WDC 2019 : official rules

That is the rules of the WorldDipCon 2019. Some changes could be made later.
Summary :
Each game will length 7 years, including 7 turns of Spring and 7 turns of Fall.
The scoring system is the Super Pastis.
Each Spring Turn will length 18 minuts, including 1 minut without any negociation. Each Fall Turn will length 16 minuts, including 1 minut without any negociation.
Qualification for Top board : Best score 100% + Second score 80% + Third score 40 % (More details on IV Classification)
World Champion : 1st of the Top Board
Final Score : 2 Best scores 100% + Third score 80% + Fourth score 40 %

I Format of the event

The World Diplomacy Championship consists of four rounds of Diplomacy : one on Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday. The four first three are the Qualifying Round, the last one is the Final Round.
You can play as many round as you want.

II The games

   1. Registration to a round

      1a. Preregistration

            1a1. Periode of preregistration

Someone can preregister or cancel his preregistration via internet untill Tuesday, the 27th August.

            1a2. Avantage to preregister

If you preregister for a round, you will be able to play. Don't forget to register to the round at least 15 minuts before the beginning of this one.

      1b. Registration to a round

            1b1. Periode of registration

The time table of registration is available on the website or at the tournament place.

            1b2. Registration Method

Only a player physically present can register. He has to contact the Tournament Director.

            1b3. Sit out

If the organisation need some players to sit out, they will choose first the non-preregistered players. A bonus may be given to the player who ask to sit out.

            1b5. Not a multiple of seven

If the number total of player is not a multiple of 7, the tournament director has severals possibilities :
- ask to player(s) to sit out
- allow one or several players to play on two boards
- propose a variant with 6 players

   2. Boards' composition

      2a. Drawing

Each player will play a different country in each game. As much as possible, he will play as many different player as possible. In specific case, two players could be allowed not to play together, the tournament director is the only person able to decide.

      2b. Simultaneous games

            2b1. Modality

A player may be allowed to play on two simultaneous games. His boards will be close.

            2b2. Conditions

That will be allowed only if a player is needed to fill a game and if the player accepts.

            2b3. Restrictions

A player cannot player more than two games at the same time.

            2b4. Score

The two games will count as a lonely game. There are two possibilities :
- His best game at 80% and his second game at 40 % - His best game at 100% and his second game at 0%

   3. Rules of the game

      3a. Standard rules

The rules are the rules edited by Asmodee in 2006, translation of the Hasbor rules of 2000.

      3b. Negotiation

According to the rules, it is forbidden to negotiate during the retreats and adjustments.

      3c. Eliminated player

A player who is eliminated (he owns no dot on the game) his not allowed to negotiate with the other players of the board.

      3d. Writing convention

All the writing conventions are allowed (French, English ...) as long as there is no ambiguity. In case of dispute, the tournament director (or his representative) will decide.

      3e. Support

When you write a support, you have to write the full order supported (including the coast). In case of ambiguity, the support could be consider as not valid by the tournament director or his representative.

      3f. Lack of order of retreat

If no order of retreat is written or if the order is not valid, the unit will be destroy.

      3g. Lack of adjustement or misorder

If a player forgot to build one or several units, no more unit will be allowed to build.
If a player build too many units. His build will be considered in the order of writing.
If a player forgot to disband one unit, the standard rules of destruction will be applied.
If a player disbands too many units. His disband will be considered in the order of writing.

      3h. Standard rules of destruction

If a country in civil disorder has to remove units, the unit the farther of the country (that means, the farther from his own national center, counting spaces and distances using the shortest possible route, including convoy) is removed first. In case of equal distance, the fleet is removed before the army. If the units remain at the same level of priority, we will consider the name of each territory. The unit occupying the first territory in alphabetical order will be removed first.

      3i. Game left by a player

If a player leave a game, the tournament director will make his possible to find someone to replace him. In any case, a player who played that game will be allowed to make the remplacement. If any player could be find, the country will be in civil desorder untill someone is found. The tournament director will decide how many points will get each player.

