4th Spanish Friedrich Open Championship Tournament Rules

 

Introduction

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Welcome to the Spanish Open Friedrich Championship !

 

This is the fourth competition of this kind being celebrated here in Spain and, as in the three previous occasions, it is expected to host gamers not just from Spain, but from all over the world.

 

As usual, and in order that everyone can enjoy the championship, the players are expected to show courtesy and sportsmanship at all times. All competitions around the game Friedrich – in Spain as well as in the UK and Germany – have been caracterized by the harmony and good relationships among the participants. Long standing friendships have been forged during these competitions.

 

Players should know the standard rules well, so that each table may play independently and require only occasional assistance of a referee.

 

We wish to extend a special welcome to championship novices and ask experienced players to show them special consideration by encouraging them and offering them constructive advice after games.

 

Game version and rules variant

The championship will be played using the 2012 Jubiläumsedition (300th Anniversary Edition) from Histogame.

 

With just a few minor changes (see below), all the advanced rules will be used. These allow the Prussian offensive option, all the fate card variants and oblige Russia to maintain a garrison in conquered East Prussia.

 

Heats

Each player will play four times, once in each role: Frederick, Elizabeth, Maria Theresa and Pompadour.

 

As far as possible, each player will face different opponents in each heat.

 

The four best qualifiers will go through to the final. The highest-scoring finalist will have first choice of role in the final, followed by the second highest scorer and so on.

 

In order to keep things competitive, the individual scores will not be revealed until after the final heat.

 

The winner(s) of the final will be declared Spanish Friedrich Open Champion(s). Joint winners will be allowed.

 

The remaining finalists will take joint second place.

 

Tiebreak

Ties in scoring at the end of the heats will be resolved according to the following:

 

   i      Sum of the primary objectives held by Austria, Russia and France when the player took the role of Frederick (the lower the better).

   ii     Highest sum of second nations Russia/Sweden and Austria/Imperial Army when playing the roles of Elisabeth and Maria Theresa respectively (the higher the better).

   iii    Draw of a card, higher card winning, a reserve counting as 10. In case of a tie, each player involved in the tie draws another card.

 

Timetable

The Championships will be played in the Dragón Club clubhouse, Calle Don Quijote 5, semisótano, Madrid 28020. (See website https://clubdragonmadrid.wixsite.com/clubdragon )

 

Thursday, 15 June 2017 evening pre-championship get-together to meet the other players. Time and place TBA

Friday,     16 June  afternoon session 1600

Saturday, 17 June    morning session 0945

                              afternoon session 1600

Sunday,   18 June    morning session 0945

                              Final, starting 1600

Prize-giving and closing ceremony

 

Players should arrive approximately half an hour before the games are due to start, to ensure everything goes smoothly.

 

Game time

Frederick has 140 minutes to complete all the moves of Prussia and Hanover.  The allies have 140 minutes to complete all their moves.

 

The clock will be stopped to resolve battles, retreat routes will be worked out on the winner's time.

 

The clock will be stopped at the end of each turn to read the fate card and to prepare the new tactical cards for the coming turn. In case the cards have to be readied an any other moment during the game turn, then it will be on the allies' clock time.

 

If a side runs out of time on the clock, a stopwatch will be used to allow players the following times to complete the moves of each player:

 

Prussia                 150 seconds

Allies               60 seconds each

 

There will be a short pause between one move and the next to allow the next player a chance to get ready.

 

Battle winners moving on the stopwatch will be given 30 seconds each round to calculate all retreat routes. If they do not find a legal route within that time, then the loser is allowed 30 seconds to find a legal retreat route of his choosing.

 

Scoring

Heats
 

Each nation's score is noted when it leaves the game, either due to a fate card event or because the game ends.

 

For the purposes of the tiebreak, the total number of primary objectives controlled by Russia, Austria and France should be noted.

 

A player's final score is the best result of all the nations controlled by that player during the game.

 

Winning

For a Prussian defensive victory, Frederick scores 10 points plus 0.1 point per turn the game lasts.  Victorious allies score 13 points minus 0.1 point per turn the game lasts.

