Rules Updating and Clarifications (OLD)

[G]

As time passes and we work to get the rules fixed, there will be some updates made in this thread when clarifications are deemed necessary for immediate addition.

[G]

For clarity... we have made an update to the rules regarding the Overlord Grant. The language of it now reads that the Grant may only be awarded to those of the rank of Warlord or below. This has always been what the spirit of the rule was to be, and this rule update is only for clarification.

[G]

Please note:

Duel of Swords Challenge Rules are in review. There will be some clarifications and changes in the future, and we will do our best to explain them when they happen.

Three clarifications are as follows:

1. The Overlord may not issue the Overlord Grant to themselves. The Grants wording of "Any duelist" refers to anyone who has the rank of Warlord or lower.

2. A Renegade Baron is allowed to counter an Overlord's intercession for a Loyal Baron. There are many recorded events of this happening and it is unknown when or how the unintentional word changing occurred that made it questionable. The Renegade always had this ability.

3. Show of Activity duels are officially spent upon the start of the actual challenge duel. Not from the moment a challenge is issued. This is to avoid confusion in the event a challenge is rescinded.

As the need for more clarifications come into play, they will be added in this thread. We are currently working on getting the Rules Page updated.

[DUEL Gabby]

A question was posed regarding squire changes in relation to the standings updates so we thought we would go ahead and address it on forum and have something official to look back on should the need arise.

If there is a change of squireship on Thursday before the 6pm EST deadline, but the Standings Keeper has not had an opportunity to make the changes due to it being at the deadline, so long as a forum post has been made, we will honor it and the new squire will have their mod as of Thursday 6pm EST.

[DUEL Gabby]

The Challenger is responsible for acquiring the services of a caller, and if one is not found and posted to the forum by midnight the night prior to the challenge, the challenger will be held in forfeit and lose that challenge right.

In order to promote transparency, I will give a reason why this rule change was made. We had a situation come up with a challenge tonight where at the last minute they were searching for a caller. A caller that already had plans was asked to officiate and was going to break those plans to call this challenge after the pair already had twelve days to obtain a caller. It isn't fair for the callers to be put on the spot like that and there doesn't need to be last minute confusion or scrambling about. So in order to make this easier on everyone involved, the amended rule was created. There was already a rule in place that states that the Challenger is responsible for securing an official to call the challenge. We would also like to state that if, for whatever reason, the caller does not show up to call the challenge, there will be no penalty issued against the Challenger or Title Holder.

[DUEL Gabby]

This change will be in effect as of Thursday, April 2nd at 6PM when the standings go live for Week 1 of the Spring Cycle.

In regards to challenge rights:

* The cost of a challenge is: (1) One Challenge Right = Challenge Baron, (2) Two Challenge Rights = Challenge Overlord.

* WLT challenge grants don't count towards regular challenge rights

* Each Warlord, upon ranking to Warlord on the standings, is awarded 2 Challenge Rights per cycle, at the beginning of each cycle. These Challenge Rights will not carry over from one cycle to the next. If they are not used, they are forfeit when the cycle changes.

* At the time of issuing a challenge, the challenger must have recorded at least ONE regulation duel within the last TWO calendar months (eg: a challenge issued April 2nd must have a standings last duel date of no less recent than February 2nd). Being awarded WoL as a prize or for any other reason does not take the place of regulation dueling. Tournament duels do not take the place of regulation dueling.

* An inactive/retired duelist must wait 14 days from their duel that reinstates them before gaining Challenge Rights. (eg: John Doe has a duel logged on a shift report for 4/2/15. He is eligible to challenge on 4/16/15.) This 14 day waiting period is not subject to standings. A shift report will suffice as proof.

[G]

This change will be in effect as of Thursday, April 9th at 6PM when the standings go live for Week 1 of the Spring Cycle.

In regards to obtaining callers, the following clarification has been made:

*The Challenger is responsible for obtaining an official for their challenge. Both duelists must agree on this official. Please be courteous and obtain the official as early in the challenge process as possible and post who it is within the challenge thread.

[G]

Edits have been made.

Cycles as well as Talon of Redwin rules have been revised and posted within the main rules.

[DUEL Gabby]

To make it easier for all involved, we have decided that when the SK/AC/Coordinator validates a challenge they will include the timeline in which the title holder has to accept. We will be using the formula (and calculator) stated in this post, counting 168 hours from the date/time of challenge.

After the challenger accepts we will again post the timeline, counting 336 hours from the date/time of acceptance, to streamline the process for everyone involved.

