Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Official Tournament
Guide 2014-15
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Prizes Contained in this Pack:
6 Command Stars
3 Lords of War Card Tins (R.R.P £4.99)
2 X Limited Edition Shiny Dwarf Command Cards
2 X Limited Edition Shiny Orc Command Cards
2 X Limited Edition Shiny Elf Command Cards
2 X Limited Edition Shiny Lizardmen Command Cards
2 X Limited Edition Shiny Templar Command Cards
2 X Limited Edition Shiny Undead Command Cards
Other Contents:
8 Lords of War Membership Cards (for more of these, please email us!)
5 Honour Roll Sheets
20 Score Sheets
…plus this, The Lords of War Tournament Guide 2014!
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Black Box Games
27 Courtlands Close
Goring-by-Sea
Worthing
East Sussex
A hearty hello to one and all!
Firstly, thank you. Thank you for stocking Lords of War and for helping to build our community.
Our hope in making this pack is that Lords of War tournaments might become firm fixtures in
your Gaming Club schedules and that together we can grow a healthy, passionate base of players
who can help our community to grow and grow.
The cornerstone of Lords of War tournament play is, of course, the Lords of War rules as found in
any Lords of War pack. These rules are also downloadable in PDF format from the Lords of War
website, www.lords-of-war.com, and from the Lords of War pages on Board Game Geek. They are
also available in video form through YouTube. Please make sure anyone running a Tournament is
well and truly familiar with them!
If you ever have questions, thoughts or feedback for us, please do not hesitate to get in touch via
[email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] – or through the
Facebook group – and we will get back to you as soon as is humanly possible.
This pack should provide you with prize support for 6 events and will soon be followed by the first
Lords of War: Campaign Pack and Lords of War: Tournament Pack 2. Do drop us a line if you
fancy either of those too!
To war!
Gary Cambell-Smith
Tournaments Manager
Black Box Games
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Contents
Getting Started
Page 5
Types of Lords of War Tournament
Page 7
Exhibition Play
Page 8
Draft Tournaments
Page 9
Factions Tournaments
Page 10
Custom Deck Tournaments
Page 11
Team Battles Tournaments
Page 12
Our Recommended Tournament Season
Page 13
Scoring Lords of War Tournaments
Page 15
Victory Points
Page 16
Command Stars
Page 16
Honour Roll
Page 16
Structuring Lords of War Tournaments
Page 17
Rounds
Page 18
Match Structure
Page 19
Player Communication
Page 19
Team Communication
Page 19
Documentation (and What’s What)
Page 19
Honour Roll (for photocopying)
Page 20
Score Sheet (for photocopying)
Page 21
Tournament Bracket Sheet (for photocopying)
Page 22
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Getting Started
The first thing you will need to get a Lords of War Tournament running is players; in our
experience, Tournaments work best with 6+ players but they can be run with smaller numbers.
While organising, of course, please email us to let us know if you are planning Tournaments as we
will happily publicize any events through the Lords of War Facebook group, in our monthly ENewsletter or on Twitter: this is best done by emailing [email protected].
The second thing you will need is some packs to sell, as Lords of War Tournaments sell packs!
Also note, this pack will supply you with enough prizes for up to 6 Tournaments. If you are in
need of more prizes, please contact [email protected].
A Note on Tournament Types
In addition to a guide to scoring Exhibition or ‘casual’ games, there are four main Tournament
Types detailed in this guide. No doubt you will create new Tournament Types as time goes on (and
we have plenty more to supply you with should you wish) but please let us know about any custom
set-ups you come up with so we might pass the details on to others.
The Tournament Types we supply in this Tournament Guide meanwhile are only four ways to run
Lords of War Tournaments – feel free to innovate! Additionally, we have created a “Recommended
Tournament Season” to ease players into Lords of War in the way we have found most effective.
Use it or disregard it as you see fit!
A Note on Scoring
While Lords of War Tournaments can be run using a simple Swiss or Knockout formula, we have
found that the scoring method we have developed (see p.15) makes for far, far more interesting
Tournaments than those of other card games.
At first, the scoring method may look intimidating but once you have run it once we are certain
you will never look back, so please do persevere with it!
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Types of
Tournament
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Exhibition Play
When players at a club simply get together to play Lords of War then they still earn Victory Points
(see scoring details on p.15). Earning Victory Points does NOT require a full scale Tournament as
detailed on the following pages!
Please encourage players who play Lords of War at your club to track their Victory Points
throughout the year and, if their scores are emailed through to [email protected], they will be
added to the global score table which we maintain.
We are planning to send prizes and rewards to the high-ranking players in the Lords of War
community across the course of the year so please make sure we know who these players are.