 

Losers' scoring

If defeated, Frederick scores 0.5 points for each turn the game lasts, including the turn the game ends (hence a maximum of 23/2=11.5 points).  Losing allies score %O/10 plus 1.6 points minus 0.1 points per turn. (Where %O=percentage of objectives held, rounded to the nearest whole number

 

Example: Prussia wins after 21 turns. Russia left the game in turn 11 with 7 objectives. Sweden went out in turn 21 controlling 2 of her 5 primary objectives. Austria controlled 11 of her 12 objectives, while France went out in turn 18 with 9 objectives. The Imperial Army, controlled by Pompadour, ended the game with 3 objectives.

Frederick scores 10 + 21 x 0.1=12.1 points

Elisabeth scores 1.6 + 70%/10 -11 x 0.1=7.5 points for Russia and 1.6 + 40%/10 – 21 x 0.1=3.5 points for Sweden.

Maria Theresa scores 1.6 + 92%/10 – 21 x 0.1=8.7 points

Pompadour scores 1.6 + 90%/10 – 18 x 0.1=8.8 points for France and 1.6 + 60%/10 – 21 x 0.1=5.5 points with the Imperial Army.

 

Imperial Army 

The Imperial Army scores only for the player that controlled her at the end of the game, using the length of the game in the calculation as shown above.

 

The Prussian offensive - minor rules changes and clarification

When Frederick decides to launch the offensive option, he must put aside one TC of value 10 or more. This card should be placed face-down under a corner of the board.

 

If Prussia decides to go for the offensive option, at any one time later and as long the offensive hasn't been called off, Austria may claim the conquest of any four objectives. To be able to do so however, she must already control at least one objective in Saxony, captured previously. Mark the four claimed objectives with Austrian control markers. These objectives may be reconquered by Prussia in the normal way.

In all other concerns, the official rulebook is followed when the Prussian Offensive is in effect.

 

Scoring for the Prussian offensive option

Every nation scores according to the usual rules above, however:

If the Prussian offensive is victorious, Frederick scores exactly 13 points.

 

If the offensive is called off or Prussia is defeated defensively while the offensive is still active, Frederick scores one tenth of the (rounded to the nearest whole number) percentage of the 14 Bohemian objectives that he controls at that moment.

 

If the offensive is called off, immediately note down the scores of Austria and Prussia.

 

In all cases, Maria Theresa scores 0.5 points per turn that the offensive lasts either until Prussia is victorious or the offensive has to be called off, plus 1 point for each Bohemian objective still controlled by Austria. The maximum score she can achieve is however 9 points. If she manages to pick up the tactical card laid aside by Frederick in turn 3, receives an additional 1 point bonus (for a maximum possible score of 10).

 

Example: Prussia invades Bohemia and manages to capture 9 of the 14 objectives. Unfortunately the Russians win the game in turn 13, while the offensive is still active. Elizabeth scores 13 – 13 x 0.1=11.7 points for the Russian victory. Prussia scores 6.5 points for the length of the game and 9/14 ≈ 64%=6.4 points for the objectives captured. Frederick scores the better of the two results, 6.5 points. Maria Theresa also scores 6.5 points for the length of the offensive plus 5 points for the Bohemian objectives she still controls. This is more than the maximum, so she gets 9 points. Because she managed to inflict a serious reverse on Prussia in turn 7, which allowed her to pick up the tactical card, she gets the one point bonus bringing her final score to 10 (which should be compared to her score for objectives captured in Silesia and Saxony).

 

Gentlemanly conduct

Each player is solely responsible for his own pieces and his actions during the game.

 

It is strictly forbidden to criticise the play of other players, to give other players advice on how to play during the game, to propose joint actions; to reveal the contents of their hand(s) or to move another player's pieces etc.

 

Players should also refrain from commenting on earlier moves while the game is still in play.

