Tournament Duration
Patriot Games 7 will have a random finishing year. A non-participating member of the Tournament Committee will secretly select a game year between 1912 and 1915. All games will proceed normally until all games have reached the pre-selected tournament end year, at which point the Tournament will end. Final results will only be counted from the status at the predetermined final game year.
Team Size
Seven players: one allotted to each of the seven Diplomatic powers; one nominated Team Captain (TC) elected by each team. Each team, once assembled, will assign players to individual powers.
PG7 Team Selection Draft
PG7 will attempt to promote geographic rivalry while permitting more dynamics in the formation of each team. When registration has ended, regional pools will be determined according to the various locations from which all players have enrolled. Each regional pool will then have a draft for eligible players to be chosen by a Recruitment Officer (RO). If, for example, we have 21 players in the western part of North America, three team Recruitment Officers will be selected and granted the opportunity to pre-screen all prospective candidates in their regional pool regarding their experience, style of play, power preference, etc. The Recruitment Officers will then select their teams; the draft order will be determined randomly and proceed in serpentine fashion.
Once a player is assigned to a team, he/she is no longer available to other teams. The draft will be supervised by GMTom () and will be conducted via the Redscape Forums to expedite the process. The anticipated times are 1 week for screenings and 1 week for the actual draft.
The Tournament Committee anticipates some regions having an extra player or two that doesn’t fit into a multiple of seven. For players that cannot get into their own regional team, a "Rest of the World" (RoW) team Recruitment Officer (again chosen at the discretion of the Tournament Committee based on past PG Tournament results) will participate in the draft process in each of those regions for the extra players. The RoW Recruitment Officer will decide what selection he wants from each region. For example, suppose we in Northern Europe. The RoW recruitment officer may determine he wants his first pick to come from Eastern USA, his second from Northern Europe, a third from Western Europe, the 4th from Western Europe, etc. His draft selections will then be part of those regions’ draft. The RoW team will not be a team of "leftovers" but will instead be chosen just as all of the other teams are chosen; the RoW Recruitment Officer will get to pre-screen an even larger pool of players to determine his team selections.
Recruitment Officers (ROs)
Recruitment Officers will be invited from regional pools and this year will be prioritised by PG6 performance—therefore, in the future, a strong performance in one PG Tournament will likely enable a player to pick his/her own team in the next Tournament. It is a requirement that the RO be available for the online draft at a time to be nominated by GMTom
().
The tournament entry form permits players to register their interest in acting as an RO should not enough initial (PG6 performance-based) invitations be accepted. Invitations on this basis will be at the discretion of the Tournament Committee.
Once the draft is complete, the RO has no further duties unless said RO wishes to also take on the role of Team Captain.
Team Captains (TCs)
The Team Captain is nominated by each team to act as a single point of contact for the team for tournament messages from the Tournament Committee. It is the Team Captain's responsibility to:
| 1. Request replacement players through the PG Replacement Officer |
| 2. Broadcast announcements and updates regarding the Tournament to their squad |
| 3. Investigate NMRs incurred by their team and attempt to alleviate any further occurrences |
| 4. Act as a marshal, liaison and chaperone for the team |
| 5. To permanently replace a player, or place into Civil Disorder any power that fails to submit orders in two consecutive Movement phases. |
Game Buddies (GBs)
All team members are expected to nominate to their GM one team member who will act as their game buddy. The game buddy may submit preliminary orders before any of their buddy’s game deadlines to avert potential NRRs/NBRs/NDRs and NMR penalties. Once nominated, no other team member may submit prelims to a game (excepting the player and their GB). This concept has developed from the Team Captain’s role in past Tournaments and serves to provide the PG Tournament with sufficient redundancy for holidays, absences, downtime, etc. without overburdening a game’s GM. Of course if a GB resigns from PG then a new GB may be nominated from within the team.
Game Moderators (GMs)
Requirements
| The main requirements of a GM are to: |
| 1. Know the rules of Diplomacy |
| 2. Ensure that the rules of the PG Tournament be applied uniformly—no subjective interpretations/leniencies |
| 3. Know where to get help if needed! There will be plenty of experienced moderators and Redscape GM's to call upon if a GM encounters any trouble |
| 4. Be aware of the time commitment involved in managing a game; even the smoothest of games requires about an hour a turn to process |
Deadlines
The GM is free to set deadlines according to the game's needs, provided they satisfy the overall Tournament timetable. The GM can only extend the deadline if a player requests an extension before the deadline so long as the extension does not contradict or compromise the Tournament schedule.
