by a convoyed army, the dislodged unit may
retreat to the province from which the dislodging convoyed army originated,
if the retreat is otherwise legal.
(2) Possible Convoy to an Adjacent Province:
If movement by an army to an adjacent province is possible, prior to
adjudication, both directly and by convoy, and a fleet of the same
nationality as the army is ordered to convoy the army to the same
destination as is stated in the order for that army, then the order for
movement of that army will be adjudicated as an attempt to move by convoy.
If no fleet of the same nationality is ordered to convoy the army to the
same destination as is stated in the order for that army, unless the army
is explicitly ordered to move by convoy, then the order for the movement of
the army will be adjudicated as an attempt to move by land.
(3) Convoy Route Specification:
If multiple convoy routes for an army from the present province of that
army to the ordered destination province are possible prior to
adjudication, a player may write an order for that army that limits or
specifies the convoy route that army is to attempt to take.
(4) Disruption of Attempted Convoys with Multiple Possible Routes:
If multiple convoy routes for an army from the present province of that
army to the ordered destination province are possible prior to
adjudication, the attempt to convoy will be disrupted if any fleet that is
part of a specified or limited convoy route is dislodged, but if no
specified or limited convoy route is listed in that player's orders, the
attempted convoy will only be disrupted if fleets necessary for all the
possible convoy routes to the destination province of that army are dislodged.
(5) Cutting Support by Convoy to an Adjacent Province:
If an army attempts to move by convoy to a province in which a unit is
supporting an attack by another unit on the province from which that
convoyed army originated, the convoyed army will not cut the support.
(6) Adjudication of Paradoxical Convoy Situations:
In any adjudication in which a possible convoy disruption is either
unresolved or has more than one possible resolution when following the
appropriate rules in the Rulebook or elsewhere in these House Rules, any
attempted move of an army by convoy which is part of the paradox fails, and
the attempted move has no effect on the province named as the destination
in the order for that army.
(7) Convoy of an attack against a unit of the same nationality as the
convoying fleet
Where the convoying of a foreign unit would cause the dislodgement of a
unit belonging to the convoying power, and no other convoy routes are
available, then the convoy and the dislodgment will be permitted.
VII. Deadlines, Length of Turns, NMRs:
(1) Order Submission:
It is the responsibility of each player to make sure that a set of orders
is submitted as required before the deadline for each turn. Time of
submission of orders will be considered to be when the GM receives the
orders, or if it is sooner the time that orders are received at the
wm-confirm box as described in Rule D.VII(7) provided that all the
requirements of that rule have been complied with. Individual and/or
broadcast reminders may be given but the lack of a reminder will not serve
to excuse failure to submit orders.
(2) Timing of Adjudication:
Early adjudication is allowed if all orders are submitted marked "Final"
but a minimum of 24 hours is required between posting of adjudications.
Each player can inform the GM that he will be unavailable for a specific 64
hour period during each week (eg 5pm Friday to 9am Monday US Eastern
Standard Time). The GM must not publish a set of orders (or an
adjudication) within this period and set the next deadline within the same
period. If several players state different "unavailable" periods such that
the GM thinks significant problems will arise, the GM must warn the TD in
due course so a compromise can be found.
(3) Orders After Deadline:
Orders will not be accepted after the deadline.
The GM has the discretion to use the following alternative rule, provided
that he states this to be his policy at the outset of the game:
Alternative Rule:
Orders will be accepted until the start of adjudication.
(4) Length of Turns:
a) Games will typically progress at the pace of one season per week.
Included in this definition of season are retreats and adjustments. At
least 3 days will normally be allowed for each movement turn and at least 1
day will normally be allowed for each retreat or adjustment turn. The GM
may speed up or slow down the timing depending on the perceived complexity,
to the GM, of the game situation, but will never speed up beyond these
stated minimums without the consent of the surviving players.
b) It is mandatory that all deadlines be stated in GMT (Greenwich Mean
Time) (see
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/) in addition to any local time the
GM may list. This will assist players who may be in vastly different time
zones to make the conversion. If GMT and Local time do not agree, GMT is
the definitive deadline in Human GM'ed games. If an automated system is
used that cannot list times in GMT, then the time zone coded into the Judge
will be the definitive deadline and players will be responsible for their
own conversions.
