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This event is a round-robin tournament to determine who will be on the 2018 NASF National Team, which will compete this June against the best players of top Stratego countries around the world.
According the selection criteria published last year, to be eligible for this event you must have:
1. Be a NASF member.
2. Have a Stratego.com site ELO rating of at least 800+. (Past/Present)
Sign ups will end on Thursday, March 31st at 11:59pm EDT. And the tournament will begin on Monday, April 2cnd.
NASF National Team Qualifiers - Rules
First, we thank the TC for allowing us to use their very well-thought-out rules, and we give them the credit for all that follows.
1) Registration & Tournament Schedule
• Registering for the tournament is considered acceptance of the Rules.
• Multiple registrations by one player are strictly forbidden. Additionally, a player's account must not be accessed by anyone other than the player, which includes use of the forum and private messages
• The Tournament type is a league format whereby each player plays one game against all players.
• The tournament duration will be 7 weeks and a 8th week for make-up games if necessary. (Can be changed with amount of players who sign up)
• 2 points are awarded for a victory, 1 point is awarded for a draw, and 0 points is awarded for a defeat. Unplayed games that occur when a player withdraws from the tournament or is disqualified will be scored as a ‘No-Result’ (NR). NR is treated as a 0 point loss.
• Players that finish tied on points will be separated by head-to-head record between the tied players. If there is still a tie, it will be decided by the players current Stratego.com rating.
• Matches will be fixed and published in advance. However, players are able to move scheduled matches forwards or backwards (see Rule 11)
2) Who is eligible to play?
All NASF members who meet the eligibility requirements.
3) Arranging a tournament game
A PM will be sent to each player for the purposes of scheduling and reporting results.
Each player must provide availability in the form of ‘Starting Time Ranges’ (STRs). Each player must provide 3 VALID STRs (see Rule 4) BEFORE Thursday 11:59pm EDT (‘Curfew’ – see Rule 7) of each game week.
4) What is a Starting Time Range, and when are STRs considered valid?
A Starting Time Range (STR) consists of a range of 2 hours in which a player can start the game. Each player must provide a minimum of 3 VALID STRs for each round. (Exception: Once a game becomes arranged, a player is no longer obligated to provide 3 valid STRs).
Proposed STRs are only valid when fulfilling each of the following conditions:
A. Each STR must be of a minimum length of two hours.
B. Each STR must be communicated in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
C. Each player must propose the three valid STRs in the relevant Forum thread.
D. Each game week begins on Monday at 12:01am EDT and ends on Sunday at 11:59pm EDT. An STR that straddles this deadline is not considered valid.
E. A player’s proposed STRs may not all be on the same day, but must involve at least two separate days.
F. Each STR proposed by a player must not begin within 6 hours of the time that it is proposed, in order to give their opponent adequate notice.
5) Player Responsibilities
Participants in this tournament must register or delete any alias accounts they have and provide the information requested in the Alias Register topic: http://forum.strateg...alias-register/ . If you feel this is requirement is an infringement of your privacy, then please contact us by PM.
While the NASF Committee (NASC) will help wherever possible by highlighting when STRs are invalid as they do not fulfil the above requirements, it is the sole responsibility of the player to ensure that this requirement is met. (see Rule 11 for absences). Visiting the forum to arrange matches is the responsibility of the player, and players are encouraged not to rely on e-mail alerts.
A player is also expected to monitor their PM inbox should NASC need to communicate privately for any reason.
NASC reserves the right to ask any player questions to maintain the integrity of tournaments. This may include (but is not limited to) requesting all aliases that belong to that player, or asking for basic information such as player nationality and city of residence. A player who is uncooperative will be subject to disqualification.
6) When is a game considered “arranged”?
A. A game is considered arranged if one player picks a time already offered by his/her opponent and states this in the appropriate Forum Division thread. This is on the basis that the proposed start time does not occur within the next 24 hours (thus ensuring their opponent is given reasonable notice). Note that a player must pick a start TIME and not an entire range for the match to be considered arranged. NASC will confirm (where we can) when a game is arranged within the Forum thread, but confirmation is not required by NASC or the opponent for the game to be scheduled.
If a player picks a time already offered by his or her opponent that occurs within 24 hours this is NOT considered arranged. (Note that this doesn’t mean the match cannot be played at that time if his/her opponent agrees - it just won’t be considered arranged until the match begins)
B. A game is also considered arranged if both players meet online and decide to play there and then. In this scenario, both players must post in the corresponding Forum Division thread that they are about to play. (Note that any game, if not already officially arranged, becomes officially arranged as soon as it begins).