   4. Game Play

      4a. Length

The games will length seven years with two turns of négotiation by year (Spring and Fall).

      4b. Game phases

Each year will be divided into four phases.

            4b1. Phase 1 : Spring

During this phase, the players has to resolve the order of the previous Fall, the retreat and the adjustements. Then, they can negotiate.

            4b2. Phase 2 : Spring writing time

During this phase, the players has to finish to write their orders. The negotiation are not allowed.

            4b3. Phase 3 : Fall

During this phase, the players has to resolve the order of the previous Spring and the retreat. Then, they can negotiate.

            4b4. Phase 4 : Fall writing

During this phase, the players has to finish to write their orders. The negotiation are not allowed.

      4c. Length of each phase

The phase 1 (Spring) will length seventeen minutes. The phase 3 (Fall) will length fifteen minutes. Each writing phase will length one minute.

      4d. Respect of deadlines

Each player must respect deadlines.
Failure to observe silence during the writing phase may be an immediate sanction.
At the end of the writing time, the player must return his sheet that he has finished writing his orders or not. No additional time will be allowed. If exceeded, the penalty applied may range from the cancellation of his written orders during the overrun to the cancellation of all orders.

      4e. Application of sanctions

Each time, the penalties will be pronounced and applied by the referee. It is left to its free interpretation the choice of the most appropriate sanction. No challenge will be tolerated and the tournament director will take care of that. A claim may however be made to the Tournament Director.

      4f. Order sheet

Players will have to write their orders, retreats and adjustments on the sheet provided by the organization. At the end of the game, players are required to return their sheets.

      4g. Early end vote

            4g1. Terms

From the spring of 1904, a player may request an end-of-game vote. The same player can only request one vote per year of play, which can only be done during a negotiation phase (spring or fall). The position considered will be that of the end of the previous year.

            4g2. Veto

A player may choose to veto the end of game vote. In this case, the vote is not carried out and the game continues normally.

            4g3. Players allowed to vote

At the time of the vote, only a player with at least one center may vote. The player who has proposed the end of the game does not vote, because he is considered to be favorable for this end of the game.

            4g4. Running of the vote

A referee will direct the vote and will specify the modality of the vote. The vote will be secret and no player will have to show his vote (under pain of sanction!). In case of unanimity for the end of the game, the game will stop by taking into account the centers charts from the end of the previous year. If not, the game will continue.

III Top Board

   1. Top board qualification

The top 7 players in the third qualifying round are qualified for the final round. In case of withdrawal, the next player will take the place.
In case of a tie, there are tie-breaking criteria :
1. Best result in case of direct confrontation between the two players
2. Priority to the player who played the least games
3. Best result on a game
4. Lowest number of centers of the countries played on the tournament
5. Youngest player

   2. Choice of countries

      2a. Phase 1 : Determination of the order of choice of countries

During this phase, we determine the order of choice of countries. The lowest ranked player places a paper with his name on the table. The next in the ranking chosen to position themselves before or after this one. And so on. At the end of the operation, the seven qualified players placed their names on the table and the order defines the order of choice of the countries.

      2b. Phase 2 : Choice of countries

The first player on the list chooses his country. The second does the same and so on. The seventh and last player does not have the choice of his country.

   3. Top board winner

The winner of the top board will be the player with the largest number of centers. In the event of a tie, the player who chooses his country last will be declared the winner.

   4. Top board bonus

Players participating in the final table have a 15% bonus on their score.

   5. Top board existence

The organizers can choose not to make a final table if the number of games is not enough during the 3 qualifying rounds.

IV Classification

   1. Scoring System

The scoring system is the Super Pastis

  • If a player solos (18centres or more)
    The player who solos scores 102 points (the double pastis). The other players score 1 point per year played.

  • For games without a solo where there is a single player who tops the board
    All eliminated get 1 point for each year before elimination.
    All survivors receive 10 points plus 2 points for each center at the end of the game.