(5) Delay/Extension Requests:
Each player will have a right to one guaranteed extension, though further
extensions may be permitted at the discretion of the GM on the condition
that the GM never allows more than 7 days extensions for any one position
in any single game. All extensions (including the guaranteed extension)
must be requested at least 12 hours in advance. Any extension requested
less than 12 hours in advance will be rejected for that immediate turn, but
may apply to a subsequent turn if a player requests. If a player will be
absent for more than one week, that player must get another player to stand
in for them. Players are free to recruit anyone not disbarred elsewhere in
these Rules to replace them. A player may have a team-mate take their
place. On a team however it is the team captain's responsibility to make
sure that a player has a stand in when needed. The TD may decree that
certain international holidays are eligible for extensions, Christmas being
a prime example. Players and GM will have the option to take those
extensions without being charged for an extension. Should any one player in
a game or the GM wish to exercise such an extension, it must be granted.
(6) NMRs and Replacement of Players:
(a) The GM will adjudicate with orders missing from one or more powers.
Players failing to submit orders must contact the GM within 48 hours [or 96
hours if the period includes a weekend] of the publication of the
adjudication, or the replacement procedure described in Rule B.8 will be
activated.
(b) The only seasons in which there are no NMR's allowed are Spring 1901
and the movement phase of Fall 1901. Any player who does not turn in orders
for these seasons will be replaced immediately. The GM will not release
results during either of these seasons if there is an NMR. Grace periods
will not be permitted in the tournament in any circumstances other than by
the operation of this rule.
(c) After Fall 1901, Any player who's orders are not received by the GM by
the stated deadline (or where the GM has elected to use the alternative
rule D.VII(3) by the start of the adjudication) will be given an NMR. All
units will hold. If any units are dislodged, the player will be able to
order retreats for those units. (This is contrary to the CD rules in some
rulebooks on purpose)
(7) TD's Order Confirmation Mailbox:
The TD has set up a mailbox at wmconfirm@worldmasters.net. This mailbox is
available for players to CC their orders to for purposes of verification.
An automatic confirmation system will reply to messages received at this
address within a few minutes, giving the player assurance that it has been
received without having to wait for the GM to respond. This mailbox will
only be accessible to the TD and will be checked only where a player
disputes that their orders were sent before the deadline. Orders received
at this address without the GMs correct address in the "to" or "cc" line
will not be accepted.
VIII. Adjudication Correction, Review:
(1) Correction of Adjudication:
GM mistakes must be pointed out and will be corrected as soon as possible.
If they are not pointed out and another adjudication is published, without
correction of an error, the error will stand on the condition that the
mandatory period as defined in rule D.VII(2) was allowed between
adjudications. Rollbacks (ie allowing players to resubmit orders for a turn
that has been adjudicated) will only be permitted with the express consent
of the TD.
Where extra information is provided as a courtesy by the GM (maps, unit
positions, etc.) and conflicts with the adjudication, the adjudication will
always take precedence.
(2) Two Units in the Same Space Due to Error In Published Adjudication.
Wherever a GM error leads to two units in the same space, any unit
erroneously present in that space will be placed in the space where it
should have been if that is otherwise vacant, and otherwise off the board,
as soon as the error is discovered unless one of the units has vacated the
space by the time the error is noticed.
(3) Extra Unit in Published Adjudication (Flying Dutchman)
If it is discovered that an extra unit is present for a player, and that
unit has existed for more than one adjudication, the imbalance between the
number of units present and the number of units to which that player is
actually entitled will be rectified, if necessary, during the next
build/disband phase.
(4) Publication of Orders as Submitted:
GMs should publish the "as written" orders to assist players in checking
accuracy of adjudications. GM's may edit out player commentary, but no
appeals for breach of GM confidentiality will be entertained from players
who do not make clear which parts of their submission are orders for
publication and which parts are intended as private comment for the GM only.
