Maryland Mayhem 2023

Flag Dash Tournament Ruleset

General Rules SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT Anyone, player, game runner, or spectator should keep an eye out for safety hazards and report them to the staff immediately. Further safety rules will be found below

Participant behavior All participants in the tournament, whether players, spectators, coaches, or referees, should be sportsmanlike and positive towards other tournament participants at all times. The head referee can remove participants from the tournament for disruptive or unsportsmanlike behavior. Disruptive, abusive, or unsportsmanlike behavior towards other people will not be tolerated and is grounds for removal at Head Referee or tournament organizer discretion.

Registration Teams are allowed to register up to 8 members for the tournament. For each match, a team must designate its players and coaches from the pool of rostered members. These can change between matches, but not between rounds in a match.

Referees Referees will be chosen by event organizers from a diverse pool of community-trained referees. There will be a Head Referee with the authority to break individual referee voting ties and resolve situations not covered by this manual. The game will be played with a minimum of 7 referees (1 head ref, 2 line judges, and 2 monitors per team), additional referees are welcomed (pre-registration is required for referees by March 31st email [email protected] to apply) and will be spread out evenly across the playing field. Referees’ primary role is to detect hit players and rule violations, and individual referees will notify a player of their elimination if the player themselves does not detect the hit. Individual referees’ on-the-field calls will be played through until the round is over; if there are any disputes with a referee’s call this will be handled through the Dispute process outlined in Game Rules.

Blaster Rules Manual prime spring powered blasters will be limited to 250fps and electric powered blasters(including AEBs) will be limited to 200fps. Each player may register a maximum of three blasters; players on the same team may share registered blasters amongst their team. Blasters will be chronographed by referees prior to the tournament start, as configured for tournament play. Electricity-powered blasters must have fully charged batteries during chronographing. Players must chronograph each blaster with every dart type they plan to use during the tournament (i.e. we will record which blasters are using which dart type, you can chronograph with multiple dart types). For example if you qualify a blaster with AF pros and bamboo darts then during the tournament you pick up worker gen 3’s during a dart sweep, you can not use the gen 3’s because you didn’t qualify with gen 3’s. Players may not modify their blaster or switch to a different dart type after passing chronographing; players caught violating these rules intentionally may be removed from the tournament at Head Referee’s discretion. Players will fire 5 correctly-read shots per blaster. If any of the shots are more than 10 fps over the limit, or if the average of the 5 shots is over fps limit, the player will fire another 5 darts. If the blaster fails the second set of 5 shots, it is disqualified. After making adjustments to the blaster or changing out dart type, Players may re-attempt to chronograph any blaster that has been disqualified. Any of the Tournament organizers reserve the right to check any registered blaster at any time after initial check-in to ensure it is compliant with the rules. Disclaimer: Maryland weather and humidity can cause blasters to shoot faster than what you may have chronograph at home, be cautious of this. Blasters may not be reloaded by loose darts during gameplay (i.e. no dump pouches full of darts) and should therefore use magazines, clips, hoppers, etc. Speed loaders are acceptable. Players may not have a secondary blaster on their person during gameplay.

Blaster propulsion mechanisms Blasters that propel a dart by a spring-powered plunger (“springer”), one or more spinning flywheels (“flywheeler”), or an electronically-actuated spring-powered plunger (“AEB” or “AEG”) will be allowed. Blasters that propel a dart using any other method (i.e. compressed high-pressure gas (“HPA/LPA/CO2”) are not allowed. Hand-pumped, low-pressured air blasters are not allowed) . Ammo must be propelled by a blaster, throwing ammo is strictly prohibited.

Game Rules Round definition A single round is the most basic unit of gameplay in the tournament, and includes the time from round start until a win condition occurs. Rounds should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Match definition A match is a series of two or more rounds played by the same teams. Teams will be designated a side, and teams will switch sides for the second round in each match.Referees will assign which team starts on which side of the map, and teams will switch sides for the second round in each match. In the event that additional rounds are needed the referees will use a coin toss to assign which side of the map teams start on (i.e. if heads team “A” starts on the right side, if tails team “A” starts on the left side)

Players Players must be age 12 and older. Players under age 18 must have a parent or guardian present at all times, and must play with consent of the parent or guardian.

Coaches Each team may designate a maximum of 2 coaches for each match, however coaches are not required. Coaches are rostered players who are allowed to communicate verbally and nonverbally to players, but they are not allowed to physically interfere with gameplay. They may not however use any voice enhancing devices such as but not limited to megaphones, radios etc. Teams may redesignate coaches between matches. Coaches are limited to their team’s side of the field and must stay in their designated area as well as may not cross the center line. If a player is injured, a coach may become an active player for the rest of the match, but the team may not replace that coach for the match.