    Bonuses:
    - The players within 3 centers of the highest center count get a bonus of 3 points
    - The players within 2 centers of the highest center count get a bonus of 6 points
    - The players within 1 center of the highest center count get a bonus of 12 points
    - The player with the top score get a bonus of 51 points minus the second highest point score in the game.

  • For games without a solo where two or more players share the top center count
    All eliminated get 1 point for each year before elimination.
    All survivors gets 10 points plus two points for each center at the end of the game.

    Bonus are awarded as below with x equal to the number of players sharing the top center count :
    - The players within 3 centers of the top center count get 3/x bonus points
    - The players within 2 centers of the top center count gets 6/x bonus points
    - The players within 1 center of the top center count gets 12/x bonus points
    - The players sharing the top center count get 48/x bonus points
  •    2. Qualification Score (QS)

    The qualification score includes the score of the three first rounds.
    - If the player didn't play the three qualification rounds, his QS is the sum of the score of each round played..
    - If the player played the three qualification rounds, the best score will count at 100%, the second best at 80% and the third best at 40%.

       3. Individual Classification

          3a. Final Score (FS)

    The qualification score includes the score of all the rounds played : The two best score at 100%, the third best at 80% and the fourth best at 40%.

          3b. Final classification

    The European Champion is the winner of the top board. The other player are classified considering the Final Score.
    In case of tie, the tiebreaker is :
    1. Best results in case of direct confrontation
    2. Priority to the player who played the fewer games
    3. Best result on one game
    4. Fewest supply centers of the countries played during the tournament
    5. Youngest player

       4. Team Classification

          4a. The team

    Each team must have up to four players. A player can only play for one team.

          4b. Team round

    The second round is the team round. Two players of the same team cannot play together during that round.

          4c. Classification

    The Team score is the sum of the score of each player during the second round..
    In case of tie, the tiebreaker is :
    1. Best results in case of direct confrontation
    2. Best individual score
    3. Best second individual score
    4. Fewest supply centers of the countries played during the tournament
    5. Team with the lowest average age

       5. Awards ranking

          5a. Awards

    During the tournament, will be awarded awards for 5 categories:
    - The best diplomat
    - The best tactician
    - The best strategist
    - The most machiavelic
    - The players' Choice
    Players will vote for each of these categories.

          5b. Voting system

                5b1. The players' Choice

    During the last round, each player will indicate to the tournament director his favorite player. At the end of this round, the player with the most votes will receive the players'choice award.

                5b2. Other awards

    The other rewards will be awarded using voting on each game. At the end of each, each player must vote for the following categories: the best diplomat, the best tactician, the best strategist, the most Machiavellian.
    For each category, it will have to indicate the two best ones. He chooses to assign 3 points to the first and 1 point to the second OR to award 2 points to each player. The player's score, for a given category, will be the sum of his scores on each game, if he has four games or less. In the case where there are five games, it will be the sum of the 4 best games.
    In case of a tie, we will use the following tie-breakers :
    1. The best average
    2. The highest number of votes on a single game
    3. Advantage to foreigners
    4. The youngest player

       6. Best countries ranking

          6a. Awards

    During the tournament, each best country will be rewarded :
    - Best Austria
    - Best England
    - Best France
    - Best Germany
    - Best Italy
    - Best Russia
    - Best Turkey

          6b. Best country awarding

    For a given country, the player with the highest score will get the best performance award for that country.

          6c. Tie-breaker

    In case of a tie, we will use the following tie-breakers :
    1. More centers
    2. Weakest gap with the preceding player (considered zero if the player is first)
    3. Largest gap with the following player (considered as zero if the player is last)
    4. Latest elimination
    5. Benefits to foreigners
    6. Youngest player

    V Trophies

    Trophies will be given to the following people :
    - The top 3 of the WorldDipCon
    - The World Champions by team
    - Each best country
    - The best diplomat
    - The best tactician
    - The best strategist
    - The most machiavelic
    - The players' Choice