Here it is, the most prestigious tournament that might not have any prize support, isn't physically played, and isn't officially sanctioned! The most prestigious tournament of 2021, and 2022 and back as a tournament for 2023! It's up to you to prove that you are the best at a digital representation of a plastic spaceship pushing game! That's right, it is the 2023 Armada Vassal World Cup!
Haha all the old links are dead!
RIP FFG Forums, 2015-2021!
2021 Armada World Cup
Leader Roles:
Organizer: Biggs
Co-Organizers: GiledPallaeon, Stewbucket
Judges: Whoever is Spectating Your Game!
Format:
Structure: Custom - 2023 World Cup Format, with 3 Rounds of POD play / 3-4 Rounds of Swiss / 2 Rounds of Elimination, extended time to complete games.
Tier: Premier - "Premier events are the highest level of competition for Fantasy Flight Games tournaments. At this top level of tournaments, players are expected to have a moderate amount of experience. Players should be familiar with not only the game rules, but also the FAQ and tournament regulations. The focus is on a competitive and fair environment."
Rules:
Rules being used for construction of lists and questions throughout the game will be based on the most recent Armada Rules Reference and Tournament Rules. Basically if it's ruled on by AMG it's the rules.
CAUTION: If AMG releases an FAQ ruling after the tournament has started, that's the rules going forward from that point. If you don't know, ask.
Standard list building for 400 points applies. Lists (minus objectives) will then be posted by the Organizer for public viewing by the start of POD play. For every 4 players that sign up, we will create a new POD. PODs will be assigned on "Selection Saturday" and play may begin immediately. PODs will contain 4 players (ideally) with 3 or 5 player PODs possible depending on exact numbers of signups. More information on that: 3 Player PODs will either have 1) 1 extra player as a "bye" who will count as 8 points / 140 MOV for all other players or 2) be assigned a player in another 3 player POD to complete their 4th game.
Any player pair that are unable to play during a given round window will receive a 1 point loss each. Either player has the opportunity to concede to their opponent if they are unable to schedule and believe they are more to blame for the scheduling conflict, which will result in a 8 point win (140 MOV) for the other player, and a 1 point loss for the conceding player. Players are encouraged to post their scheduled games to the thread once they agree to a game time. A no-show by either player for a scheduled game will result in a 1 point loss for that player, and an 8 point victory for their opponent, with 140 point MOV.
The Format (Same as 2021):
POD Phase: All players will be assigned into a POD of 4 players. During the POD round each player will play the other 3 players in their POD, earning Tournament Points and MOV as usual. The top 2 players in each POD will go on to the Swiss Phase. Everyone is expected to be able to schedule time to play everyone else in their pod within 3 weeks (averaging 1 game / week). PODs will be built to try and give players opponents within or near their preferred time zone to make scheduling easier.
Swiss Phase: Players will be seeded for the first round based on their Tournament Points and MOV from the POD Phase, and play will continue for 3 or 4 rounds of Swiss, each round lasting 7 days, with up to 2 days extension at the Organizer's discretion. Players should post within 2 days of each swiss round start when they will be able to play their opponent. During Swiss Phase, normal Swiss pairing will apply, but no players will be matched up with their POD opponents in addition to Swiss Opponents. The top 4 players at the end of the Swiss Phase will continue to the Elimination Phase.
Elimination Phase: The remaining 4 players are reseeded based on Tournament Points and MOV from both the POD and Swiss Phases. After 2 rounds, the remaining player will be the 2023 Vassal World Cup Champion!
What is Legal for Play?
Anything that has been spoiled or released by January 2nd, 2023. A thing is considered spoiled if it fills the following criteria:
Either:
- Revealed in an official AMG article / livestream / website / media dump of some sort
- Released in a non-English language and translated into English.
And:
- Has been actually programmed into Vassal.
Official World Cup Vassal Build:
### Module version 4.8.0 "The Final Order (VWC23)" is available! ###
Download (takes a day or so to update): http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Star_Wars:_Armada
Direct download link (VASSAL 3.6.9): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J55-zMa-zbOhr5ON1VnKFxdPka2qN2al/view?usp=share_link
Checksum (3.6.9): 7329abf8
Alternate download (VASSAL 3.6.5): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T-TPmWrus_rXNaW4-fW6fFzd9iExq_KW/view?usp=share_link
Checksum (3.6.5): 1fcb3a6c
Additional Thoughts:
There hasn't been any issues with games needing a Judge to rule on things before, don't let this tournament be the one it starts. Figure out any issues that arise in the game among yourselves - ask any folks watching along for help as makeshift judges if needed. I'll be watching the games that I can, but I work and go to school for crazy hours. Remember Rule #1 of Star Wars Miniatures Gaming - "Fly Casual".
If you do have a rule question about how a particular card interacts, bug me on Discord as I am the official Marshall for the event! You can also ask GP or Stewbucket. Obviously we can't pop into every game for a game-by-game judgement, but we can answer any question that isn't covered by an official FAQ. I can't answer a rule question if I don't know what the question is though, so ask early!
If I'm not around there's plenty of quality people that can answer a rule question for you.
If there's something that you see that needs addressed, please bring it to my attention. I can't fix issues that I don't know about.
Tentative Timetable:
Signups: Dec 16th - Jan 2nd
Selection Tuesday: Jan 3rd
POD Play: Jan 3rd - Jan 25th
Swiss 1st Round: Jan 26th - Feb 1st
Swiss 2nd Round: Feb 2nd - Feb 8th
Swiss 3rd Round: Feb 9th - Feb 15th
(48+ POD Players) Swiss 4th Round: Feb 16th - Feb 22nd
Semi-Finals: To be Scheduled
Finals: To be Scheduled
Useful Links:
Blissfully Ignorant Gaming Discord - Where to go to submit an FAQ, get voice chat for games, or just chat about the tournament!