Blood Bowl Finland

“Taktiikkaa, tuuria ja tunteita.”

How-to-TO?

Organizing a tournament

Guide for tournament organizer. This guide also supports the minimum requirements set for hosting a Finnish Masters championship tournament.

Quick checklist for TOs:

  • Information
    • NAF event page needs to made at least 2 months before the event and kept up-to-date
    • Information about the tournament needs to have the same content in all channels to avoid miscommunication
    • Schedule and event changes annouced in mentioned information channels and Blood Bowl – Suomi discord
    • Have a schedule at hand with when and what to announce during the event
  • Ask for Help
    • Ruleset for the event and refereeing Paisti
    • Creating NAF event & NAF membership needs (registrations and renewal) N3Rk
    • Scheduling of the event date Brutopatia

Guide for the TOs (tournament organizers)

Things needed for the tournament
The bare minimums are organizer, venue, date, rules and schedule. The tournament does not need to be NAF sanctioned, but it helps to get players from outside the city to participate.

Organizer and the team
You don’t have to organize alone and the more helpers you have, the easier it is to have other things included in the tournament. To spread the workload you can have for example.

  • Tournament organizer
    • One who has a handle on the rules and how the schedule moves forward.
    • Can also have an assistant doing announcements to help keep things on schedule.
    • One person to take care of updating the results to score or to at least check them before announcing the next round is advisable to avoid mistakes in matchups.
  • Venue organizer and lodgings assistant
    • One person can take care of the venue and related things. Can help with lodgings and related questions if needed.
  • Catering organizer or assistant
    • One to take care of catering even if it is just to point out a place to eat close by, process a group order of pizza or if the venue is remote to make food for the participants.
  • Referee
    • Can also be a player who helps out with rules decisions during the rounds

Tournament venue

Make sure your venue is big enough to host the tournament and set the date for the tournament early. Good location with lunch places close by and possible lodging option for 2 day tournament is a plus. Also keeping in mind that finding a good place where the venue can grow if the tournament is hosted there again is a plus. Once the tournament is hosted it is usually easier to organize there again.

Tournament date

Make sure to check that there are no overlapping tournaments for the same date. To help out with this you can contact the event workcrew to check the dates with known big tournaments.

Tournament ruleset

If you are not sure what kind of team building rules to use check out other tournament

Tournament schedule

The bigger the tournament, the more rounds it takes to determine the winner. That is also the reason why Finnish Masters tournaments have a minimum of 4 rounds which can be played in one day. In general at least a 3 round tournament is advisable and if a two day tournament is possible having 5 to 6 rounds can be explored.

Example for a four round tournament.Example for a four round tournament.
09:00 Registration opens and registration starts
09:30 – 12:00 Round 1 (2h 30min)
10:45 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
12:00 – 13:15 Lunch break (1h 15min)
13:15 – 15:45 Round 2 (2h 30min)
14:30 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
15:45 – 18:15 Round 3 (2h 30min)
16:30 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
18:30 – 21:00 Round 4 (2h 30min)
19:45 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
21:15 Award ceremony		09:00 Doors open and registration starts
09:15 Brief to players
09:30 – 11:45 Round 1 (2h 15min)
12:00 – 14:15 Round 2 (2h 15min)
14:15 – 15:15 Lunch (1h)
Note: Lunch break usually after 1st round
15:15 – 17:30 Round 3 (2h 15min)
17:45 – 20:00 Round 4 (2h 15min)
20:15 Award ceremony
21:00 Doors close
Example for a five round tournament.Example for a six round tournament.
Friday 18:00 Doors open
19:00-22:00 Registration
19:00-24:00 Round 1 (2h 30min)
Saturday 09:30 – 12:00 Round 2 (2h 30min)
10:45 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
12:00 – 13:15 Lunch break (1h 15min)
13:15 – 15:45 Round 3 (2h 30min)
14:30 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
15:45 – 18:15 Round 4 (2h 30min)
16:30 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
18:30 – 21:00 Round 5 (2h 30min)
19:45 HALFtime announcement (1h15)
21:15 Award ceremony		Saturday 09:00 Doors open and registration starts
09:15 Brief to players
09:30 – 11:45 Round 1 (2h 15min)
12:00 – 14:15 Round 2 (2h 15min)
14:15 – 15:15 Lunch (1h)
Note: Lunch break usually after 1st round
15:15 – 17:30 Round 3 (2h 15min)
17:45 – 20:00 Round 4 (2h 15min)
20:30 Doors close
20:45 Optional dinner close by with the
other paricipants
Sunday 09:30 – 11:45 Round 5 (2h 15min)
12:00 – 14:15 Round 6 (2h 15min)
14:45 Award ceremony
15:30 Doors close

Speading the information

Where to advertise and how to announce your tournament

It is really important to keep the shared information up to date and in the same context in every channel to avoid misunderstandings. Try to keep things simple and clear. That is why there are two channels where the information and communication should be focused.

