W
H
A
T
 

Come Sail Away!

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION:
ONLY $30 BEFORE JUNE 15!
($15 for students)
It's a bargain at twice the price!

REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE!

DO IT!


W
H
O
Organizers
  • Tournament Director: Manus Hand
  • The ARMADA Starboard of Directors: G. Paul Bailey, Derek Bassett, Alisha Cardin, Manus Hand, Gabe Racz, Emmett Wainwright, Russell Weisfield.
  • Assistant TD's: Phil Brown, Kevin Hatch, Mike Mitchell, Andrea Vázquez.

Players (27 so far...)
  • Traveling (13 so far...):
    • California (7): Edi Birsan, Karthik Konath, Patrick Jacobson, Justin Loar, Siobhan Nolen, Adam Silverman, Kayla Silverman.
    • Florida (1): Doc Binder.
    • Minnesota (1): Zachary Moore.
    • Missouri (1): Cameron Higbe.
    • Montana (1): Craig Mayr.
    • Texas (1): Ed Sullivan.
    • Washington (1): Jake Mannix.
    • Get Your Name Listed Here! You know how!
  • ARMADA (14 so far...):
    • Central Fleet (5): Derek Bassett, Eliot Howell, Brian Long, Emmett Wainwright, Russell Weisfield.
    • North Coast Fleet (6): G. Paul Bailey, Matt Crill, Gabe Racz, JR Ralls, Pierce Thompson, Cameron Wagner.
    • South Coast Fleet (2): Liam Bennett, Matt Chisholm.
    • Deployed (Not Pictured) Fleet (1): Alisha Cardin.

W
H
E
R
E
University of Colorado Boulder
Williams Village Center
500 30th Street
Boulder, Colorado
[Google Maps]

More Site Details and Events:
  • Parking: [CLICK TO TOGGLE]
  • Food and Drink:
    • Multiple restaurants and bars, from fast food to full service, within three minutes walk!
    • Snacks and Drinks: The ARMADA will provide some snacks, soft drinks, coffee, etc.
    • No Alcohol is Permitted at the Playing Venue: Blame the University of Colorado, not your tournament organizers.
  • Silent Auction: Many games (provided by Renegade Game Studios and others) will be on offer to the highest bidder! Bargains galore!
  • Board Raffle: (if sufficient refundable tickets are sold, and they always are)
    • First drawn ticket (grand prize): One of the ARMADA's Big Wooden Boards!
    • Second (third, ...) drawn tickets: Editions of Diplomacy, supplied by Renegade Games Studios!
  • Open Board Gaming: Plenty of table space is available for open gaming between rounds; many games and jigsaw puzzles provided.

Lodging

Transportation
  • Limited airport player-pickup by an ARMADA member (if your flight timing works and if there is car-space; we plan on making exactly one airport run Friday afternoon).
  • Public Transportation
    • RTD SkyRide (Route AB1) from Denver International Airport (1 hour ride); check this Webpage for departure location and schedule. Depart bus at Broadway & Baseline Rd. stop in Boulder. Either pick up the 225 Bound bus there, which will get you to Baseline & 30th. We can pick you up from there or you can walk about 0.7 miles east to the venue.
  • Uber or Lyft or taxi — 30–40 minutes (ride-share with fellow travelers; we can help coordinate player communication if need be).

