Rules of Competition . . .

[stockwellpete]

The FOG2 Digital League: rules of competition

1. The League

The league will consist of 5 core sections:

Biblical Age 3200BC - 601BC (being replaced by The Silk Road mod v1.7 for Season 12)
Classical Antiquity 600BC – 1BC
Late Antiquity 0AD - 599AD
Early Middle Ages 600AD - 1039AD
High Middle Ages 1040AD – 1500 AD

In addition, another section, historically themed, will be available each season.

Each core section will be divided into divisions of 10 players, except for the Biblical section which will be divided into divisions of 6 players. If any division is not full at the start of competition then recruitment to it will remain open until all vacancies are filled.

Each player will play one match against all the other players in a division, except for the Biblical and Themed Event sections where paired games will be used for all matches.

Promotion and relegation will occur between all divisions. Players winning a division will always be promoted and players coming bottom of a division will always be relegated. Other promotions and relegations will be at the discretion of the organisers.

Players who have completed 9 tournament matches will be given a FOG2 Digital League rating.

Any eventuality not covered by these rules will be subject to adjudication by the organisers. The adjudication panel currently consists of ianiow (Ian), hidde (Anders) and stockwellpete (Pete).

2. Joining the league and selecting your armies

Players are usually required to select four different armies for each of the core sections that they wish to enter and to post them in the relevant “recruitment” threads. Players will then usually be allocated one army for each section they have entered and they will use this army for all 9 matches. Players cannot pick any of their 4 armies, or their allies, from nations that they used in their last season in any section, whether they were used as the main army or as the allies. The FOG2DL ratings will be used in the process of allocating these armies.

3. Participation in the league

Returning players will usually be able to enter a maximum of four section of the league. New players to the league may enter no more than three sections in their first season. It is expected that players will complete all their fixtures. Those who do not may be excluded from subsequent seasons.

Players must register one result in each section they have entered within three weeks of the start of the season, and three results within each section they have entered after five weeks (i.e. the halfway stage) of the tournament, or they may be replaced by a player from the reserve list. Players should play their matches evenly across the sections they have entered rather than concentrate on just one section at a time.

It is no longer acceptable to play very slowly during most of the season before rushing through matches in the last few weeks of the tournament. Players who do this will initially face restrictions on the number of sections they can enter and more rigorous criteria for passing the Time Control checks in the next season. Repeat offenders may find themselves excluded from the tournament completely.

4. Matches

Either player may initiate a match by posting a challenge in the appropriate thread in the competition forum and by sending a PM to their opponent.

For matches in each of the core sections players will select "Open Battle" for the scenario type.

Matches in Classical Antiquity and Late Antiquity will have a default size of 1600 points, while matches in Biblical, Early Middle Ages and High Middle Ages will have a default size of 1200pts. Matches in the Themed Event will have a default size corresponding to the historical period being featured in that particular season. Before the tournament starts players will be able to state their preferences for either 1200pt or 1600pt battles in each of the sections of the tournament that they have entered. Where both players in a match have stated the same preference then the match will proceed at that size. Where players have stated a different preference then the match will proceed at the default size for that particular section.

For 1200 points battles players will choose a “Medium" army and a “Medium" battlefield, while for 1600 points players will select a "Large" army and choose a “Wide" battlefield.

The Map type will always be "Pot Luck", unless otherwise specified. Players are usually free to customise their army before each battle so "Player" is the correct Force Selection option, unless otherwise specified.

If a match is set-up incorrectly for any reason then it must be re-started as soon as possible.

Players may agree to re-start a match within the first three turns if they believe the terrain is likely to produce a sterile match or a draw. The maximum number of re-starts permitted for a single match is two.

Reporting the result of a match is the responsibility of the winning player. If you are a losing player and notice that the result has not been posted after three days you should post the result yourself.

5. Winning league points

Points will be awarded for wins, marginal wins, ties, draws and marginal defeats as follows . . .

4 points - for a win where the losing player has not scored 50% or more
3 points - for a marginal win where the losing player has scored 50% or more
2 points - for a tie where both players score 60% or more, or for a draw where a player has scored at least 25%
1 point - for a marginal defeat where the losing player has scored 50% or more
0 points - for a loss, or for a draw where a player has not scored 25% or more

To win a game a player must always “rout” the opponent’s army. A "rout" occurs when an army breaks and 60% of its original troops are routed or dispersed, or if 40-59% of its original troops are routed or dispersed and the opponent has lost at least 25% less.

A draw will occur where neither army has broken by the match turn limit (24 turns), or at any point in the match by agreement between the two players.

If two or more players finish on the same number of points at the end of the season, the player with the most wins will be placed higher in the table. If two or more players have the same number of wins then the results of the matches between those two or more players will determine the final positions in the league table. Where these results still do not separate the players the players will be considered to have "tied" and will be given equal standings in the final league tables.

In the Themed Event, however, where it is necessary to separate players in the final tables at the group stage to decide who progresses to the knock-out phase, the points aggregate from the matches between the players with the same number of wins will be used to decide the final places in the group table. If this still does not separate the players then lots will be drawn to determine which player(s) proceed to the next stage of the competition.

In the knock-out rounds of the Themed Event where players win one game each, aggregate scoring will be used to decide which player progresses to the next round. Players resigning a match in the knock-out stages will automatically be knocked-out of the competition.

6. Player etiquette and withdrawal from the league

Please treat organisers and other players in the way that you would wish to be treated yourself. Please visit the Field of Glory 2 forum regularly and log in to see if there are any messages for you. Try to respond to communications as quickly as you can and once you have started a match play at a regular pace so it can be completed within a reasonable timespan. It is expected that all matches will be completed within one month of their starting date. Matches that continue for longer than one month may be adjudicated. If you are unable to play for a short period of time then please let your opponents know in advance, whenever possible.

Please do not resign a match if you are less than 15% behind your opponent. Failure to follow this rule may affect your future entry rights.

Please notify the tournament organisers if you are unable to contact an opponent to start a match after 7 days have elapsed.

After the first Time Control check has passed, if your opponent has not moved at all for 7 days without explanation then you are entitled to claim the match automatically by using the multi-player in-game facility provided.

If you wish to resign from the league, or if you will not have time to finish all of your matches, please notify the tournament organisers as soon as possible. If you have not completed three matches in a division in a core section your record will be expunged completely. If you have completed three or more matches then the points available from any unplayed matches will be awarded to your opponents.

In the Themed Event, If you have not completed one match in a qualifying group you will be replaced by a reserve if it is possible. If you have completed one or more matches then the points available from any un-played matches will be awarded to your opponents.

(v12 14/09/2021)

[stockwellpete]

The only major addition is to Rule 3 concerning slow play . . .

"It is no longer acceptable to play very slowly during most of the season before rushing through matches in the last few weeks of the tournament. Players who do this will initially face restrictions on the number of sections they can enter and more rigorous criteria for passing the Time Control checks in the next season. Repeat offenders may find themselves excluded from the tournament completely."