All games must be played on the Stratego.com site as unranked games. Players are advised to enter the Challenge Zone so that their presence can be proved if necessary (especially important if an opponent does not show up). We urge all players to make a friend request of opponents using the game site (preferable as soon as the opponent is known) so that they can challenge in unranked battle. If there is a problem or someone is not able to arrange an unranked game (because of bugs or otherwise) please consult a member of the NASC.
7) When is the Curfew, and what are the consequences for missing the Curfew?
The Curfew is the deadline in each round by which three valid STRs must be provided by each player. (Note that if an arrangement has already been reached by the Curfew, players are no longer obligated to provide 3 valid STRs). The Curfew for each round will be Thursday 11:59pm EDT.
If a player has not provided three valid STRs by Curfew, they will receive a Strike (see Rule 14). Three Strikes results in disqualification from the tournament.
If a player receives a Strike, but is not disqualified at Curfew, (because it is that player’s first or second offence), then the game will become automatically arranged (see Rule 9). .
8) What happens if both players have provided 3 valid STRs, but there are no valid game arrangements?
If both players have posted 3 valid STRs (in accordance with Rule 4) by the Curfew (Thursday 11:59pm EDT) but there is no matching time, then the game will be automatically arranged (see Rule 9).
9) Automatic Arrangements
In the event that no arrangement has been reached by Saturday 09.00EDT, then NASC will automatically arrange the match for Sunday 8:00pm EDT.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Players may still MUTUALLY agree to play their game at a different time, as long as this game starts no later than Sunday 11:59pm EDT, and as long as this mutual agreement is reached (and posted) before the automatic arrangement time.
10) What happens if a player does not show up at the arranged time?
If a player’s opponent has not appeared in the Challenge Zone chat room within 10 minutes of the arranged time, that player must post the absence in the match topic, attaching a screenshot (of the Challenge Zone) for proof for NASC review.
Any player who does not show up for an arranged match within 10 minutes, for any reason, will be automatically given a Strike (see Rule 14). Three Strikes results in disqualification from the tournament.
Please note that it is not possible to ‘claim victory’ if your opponent does not show up – the match will instead be rescheduled to another week (provided that the absentee is not disqualified).
11) What happens if a player is absent, or cannot make the default time for automatic arrangements?
If any player is aware of an absence that may make it difficult or impossible for that player to play a game in a certain week, that player can move their scheduled match to another game week, provided that they inform NASC BEFORE Tuesday 11:59pm EDT, or their absence will result in a Strike (See Rule 14).
Their opponent will be given the choice of the alternative week that they wish to play.
If a player cannot make the default time for automatic arrangements, this must be communicated BEFORE Wednesday 11.59pm EDT of the relevant game week, in order to provide TC with sufficient time to attempt to co-ordinate an alternative default time. In this scenario, TC will ask both players to provide two valid weekend STRs, which do not require their opponent to start the game earlier than 8am Local Time or later than 10pm Local Time.
Please note that in this case NASC will do their best to find an alternative arrangement. If one is not easily found TC may decide to re-schedule the game to another week.
12) Reporting Results and Screenshots
After the match has finished, the game result must be reported immediately in the appropriate Forum Division thread with a screenshot. (Players may alternatively send NASC a PM)
The screenshot must display the Victory Screen, and include the computer taskbar and computer clock.
If there is no screenshot provided, and the two players are not in agreement about the result, the match will be replayed and automatically arranged for Sunday 8:00pm EDT (see Rule 9).
While NASC can forgive players for occasionally forgetting to take a screenshot, please observe that screenshots are compulsory.
A player may ‘paint out’ sections of the game board if they do not wish to divulge any strategic information. For information on how to take screenshots please visit the following link:(http://forum.strateg...shot#entry34786))
13) Cancellations
A game already arranged may be cancelled by a player only if a minimum of 6 HOURS notice is provided. If 6 hours notice is not provided then the player who attempted to cancel the game will receive a strike if it is not played.
Also, any player who cancels a game already arranged must provide three replacement valid STRs (see Rule 4) in the relevant PM thread at the time of cancellation, or receive a strike.
