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2 Roles and Responsibilities§

2.1 Roles§

Each individual at a tournament is considered to have one or more of the following roles.

  • Player
  • Spectator
  • Tournament Organizer
  • Head Judge
  • Floor Judge
  • Scorekeeper
  • Coverage Member
  • Game Attendant

Individuals with the Tournament Organizer, Head Judge, Floor Judge, Scorekeeper, and Game Attendant roles are considered tournament officials. The Tournament Organizer may also designate individuals to act as tournament officials, even if they do not hold any of the associated tournament roles. The Head Judge and Floor Judge are both considered judge roles. Coverage Members are collectively referred to as coverage.

Tournament officials may change roles throughout the duration of the tournament, but an individual serving as the Tournament Organizer or Head Judge should remain in that role for the entire tournament.

For tier 1 tournaments (excluding Skirmish), tournament officials may also be Players. For tier 2 tournaments and above (including Skirmish), tournament officials may not be Players.

For tier 1 tournaments, the Tournament Organizer may also be a judge. For tier 2 tournaments and above, the Tournament Organizer may not be a judge.

2.2 Player§

A Player is an individual who is participating in the tournament. A Player is responsible for:

  • Being familiar with the rules and policies of Flesh and Blood tournaments.
  • Bringing the appropriate tournament materials to participate in the tournament.
  • Complying with announced start times and time limits, and being physically present for games.
  • Acting in a respectful way and refraining from unsporting conduct at all times.
  • Maintaining a clear and legal game state, and good communication with other Players.
  • Calling a judge to rule an infraction or to settle a disupute between Players.
  • Informing Judges or Scorekeepers of any discrepancies in their tournament record.

2.3 Spectator§

Any individual is considered a Spectator for any match they are not participating in, with the exception of individuals who are judges. A Spectator is responsible for:

  • Remaining silent and passive towards players, to ensure they do not influence the outcome of any match in progress.
  • Discreetly alerting a Judge if they have observed a game action or otherwise that is in violation of our rules or policy.

2.4 Tournament Organizer§

A Tournament Organizer is the designated individual that is responsible for organising and maintaining the logistics of a tournament. A Tournament Organizer is responsible for:

  • Ensuring the tournament details are advertised well in advance of the tournament date.
  • Providing a venue that adequately supports the tournament and the players.
  • Providing all materials necessary for tournament operations and logistics.
  • Organizing appropriate staff for the tournament to ensure a smooth and efficient operation.
  • Dealing with infractions in player conduct.
  • Organizing the distribution of tournament prizes to players.
  • Reporting the tournament results to LSS.

The role of tournament organizer (TO) needs to be designated before each event, at the latest before the start of the tournament.

2.5 Head Judge§

A Head Judge is an individual who oversees the general operation of the tournament. In addition to Judge responsibilities[2.6], a Head Judge is responsible for:

  • Using sound judgement to enforce (or modify when necessary) the rules and policy of the game to uphold the integrity of the tournament.
  • Making the final ruling decision in the event a player appeals the ruling of a Judge.
  • Assigning Judges tasks and ensuring they have adequate knowledge to carry out the tasks assigned to them.
  • Providing feedback to Judges to support their rules, policy, and personal development.
  • Final authority on the official properties of a card and interpretation of its rules text.
  • Establishing the threshold for misprinted, damaged, altered, or marked cards; sleeves; game-layout; electronic device use; and issuing proxies.

The Head Judge may temporarily transfer their responsibilities to any judge if the Head Judge is unable to perform them. In exceptional circumstances where the tournament's integrity would otherwise be damaged, the Tournament Organizer may fill the role of the Head Judge.

Large tournaments may have multiple individuals in the role of Head Judge simultaneously. In this case, one individual serves as the official Head Judge, and the rest serve as Support Judges. A Support Judge shares the same responsibilities and has the same level of authority as a Head Judge, but is directed by the Head Judge.

2.6 Floor Judge§

A Floor Judge is an individual who is tasked with assisting the Head Judge with the general operation of the tournament. A Floor Judge is responsible for:

  • Attending judge calls.
  • Answering Player and Spectator questions
  • Providing assisted information to Players.
  • Settling disputes between Players.
  • Assisting with reasonable requests.
  • Issuing rulings and applying appropriate procedures and penalties.
  • Pausing and investigating games when an infraction is observed.

2.7 Scorekeeper§

A Scorekeeper is an individual who collects and processes the information of the tournament to generate the pairings, standings, and other records throughout the tournament. A scorekeeper is responsible for:

  • Generating the correct pairings for each round.
  • Inputting the results of each round into GEM.
  • Generate standings, typically after the final Swiss rounds.
  • Resolving any incorrect tournament information in consultation with the Head Judge.
  • Ensuring the tournament information entered in GEM is legitimate, true, and correct before submission.

2.8 Coverage Member§

A Coverage Member is an individual who is doing media coverage for the event. A coverage member is responsible for:

  • Reporting appropriate tournament information in a way that ensures Players are not able to gain a strategic advantage.
  • Coordinating with tournament officials to organize feature matches.
  • Directing the match timing and game-layout for Players in feature matches.

2.9 Game Attendant§

A Game Attendant is an individual who oversees feature matches. A game attendant is responsible for:

  • Coordinating with tournament officials to organize feature matches.
  • Directing the match timing and game-layout for Players in feature matches on the behalf of a Coverage Member.
  • Pausing a match when appropriate to call for a Judge or resolve a technical issue.