IX. Votes etc:
(1) Voting Rules:
All players remaining in the game must agree upon a proposal unanimously. A
single negative vote will defeat the proposal. Either an abstention or an
unclear vote counts as a negative vote and defeats the proposal, except for
a game end proposal when the vote deadline coincides with a movement
deadline and the player also NMRs, in which case an uncast vote will be
deemed to be a vote in favour of the proposal. Where a vote is sufficiently
vague as to make its intent unclear then the GM will treat it as an uncast
vote.
(2) Confidentiality and Limitation of Proposals:
Votes will be due simultaneously with the next due date for orders. All
votes will be secret and the result will be published instead of the
relevant adjudication if the proposal is approved, or together with the
adjudication, if the proposal fails. All votes may be submitted
confidentially, players may submit revised votes, and the GM will not
reveal any information regarding the specific votes of an individual power,
or the total of votes for or against any proposal. Players may vote for or
against proposals that they submit.
(3) Wins:
Wins may be conceded only to a single player. Where a game is concluded in
this way it will be scored in accordance with Rule C.5.
(4) Game End Proposals:
Game end proposals may or may not include all survivors, but must be agreed
to unanimously by all players remaining in the game. A game end proposal
that does not include all survivors presumes the elimination of the players
not included in the game end proposal. SC counts may not be changed by vote.
(5) Changes to House Rules:
Proposals may be made to change any specific house rule or rules where the
GM has discretion. The GM and all players remaining in the game must agree
to any rule change unanimously. All house rules are presumed to remain
unchanged, so an abstention or an uncast vote counts as a negative vote and
defeats the proposal. No changes may be made that contradict/violate the
Tournament Rules.
X. Press and Other Communications, Integrity of Identity and Email Systems:
(1) Acceptable Press:
Press correctly identifying the author (white press), press to be published
anonymously (gray press), and press unofficially attributed to any person
(dark gray press) will be accepted. Press officially attributed by the GM
to another person (black press) will not be accepted. The GM will publish
all anonymous press and all press not officially identifying the author
(non-white press) in an "Anonymous or Unofficial Press" section of the
adjudication separate from the orders of the individual players. White
press will be published with the orders of the author.
The GM has the discretion to use one the following alternative rules,
provided that he states this to be his policy at the outset of the game:
Alternative Rule A: press correctly identifying the author (white press)
and press to be published anonymously (gray press) will be accepted. Press
attributed to any person unofficially (dark gray press) or officially by
the GM (black press) will not be accepted. The GM will publish all gray
press in an "Anonymous Press" section of the adjudication separate from the
orders of the individual players. White press will be published with the
orders of the author.
Alternative Rule B: press correctly identifying the author (white press)
will be accepted. Press to be published anonymously (gray press), press
attributed to any person unofficially (dark gray press), or officially
(black press) will not be accepted.
Alternative Rule C: No Press to be published by the GM. All Press must be
published by the players themselves.
(2) Disclosure of Authorship of Gray or Dark Gray Press:
Authorship of gray or dark gray will never be revealed by the GM.
(3) GM Press and comment:
Colour commentary and other game related comment by GMs is prohibited.
(4) Forwarding of E-Mails:
E-mails and other communications are the intellectual property of their
author, but the GM and players, by virtue of agreeing to GM or play in the
tournament, freely give permission for the use of those e-mails and
communications by other participants as part of the play of the particular
game for which the e-mails or other communications were sent, subject to
the restrictions of this Section. Forwarding of e-mails will not be
restricted by the GM.
(5) Prior Restrictions on Communications Prohibited:
Except as otherwise provided for elsewhere in these Tournament Rules, the
GM will not impose any prior restrictions on the form or content of direct
communications between any player and any one or more other players, or one
or more persons not playing in this game. In addition, certain types of
communications may be prohibited by law, or by the rules of the forum or
community under the auspices of which this game is being played. Such
communications are prohibited under these Tournament Rules.
(6) Impersonation of Players or GM, Subversion of E-mail Systems:
Impersonation of one player by another will not be restricted by the GM, as
long as this occurs between the players without the involvement of the GM,
and does not involve subversion of the e-mail systems of others. Any
attempt to deceive or impersonate the GM, or to subvert the integrity of
the e-mail system of the GM, another player, or a third party will be
grounds for immediate replacement
(this was taken from site http://www.worldmasters.net/ )