Maps
The production and posting of maps is mandatory. Advice/assistance to this end will be made available to all inexperienced GM in this regard. The Tournament Committee recommends use of RealPolitik.
Administration
GM's are highly encouraged to send reminders to players of an impending deadline 24 hours before said deadline. Orders received by the GM up until the time of adjudication will be permitted.
GM's are required to acknowledge receipt of player orders provided they are received at least 24 hours before the deadline.
GM's are required to apply player-submitted orders above any submission from a game buddy (GB). This includes orders submitted by a player containing mistakes that would normally be adjudicated as void or null – these cannot be superseded by valid GB prelim orders. If the player submits a partial set of orders then they supersede the GB orders, even if the GB submits orders for units not included in the player’s orders.
GM's are required to adjudicate on time and in line with the Tournament schedule. GM’s are not allowed to apply grace periods. Once the adjudication time is reached the GM shall adjudicate ASAP as time permits. If a GM knows in advance that he/she may not be able to adjudicate on time (holidays/work commitments) then the GM should request temporary cover by the appropriate GS (Game Supervisor). Any significant lag or advance should be managed by the GM/GS to ensure games proceed not more than a season out-of-sync through to Fall 1910. For Spring 1911 onwards, games must proceed in tandem; adjudicating the same season in the same calendar week.
GM's are required to send the results to the players and their GBs by email and post the results on the Redscape site immediately following adjudication
GM's are required to advise relevant TCs, with a copy to GMAndy, of any NMRs that players in their game make immediately following the adjudication of said NMRs.
GMs are required to fill in and submit the SC/NMR webform for their game following resolution of Fall retreats every game year (including 1915)
GMs are required to maintain a thread within their game forum detailing all NMRs, replacements, eliminations, civil disorders, withdrawals and abandonments. A sample of information required will be issued to all GMs to assist in the creation of their administrative thread.
GMs are required to resolve voting for Early Ends within 48 hours of sending the initial request for the vote. Note: if the request is receive with less than 48 hours until the next spring/fall season the vote will be postponed until after the adjudication of that season.
GM may resolve the vote for an Early End once all players have cast a vote but no later than 48 hours from sending the vote out. If the at the expiration of the 48 hours the GB has submitted a vote but that player has not voted then the GB vote will be used. If neither the player nor the GB has submitted a vote in the 48 hour period it will be considered a NVR.
GMs are required to implement Civil Disorder only with the written authorisation of the offending player’s captain.
Game Supervisors (GSs)
Requirements
| The main requirements of a GS are to: |
| 1. Act as point of contact/troubleshooter for up to three GMs |
| 2. Ensure that their GMs apply the rules of the Diplomacy and the PG Tournament uniformly |
| 3. Act as temporary/emergency moderator when necessary assuming no conflict of interest |
| 4. Ensure their supervised games run to the Tournament schedule |
Victory Condition for Tournament
The team that has acquired the most points by the conclusion of the Tournament.
Victory Condition for a Game
The player with most Supply Centres at the completion of Fall of the Random Tournament Finish Year (RTFY) including any necessary retreats. Power rankings will be determined by the number of centres owned at the end of the Fall Retreat (Autumn) phase of the RTFY.
Possible Game Outcomes
Solo Victory (a board where one player has reached 18 or more Supply Centres at Fall of any year up to and including the RTFY)
Non-Solo Victory ( a board where one or more players have the highest number of Supply Centres at Fall of the RTFY)
Early End (a board where a Non-Solo Victory is awarded by vote after Winter 1906 but prior to the Fall of the RTFY)
Early Ends
An Early End can only be granted by unanimous vote from remaining active players for games that have played to Winter 1906 and beyond (until the Fall of the RTFY is notified). A vote request for an Early End should be made to the GM in confidence. Note that the player proposing the Early End is automatically deemed to vote in favour of the Early End proposal. Any player (or GB proxy) who does not vote or whose vote is not received (NVR) by the GM before the vote deadline is deemed to be AGAINST the Early End proposal. If the vote passes, bonus points will be awarded according to the Non-Solo Victory framework and the game logged as an Early End.
General Play
Each player will play one standard game scheduled to end after the resolution of any retreats relevant to the Fall phase of the RTFY. No other member of a player's team will be represented in the same game. Points will be accumulated according to the number and type of supply centres held. Bonus points are available for finishing position (survivals only) and solo wins. In the event that a player misses any phase of play, the following will apply:
1901
There will be no unit NMRs in Spring 1901 or Fall 1901. If a player has not submitted any orders then the GM will contact the game buddy and wait for the GB to send a move. Penalty points for the NMR will still apply (see below). If a player or GB does not submit a retreat, build, or disband in 1901, the Redscape defaults will be used ( … ).
