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War Maneuvers

 

 

 

Queen of Hearts XVIII
Tourney Lists


War Maneuvers

Bridge Battle
Castle Seige
Castle Defense

Fetch
Field Battle
Folkestone Challenge
Hadrian's Ball
Hadrian's Wall
Kill the Queen
Rhiassan Live Chess
Team Grand Melee
Wizard War

And the final Tournament:
Queens' War!


A Note About Borders:

All borders on all tourney fields, with the exception of the bridge, Hadrian's wall, and live chess, are considered “soft borders”. The goal of a soft border is to create field boundaries, but not to cause someone to have to die because they momentarily lost track of where they are allowed to be. Our intention as marshals, when we see someone crossing a boundary is to verbally give them three seconds to get back in bounds before we call them dead. The purpose of this three-second rule is not to give players the ability to willfully leave bounds for three seconds to get an advantage. Anyone seen using them in that regard will be spoken to.


Full Descriptions

Bridge Battle

This bridge battle is about more than just killing everyone on the other team. This is a battle to control the bridge for as long as you can.
First of all this will be a timed battle. After 20 minutes it ends. You might want to forget dragging over your lawn chairs for this one.
There will be three control points that are on the bridge. One in the direct center, and two others, each positioned one-quarter of the way down either side.These will be represented by flag-poles that allow you to raise and lower flags with a rope.
As your team advances across the bridge, you must raise use the flagpoles to raise your team's flag to the top of each. This will determine which team is in control of that point. If there is no flag at the top of the pole then neither team is in control.
Every 60 seconds, each team will receive a number of points for each control point they control. The point closest to their side of the bridge is worth one point, the middle point is worth two points, and the one closest to the enemy side of the bridge is three points. At the end of the 20 minutes, once time is called, these points will be totaled and the team with the greater number of points will have won.
Important: If a team completely eliminates the other team then they win regardless of how many points have been accumulated on either side.

Castle Siege & Castle Defense

Each team will get the chance to attack and defend a castle against one another this year.
Castle towers will be 4' by 4' and 8' tall. There will be at least 4 and possibly as many as 6 towers, with black plastic walls between the towers. The floor of each tower will be about 4' up, and there may be no more than two players (living or dead) in each tower at a given time. Players are asked to be very careful when getting in or out of towers.
The castle will have a set of outer walls, which may or may not be surrounded by a moat. Specific rules for how the moat will work will be announced the day of the event.
Castle walls are considered 10’ thick for the purpose of raise dead spells.
The goal of the attacking team, competing to win castle siege, is to eliminate each team they fight against as fast as possible. The winning team for castle siege will have the greatest number of total siege victories with ties broken by the shortest total time spent attacking amongst all their attacks in the battles that they ultimately win. It is to your benefit to win as quickly as possible.
The goal the defending team, competing to win castle defense, is ultimately to kill the attacking team. The winning team for castle defense will have the greatest number of successful defenses where the attacking team is eliminated, with ties broken by the longest total time spend on the defense amongst all their defenses in the battles that they ultimately lose.
This year, we introduce a new rule that allows for castle walls to be sapped (broken down). To the side of the playing field there will be a stack of Virtual Hay-bale Units (VHUs). VHUs may be carried as boulders, with four people carrying them necessary in order for them to move. VHUs may be used to create a ‘tunnel’ which has the ability to collapse a wall if they are successful. Marked in chalk will be a perimeter around the castle at which the tunnel must start. From that point, VHUs must be placed in two parallel lines, making a channel which must be wide enough for at least one person to stand, but may not be any wider than the single wall of the castle that the channel is facing. As the channel reaches the moat, players may stand inside the water as long as they are also completely inside the channel. Once the channel completely reaches a castle wall, that wall will collapse within a number of seconds. The moat will still exist however, so characters must abide by the water rules unless they are in the channel. While players are constructing the channel they are still vulnerable to damage from the other army, so watch out for arrows!

Fetch

There is something out there in the woods that we need your team to find. The team to bring it back is the winner. Mind the mugwumps out there.