Spectators Spectators are defined as individuals who are not on the roster of any team. They may cheer for teams within the code of conduct and sportsmanlike guidelines. Spectators must refrain from communicating information that provides an in game advantage to teams.

Referees Referees are designated officials that watch a match closely to ensure the rules are adhered to and to arbitrate on matters arising from play. Our referees are community volunteers who have read through the rules and have been deemed qualified by the event host to officiate the tournament. Please treat them with respect, both in their position of authority and as an individual willing to donate their time.

Dispute Raising Procedures Each team will designate a team captain at check in, players will need to route any disputes through their team captain as only captains can raise a dispute. A captain can dispute any of the following: whether a player was hit or not, when a player was hit, position of the flag when a player was hit, whether the flag was scored before the flag carrier was hit, whether the flag was scored before elimination of a team, whether a player was or had been out of bounds, starting position infraction. Captains can bring up any potential rules violations to the referees.

Team captains may raise disputes at the end of the round prior to the start of the next round. Disputes cannot be raised while a round is in progress. Each team captain can raise up to one dispute to the Referee team through the course of the round robin portion of the tournament. Disputes that result in a corrective action do not count against the team’s use of their dispute. For example, if a captain disputes that an opposing player was tagged then if the referees concur that captain still has their dispute to use later, however if the referees disagree then that captain loses their dispute and will have and will not be able to use the dispute process during the rest of the round robin portion of the tournament. This limit is intended to ensure the disputing process is undertaken in good faith. There will be a station available to handle intake and viewing of community footage only on MicroSD or SD cards; relevant footage provided to the station within 2 minutes of the time the dispute is raised by the team captain will be shown to the referees before they vote.

For the finals match, teams will again have only one dispute to use. As with the rest of the tournament, a successful dispute will refund their opportunity to dispute again.

Referee Voting The Head Referee will organize a vote of all referees for the game in question when a dispute arises. The Head Referee will propose an outcome at their discretion, then conduct a vote. The Head Referee themselves may vote only in the case of a tie. Referees may vote Yes (in favor of the proposed resolution), No (against the proposed resolution), or Abstain. Referees may reference their own memory and any video/photographic evidence available within 2 minutes to arrive at a decision. Referees who did not see convincing evidence or are otherwise not confident in their decision may abstain from the vote. Referees will raise their thumb up to vote yes, thumb down to vote no, or hold out a flat hand to abstain. The Head Referee will tally the votes of all referees and announce the dispute resolution to all event participants. Typically, A majority abstention is considered ruling stands with the proposed resolution outcome. There may be instances where video footage is not available and it is very likely that many of the refs will not have been able to see the situation in question.

Equipment Players must have impact rated eye protection, commercially-available foam dart ammo (no homemades or modified darts with the exception of cut down full lengths), and a blaster in accordance with Blaster Rules. Teams/Players must provide their own ammo for tournament play. For each round a team is allowed 300 pieces of ammo which they may distribute amongst themselves as they see fit (i.e. 3 players start with 60 pieces of ammo, one player starts with 90 pieces of ammo and the remaining player only starts with 30 pieces of ammo). Unused ammo does not carry over between rounds. Players may share ammo during game play (such as tossing a mag). It is recommended that teams have sufficient magazines and ammo to preload 600 pieces of ammo (300 per round) prior to the start of a match. There is only 1 minute between rounds so it is unlikely that a team will have time to reload between rounds. If a player is not fully reloaded when the round is ready to start then they will need to play with what they already have loaded (i.e. they will start the round with less ammo then what they could have used). In the event that a match is more than 2 rounds there will be allotted additional time to reload after the 2nd round. There is no reloading loose darts during a round unless instructed to by a head official. Dart scavenging during gameplay is not allowed. Consolidating darts into a mag during gameplay is allowed however if a dart is dropped and touches the ground it is considered dead and can not be used. Picking up darts outside of gameplay between rounds is allowed and can be used to replenish your dart supply before the start of a round. Players may not use radios, flashlights, lasers, pyrotechnic devices, shields, melee weapons, or any other device deemed unsafe or unsuitable by tournament organizers.

The following dart types are considered legal: Soft Tipped short darts, Soft Tipped Full lengths, and Foam Ballistic Rounds ie Rival rounds. Examples of illegal darts include but are not limited to fvj’s voberry’s, dragon darts etc. Blasters may be switched during the tournament but must use the ammo type that blaster has been approved for.