W
H
E
N
Thursday, July 24
  • 7:00 PM: Taphouse Visit! Contact Gabe Racz at gabe@racz.org or Manus Hand to attend! Visit a long-line taphouse, and "sample" a multitude of local brews! At altitude! But no age restriction; bring the kids!
Friday, July 25
  • 7:00 PM: Welcome Dinner at a great restaurant/bar to be determined — be sure to RSVP in time to ensure a seat!
Saturday, July 26
  • 8:00 AM: First round registration begins; seedings posted and announced at 8:45
  • 9:00 AM: First round play begins
    • To accommodate coverage by the Diplomacy Broadcast Network (DBN), every game of the tournament will be recorded using backstabbr.
  • 2:30 PM: Saturday Speaking Stabber Series: To be delivered by 2024 El Capitán Zachary Moore Topic Being Determined!
  • 4:00 PM: Second round registration begins; seedings posted and announced at 4:45
  • 5:00 PM: Second round games begins
Sunday, July 27
  • 8:00 AM: Third round registration begins; seedings posted and announced at 8:45
  • 9:00 AM: Third round play begins
  • 11:00 AM-1:00 PM: Silent Auction tables close; winning bidders collect purchases
  • 1:45 PM: Board Raffle winners drawn and announced
  • 2:00 PM: Awards ceremony
    • Regatta Champion, 2nd Place, and 3rd Place
    • Best Performance as Each Power
    • Other Awards (Best Stab and a few surprises)
  • Thereafter: The Wrap and After-Party
    • At a nearby watering hole to be determined.

H
O
W
Game Seeding
  • Seeding will be done by computer, finding the best-fit with the following parameters.
  • Seeding will attempt to ensure that each player should play only one game as any power in each of the following power-groups:
    • Austria, Italy
    • England, France, Germany
    • Russia, Turkey
  • Seeding will attempt to ensure that each player will play against as many different players as possible.
  • Seeding will ensure that closely-related players (father-daughter, uncle-nephew, etc.) will not play on the same board.
  • In round 1, games will be seeded to maximally ensure that traveling players compete against local players (rather than against fellow travelers) as much as possible.
  • In rounds 2 and 3, seeding will take into account the to-date tournament score of each player, and will prefer the seeding of games involving players who have similar tournament scores.
Game Scoring ("Incremental Control", as developed by the ARMADA's Eliot Howell)
  • For all players in all games:
    • 1 point for each supply center held at the end of each and every game-year played ("control points").
  • For players sharing in a draw or achieving a solo victory or concession:
    • 1 point for each supply center held at game-end, counted for each unplayed game-year through 1918 ("success points").
  • For players in games won by a single player (solo or concession):
    • For the winner: ½ point for each center not owned by the winner, counted for each year through 1918 ("victory points").
    • For each other player: ½ point for each center held at game-end, counted for each unplayed game-year through 1918 ("survival points").
With only a possible small reduction for supply centers left unowned in early years of a game, each tournament game will distribute 34×18=612 points to its players.

NOTE: Games are certainly not expected to extend until game-year 1918. They will invariably end as normal, long before that game-year. The use of the year 1918 in the scoring system is simply to repeatedly add the players' final center-count to their score for all years after the game's natural end until the game-year 1918, so as to make all games worth the same number of points, and to properly award players for their result.

EXAMPLES:
  • For a player who was eliminated in 1905, having held four centers in 1901, three in 1902, and two in each of 1903 and 1904:
    • Control points: 4+3+2+2 = 11
    • Total score: 11 points.
  • For a player sharing a draw called in 1906, who held five centers in 1901, seven centers in 1902, four centers in 1903, three centers in 1904, five centers in 1905, and six centers at the end of the game:
    • Control points: 5+7+4+3+5+6 = 30
    • Success points: 6×12 = 72 (number of centers held at game end, for each of the 12 unplayed game years 1907–1918)
    • Total score: 102 points.
  • For the same player, had the game ended in a solo or concession to another player:
    • Control points: 5+7+4+3+5+6 = 30
    • Survival points: ½×6×12 = 36 (half-score for the number of centers held at game end, for each of the 12 unplayed game years 1907–1918)
    • Total score: 66 points.
  • For a player who took a solo victory or concession in a game ending in 1906, having year-end center counts (from 1901 to 1906) of six, nine, ten, eleven, fourteen, and eighteen:
    • Control points: 6+9+10+11+14+18 = 68
    • Success points: 18×12 = 216 (number of centers held at game end, for each of the 12 unplayed game years 1907–1918)
    • Victory points: ½×16×12 = 96 (half-score for each center not owned at game end, for each of the 12 unplayed game years 1907–1918)
    • Total score: 380 points.