Be sure to also complete a Membership Card for each new player and to email their name,
membership details and – if possible – email address to us.
To track player scores across the weeks, whether that be Command Stars earned or simply Victory
Points accrued, please use the Honour Roll sheet (if your supply runs out, please photocopy more
using p.20).
If it is easier, also feel free to scan Honour Rolls and email the results through to [email protected].
If possible, also please try to display the most up to date Honour Roll at your club nights – to
foster rivalry and give some profile to the players!
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Tournament Type 1: Full Draft Tournaments
Introduction
Draft Tournaments are a great first-ever Tournament but also work well when introducing a new
Lords of War double-deck to a group. You could easily organise a Draft Tournament just using
Orcs versus Dwarves, although in our experience blending all the factions together leads to
superb outcomes with groups who know the mechanics.
For this Tournament we recommend selling tickets for approximately £4/7EUR/$10 as those who
take part in the Tournament will keep the equivalent of 1 full Lords of War army. This means you
will have to break open stock to sell decks separately; the ticket charge is to cover this cost.
The Setup
Give each club member a full Faction deck at random and have them open it. Also make sure that
the Lords of War Rules are distributed amongst players for reference.
Using the Rank symbols on each card (as found in the Lords of War Rules) have players sort their
deck into 6 decks by Rank – but have them hold onto their General.
Next, take all the cards of each particular Rank belonging to ALL players and sort them into 6
decks containing all cards of a giving rank.
This should lead to 1 deck of assorted Command Cards, 1 deck of assorted Special Units, 1 deck of
assorted Elite Units, 1 deck of assorted Veterans and so on.
Next, shuffle the Command Card deck and deal these cards out to each player.
Players should then all look at their hands (in which there should be 5 Command Cards plus their
General) and pick ONE Command Card to keep.
Once they have chosen the card they want, they then pass the rest of their hand to the player on
the left and take the hand of the player to their right.
Continue this process until all players have 5 Command Cards, then do the same with the Special
Units deck, Elite Units deck and so on until each player has a full deck of 36 cards.
Next, simply play a standard Lords of War Tournament (details on p.15).
At the end of the Tournament then invite players to trade cards if they wish to and then get stuck
into some free play with their new Custom Deck!
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Tournament Type 2: Factions Tournaments
Introduction
Factions Tournaments are the bread and butter of Lords of War group play. Factions Tournaments
work brilliantly when introducing a new Lords of War double-deck to a group or a club: we
recommend staging a Factions Tournament just using Orcs versus Dwarves then another using
just Elves versus Lizardmen and then another using just Templars versus Undead.
At the end of this cycle we recommend staging a “Factions Championship” where all players with
full army decks use a deck from whichever Faction they choose to take on all the other factions.
During Factions Tournaments, players must play using a deck made up completely of one
particular Faction (so, a full Dwarf deck or a full Undead deck). Players might still opt to customise
their decks in line with the Ranking System however to make a Custom Elf deck, for example.
Again, if running this Tournament for a new group we recommend selling tickets for about
£4/7EUR/$10 as those who take part in the Tournament will keep their full Lords of War army
deck. This means you will have to break open stock to sell decks separately; the ticket charge is to
cover this cost.
The Setup
Have each player select a full Faction deck and have them open it, take out the General and shuffle.
Also make sure that the Lords of War Rules are distributed amongst players for reference.
Next, simply play a standard Lords of War Tournament (scoring details can be found on p.15)
keeping tally of which Faction has won the most matches after each round of play.
At the end of the Tournament, announce the most successful Faction in the tournament and award
prizes to the highest scoring members of each Faction.
Then invite players to trade cards if they wish to and then get stuck into some free play!
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Tournament Type 3: Custom Deck Tournaments
Introduction
Custom Deck Tournaments are a slightly more advanced Tournament; we recommend hosting one
once the full range of Factions Tournaments has been run.
During Custom Tournaments, players can play using any deck built according to the rules of the
Ranking System.
Players might still opt to play with a brand new full army deck or a Custom Factions deck, or they
may choose to blend cards from across any of the Lords of War armies.
For this Tournament we recommend only selling tickets if you are planning to give out prizes.
Otherwise we simply recommend having decks available for players to buy on the day.
The Setup
Each player should bring their Deck to the Tournament or must purchase one beforehand. The day
then begins with a Weigh In, where players swap decks with their first opponent in the
Tournament, sort the deck into Ranks and ensure that the deck has been built according to the
Ranking System.
Once player decks have been checked over and the Weigh In is complete, ensure that decks are
very thoroughly shuffled. Then simply play a standard Lords of War Tournament (scoring details
can be found on p.15).
Once the Tournament is over, invite players to trade cards if they wish to and then get stuck into
some free play!
