Introduction
Why all these rules? We want everyone who comes along to play in our Grand Tournaments to know what to expect, from how we score the competitive aspects of the event to the kind of behavior everyone can expect to see. With our expectations clearly spelled out we want to help you manage your expectations. By purchasing a ticket you are agreeing to abide by the rules set out below.

The 2008 GT Rules are also covered in the 2008 Tournament Player Packet PDF, which is more convenient for printing.

Download the 2008 Grand Tournament Player Packet
(112 KB PDF - Download Adobe Reader here.)

How each Tournament Works

Judges and their Rulings
The Grand Tournament setup defines a Judge in the following manner. Judges are staff or employees of Games Workshop, or an appointed agent of Games Workshop. Judges are responsible for the adjudication of rules, and insuring the safety of the participants. This responsibility means that a judge’s ruling, decision, or safety warning is final. Participants are advised that the decisions of the Judges will apply to them from the moment that they enter the event.

Judges will not entertain any discussion once they have made a decision. This includes safety warnings, rules adjudications, Army Appearance points, Sportsmanship points, and Battle Points. Judges will post current Battle Point Totals with each new round of table assignments. If participants find that the Battle Points posted do not match with what they believe they have earned then they should address the possible discrepancy with the Judges at the head table.

Judges have strict instructions to work as a team, and be as consistent as possible. Judges will handle difficult situations and previous adjudications as they occur. Please note that adjudications are for the current event. Adjudications from past events will not be considered.

Number of Games
Competitors will play FIVE (5) Grand Tournament games over the weekend, THREE (3) on Saturday and TWO (2) on Sunday. Each game will always be against an opponent you have not previously played at that event. You are expected to be at your table around 10 minutes prior to the posted start time. This is time for introductions, setting terrain, exchanging army lists, and clarifying any issues. You will have 2.5 hours for each game. This Game Time is for deployment of troops and playing the game.

How Pairings Work
For the first round you will be randomly assigned to a table and opponent. We know that people often travel to our Grand Tournaments with a group of their friends. For the first round we will endeavor to ensure that you are not paired against someone you play on a regular basis.

For subsequent rounds we will use the system known as the Swiss System, where players face off against those with relatively similar scores (based on Battle Points only). If you end up paired against a player you have previously played in the tournament, please raise your hand and a Judge will sort out a new opponent (of a similar caliber) for you.

Special Case: For rounds two and three, if you are paired against someone you play against on a regular basis, you are unable to switch opponents. It is simply too early in the tournament to relax this rule. For rounds four and five, if you are paired against someone you play on a regular basis AND you are placed in the lower 50% of the field our Judges will sort out a new opponent. If you are placed in the upper 50% of the field you are unable to switch opponents as this may cause an unfair imbalance in the final results.

Timing
The schedule for each event will be posted online prior to the event. The schedule will also be posted at the event. Competitors are expected to be at their assigned tables before the designated start time of the round (we expect 10 minutes before). If your opponent does not arrive within 15 minutes of the start time for the game, then they will have been considered to have conceded the game. Raise your hand and our Judges will find you a new opponent. If you arrive late and your opponent has been assigned a new opponent, then there is a chance you may not play in that round. Do NOT be late!

Tables and Terrain
All games for Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 will be played on 6’ by 4’ tables. All games for The Lord of The Rings Strategy Battle Game will be played on 4’ by 4’ tables. Each table will contain sufficient scenery for a competitive game. Players will determine the layout of the terrain. Full rules of how this is achieved will be published in the Tournament Packets distributed at the event.

Filling out your Results Sheets
Each Tournament Packet will contain FIVE (5) Game Results Sheets, one of which needs to be filled out swiftly on the completion of each game. Once you have finished your game and filled out the sheet you and your opponent together must bring it to the Head Judges table where the results will then be entered into the Tournament database. It is important that you fill in the information as quickly and accurately as possible; this will decide your ranking and ultimately the winner of the Tournament. This will then generate the new pairing for the next round.

Army lists Allowed
There has always been a considerable amount of confusion about this aspect, particularly when army lists not originally intended for hardcore competitive play have been used for the Grand Tournaments. For 2008 it is very simple. We are allowing those army lists that have an officially printed Codex, Army Book, or Sourcebook. For specifics on each system see the rules pages for Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and The Lord of The Rings.

This will ensure that the armies you will be facing at Grand Tournaments will have been play-tested to the nth degree, and all participants will have equal access to the lists prior to the event.

You are required to bring at least two copies of your army list to the Grand Tournament. When you register you must hand over a copy of your army list to the Judges who will check it over the course of the tournament. This is considered an “open” tournament, where you are expected to show your army list to your opponent prior to the game and answer any reasonable questions about it.

In addition, we have a standing rule: If a new edition of an Army Book or Codex is released less than 30 days prior to the event we are running, then the previous edition will be used. This is to give everyone a chance to read the new list and understand the way it now affects the game at large.

For complete clarity you should keep an eye on the Updates page of this site for the latest information.

Which Edition?
In some situations, we may have a change of rules editions during the season. Our standing rule for this situation is: If a new edition of a game system is released less than 60 days prior to the event in question, we will use the previous rules edition.

For complete clarity you should keep an eye on the Updates page of this site for the latest information.

Other Important Things to Note!

Acceptable and Unacceptable Behavior
This one is fairly simple. Acceptable behavior is that which you could expect to be comfortable with in regular, everyday life. Unacceptable behavior can include, but is not limited to, physical abuse, verbal abuse, drunkenness, and other behaviors deemed unacceptable by Judges at the event. Be aware that, depending on the situation, unacceptable behavior may result in your ejection from the event.

Age Restrictions
The Grand Tournaments are designed as events for our veteran hobbyists to compete against other hobbyists of similar experience. As such we have the following age restrictions:

1) All players must be 16 years or older
2) Players under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. By “accompanied” we mean the parent or guardian must be present in the hall during the Grand Tournament games.