Note! For NAF event registration and Finnish Masters tournament series the notification period is a minimum of 2 months before the event.

NAF Event page

This is the bare minimum to get the tournament NAF sanctified so that is why this page needs to have all the needed information and needs to be kept up to date.

  • Venue location
    • Address of the venue.
    • How to get there and is there a parking space close by.
    • Recommended places for lunch break if lunch is not provided in the venue. (~2-3 to help keep que times short and avoid delays)
  • Registration and Payment information
    • How to register for the tournament?
    • Registration by filling a google form or by payment with mobilepay/bank transfer with filling your name + event name?
  • Deadline for registration and payment?
    • Can you pay at the venue?
    • Can the ticket be sold if you can not attend the tournament or can the payment be returned?
  • Size of the tournament
    • How many spots are available and the minimum how many is needed for the tournament to be hosted.
    • It is good to also mention if there is a possibility for a larger venue and if there is a waiting list for registered players.
  • Rules for team building
    • If there are updates like a new FAQ update or new Spike with a new race can it be played?
    • Do you need to send a roster to be checked? Where, how and what is the deadline?
  • Tentative Schedule
    • Even rough idea with the starting and end time, so everyone knows when to be at the venue
  • Links needed
    • Tourplay if used
    • Where updates about the tournament are announced and where questions can be asked. Facebook event, Discord server, Whatsapp tournament chat, Telegram chat
  • What is needed from the player
    • Printed copy or roster, snacks, sleeping equipment etc.
    • Miniatures and how skill marking are preferred. Mostly helpful information for newer players.

Blood Bowl – Suomi discord server

We have a Finnish Blood Bowl community discord server, in which we want to share all relevant information about the tournaments, leagues and the hobby in general. That is where most of your potential tournament participants are so remember to use it. There you can ask for advice, others can ask questions and clarifications about your tournament
which help you to take things into account so you can update the tournament information.

  • Announce the tournament in ilmoituksia-ja-linkkejä channel
    • Provide all the needed details and link to NAF page
    • If other side is used for tournament updates make sure to add that too
  • Channel for the discord server?
    • Amount of channels on the server preferred to keep at the minimum
    • You can ask moderators to add at least a temporary channel for the tournament related discussion
  • Need help with the tournament? Ask event workcrew for help
    • Good date for the tournament, to avoid overlapping with others Brutopatia
    • The ruleset for the tournament Paisti
    • Making a NAF event, N3Rk

Announcement template

Tournament announcement post template for Discord
Include the information that applies and use “to be announced” if something is possible to change.

Name of the tournament:
Date:
Venue:
-How to get there
Cost:
-Registration
-Food
-Other costs
Information about the tournament:
-Rounds, size and short introduction
Organizer:
Links:
-NAF event page:
-FB/other information site:
Picture(or link to pictures) of the previous
event.		Turnauksen nimi:
Päivämäärä:
Sijainti:
-Miten pääset paikalle
Maksut:
-Rekisteröityminen
-Ruokailu
-Muut maksut
Turnaus informaatio:
-Kierrosten ja osallistujien määrä sekä lyhyt
esittely
Järjestäjä:
Linkkejä:
-NAF tapahtuma sivu:
-FB/muu info sivu:
Kuva(tai linkki kuviin) aiemmasta
tapahtumasta.

Other sites

There are a few other sites that have been used for the announcement. Remember to keep the information up to date in all used channels

Note! It is a good idea to contact local game stores or boardgame associations as they tend to have established communication channels to promote your tournament and maybe give you spot prices. You can also contact Blood Bowl Finland association to help out

  • Sites to organize tournament
    • Tourplay, can announce but can not interact with participants
    • Payment needed for hosting tournament depending on tournament size
  • Other sites to provide updates about the tournament and answer questions
    • Sotavasara forum
    • Facebook event
  • Tournament chats used to coordinate
    • Whatsapp group
    • Telegram group
    • Discord channel or server

Promotion in Social Media

If you promote your tournament or post results in Instagram or Facebook use tags mentioned below to make the posts easier to find for the community. This makes it easier for the community to react and promote the tournament.

  • Instagram & Facebook @bloodbowlfinland
    • Hashtags: #BloodBowlFinland #TheFinnsAreComing #FinnishMasters
  • X @BloodBowlFIN

Reminders for participants before
the tournament

Participation and registration
Is the registration for the tournament needed before and at what time and where it can be done. Are the rosters needed to be delivered for checking, what is the deadline for them and how they need to be delivered.