Thanks!

http://www.free-online-calculator-use.c ... calculator

[Kalamere]

After the challenger accepts we will again post the timeline, counting 336 hours from the date/time of acceptance, to streamline the process for everyone involved.

Or 20,160 minutes. Though I don't think we really need to look at it as 1,209,600 seconds.

Point is that the measure of 14 days (or insert other day value as specified in the rules) should be considered in exact terms going forward. There's a mix of history construing the days limitations strictly in some cases and loosely in others (eg: anytime on thrusday to anytime on thursday in two weeks). This just helps specify which measure should control going forward.

[DUEL Rayvinn]

An edit to the Universal Terms of Challenge Section 3 has been made. The edit is a clarification regarding the defense of a title and when it is considered fought.

[DUEL Rayvinn]

The question came up this morning regarding challenge rights for Warlords and Barons.

The question: If a warlord challenges for a barony and wins can they still challenge the OL in the same cycle?


The answer: Yes, they can. Warlords currently get 2 challenge rights per cycle and it costs 1 to challenge for a barony and 2 to challenge for OL. Barons get 1 challenge for OL per cycle. The warlord challenge rights and the baron challenge right are separate.

[DUEL Rayvinn]

We changed the wording in the Duel of Swords Official Rules to reflect the decision made in regards to allowing an Overlord queue. The changes read as follows:

Universal Terms of Challenge.

Current:
1. Where not specifically addressed all challenges are first come - first served. With the exception of challenges to Renegade Barons (see below), only the first challenge is considered vital ...

Change:
1. Where not specifically addressed all challenges are first come - first served. With the exception of challenges to Renegade Barons or from multiple banished Loyal Barons (see below), only the first challenge is considered vital ...



Overlord:

Current:
8. Can, at anytime, switch the alignment of a Loyal Baron with reason given in writing on the Public Notice Board provided a WoL record of 15 is maintained.
a. If the Overlord should banish a Loyal to a Renegade alignment, then the Overlord must accept an immediate challenge of title if issued by that Baron.
b. This challenge will supersede any other challenges, including that of a WLT winner.

Change:
8. Can, at anytime, switch the alignment of a Loyal Baron with reason given in writing on the Public Notice Board provided a WoL record of 15 is maintained.
a. If the Overlord should banish a Loyal to a Renegade alignment, then the Overlord must accept a challenge of title if issued by that Baron within one week.
b. This challenge will supersede any other challenges, including that of a WLT winner, except those issued by similarly re-aligned barons. In the event of multiple banished barons, a challenge queue may be formed where the first challenge issued shall follow the Universal Terms of Challenge and each additional challenge fought within one week of the last until the queue is exhausted.

[DUEL Rayvinn]

A new rule has come into effect after the community discussion regarding title forfeiture. The result of that discussion can be found under the Title Forfeiture section, listing # 1, in the Duel of Swords Official Rules.

1. Any duelist to forfeit a title, either voluntarily via retirement or abdication, or involuntarily as a ruled forfeit, shall be ineligible to exercise warlord challenge rights for 1 month from the date of occernce. This supersedes the 14 day wait applied to duelists returning from inactivity should the 14 days fall within this one month period. Should a second title forfeiture occur within a calendar year the duelist shall also become ineligible to participate in any event that may award a title or challenge grant (eg: Warlord tournaments, Right to Challenge fights where the challenger is a baron, etc.)

**(Calendar month is considered, for example, December 31st to January 31st. If it happens on a day that doesn't exist in the following month then we calculate to the 1st of the month that follows. Ex: January 30th to March 1st because February 30th does not exist)**

As a result of the new rule, there is a wording change to reflect such under subsection Challenge Rights for Warlord, listing # 3: (the wording change is in yellow)

3. Upon return from the inactivity list, a Warlord must wait 14 days following their first duel for eligibility to challenge (provided a longer wait time has not been imposed due to Title Forfeiture; see below). This duel will be verified by way of the Shift Reports and does not have to wait for the Official Standings.

[DUEL Rayvinn]

Another rule came into effect from community discussion regarding the rescinsion of challenge rights/grants. Under section Universal Terms of Challenge in the Duel of Swords Official Rules, listing # 5:


5. Challenges issued via rights and grants may be rescinded and the right/grant returned to the duelist to be used in accordance with their original terms. (eg: a grant for a challenge to be issued within 7 days, still only has those same 7 days, so rescinding after 4 have passed leaves 3 to issue a new challenge). Once a challenge duel has begun or the challenge itself has triggered an administrative action in regard to the title (such as a declaration of forfeit against the challenged title holder), the right or grant is considered spent.