Tournament Scoring
  • A player's tournament score is the sum of the scores achieved in all three rounds of play, counting a score of 0 for any round not played. Players who play only a single round will not be ranked but will be eligible for Best Performance by a Power and other awards.
  • Ties for any awarded prize (1st, 2nd, etc.) will be broken based on:
    1. highest power-difficulty, considering the powers played, with France=2, Turkey=3, England=5, Russia=7, Italy=11, Germany=13, Austria=17, then by
    2. highest single-game score, then by
    3. second-highest game score, then by
    4. highest score in any game played by all players involved in the tie, then finally by
    5. years-played, with fewer years-played being adjudged better in the case of a solo or draw result, and with more years of play being adjudged better in the case of a loss or elimination.
  • Should any tie remain unbreakable, the prize (or first choice of prize, if multiple are to be awarded) shall go to the player who travelled furthest to participate in the event.
  • Ties for other rankings and prizes will not be broken.
NADF Wild Wild West Circuit Championship (Buz Cup) Scoring
  • All ranked players (players completing two or more rounds) will receive points toward the 2025 Buz Cup.
Timing and Deadlines
  • A Central Clock will be projected throughout the tournament. All games are asked to adhere to the Central Clock or to play faster. The Central Clock will follow this schedule:
    • Spring Movement Negotiations: 15 minutes in 1901, 12 minutes in 1902 and 1903, 10 minutes thereafter
    • Spring Movement Order Submission and Adjudication: 3 minutes
    • Spring Retreats (not included in 1901 but timed in all later years): 2 minutes
    • Fall Movement Phase Timings: same as Spring
    • Fall Retreats and Winter Adjustments: 3 minutes
  • A game may choose to choose its own timing and run its own independent clock. Again, games are asked to follow or better the pace of the Central Clock.
  • Any player who feels that a game is running too far behind the Central Clock is encouraged to consider requesting that the Tournament Director enforce the "Delay of Game" penalty detailed below.
Draw and Concession Rules
  • All draws must include all survivors (draw votes may only be called for draws that include all players owning 1+ supply center).
  • Votes to concede to a single player may be called.
  • Only one draw vote (and/or one concession vote to each specific player) may be called for in any single game-season.
  • A Tournament Director must be called to officiate each draw/concession vote.
  • All votes are conducted by secret ballot using draw cards, with the count of any votes cast against the proposal known only by the Tournament Director.
  • Votes must be unanimous to pass.
  • A forced draw will be declared in any game that reaches the end of game-year 1918, and in any game during Round One or Round Three that does not complete by a time-of-day that will be secretly determined and left unannounced by the Tournament Director. Any such game shall be drawn as of the end of the most recent game-year for which all players' Fall orders had been submitted (even if not yet adjudicated).
Replacement and Double-Duty Players
  • If a player must leave a game before its conclusion, the player must be replaced, unless owning only a single supply center, which entitles the player to declare any owned unit to be in civil disorder for the remainder of the game. The departed player will be considered to vote to AGREE to any proposal that the power is eligible to vote on after leaving the game. Should such a player become eligible to build, the build shall be considered WAIVEd.
  • If a power that is replaced is eliminated or loses to a solo victor, the game score will be awarded to the original player. However, if such a power wins or shares in a draw, the game score will be awarded to the replacement player.
  • If a person plays two games in the same round, the player's score for the round shall be the greater of the two scores that the player may have achieved.