What to remember to bring with you to tournament

  1. 1 or 2 printed copies of your roster
  2. Miniatures and markers for your team
  3. Take pitch (preferable a rollable) with you The bigger the tournament, the smaller chance there is for the organizer to provide the boards
  4. Chess clock if you prefer to use one
  5. Should participants take cash along for purchases or registration
  6. Other recommendations

Nice to haves
Extra token and markers
1+ extra reroll marker and 1+ extra bribe marker for the kickoff results.

Gift for opponents?
Something to be mindful of, especially when playing abroad.
It is nice to have some cool markers and other “league dice from my hometown”, so having some
spares to return an opponent’s gift is nice.

Reminders before starting

Brief
Before the first round starts, remind all participants about the rules and other things needed.

  • Pictures for promoting the tournament in the future!
    • Ask if it is ok for everyone that there are pictures taken from the tournament. Pictures will be used to promote the tournament in future and promote Finnish Blood Bowl scene in Blood Bowl Finland associations social media and website. Participants can tell the photographer if they do not wish to be photographed.
  • When is the lunch break announcement
    • If there is an option to pre-order food where, when, what and how much if possible
    • Where can be order be made and what is the deadline
  • How the results are provided
    • How the matchup records are checked and what count as casualties
  • Is there a ref available
    • Discuss the situation and ask for a ref if needed

Pre-game discussion
Remind players to…

  1. Decide how to deal with crooked dices
    What counts a crooked die and what you do with stacked dice if using a dice cup.
    When you reroll crooked dice, do you reroll just that one or all dice rolled.
  2. Discuss the dice usage
    If you bring dice to the board you are ready to share them, so if opponents agree you can use
    your dice only and vice versa.
  3. Discuss the rolls
    When a dice cup is used how to deal with stacked dice. Just unstack them and accept results, or
    reroll. When a dice cup or tower is not used if for example you prefer that when the dice is rolled
    and it lands on the table, it must turn to another side/thumble and not just land and slide across
    the board to count as a throw.
    If you need to decide something during the game, discuss with the opponent how to deal with it
    onwards. If for example you roll too many dice on a block, do you reroll with correct dice or does
    the opponent choose from the dice thrown?
    This should be done before the game, to avoid awkward situations during the game.
    At its core Blood Bowl still is “only” a game so remember that you are playing against human
    beings and act accordingly.
  4. Be mindful of the time spend
    Tournament schedule can be sped up if all the games of the round finish. So the earlier the
    round ends, the earlier we can start the next round. This will help organizers a lot, so they can
    react to down time and add breaks later on if needed.

Reminder for more experienced players
As a general announcement, remind players that if you are playing against a new player they
should ask if their opponent wants feedback from the game

  1. Some may not realize to ask, especially if you are playing in tournament for the first time
  2. Go over make-it-or-break-it points and strengths/weaknesses in this matchup
  3. There most likely is some general suggestions you can give

Round results
Tourplay or score can be used. Nonetheless there should be clear instructions on how, where
and what to report from the round. Pen&Paper? Google form?

  1. Write down player names, preferable NAF names
  2. Count TD’s made for each player
  3. Count CAS’s made for each player
    1. Counted casualties vary a bit. They are used as tiebreakers so remember to be clear what all casualties count. Here are three examples from strictly SPP related to all counting as a CAS.
    2. Only casualties from actions player would normally get SPP count
    3. Casualties player actively cause count
      a. Fouls, bombs and other starplayer/secret weapon also count
      b. Crowdsurf and failed dodge rolls also count
    4. All CAS count
      a. Results of failed player negatraits like animal savagery or blood lust also count
      b. Failed throw teammate landing and failed rush rolls also count

4. Something extra to be recorded for special rewards?

  1. For example…
  2. 1, reroll to 1
  3. 1, skill reroll to 1
  4. Skull, reroll to skull
  5. Double skulls, reroll to double skulls
  6. Triple skulls
  7. All the above

Game aftermath

  1. Both players Check the result card
  2. Agree and fix if needed
  3. Deliver that promptly to TO, to speed up the scheduling

Reminders during the tournament

Round prices
Do x to get a price! For example “Roll double skulls reroll double skulls to win a price”

  1. Preferable announce the price before the round starts or the last game has just started
  2. Always mention how to announce the claim so everyone knows it has been claimed
    • Note! People will forget, repetition is the key
  3. If announcing during the round “The next foul with argue the call roll 6 wins a price”
    Note! Preferable keep extra announcements to the minimum

Lunch break
If there is an option to pre-order food, announce it before lunch break when there is still time to
order food.