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Tournament Type 4: Team Battles Tournaments
Introduction
Team Battles Tournaments are in some ways the hardest Lords of War Tournament to organise.
They are, however, amongst the most fun!
First, you will need to decide if you are playing a Draft, Factions or Custom Deck Tournament.
Whichever you select will mean using all of the quirks particular to each Lords of War Tournament
type PLUS necessitates partnering players up.
When it comes to partnering players, we recommend in Factions Tournaments putting players of
the same Faction together.
For all Team Battles Tournaments we also recommend trying to pair people up into balanced
teams. Feel free to partner your two best Lords of War players but be wary as this may lead to a
total white-wash!
The Setup
Start the Tournament according to all the rules of the respective Tournament type, being sure to
partner players up beforehand.
Also, as Team Battles take place without a Battle Mat (and can spread wildly across the table) then
make sure each pairing has plenty of space.
Then simply play a series of Lords of War Team Battles (as seen in the Team Battles Rules on
www.lords-of-war.com) while using the Lords of War Tournament scoring method (for details
please see p.15).
Once the Tournament is over, as always, invite players to trade cards if they wish to and get stuck
into some free play!
A note on “Centring”
During matches played without a Battle Mat, play may end up spreading inconveniently across a
table top. So long as both players agree however, they may ‘centre’ the game, carefully bringing all
cards into as central position as possible between the two players and continuing play.
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Our Recommended Tournament Season
Feel free to use your own sequence of Tournaments with your own sequence of prizes, but in our
experience this ‘build’ works well.
You might note that there are no Team Battles or Custom Deck Tournaments featured in this
sequence – for the next sequence and additional Prize Support please contact [email protected].
First Event: Orcs versus Dwarves Draft Tournament
Prize for the Winner:
A Command Star and either the Orc or Dwarf Shiny Command Card
Prize for Second Place:
The other shiny Command Card (either the Orc or the Dwarf)
Second Event: Orcs versus Dwarves Factions Tournament
Prize for the Winner:
A Command Star, either the Orc or Dwarf Shiny Command Card and a Lords of War
Card Tin
Prize for Second Place:
The other shiny Command Card (either the Orc or the Dwarf)
Third Event: Elves versus Lizardmen Draft Tournament
Prize for the Winner:
A Command Star and either the Elf or Lizardmen Shiny Command Card
Prize for Second Place:
The other shiny Command Card (either the Elf or Lizardmen)
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Fourth Event: Elves versus Lizardmen Factions Tournament
Prize for the Winner:
A Command Star, either the Elf or Lizardmen Shiny Command Card and a Lords of
War Card Tin
Prize for Second Place:
The other shiny Command Card (either the Elf or Lizardmen)
Fifth Event: Templars versus Undead Draft Tournament
Prize for the Winner:
A Command Star and either the Templar or Undead Shiny Command Card
Prize for Second Place:
The other shiny Command Card (either the Templar or the Undead)
Sixth Event: Templars versus Undead Factions Tournament
Prize for the Winner:
A Command Star, either the Templar or Undead Shiny Command Card and a Lords of
War Card Tin
Prize for Second Place:
The other shiny Command Card (either the Templar or the Undead)
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Scoring
Tournaments
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Victory Points
When Lords of War Players compete in Tournaments they earn Victory Points for every Match
they play. These Victory Points determine a Player’s Club Rank as tracked on the Honour Roll.
Players earn points during every Match, for:
i) Each Unit Defeated:
ii) Each Command Card Defeated:
iii) General Defeated:
1 Victory Point
2 Victory Points
3 Victory Points
Plus, players also earn:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
Per game played
At the Quarter Finals
At the Semi Finals:
If they are Tournament Runner-Up:
If they are the Tournament Winner:
+5 Points
+5 Points
+10 Points
+15 Points
+25 Points and a Command Star
These Victory Points should be given by Players to a designated “Score Keeper” to take down on
the Score Sheet for that event. (Score Sheets are located on p.21).
Command Stars
Command Stars should only be given to Players when they win a Lords of War Tournament.
If details of a player’s victory is emailed through to us or posted to Facebook then their name will
be recorded on the Lords of War website as a General.
Across the course of each Tournament Year (from December to December) every player who earns
5 Command Stars also earns a place at the Lords of War: World Championship at the Dragonmeet
Game Show in London.
Honour Roll
Every retailer or gaming club running tournaments should try to display a Lords of War Honour
Roll sheet on which the names of the Top 20 Players in their club should be displayed alongside
their number of Victory Points and Command Stars.
This can be time consuming, but it is worth it – players really care!