Field Construction Fields will feature an asymmetric layout, multiple solvable routes that require teamwork, and cover will be spaced and angled to enable bounding and suppression tactics. Fields should also be designed in a way that minimizes immediate casualties upon game start (i.e. large central cover). Tournament Field layout options are provided to allow teams to practice. The chosen field layout option will be chosen by the head refs and will not be known until the day of competition. Field layout options are available at the bottom of this rules list.

Cover Cover may be constructed from fabric, PVC, inflatables, or other similarly sturdy material. Players may not move cover to obtain an in-game advantage, any player observed moving the cover intentionally will be called Eliminated by the referees. Players who unsafely run into cover, resulting in damage or significant movement of the cover, or jump over the cover, can also be called Eliminated at referee discretion.

Starting Position Opposite ends of the field will contain a starting line for each team, consisting of, at minimum, a clearly delineated starting line. Players will start with both feet behind the starting line, and the muzzle of their blaster must be pointed down towards the starting line. There will be a 1 minute reset after each round.Players not on the starting line when the round is ready to begin are considered eliminated and will not be allowed to play that round, this elimination counts as a point for the opposing team. See starting game for more detail.

The Flag The Flag will be placed in the center of the field in a clearly visible location. Players’ goal is to take the Flag and score a Flag Push. A Flag Push occurs when the Flag crosses the plane of the opposing team’s starting line designated area while carried by an un-eliminated player. The Flag may be placed on the ground after it is taken, but it may not be thrown or kicked. Players can hand off the flag to other un-eliminated players. Players who are eliminated should immediately drop the flag where they were standing when they were hit. If necessary referees will move the flag to where the player carrying the flag was elminated. Players who are eliminated may no longer interact with the flag. Players carrying the flag may still fire their blasters while doing so. The Flag may be carried in a piece of gear if desired, but must remain clearly visible and accessible so that it may be dropped quickly if eliminated. (i.e. not tucked under a shirt or concealed in a pouch, vest, or other pocket).

Starting the game The Line Judges will ensure all players are in starting positions by looking at their team, and then signal to the head ref that their team is ready. The head ref will ask the team captain, “TEAM NAME, are you ready?”. When the team captain replies yes, they will ask the next team. If a captain replies “No”, their team will have 15 seconds to reply “Yes” or they will forfeit the round and 7 points will be awarded to the opposing team. If not all of a team's players are ready, the captain can elect to start the round with less than 5 players, however for each player they are unable to field will award 1 point to the opposing team. When both teams have replied yes, the Head Referee will announce “READY!” and then blow their whistle. Immediately upon hearing the whistle, the players will begin the game and the game timer will start counting down.

If a player commits a starting position infraction, the referee will blow three short whistles and throw a flag as a signal to stop the match. Each team gets one warning per match. After that warning, any player who commits a starting position infraction will be eliminated from the round and counted as an elimination for the opposing team. Only the player who initiated the starting position infraction will be eliminated. After any starting position infraction, the round will be reset. For example, if team “A” player 1 has a false start then team “A” receives a warning, if team “A” player 2 has a false start after the reset then player 2 is eliminated. If team “B” then has a false start they receive a warning. This means that the round can be reset multiple times and not that the second time we just pull the player. In the event a false start happens and darts are fired, referees will instruct players on what to do and whether a reload is permitted.

Hits and Eliminations A hit occurs when ammo directly propelled from a blaster contacts a player, their blaster, or anything the player is wearing or carrying, This includes the flag. Ammo that hits something else before it hits the player is considered a ricochet and does not count as a hit. Players who are hit are eliminated, as are players who leave bounds or play unsafely (i.e. leaping over cover or physically endangering other players). Leaving bounds is defined as any part of a player or their equipment coming in contact with the boundary line or ground beyond the line. Players are expected to play with integrity and self-eliminate when they detect they have been hit. . A referee who observes a hit may tell a player they are out by pointing to them and verbally telling them. Players may not argue with the referee on the field. If players do not agree with the call, they may raise a dispute through their team captain after the round prior to the start of the next round. Friendly fire does not count.