  1. Announce the start of lunch break when the last game of the round ends
  2. Provide the pairing
  3. Give players option to discuss with their opponent when they can start
  4. Also remind participants that the round will start 13:15 at the very latest and you will update the schedule, when all matchups have started. Note! This will speed up the tournament schedule
  5. Announce the round start and end time when the matchup starts
    “All matches are on the way, so the round has started at 12:50 and we will speed up the schedule. Round will end at 15:05”
  6. Update the schedule accordingly
    Note! This helps the time management and gives TO options to use extra time when/if needed.

Round time
Time for each round should have some leeway so everyone has enough time to finish their game playing it.
Announce the half time!
It should be a clear indicator for all players to speed up their games if needed.

  1. Time is now xx, you should be starting your second half
  2. If you struggle to keep up with the time, start using a chess clock
    Note: If the round time is say 2h15 minutes. Announce the time after 1 hour, so if some players
    are running a little bit of time behind they have apt time to speed things up or set up a chess
    clock. For 2h30min announce at half way or after 1h10min for example.

If round time ends what happens?
It is important to let players know how they can use time. You can be more flexible in smaller tournaments and for example before lunch give people permission to continue the game, spending the time out of their lunch to do so. Likewise if the round ends early, set up the pairings and announce them. Offer people the option to discuss with their opponent to start as soon as they can or at the scheduled time at the latest.
If in this way all the games have started ahead of the schedule, announce the new updated time table. This helps you with time management and speeds the tournament up so you have a little bit more leeway for possible mishaps and time to fix them. Also everyone can get home a little bit earlier.

Play it out
Most commonly used if there is some leeway in round times. Different options can be…

  1. Use x amount of time of the break to finish the game
  2. Play until both players have played the same amount of turns
  3. Add chess clock with 5 minutes time for both players

When round time ends, game ends, period
Closely as common as the first one, especially in larger tournaments.

  1. The state of the board and results remain
  2. No more movement or dice rolls allowed
  3. Results are recorded as they are

Players decide
Not uncommon.

  1. Ask TO if break time can be used to finish the game, but avoid delays in schedule
  2. Players check the board state, discuss it and decide
  3. Dice rolls can be made to see if pickups, pass actions etc succeed to determine the winner
  4. If players can not agree, ask TO to help

Note! If some time may be used from the break, this should be announced by the TO, before the round time ends.
Note! This or variation of this can be used by the TO when there is 10 minutes or less left of the round and several turns to be played on both sides

Chess clock rules

If either one of the players wants to use a chess clock it is used for the game.

Setting of the clock

  1. Remaining round time -4 or 6 minutes is divided in half on the chess clock for each
    player
  2. If a chess clock is used, it can only be paused by the TO
  3. Once a chess clock is implemented it can be removed only by TO

Time in chess clock runs for the active player

  1. Player is active for the duration when they sets up the defense
  2. Player is active for the duration they set up their offense
  3. When performing the kick off sequence, kicking the ball, kick-off table rolls and scattering the ball
  4. Player calls for TO, time counts for them
  5. Player is deciding to use sidestep/dodge etc, unless used in timely manner(call it don’t be a dick rule), time counts for them
  6. Player wants to take a break, time runs for him. If a break is taken after making a defense setup, time runs for the attacker setup, until the setup is ready.
  7. If both players take a break, players decide how long the break is. Record the times in clock, time will be running for the active player. When the game continues the other player loses the same amount of time from their clock.

Once time in chess clock runs out

  1. They can only activate players to stand up them up
  2. Only dice rolls nega-traits of big guys can be made when trying to stand them up
  3. Must end their turn when without delay
  4. If both clocks run out, game ends and board state remains

Tournament matchups and round software

Score
https://www.thenaf.net/tournaments/running-a-tournament/score/
Tiebreakers to be used

  1. Total score
  2. Opposing score = Strength of schedule
    … after that the chosen others, for example
  3. net td, td for
  4. net cas, cas for

Exscore
http://www.sann0638.co.uk/bb/exscore/
Works best with excel.

Tourplay
https://tourplay.net/
Tiebreakers to be used in this order

  1. Buchholz = Opposing score = Strength of schedule
  2. Score direct confrontations
    Note! There is a known bug in Tourplay for using Score direct confrontation as first and
    Buchholz second to cause tiebreakers to break and show standings incorrectly.
    …and suggestions
  3. TD Difference
  4. CAS Difference

Short list as Tourplay seems to only have 2 tiebreakers maximum

  1. Buchholz = Opposing score = Strength of schedule
  2. TD Difference
    This is likely to force checking by hand for the direct confrontations to get the results confirmed.