1902 Onward
| No Retreat Received (NRR): If any retreat orders are not received then the offending pieces are taken Off-The-Board (OTB) |
| No Build Received (NBR): If any build orders are not received then the build(s) are waived |
| No Disband Received (NDR): If any disband orders are not received then units will be removed according to Redscape House Rules |
| No Moves Received (NMR): If any moves orders are not received then a default order of "hold" is applied to the offending units. Point penalties are incurred for NMRs |
Turn Frequency
Turn frequency will normally be one Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter phase per week unless an alternative arrangement is made between a game's GM and the 7 affected players.
In the Summer phase, 24 hours will be allowed for retreats. In the Winter phase, 24 hours will be allowed for retreats and an additional 24 hours will be allowed for builds/disbands. If there are no retreats, 48 hours will be allowed for builds/disbands.
Preliminary Orders
Players and their GBs are encouraged to send preliminary orders for all phases. Ideally, a player’s orders should be copied to the GB for assurance of activity. Blanket preliminary orders such as "All units hold for every season" in a pre-emptive attempt to avoid NMR penalties will not be accepted. A player may however issue an order for the coming season requesting “all units hold”.
Points System
| Supply Centre Ownership |
| For every Home Centre (HC) held: 2pts |
| For every Neutral Centre (NC) --any of the 12 unoccupied centres as at Winter 1900 held: 1pt |
| For every foreign centre (FC) held: 3pts |
If more than 18 SCs are owned, the ownership points will consist of the least valuable 18 centres owned.
Bonus Points
Game Finish Bonus points for 1st place through to 7th place are as follows:
Non Solo Victory/Early End: 20, 16, 12, 8, 4, 2, 1 points
Solo Victory: 40, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 points
NMR Penalties
Each NMR will incur a 2 point deduction. There are no point penalties for NRRs, NBRs, and NDRs.
Tied Positions
Any game which has two or more players finish with the same number of supply centres shall share, by equal division, the game finish bonus points allotted to their respective finishing place. Points will be kept accurate to the nearest tenth of a point.
Civil Disorder
A power will not fall into Civil Disorder without written authority from a TC following proof that a player has NMRed twice in consecutive movement turns. Thus the power will stay active (and incur penalty points for repeated NMRs) until/unless the game's GM, GS and Tournament Committee are notified. Once authorisation is received the power will be placed into permanent Civil Disorder. Remaining units will hold without support from each other, though they may be supported to hold by any and all foreign units assuming said support is valid. Any units belonging to a power in civil disorder that are dislodged are immediately destroyed and taken OTB.
The final ranking of a power in CD, which is present at the end of Winter of the RTFY, will not be affected and shall be determined in accordance with the ranking policy outlined.
Clearly, given the magnitude of this Tournament and the organisation involved, it requires a firm commitment from all players so it is in a team's best interests to avoid NMRs and indeed civil disorder at all costs.
Replacement Players
It is the responsibility of the TC, as well as the entire team, to be certain that all players of the team are active. Temporary substitutions are made possible by use of the GB. The TC may permanently replace a player with another player, who is not yet on the team, as long as the player who will be replaced has not submitted orders for two movement turns (consecutive or non-consecutive) or has asked to be relieved for any circumstance. A TC must automatically replace a player who has committed two consecutive NMRs or place the player’s power in CD. Team consultation to request/action replacement is expected particularly if it is the TC who is NMRing.
In this case any team member may request that the TC be relieved and replaced by an active member of the team. A permanent replacement player is requested from the PG Replacement Officer—a forum thread will be available to post requests. In the event that the PG replacement/stand-by list has been expended then it is the responsibility of the team to source their replacement player.
A GB by definition can only act as a replacement in one other game (over and above the primary game that player is allotted to) at any given time. Reincarnation (resignation, re-registering and replacing) is forbidden. Player and team standings will be severely affected should an instance of reincarnation be discovered.
Queries/Disputes
Any query or dispute about a game/adjudication should be escalated through the following hierarchy:
1. GM & Team Captain
2. GS
3. Tournament Committee
Any queries or disputes reaching the Tournament Committee will be ruled upon with either a majority or unanimous verdict published; all rulings will be final.