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Structuring
Tournaments
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Rounds
A Lords of War Tournament takes place in a series of Rounds, each of which take a maximum of
40 minutes for Single Player matches or 60 minutes for Team Battles matches and are followed by a
short break. Typically, Rounds follow the subsequent sequence as needed:
Heats
Players/Teams should compete in a series of randomly-decided Matches, earning Victory
Points as they go (feel free to use current Victory Points and the Seeding Bracket sheet to
determine who battles who – for details see p.19).
The Players/Teams with the most Victory Points after a pre-determined number of Heats
(depending on time and number of players) then move on to the Quarter Finals (if there
are more than 8 players) or onto the Semi-Finals (if there are fewer).
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Quarter Finals (only for + player Tournaments)
The 8 most high-scoring Players/Teams so far in the Tournament are each matched against
opponents using the system detailed in the Tournament Bracket Sheet explanation (p.19).
From the Quarter-Finals onwards, the Tournament enters its knock-out stages, with the
Players/Teams who win their matches carrying on to the Semi-Finals.
Those players knocked-out in the Quarter Finals might then engage in run-off matches,
scored in the same way as Heats and at the discretion of the Tournament Organiser.
Semi-Finals
The 4 most successful Players/Teams so far in the Tournament progress through the
bracket. The Tournament is, at this point, still in its knock-out stages so the Players/Teams
who win their matches carry on to the Finals.
Those players knocked-out in the Semi-Finals might then engage in run-off matches, scored
in the same way as Heats and at the discretion of the Tournament Organiser.
Finals
The last 2 Players/Teams in the Tournament engage in a head-to-head battle (please feel
free to make this a ‘best of three’ at your own discretion!)
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Lords of War - Tournament Guide 2014
Match Structure
A Lords of War Match consists of a single game which is played until one side has won according
to the standard rules (i.e. by defeating a total of 20 of an opponent’s cards in total or eliminating 4
Command Cards). Players must use a random method (flipping a coin, etc) to determine who plays
first.
If a 40 minute “Round” ends before a player has won their Match then the Winner of that Match is
that Player who has earned the most Victory Points, according to the following formula:
Each Unit Defeated (1 point) + Each Command Card Defeated (2 points) + General Defeated (3
points). If Player Scores are equal at this juncture then the winner is determined as that player with
the most Command Cards currently on the table.
Player Communication
Players are under no obligation to assist their opponents in playing the game or declare their
current score but players are expected to treat their opponents politely!
There is certain information to which all players are entitled access. If a Player is ever unable or
unwilling to provide such information to an opponent, he or she should call a Tournament
organiser and explain the situation.
Examples might include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Details of whose turn is next
The name of any visible object
A unit’s Attack Value in a given direction
A unit’s Defence Value
A rule clarification
All other information is exchanged between Players at their own discretion. If a Player is found to
be lying or trying to cheat, a Tournament organiser may choose to penalise that player by docking
them of any Victory Points they would be set to earn from that game.
Team Communication
Members of the same Team Battles team may communicate between one another freely however
team members who have an opportunity to acquire hidden information (e.g. by speaking to
spectators following their own match while a teammate is still playing), are restricted from
communicating with teammates for the duration of that match.
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Documentation
What’s What?
Honour Roll sheet
This sheet is for Tournament organisers to print and display (only a single copy is required
at any one time) showing which Club Members are ranked in which positions within the
Club, their preferred Faction, current number of Victory Points and current number of
Command Stars.
We have supplied 5 Honour Rolls per Tournament Pack to ensure you have enough to
keep you going. Please feel free to photocopy or download new Honour Roll sheets from
www.lords-of-war.com at any time.
Score Sheet
This sheet is for Tournament organisers to track progress across the course of a
Tournament.
It is recommended that every Tournament organisers keep a stock of at least 5 Score Sheets
in addition to those they believe they will need, just in case of unforeseen developments
during a Tournament.
We also have a handy spreadsheet we can supply if you email [email protected]
which does half the work for you!
We have supplied 20 Score Sheets per Tournament Pack to ensure you have enough to
keep you going. Please feel free to photocopy or download new Score Sheets from
www.lords-of-war.com at any time.
Tournament Bracket Sheet
For the knockout rounds of the tournament the seeding of players is determined by their
score in the Heats; the Tournament Bracket sheet provided indicates this seeding. The
seeding of players ensures that those players who played well in previous Rounds can only
face one another in the later stages of the knockout phase.
In the case of players having the same total score from the Heats, the seeding is determined
by the head-to-head, i.e. the player who won the match between the two tied players is
seeded higher.
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HONOUR ROLL
RANK
PLAYER
PREFERRED VICTORY COMMAND
FACTION POINTS
STARS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
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SCORE SHEET
EVENT and DATE:
MATCH PAIRINGS BY ROUND
SCORES BY ROUND
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