A
N
D
 
ARMADA House Rules
  • Invalid Orders
    • Any order that is illegible, incomprehensible, illegal, impossible, or in conflict with another submitted order is considered invalid. A Tournament Director may, but need not, be called upon to assist players in determining if an order is invalid.
    • An invalid or unsubmitted movement phase or retreat phase order shall be deemed to be a valid HOLD or DISBAND order for the specified unit.
    • An invalid BUILD order shall be considered to be a valid order to WAIVE a build.
    • An invalid REMOVE order shall be ignored.
  • Surplus and Deficient Adjustment Phase Orders
    • If a player submits more valid BUILD or REMOVE orders than the player is eligible or required to issue, the surplus orders (those lowest/last in written order, or chosen by a Tournament Director if this is not clear) shall be ignored.
    • If a player submits fewer valid BUILD orders than the player is eligible to issue, the unsubmitted builds shall be declared to be WAIVEd.
    • If a player submits fewer valid REMOVE orders than are required, a Tournament Director shall be called to decide the remaining unit(s) to be removed by the power, with no appeal allowed. [Note that any REMOVE orders that are issued by a Tournament Director need not follow any particular written rule for Civil Disorder removals.]
  • Multi-Coast Moves, Supports, and Builds
    • An order for a fleet to move from the Mid-Atlantic Ocean or Portugal to Spain or from Constantinople to Bulgaria and that fails to specify a destination coast is invalid, and thus becomes a valid HOLD order.
    • An order for a fleet to deliver support across any of these same boundaries and that specifies any coast (whether correct or incorrect) as the location or destination of the supported unit is valid; such an order is treated as if the coast specification had been omitted.
    • A Russian order to BUILD a fleet in St Petersburg, and that does not specify the coast on which the fleet is to be built is invalid, becoming a WAIVEd build. Such an order also conflicts with (and thus also invalidates) any other submitted order to build a fleet on a specific coast of St Petersburg (such invalidated order would thus become a second WAIVEd build).
  • Convoy Paths and Handling Pandin's Paradox
    • Specification of the convoy path in an army's convoy order is encouraged at all times (ex.: A Bul–BLA–Sev) but is not mandated.
    • If an army can make its ordered move without being convoyed, and if no convoy path (or "by convoy") is written in the order, then the army move is by land, and any corresponding convoy order issued to any fleet is declared to be void.
    • However, if an army can only be convoyed to reach its ordered destination, and if no convoy path is specified in its order, then if any one or more convoying path that could be used consists entirely of fleets that were not dislodged, the convoy is successful and is not considered disrupted.
    • A convoyed army does not cut support being given to an attack against any of the army's convoying fleets.
  • Proxies
    • Proxy orders — specifying that some other, foreign, power is entitled to issue the order to be followed by any specified unit — are invalid. Play The Game yourself.
Regatta Penalties
  • Delay Of Game
    • If two or more players agree that another player in their game should be cautioned or penalized for excessive tardiness in submission of orders, they shall summon a Tournament Director, and the derelict player shall first be cautioned, and given one minute to submit the late orders, after which the orders shall be declared too late for submission. If only a single player wishes to call for a Delay of Game caution or penalty, the Tournament Director shall allow the tardy player(s) three minutes for order submission before imposing the penalty.
    • At this point, and/or immediately on any subsequent such complaints during the game, the player's orders shall be considered unsubmitted, and subject to the House Rules regarding invalid and unsubmitted orders.
  • Personal Foul
    • If any player believes that another player is behaving inappropriately, they shall summon a Tournament Director, and if the Tournament Director agrees, the offending player will be cautioned or ejected.
    • On the initial complaint against a player, the player shall be cautioned (unless the offense is deemed severe by the Tournament Director, in which case the offending player shall be ejected from the tournament with no appeal), and the Tournament Director will then determine if the inappropriate behavior has ceased.
    • If the inappropriate behavior continues after the caution, or (if it does not), then immediately on any subsequent complaint lodged against a player who has been previously cautioned — even if the complaint is made in a later game —, the player shall be ejected from the tournament, with no appeal allowed.
    • Violations of The BPA Code of Conduct will be reported to the publishers of The Game for consideration of any further disciplinary actions in tournaments sanctioned by Renegade Game Studios/Avalon Hill.
    • Violations of The NADF Code of Conduct will be reported by the ARMADA to the North American Diplomacy Federation for its consideration of any further disciplinary action in tournaments sanctioned by that group.

W
H
Y
 
  • Why not?
  • I know, right? We couldn't answer that one either.