Captain’s Personal Log: Disciplinary Action

Whether by intent or accident, misunderstandings between players arise in almost every tournament. Sometimes it can be something as simple as resolving two card’s conflicting effects, while the possibility also exists for larger arguments escalating into shouting matches, threats, and in the worst cases, physical violence. As the stakes get higher, players naturally become more defensive of their tournament life, but it’s up to the tournament director to keep any potentially volatile players in check. Here are some suggestions on how to increase the peace at your TOC:

•Communicate. This is the best way to avoid any unintentional misunderstandings; by disarming these situations ahead of time, you greatly enhance the TOC experience for both your players and yourself. Some ways you can communicate with your players before your Territorial:

1. Have your players pre-register for the event by submitting their e-mail addresses to you, then send out updates through a mail forwarding group (through GoogleGroups or another service).
2. Post flyers! Not just at the venue you have scheduled, but also at other game & hobby stores around town (make sure you ask permission first, as most game store owners do not take kindly to advertisements for their competition in their own store).
3. Make sure your flyers list the date, start time, cost, number of rounds, prizes offered, venue address, venue phone number, and your phone number (an e-mail address might be a nice addition on the bottom edge of the flyer, printed vertically in strips so that players can tear a section off to take with them). Mention if you are using decklist registration.
4. Keep a blog like this one! This gives you a great compromise between the hassle of e-mailing everyone when some of the event details change, and the administration challenges of your own web site.

•Know the rules, and make sure your players have access to them. Many times you can deflect a player’s claim of bias by directing them to a passage in either the Call to Arms Rulebook or Current Rulings Document. If a player sees it in writing, he/she often becomes less suspicious that they are being ruled unfairly against. Besides the two documents already mentioned, make sure you have a copy of the DGMA Code of Conduct handy so that you may point players to where they can see examples and commensurate punishments for tournament infractions.

•During your event, watch as many games as possible. While you may not offer rulings before players ask for them in any given round, your continual presence will encourage players to ask more questions than they might in a run-of-the-mill tournament. This is a good thing; as championship-level events, TOCs should have higher play standards. This may also assist you in making rulings; if you are familiar with the game state before players ask you a question, it saves them the trouble of having to explain to you the exact circumstances of the questioned interaction.

•If you use decklists, check the list twice when you deckcheck (even if it’s right the first time). It works for Santa, and it can work for you too. While deckchecks can be time-consuming, they are the most important line of defense against players who would try to abuse the tournament structure. Since the penalty is fairly high for a failed deckcheck, make sure you have concrete evidence before you issue any game losses. (Trust me, I know what I’m talking about here…)

•Be consistent in your rulings. This may be the toughest part of being a TD; no one likes to see an unassuming player get burned because they didn’t know about a particular rule. You can only do so much to prepare your players before they must endure the rigors of a higher-level tournament; once in a tournament, they must accept your rulings or risk ejection from the event. Trek players are some of the most forgiving CCGers around right now, but even the most patient players will put their foot down when confronted with someone who double-clutches on every decision during a game. Encourage players to treat each other fairly during their games.

•If a shouting match breaks out, take both players outside while a third party watches their belongings. This unfortunate occurrence can happen to even the most prepared TD, and between the most unsuspected players. The first step in resolving the conflict is to remove both parties from the tournament environment; the change of perspective will help to calm the down, and the distraction to your other players will be removed as well. Tell both players that you want to hear their side of the story uninterrupted by the other player, and that your decision will take into consideration their reaction during the other player’s testimony. Sometimes these arguments turn out to be silly things like an “improper” shuffle, and other times the specter of cheating is raised. Keep your voice firm but level while resolving the conflict. Only when you are convinced that they have regained their composure should you allow them to re-enter the tournament area.

•Any physical violence or threat thereof should be treated seriously. The DGMA Code of Conduct (CoC) automatically disqualifies any participants who throw punches, as well as any that threaten to do so. This occurrence should be dealt with swiftly; you might want to have your local police department’s non-emergency number in your cell phone on the off-off-off chance that this happens.

High stakes demand higher standards. As seasoned TOC season players know, even the strongest players can be tripped up by a minor CoC infraction; players and TDs alike should strive for the highest level of commitment to these standards so that every TOC this season comes off without a hitch. Good luck in all your tournaments this season; may they be free of incident thanks to your preparation!

Next time on Captain’s Personal Log: My round’s over. What do I do now?
Until then, Kirk out.