Field Battle

Pretty simple. You fight in a field. Two teams enter, one team leaves.

Folkestone Challenge

Folkstone Challenge is back to its classic form this year. An obstacle course will be built using low walls, at least one picnic table, and various other random items that we decide upon that day. The two teams fight until only one is left alive.

Hadrian's Ball

Renamed from 'King of the Mountain' by popular appeal. This tournament is a team grand melee. All teams participate at once on one field. The goal is to be in control of a single point in the middle for the longest duration possible.
This will be a regeneration battle. When you die you have the option of staying dead on the ground or standing up and walking to the regeneration point (making sure to avoid combat). Once at the regeneration point all you have to do is touch it and you are alive again. Be aware that the regeneration point does not repair armor.
Each team will be given a sphere of a specific color of around a foot in diameter. This sphere may be carried, thrown, hit with weapons, kicked, hidden, etc, in any way by the members of that team only. No member of any other team is allowed to manipulate another teams' sphere except as described below.
In the center of the field is a control point with a pillar that can hold a single sphere. Which ever team's sphere is on top of that pillar is considered to be in control of that point.
Any team may place their sphere on top of the pillar. If there is another team's sphere already there they may, in this situation only, use a wielded weapon to move the sphere from the pillar. Once the sphere is off the pillar it may not be further moved by any team other than the one that owns it. Projectile weapons may be used to knock a sphere off of a pillar from a distance.
If a sphere remains on the ground, untouched by the owning team, for more than 60 seconds, it will be returned by a marshal to the owning team's regeneration point.
This will be a timed battle. The total time will be determined the day of the fight, to allow us some flexibility with our scheduling. Regardless of the total amount of time, every time 60 seconds passes, the team whose sphere is atop the pillar will receive one point. If no sphere is on the pillar at that point in time, no team receives the point. After time is called the fighting will stop and the total number of points for each team will be added up. Clearly, the team with the greatest number of points is the victor. Ties will be broken via a special lightning round.

Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian’s Wall is a timed battle in which the goal is to control as many points as possible for the longest amount of time.
The field features a wall across the center with three gaps in it. At each gap is a flagpole with a rope that will allow you to raise one of two colored flags. Each team will be assigned a color, and you are considered to have control of a point if the flagpole at the point is showing your team's colored flag on top. The rope that controls the flags may be manipulated even if you are holding weapons.
This will be a regeneration battle. When you die you have the option of staying dead on the ground or standing up and walking to the regeneration point (making sure to avoid combat). Once at the regeneration point all you have to do is touch it and you are alive again. Be aware that the regeneration point does not repair armor.
The wall across the center of the field is considered a 'hard border' you may not advance beyond your opponent's side of the wall.
This will be a timed battle. The total time will be determined the day of the fight, to allow us some flexibility with our scheduling. Regardless of the total amount of time, every 60 seconds each team will receive a single point for each control point that they control. These will accumulate throughout the battle. After time is called the fighting will stop and the total number of points for each team will be added up. Clearly, the team with the greatest number of points is the victor.

Kill the Queen

The first team to kill their opponent’s queen wins. If the queen of the team is unable to participate in the battle for any (reasonable) reason, the team will be allowed to choose a proxy that has the same weapon and armor restriction as the queen (if any).