Three Strikes results in disqualification from the tournament (see Rule 14). In the absence of three valid replacement STRs the game will be automatically arranged for Sunday 8:00pm (see Rule 9)
PLEASE NOTE that after Saturday 10:00pm EDT (in the week in which the game is due to be played), that cancellations are not permitted due to time constraints.
NASC does understand that players have lives outside of Stratego, and that players may need to cancel a game last minute due to emergencies. In these cases NASC will use their discretion with regard to whether a strike should be applied.
14) Strikes and Disqualifications
A player can expect to receive a Strike in all of the following instances:
• Where a player has not provided three valid STRs by Curfew. (Exception: Once a game becomes arranged, a player is no longer obligated to provide 3 valid STRs).
• Where a player does not show up for an arranged match within 10 minutes. (see Rule 10)
• Where a player cancels an arranged match without providing three valid replacement STRs. (see Rule 13)
A Strike will also be shown to any player who is in violation of the Tournament Forum & Battlefield Policy (see Rule 17). Note that depending on the seriousness of the infringement as judged by NASC, a player violating this policy may incur automatic disqualification.
Any player who receives three Strikes will be automatically disqualified from the tournament. If the third Strike occurs at a late stage of the tournament then TC may decide to forego the Strike for the benefit of the tournament.
This disqualification takes effect at the time of the infringement.
Players disqualified from this tournament may be denied entry or suspended from participating in future NASC tournaments
15) Disputes and Disconnects
If a player is booted from set-up, the game must immediately re-start.
If your opponent claims they were legitimately booted or disconnected once the match is underway, then NASC will leave the decision to replay the game to the players involved. If both players agree to re-play the game, then players must re-match IMMEDIATELY.
If only the disconnected/booted player is willing to replay, then NASC will independently assess whether the game SHOULD be replayed. In this scenario, the winning player may NOT simply claim victory, but MUST instead provide a screenshot to aid the independent assessment of NASC, who will then announce how to proceed. Players must respect the decision of NASC, which is final.
16) Withdrawals
A player may withdraw from the tournament without repercussions, at any time, by informing NASC.
17) Tournament Forum & Battlefield Policy
NASC operates a Forum & Battlefield Policy concerning behavior on the battlefield and on the forum. Any violation of any of the following will, depending on the seriousness of the infringement as judged by TC, incur a Strike or disqualification from the tournament. TC may remove any posts that violate this policy.
• All players are equal and should be treated that way. Discrimination of any form will not be tolerated. (Forum threads which discuss religion are exempt from Rule 17)
• Bad language or abusive behavior will not be tolerated. Even mild forms of bad language - those not considered particularly offensive, are still considered extremely unsporting.
• You are only allowed to record a match if you receive permission from your opponent prior to starting the game (with proof of agreement required if necessary). Please respect the decision of your opponent. The only exceptions to consent are that you may film the sequence of moves needed for proof of Double-chasing, Draw-refusal, Prolonged chasing or intentional time-wasting.
• Double-chasing, while allowed within the programming of Stratego.com, is NOT allowed.
• The Draw-refusal policy is in place, and NASC will judge cases. Players found guilty of Draw-refusal will at the very least, forfeit the match.
• Prolonged chasing or intentional time-wasting is not permitted, and NASC will judge cases.
• Personal comments of an insulting nature directed at NASC or other players will not be tolerated.
• Public accusations, insinuations or suggestions of deceitful or abusive behavior will not be tolerated. (If you believe an opponent has cheated or been abusive in any form, this must be communicated to NASC PRIVATELY, not publicly via the forum)
18) Unforeseen Circumstances and Rule Changes
Though NASC aim to have covered all possible eventualities, in the event that anything unforeseen occurs not covered by the rules, we will rule on these issues using their best judgement. All decisions made by NASC are final.
NASC deserves the right, where they deem it necessary to:
• Provide additional rules, or make exceptions to rules in certain circumstances they deem appropriate
• Make any specific demands of players, such as requesting additional STRs or asking questions concerning player integrity
• Extend leniency to players in regards to the rules where they feel the tournament will benefit from such leniency
19) Tournament Committee and Judging
NASF Committee members can participate in this tournament, but those members may not act as judges in cases where they are directly involved. The NASF Committee consists of:
The Prof, Fks, MTinsley.
List of participants:
1. Fks
2. Constrictor
3. Texaspete09
4. Mtinsley
5. Steelers
Edited by Fks, 02 April 2018 - 01:06 AM.
