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Tournament Rules

Player Conduct

Note: All the below is superseded by any conflict with the official “World Series of Boardgaming Rules of Participation” at https://wsbgvegas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Code-of-Conduct-legal-2024.pdf

All players are expected to play in their own best interest and to behave in a sportsmanlike manner.

Players that demonstrate abusive or disruptive behavior contrary to the safety and comfort of themselves or the other players may result in that player being asked or forced by the Tournament Director to leave the round or the tournament.

In the event a player must or chooses to abandon his position prior to the end of the game, the Tournament Director reserves the right to name a replacement player or declare the power in permanent civil disorder. If the previous player returns, it is up to the Tournament Director if he is allowed to take the position over. Any replacement player will receive credit for the round.

Diplomacy games & tournaments should be a fun, inclusive, and welcoming environment. Harassment of players or guests is not tolerated in any form. Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, relationship status, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, national origin, or religion; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.

Unwelcome behavior includes damaging property – either the game or personal property – as well as sustained actions that disrupt a game or disturb guests.

Participants asked to stop any harassing or unwelcome behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing or unwelcome behavior, the tournament director may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or asking them to leave the board or tournament. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact the tournament director immediately.

During the course of play, if a player abandons their position to another player for the purposes of advancement to the Top Board, the Tournament Director may elect to invalidate the score of both players for the round and may further elect to disqualify both players from the tournament. If this occurs on the Top Board and the TD determines the act impugns the integrity of the tournament, the TD may disqualify the offending players.

Players are expected to adhere to Code of Conduct for the overseeing convention or venue, and any situation where these rules conflict with the convention or venue, those rules will take precedence over the Diplomacy event. This explanation for Code of Conduct is meant to be a guideline for Diplomacy players and their guests to better understand acceptable behavior and any potential disciplinary process, but it is only a guideline. The tournament director, venue, or convention may deviate from this procedure at any time and in any manner and reserves all rights & remedies available in law and equity.

Tournament Structure

Rules

2023 Hasbro/Avalon Hill/Renegade Game Studios 6th edition rules (except where noted in this document).

Rounds

Four rounds of play are scheduled. Players are under no obligation to play in any number of rounds and should feel free to play in as few or as many as they please. The best two scores for a player will determine advancement to the Top Board. All rounds will be used at the conclusion of the tournament for scoring purposes. The top seven finishers by tournament score after Round 3 will compete on the Top Board to determine the Champion. Round 4 will determine the Champion on a Top Board and set 1st – 7th placements, while other tournament boards will determine the 8th – XXth placements in the event.

Round 1 – Friday afternoon

Round 2 – Saturday morning

Round 3 – Saturday afternoon

Top Board & Round 4 – Sunday morning

Awards

1. National Diplomacy Masters Champion / 2027 World Champion

Determined by score on the Top Board:

i. If a player achieves 18 or more centers after a Fall turn, they have won the tournament.

ii. All surviving players may wish to concede to another player on the Top Board. To concede to a player, that player must own the most supply centers and the concession must be unanimous by all surviving players according to the rules set forth in “Ending the Game”. A secret draw vote will be conducted by the tournament director on the clock to end the game.

iii. The game will end after the Winter (Build and Disband) phase of 1907. The player with the highest score on the board will be declared Champion.

2. Outstanding play of each power (Best Country Awards): determined by single-game score for each Power, with ties broken by center count of the preceding game years. If there is a tie from game start to game finish among two or more players, then higher overall tournament score will determine the Best Country Award.

Board Assignments / Power Assignments

1. To be eligible to play during a round, players must check in with the Tournament Director prior to the published round start times.

2. Board assignments and will be determined by random draw, with the discretion of the Tournament Director dependent on extenuating circumstances (family, health, etc.). There are certain conditions such as family or past incidents in-game and out-of-game that would preclude players from being assigned the same board, except in the case of the Top Board.

3. Power assignment will be determined by random draw.

4. A player should not be assigned the same power twice in the tournament, except for the Top Board.

5. In the event the number of players checked in for a round is not a multiple of seven, the Tournament Director may ask designated players to sit out or play on two boards. The last players to sign up for the event are the first ones that will be asked to sit out if there are no volunteers. If a player competes on two boards at once, their best two scores will count for Top Board determination and best three scores will count for overall tournament standings.

6. Players are not permitted to swap powers at a board. They must play the power they are assigned.

7. The Tournament Director is not permitted to participate in a round or substitute for a player.

Game Timing

a. All boards will follow a central clock, with rolling negotiation periods of 18 minutes for Spring and 14 minutes for Fall. Each round will last until game year 1907 is completed.

b. Orders must be turned into the box or common location at the deadline for each Turn. One grace period of one minute will be given to each player per game. This shall be denoted next to a player’s name on the Supply Center Chart if used during a game. Further grace periods will be awarded at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Anyone who fails to turn in their orders in a timely fashion will have their orders all Hold; enforcement is at the discretion of the TD.

c. Once adjudication has been completed, all retreating units have been identified, and questions have been answered about invalid retreat options, there will be up to 60 seconds of silent writing time for retreats with the central clock running.

d. After Fall adjudication, silent writing time for adjustments will occur ON THE CLOCK. The Spring term is longer than the Fall turn to allow for adjustment writing during the Spring turn.

e. If a player is electing to hold their retreats or adjustments for the purposes of running out the clock, any player on the board may notify the Tournament Director. At the Tournament Director’s discretion, they may place a time limit on retreats or adjustments for a board. If any player does not follow the Tournament Director’s direction, they may be removed form the board and disqualified from the tournament.

e. The clock will countdown continuously from Spring 1901 until end of 1907. All games end at the END of game year 1907.

f. If all orders are in early, adjudication may begin if all players on the board agree.

g. Breaks will occur on the clock. In the event of extenuating circumstances, the clock may be stopped by the TD.