Rhiassan Live Chess

Plays fight as chess pieces on a giant board. The squares are about 6' square and the grid is 8 x 8, so that makes it about 50' by 50' in size. The whole playing field is considered live at all times, so you can always attack anyone you can reach. The goal is to kill the king on the other team.
Sides take turns moving and only one player per side may move (see movement rules below) per turn. Any illegal moves that are made (moving in a way you are not allowed or a second piece moving) results in the offending piece being called dead.
Touching the ground in a square other than your square is considered a move. This means that you may not lean into a square supporting your weight by putting your hand or foot down in that square.
Kings duel to determine who goes first. The King whose turn it is calls a player's name. That player moves according to their piece's limitations until they have reached the end of their move, won a square from another piece (except for the Knight - see below) or have been killed. Then they yell "DONE!" and that signals the other King to call a piece.
The King will only have 10 seconds to choose a piece - we want this as fast paced as possible. It is very important for the Kings to try to get every player involved to participate (that's why pawns move 2 squares and can move diagonally forward - so that they can get into the fray more easily.) Pieces do not have to move according to the King's decrees but a piece may not move at all unless the king tells them it is their turn.
If your pawn reaches the final rank and needs to be promoted, play will not stop for you. If you aren't ready to make it another piece, that's your problem. You must alert the marshal as to what piece you are turning your pawn into.
It is extremely important that players loudly yell that their move is complete by yelling "DONE!" We try to keep the game flowing quickly. There will be a timer keeping track of how long it takes for the kind to decide on his move and a side will forfeit its move if one is not declared in the ten-second limit.
The following are the rules for the different chess pieces.
Pawn - M: 1 or 2 squares forward OR diagonally forward. Single Short, No Armor. Spellcasters may play pawns, and they will not be breaking their weapons restrictions for the purposes of this tournament. Pawns may become any other piece by reaching the final row, but play will not stop for them to change weapons or armor.

Rook - M: as Rook in Chess. Bow & Arrows (no more than 12 each), dagger, any armor.

Bishop - M: as Bishop in Chess. Hand & a half, any armor.

Knight
- M: as Knight in Chess. Sword & Shield and any armor. The Knight must make it's full move or die trying. This makes it the only piece that can move through multiple squares by killing several opponents.

Queen
- M: as Queen in Chess. 2 players with any weapons and armor.

King
- M: as King in chess. Dagger, no armor.

Team Grand Melee

The usual bloodbath. All teams participate at once. The last team alive is the winner.

Wizard War

This is a field battle modified to make spellcasters extremely powerful. All fighters will use their normal armor and weapons. They are not modified in any way.
Spellcasters get the following advantages. First, they are all automatically bumped up one weapon restriction. This means that if you had a light restriction, you can use any weapons just like a fighter and you have the extra advantage of being allowed to use 2 points of armor as well.
Spellcasters also get an extra path of spells. This extra path cannot give you more than 2 learnings of a single path. If you are taking a new path you receive spells 1-6 as normal. If you are taking a second learning of a path you already have then you receive spells 2-7. You must provide legal props for any spell you are going to use.
You can buy down as normal to other paths when you decide what spells you are going to take.
Instead of taking the extra path of spells, spellcasters may choose to bump up their weapon restriction a second time. Again, this gives you access to fighter weapons and 2 point of armor if you were a medium-restriction before you bumped up your restriction twice.
For the purposes of this tournament, Minor Restriction characters are considered Light Restriction for the extra benefits they receive.
 
Get New Path
More Old Spells
No New Spells
Light No Restriction
+spells 1-6
of a new path
No Restriction
+spells 2-7
of a path you have
No Restriction.
Current Spells
Medial Light Restriction
+spells 1-6
of a new path
Light Restriction
+spells 2-7
of a path you have
No Restriction
Current Spells
Severe Medial Restriction
+spells 1-6
of a new path
Medial Restriction
+spells 2-7
of a path you have
Light Restriction
Current Spells

Queens' War

Each team forms two lines with the head of each line at the edge of the tournament ring used for Queens' War. One line is for people with cards obtained by winning tournaments (the active line) and the other line is for people without cards (the extras line.)
People in the active line will be asked to stand in line, and the people in the extras line will be asked to sit down. During play, people in line may not switch places.
Each person at the head of an 'active line' enters the tournament ring and fights. The fighter that wins goes to the end of their active line, and the person at the head of their team's extras line joins them at the end of their active line. All the losers go to the end of their teams' extras lines.
This means that if you win in the tournament ring, your active line gets one extra person. If you lose, it means your active line loses one person. As soon as each bout is over, the people at the beginning of the active lines enter the ring and fight. The team with the last active line with people in it wins!