Dear Tournament Organizers,
Over the past couple of months the tournament forums have exploded with many new tournaments for the enjoyment of all and it looks like it is a trend that will continue, much to the delight of the Tournament Directors. However, we have begun to notice an upswing in the number of tournaments that are somewhat lacking in preparation or competitive nature.
A tournament should feature enough players to make sure that the winner had to really accomplish something to win, rather than just a few lucky rolls of the dice, and with that in mind, we are installing a new set of minimum requirements for receiving tournament privileges.
These requirements are not meant to restrict your creativity (as I know fully that all of you are incredibly creative in your themes and formats), but rather to make sure that everyone who signs up for a tournament receives the same competitive atmosphere as everyone else. It is our intention that a minimum standard be maintained here in the tournament forums, and this should help us do so.
Without further delay, here are your new minimum requirements:
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Requirements to Receive Tournament Privileges
1. You must have at least 16 total players.
2. The tournament must feature at least 5 games.
3. At least 50% of the spots available must be for open/public sign-ups, and not filled with special invitations. (Tournament Directors will be conducting random checks on occasion to ensure this criteria is being met.)
4. The first post must be organized and state such things as game settings, maps, number of games, etc.
Note: If you wish to run a tournament based upon a actual sports league or something similar, and it requires you to have less than 16 players, please contact a Tournament Director to discuss what options are available to you. Your tournament may possibly be approved if it is well prepared and features an acceptable format.
We have no objection to anyone running a tournament that does not meet these specific requirements. However, if it is not approved, it will not be granted privileges and will have to be organized using private games.
If your first post is missing some pertinent information, the Tournament Directors reserve the right to kindly ask you to provide such information before granting your privileges.
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We realize that some of you like to run smaller tournaments, and we love that, but we kindly ask that you make sure they fit into the new requirements. We have full faith in your creativity and skills, and believe you will all be providing excellent tournaments for a long time to come.
Note: These requirements will go into effect on March 11, 2008
Regards, Optimus Prime
