Motivation
Tournaments are about more than just winning. They are an opportunity to meet people from different countries and different walks of life who share the passion for the game. They also server as a meeting grounds where you can finally hang out with friends from hundreds of miles away who you might have only talked to online. Nevertheless, a major part of tournaments is about determining an eventual champion. We all have a competitive spirit within us, otherwise we wouldn’t be attending tournaments in the first place. As the stakes are raised, so is the pressure to perform.
This document is an attempt to strictly codify every rule that will be in effect at the tournament. Our goal is not to make things overly complicated, but rather to make sure everyone is treated fairly. In the event of a conflict, strict adherence to these rules will ensure that things don’t become personal and everyone can have a good time. All tournament competitors are responsible for knowing these rules in advance.
Terminology
The following terms will be used in this document, around the website, and at the tournament itself.
Groups - A Group (also known as Round Robin) is a system where a number of players will player everyone in the group to ensure everyone has equal chance of placement.
Bracket - A flow chart indicating who should play whom at any point in the tournament. The completely deterministic nature of a bracket ensures fair play. Most VSF tournaments use single elimination brackets for the finals.
Match – A pairing between two people in the group/bracket. The two people play each other until a winner is determined. For example, the final Match in in the tournament determines who gets 1st and who gets 2nd. A Match is usually 2 out of 3 games.
Game - A Game is just what you think it is… a single game between 2 players. For example, a game in SSFIV is over when someone wins 2 out of 3 rounds. A game of Tatsunoko v Capcom is over when one player loses his last character. Make sure you understand the difference between a Match and a Game!
The Admin Team – This team is ultimately responsible for running the whole tournament.
Judge/Staff - The Admin Team has a lot of people helping them. These people usually watch over Matches and help to resolve conflicts. Thus, those people are called Judges. They are tournament officials. While they can help to resolve conflicts, the Admin team is the ultimate authority in making sure the rules are enforced. This team of people will also help with registrations, setups and other duties at the event, and will be identifiable by their t-shirts.
Registration
* All participants can register in one of three ways. The early sign-up’s can be done online and through Dojo Nights up to one month prior to event. On the day registrations will be accepted at the venue but there is a slightly higher cost on entry.
* Entry into the tournament after the registration period expires is generally not allowed, but may be accepted at the discretion of the Director.
* All entry fees are non-refundable.
Seeding
All players in the tournament will be “seeded by region”. To the best of our ability, we will place players in the bracket in a manner that minimizes the chances of them playing against someone who lives in close physical proximity to them. This increases the likelihood that you will play against players whom you have not played against before. Participants from other regions will be seeded two weeks prior to the event.
Match Play
These rules will be in effect whilst a match in the tournament is played. If you are playing in the tournament, be sure to study this section carefully, especially if you have no prior tournament experience.
# Choosing Sides
* When both players are at the game console, the judge will inform them to what side of they machine they will play on (who will sit on 1P side and who will sit on 2P side)
* The group brackets share a player equally over both sides.
# Choosing Characters
* Both players choose their characters whenever they want. This is a free for all. Players pick who they want and go.
# Playing the Match
* Once sides and characters have been chosen, the players should begin the first Game in the Match.
* The following rules go into effect once a Game ends;
o The Match is over when either player wins the required number of games (Two out of three games for most tournaments)
o Once a player has won the required number of games, the winner of the Match should report the result to the Judge.
o The player who won the last Game is required to keep the same characters, game modes, and order of characters for the next Game.
o The player who lost the last Game is allowed to choose whatever characters, game modes, or character order he desires.
# Reporting Rule Violations: At some point during the tournament, a player may violate either the tournament rules or the rules for a particular game in a tournament. For example, a player may switch his character selection after he won the previous game (a tournament rule violation) or he may choose Akuma in Street Fighter II Super Turbo or do the Gambit Glitch in Marvel vs Capcom 2 (a tournament game violation). The following rules apply toward rectifying rule violations.
* It is the responsibly of the players in the Match to detect all Match Rule violations and report them to a Judge immediately.
* ALL non-gameplay rule violations must be reported to a Judge before the Game starts (e.g. the winner switching the characters after winning one Game in a Match).
* Players are not allowed to stop a Game in progress to address a non-gameplay related rule violation. Stopping a Game in progress to report a non-gameplay rule violation will result in the forfeiture the round on the part of the person stopping the game.
*The only time a player is allowed to stop a Game to report a rule violation is when that violation occurs during the middle of the match (e.g. The Gambit Glitch in Marvel vs. Capcom 2).
*Stopping a Game in progress to erroneously report a rule violation (e.g. your opponent using the Juggernaut glitch in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which is allowed) automatically results in the forfeiture of the round by the player who stopped the game.
*Rule violations must be reported at the time they occur. Otherwise, they will be ignored.
*A Judge is allowed to report any rule violations on behalf of a player.
* If a Judge stops a game to mis-report a rule violation, the Game is replayed with both players picking the same characters, order, and side. No one is disqualified.
*The only people allowed to stop a Game to report a violation are the Judge and the players. Anyone else (e.g. a spectator) stopping a Game (for any reason) will receive a mandatory Red Card (see Rule Enforcement and Disqualification).
*If a player accidentally or intentionally stops his game for any other reason, he will be forced to forfeit the round. Examples include accidentally pressing the start button on his controller to pause the match, unplugging his or his opponents joystick, etc. If the game cannot be restarted from the exact point of interruption, the player is forced to forfeit the Game.