Orders

All orders, including retreats, builds, and disbands, must be written. Implicit orders are not allowed.

1. Unordered units are treated as a hold order regardless of other implied actions. Unordered units or units in civil disorder may receive support in holding. Units given an impossible order are treated as holding. A unit ordered to a distant location shall be considered as an impossible order and held. It is not necessary to designate Army or Fleet except in build orders on coastal provinces. Orders for wrongly designated units are still followed.

2. Poorly written orders that allow for only one reasonable reading (ignoring intentionally miswritten orders as a possibility) are to be followed. However, no direct change in the implied individual order is to be made. Standard abbreviations are acceptable. Leeway may be given by the Tournament Director if the order is unambiguous.

3. A convoy will always move via its own Power’s fleets if ordered and possibly ignore alternate routes offered by other Powers, unless otherwise specified in the order for the army. “Unwanted convoys” are not permitted. In the event an army can move to an adjacent coastal province via land or sea, it shall be assumed that the army is moving by land unless otherwise specified in the order (e.g. A Bel –> Hol via Nth convoy). In the case of a valid convoy attack from one coastal province to an adjacent coastal province, the attack will be considered as coming from the fleet for the purposes of retreat, thus allowing the dislodged unit to retreat to the province of the attacker.

4. Failure to indicate a coast on a Fleet St. Petersburg build order will result in a waived build. Any fleet move or retreat order from Portugal to Spain, from the Mid-Atlantic Ocean to Spain, or from Constantinople to Bulgaria, must include a coast designation.

5. If more than one power has a retreat order, they must be written down. Retreat orders are due within 60 seconds. Disbanding is always an option on a retreat.

6. In the event a dispute arises, the Tournament Director or his/her designee has final discretion to determine the validity and intent of written orders.

Ending the Game

1. The game will end in a solo victory if a single power controls 18 or more supply centers at the end of a Fall move. Solos may not be conceded during the qualifying rounds.

2. The game will end in a non-solo resolution if (i) all powers remaining in the game agree to end the game, (ii) the game reaches the end of 1907, (iii) the TD calls the tournament game over, or (iv) by vote.

3. Any vote shall be conducted in secret in a manner determined by the TD or designated assistant. All votes must be unanimous. Only ONE vote may be held per Spring or Fall phase, at the discretion of the TD. The clock DOES NOT STOP for draw votes. All players with at least one Supply Center are eligible to vote. If a player has abandoned the game or chooses not to vote, he is considered to vote FOR all proposals.

4. The Tournament Director may immediately call for the end of a game at any time, including the Top Board. This is to handle extenuating circumstances such as health issues or to prevent the board from being held beyond reasonable time constraints.

Scoring

C-Diplo

The top seven players by tournament scores over the first three rounds (best two scores taken for each player) earn the right to play on the Top Board in the final round. In the event of a tie for top board qualification, the player with the highest combined center count (from the three qualifying rounds) in the preceding year advances. For instance, a player with a combined center count of 23 from game year 1906 beats a player with combined center count of 22. If the players are still tied, then the preceding game years are taken to break the tie until 1901. If still tied, a coin flip will determine advancement.

The players on the Top Board will be ranked 1st through 7th according to their finish on the board, followed by the overall tournament score for all other players.

If there is a solo in a round: the player who solos (has 18 centers or more) scores 100 points. The other players score zero.

If there is no solo in a round:

  • Each player scores 1 point for participation.
  • Each player scores 1 point per center owned.
  • The player who has the most centers scores 38 points.
  • The player who has the 2nd most centers scores 14 points.
  • The player who has the 3rd most centers scores 7 points.
  • In case of a position tie, the players share the points given for the rank.

The sum of the score of players on a board is 100.

The final tournament score will be determined by the sum of each player’s score in all their rounds played. Players need only participate in one round to be eligible for awards. The Tournament Director is ineligible for awards and for ranking purposes shall be listed in last place as NC.

If a player qualifies for the Top Board but does NOT make the start time (plus 15 minutes grace) for the Championship, then the tournament director may elect to have the 8th place qualifying player participate. The selection process will proceed down the rankings until a table of seven individuals is available for the top board.

Tournament Director / GM

The Tournament Director CANNOT compete on any board. If a player leaves a game, that Power is in civil disorder (all units HOLD and all disbands by the game rules). That Power cannot be replaced by another player or Tournament Director.

If the Tournament Director needs to be away from the boards for any length of time, an assistant GM will take over all duties assigned to the Tournament Director, in their absence.

The Tournament Director reserves the right to police deadlines, issue warnings to offending players, and end a game at any time, if necessary.

The Tournament Director reserves the right to remove a player from a board and/or disqualify a player from the tournament for breaking the tournament rules, breaking the event code of conduct, or if they determine the player poses a risk to other players, Tournament Direct, attendees, volunteers, or staff.

Note — The following players have been banned from all events: Eric Grinnell, David Maletsky. They may not participate in any Diplomacy event.