Eliminated Player Behavior Players who are eliminated should immediately raise their hand and say “I am out” after being hit, then stand up and leave the field by exiting to the nearest boundary line. They should then head directly to their team’s designated eliminated player area. It is important that players stay in their designated elimination area for scoring purposes. A player leaving the field should have at least one hand in the air and move at a fast pace. An eliminated player should make every effort to avoid inhibiting continuing gameplay. Eliminated players may communicate to their remaining team members once they have reached their designated eliminated player area. Eliminated players’ equipment that they are carrying dies with them and should be carried off the field; living players may not borrow ammo, blasters, or other equipment from eliminated players. Any equipment on the ground prior to a player being tagged should be left in place. For example if a player drops a mag on the ground prior to being tagged that mag is left in place and can be picked up and used by any player (including the opposing team). Players may not pick up blasters that other players have left on the ground.

Scoring Points will be awarded in accordance with the chart below.

Action

Points

Opposing player elimination

1 point

Flag Push

3 points

Ending the match The game ends when either a Flag Push occurs, or every member of one team is eliminated, or when the three-minute timer expires, whichever occurs first. The max possible points a team can score in a round is 7 points (eliminate 4 of the opposing players and achieve a flag push). The total number of points scored by each team during the game will be recorded by the referees and tournament organizers. The Head Referee will communicate with the referees on the field to ensure all players are eliminated or a flag push has occurred before calling “Game Over”. Referees should clearly communicate to the Head Referee immediately when a flag push occurs. One long blast of the whistle shall end the match. See equipment section for reloading rules. There will be a 1 minute reset after each round. 5 minute Dart Sweeps will occur in between each match. Dart sweep lengths may be reduced if games are running behind.

Safety

Safety is paramount! Anyone, player, game runner, or spectator should keep an eye out for safety hazards and report them to the staff immediately. Medical staff will be on hand to address any injuries that occur during the tournament.

All players, referees, and bystanders must have eye protection that completely covers the eye area and is impact rated. Bystanders do not need eye protection if there is a solid barrier between them and the playing field. Tournament organizers will have limited spare eye protection available for distribution.

The word “HOLD” will be reserved for emergency situations, anyone who notices a safety problem should call HOLD as loud as possible. When anyone else hears the word HOLD announced, they should stop what they’re doing, take a knee and verbally echo the HOLD announcement. The Head Referee will resume play or activity once the safety issue is investigated and resolved. Common mistakes are to say “hold position”, “hold the line”, etc things like this will result in the round being paused.

If a player is injured or has an emergency health related issue either during or between rounds, they can be replaced by any player on the team roster including the current match coaches. The replacement must only carry the ammo amount the replaced player had. After a hold players start from the bunker in which they were located at the time of the hold. Replacements start in the bunker that the player they replaced was in prior to the hold. Any players that were moving between bunkers will return to the bunker that they last left prior to the hold being called. Exact positioning of players will be left to the discretion of the head referee. Non-eliminated players, or replacements, keep their current ammo for when game play resumes. Players are not allowed to reload, consolidate darts or swap mags during a hold. If the flag is in possession of a player when hold is called, that player, or their replacement, resumes with the flag. If the flag is on the ground, it will stay there when the game play resumes.

Any individual who uses safety rules for a gameplay advantage will be removed from the tournament, no exceptions!

Tournament Rules Group Stage / Round Robin Qualifying Matches The group stage will be run during the morning. All the teams will be split into groups of approximately 4 teams. They will play round robin matches within each group. These matches will be conducted with 2 rounds each. There are no tie breakers in the round robin phase. The total cumulative points earned by each team during these matches will be totaled and used to seed teams in the finals single-elimination bracket. All teams will participate in the single-elimination bracket.

Finals Single Elimination Bracket Once the round robin matches have been completed, the organizers will seed everyone into a single-elimination bracket based on the number of points earned during the round robin matches. After initial seeding, all points are cleared and points do not carry over between matches for the single elimination bracket. During the single elimination phase, The Team with the most cumulative points for their combined rounds wins the match and advances in the tournament bracket. The team with the least amount of points for the match will be eliminated from the tournament. If there is a tie with points between the 2 teams after the second round, a third round will be played. If there is a tie after the third round, the match will go into sudden death play. Identifying 3rd place winner in the tournament is the only instance in which single elimination does not occur (i.e. the losers to the 1st and 2nd place winners will face off to determine 3rd and 4th place).

Sudden Death During the single-elimination bracket, a tiebreaker will be conducted if the teams are tied after a third round. To conduct a tiebreaker match, each team must elect three different players who are issued 15 pieces of ammo each to play a best of 3 1v1 single-life elimination rounds with a 1 minute timer (Flag Dash objectives still apply). Cumulative points do not apply to sudden death (i.e. a flag dash scoring 3 points only wins that round and doesn’t have any further impact on the tiebreaker).