*Match interruptions beyond the players control (e.g. the game crashes or freezes) will be dealt with directly by the Judge. All best attempts will be made to resume the round from where it left off. If that cannot be accomplished, the Game will be replayed with both players picking the same characters and modes.
*Example: Suppose a player loses a Game during his Match. During the middle of the next Game, he notices that his opponent changed characters (a rule violation, since his opponent won the previous Game). Since the player did not notify a Judge immediately after the violation occurred, the player must live with the situation. If he stops the Game now, he will be forced to forfeit the Game.
*Example: During your MvC2 match, your opponent uses the Ruby Heart glitch to freeze time for 15 seconds. Near the end of your match (2 minutes later) you see that you’re losing and stop the match to report the violation. Since you didn’t report the violation immediately, it is ignored, and since you’ve stopped the match, you are now forced to forfeit. Be careful.
*Example: A player is up 1 round to 0 against his opponent when he accidentally kicks the power cord, turning the console off. Since this is an unauthorized stoppage of play, the player is forced to forfeit the Round. Since the game cannot continue from the point where it left off, the player is forced to forfeit the entire game.
# Reporting Equipment Failure: Video game hardware has a tendency to break down during tournaments. Buttons or joysticks will occasionally break down in the middle of a match, leaving the player on the broken side at a significant disadvantage. The following rules will be used in the event of a breakdown.
* In the event of an equipment failure, they player has the option to stop the Game in progress to obtain an replacement. If identified early on in the match and both players are happy the match can be restarted.
* If a Game is stopped in progress, the reporting player must forfeit the current round.
* New equipment must be immediately available. If replacement equipment cannot be obtained in a timely manner, the player must continue to play on their current equipment or forfeit the Match.
* Once replacement equipment is obtained, the player is given the rest of the round to configure their buttons and test the new equipment.
* A player may opt to switch out equipment between Games at no penalty. When this occurs, the player will be given ample time to configure his buttons before the next Game begins.
Rule Enforcement and Disqualification
Unfortunately, sometimes things get out of hand. Rules occasionally get violated for a variety of reasons; accidentally, maliciously, or even out of ignorance. The following rules are designed to deal with rule violators in a way that ensures everyone is treated fairly. These rules WILL be enforced! Know the consequences for your actions ahead of time.
* Every participant starts off the tournament with a clean slate.
* Judges must report each rule violation to the Admin Team immediately.
Yellow Cards
* The first Yellow Card violation in and of itself has no effect. However, a Yellow Card violation will almost always also be accompanied by Match Forfeiture.
* A 2nd Yellow Card violation REQUIRES that the tournament organizer also issue a Red Card
* Recommended Circumstances for Issuing a Yellow Card
+ Excessive stalling/misconduct during a Match (e.g. repeatedly “accidentally” picking the wrong character, taking a bathroom break between games in a Match, excessive physical contact with the other player during a Match (e.g. kicking out his stool)).
+ Major misconduct violations during a tournament (e.g. punching, or slamming the screen or joysticks, excessive trash talking, etc).
Red Cards
* A player is immediately disqualified from the tournament after receiving a Red Card violation.
* A Red Card may be given immediately, without any prior violations, in extreme circumstances.
* Recommended Circumstances for Issuing a Red Card
+ Upon issuing a 2nd Yellow Card.
+ Physically harming another tournament participant (smacking, punching, etc).
+ Excessive Misconduct (e.g. theft, causing a disruption which delays the tournament, racial slurs or excessive trash talking, etc.)
Additional Rules
* Any tournament players that are not present when their match is called for a group or semi final matches, without giving staff a valid reason for not being present, will have a period of 2 (two) minutes to report, to their station with the required equipment. After the two minute period has expired, you will be forced to forfeit your Match. This is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy, and friends or staff can’t save you.
* Equipment sharing is no longer a valid option for being late to a match. You can take the risk and borrow someone’s equipment, but if it is in use, and your match is called, you will have 2 minutes to report with valid equipment or be disqualified.
* There will be no ties in any tournament. Anyone refusing to play any Match (including the finals) will be disqualified and forfeit all rights to any titles or prizes they might have otherwise earned for that tournament.
* Anyone visibly intoxicated or otherwise under the influence of alcohol or any other substance will be immediately ejected from the tournament, and may be banned. If you do not cooperate immediately, we will not hesitate to contact the local authorities. We have always enjoyed violence-free events, and this a zero tolerance issue. Keep it in the game, or keep it to yourself.
* Collusion of any kind with your competitors is considered cheating. If the Tournament Director determines that any competitor is colluding to manipulate the results or is intentionally under-performing, the collaborating players may be immediately disqualified. This determination is to be made at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director. Anyone disqualified in this manner forfeits all rights to any titles or prizes they might have otherwise earned for that tournament.
* VS Fighting has a zero tolerance policy toward violence, threats of violence, intimidation, and other forms of thuggery. Any threat of violence or extreme intimidation will result in an immediate and lifetime ban.
* Gambling is prohibited in and/or around the event hall. Any player that gambles on the property will be immediately ejected from the tournament, and may be banned.
These rules are an attempt to insure that the tournament runs fairly and as smoothly as possible. However, unforeseen circumstances may require a special response, and for that reason the Tournament Director reserves the right to change any of the tournament rules or remove any player at any time, for any reason, at their sole discretion.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us by e-mail
