Tournaments

General Tournament Rules for Southern Board Game Festival 2018

The following apply to each tournament being held at SBGF and are subject to interpretation by event organizers and tournament staff.

I. Registration and Check-In

All participants are required to register for each tournament that they wish to participate in via the email received with the registration confirmation. The number of available spaces for each tournament vary based on the game, and will be listed on the registration page for each. Any participants who register after the available spots have been filled will be added to a wait list, and may be called up on a first-come first-served basis to fill additional spots if other competitors are absent. Please register for only tournaments that you intend to participate in, and keep in mind that some tournament times may overlap.
All competitors are encouraged to report to the designated tournament area fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled start time of their tournament. All competitors are REQUIRED to check in with tournament staff ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time of their tournament. Any competitor who fails to check in by this time is considered absent and may be replaced with the first person on the waitlist, who will be notified and given an additional five minutes to report to the play space.

II. Gameplay

Games will begin promptly at the scheduled time with all present players. Each game will follow the written rulebook included with that copy of the game. Any rules disputes will be at the sole discretion of that game’s GM, a member of the tournament staff in charge of refereeing the game. Any rule NOT in the written rulebook, including errata and online developer insights, will be at the discretion of the GM.
EXCEPTION: The start player of each game will be determined by a random die roll, with the highest roller being the start player, and play proceeding clockwise around the table.

III. Collusion and Kingmaking

Each player is required to play in a way that they believe is most personally beneficial to them in the game. Collusion will NOT be tolerated in any tournament game, and violators of this rule are subject to immediate forfeiture of the tournament and removal from SBGF 2018. If a player finds themself in a situation where they are a “kingmaker” with no chance of winning themselves, they must still attempt to play in a way that maximizes their personal score in the game.

IV. End of Play

Games will proceed until the written end-game conditions have been met. There will be no timer imposed upon any game at the event. Competitors that have advanced into a future round will be immediately informed, and the next round of the tournament will begin immediately upon completion of the current round.
Competitors are discouraged from leaving the tournament area between rounds. Any competitor who has left the tournament area upon commencement of the next round of play will be considered absent, and will forfeit their spot at the table.

V. Prizes

The first place prize for each tournament will be a 50 dollar gift certificate to HobbyTown USA in Lafayette, LA. Prizes will be awarded immediately after the final round of each tournament. There will be no prizes awarded for any placing other than first.

VI. Determining Placing Beyond First

For rounds of the tournament in which multiple players advance, second place will be determined by the tiebreak conditions outlined in each game’s rulebook.
For games where this placing system does not directly apply (King of Tokyo), placing rules will be explained by tournament staff to all players before the tournament begins.

VII. Discrete Scoring Rounds

Any game with discrete scoring rounds (end of round, end of age, etc) should be scored with the tournament organizer present. The tournament organizer will record scores at the end of the rounds, in case game pieces or board are disturbed, and there is any question what the current score is.

VIII. Illegal Game State

If an illegal game state is discovered, the game should pause, and the tournament organizer should be notified. If it is possible to return the game to a legal state (the mistake was made on the previous turn), the game will be restored to a legal state, and the game will proceed from that point. If it is not possible to return the game to the state prior to the illegal state (at the discretion of the tournament organizer), the player responsible for the illegal state will be allowed to continue play, but will be disqualified from advancing or placing.

IX. Miscellaneous

Any other rules dispute or issue that arises will be handled at the discretion of SBGF staff.