 

All the players should work together to ensure:

 

   •     A pleasant, albeit competitive atmosphere around the table;

   •     The pieces are moved according to the rules;

   •     Control markers are correctly placed or removed;

   •     Supply is checked;

   •     The clock is used correctly throughout;

   •     Scoring is accurate during battles;

   •     Each nation’s cards are kept separately;

   •     Mistakes are avoided or rapidly resolved etc.

 

Players should move their pieces slowly and deliberately in order to avoid mistakes and ambiguities.

 

The hands of cards should be kept face down, but in full view at all times. Pompadour's hand should always have a player aid card placed on top to avoid being accidentally shuffled in with the draw deck.

 

At the end of a battle, players may briefly examine the cards that have just been played. However, no player is allowed to go through the discard piles at any time.

 

Any error may be corrected with the agreement of all the players, always assuming that the passage of time has not rendered the situation irreversible. Note that the placement or removal of control markers is not voluntary. If a player fails to place a control marker during his turn when he ought to have, he has not forfeited an opportunity, rather he has made a mistake that should be corrected as soon as possible.

 

Players are honour bound to do everything in their power (within the boundaries set by both the game and tournament rules) to achieve their own victory while striving for the downfall of the entire opposing alliance. For example, it is perfectly legal for the allies to attack Prussian or Hanoverian forces away from areas where they have objectives.

 

It is not permitted to place your own pieces so as to intentionally obstruct the capture of objectives by a rival ally, or to deliberately increase the number of turns required by a rival to achieve victory.

Exception: Once control of the Imperial Army has changed, Maria Theresa may ask Hildberghausen a yes/no question to find out whether he considers a given move obstructs him or not. If given the go-ahead, Maria Theresa may make the move, regardless of whether the Imperial Army is now obstructed or not. This yes/no question may only be made once every round. If Maria Theresa doesn't make it before the end of his/her movement phase, Hildburghausen may demand for the question to be made.

 

Nevertheless, retreating Prussia or Hanoverians may be placed so as to cause maximum inconvenience to other allies.

The referee should only be called when the players around the table are unable to reach a sensible solution within the spirit of the rules.

 

Scoring battles

Tactical cards are to be played one at a time during battles. After playing a card, a player must state the new score out loud, leaving no doubt when the initiative changes to his opponent. If the play is legal, it may not be revoked and the revealed card returned to a player's hand - a card laid is a card played.

 

A player must indicate clearly when he accepts defeat and a battle ends. He might say, "minus two and retreat".

 

Draws

If the initiative changes with the current score at zero and the player now having the right to play has no more cards of the required suit, nor wishes to play any reserve card wether he has one in his hand or not, the battle may be declared a draw. If so, a player from another table should be asked to confirm that the player really has no more cards of the required suit.

 

 

Victory warning

When the fate card for this turn has been read out, those players who could theoretically capture all their remaining objectives and thus win the game in the coming turn must give a verbal warning to the others of this circumstance. This is mainly to prevent Frederick from losing through a simple oversight.

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Pompadour's duties

During the game, Pompadour is in charge of dealing the cards to all the players and starting the clock at the beginning of each turn.

She also has to fill in the scoresheet for the game.

 

The turn starts when Frederick receives the new cards for Prussia. He can also be given the new cards for Hanover, but should not look at them until the Prussian turn is over.

 

The turn of the allied nations starts when Frederick stops his clock after completing the turn of Hanover. Pompadour should already have the new cards ready for the allied players by then. Players who control two nations may not examine the new cards of their second nation until the turn of their first nation is over.

 

Each player must ensure that the hands of the nations they control are kept separate and secret. Pompadour especially must ensure that her own cards are never mixed with the discards or the unused decks.

 

She should also ensure that the decks of tactical cards are well shuffled.

 

Extra decks

Generally, the new deck is formed by shuffling together the cards of the two decks which have accumulated most discards. Counting the discards to determine the largest discard deck is not allowed. In case of doubt, it's left to Pompadour's good judgement (and eyesight) to determine which deck is larger.

 

Sometimes, however, there are very few discards left to form the new deck.

When forming the new deck, Pompadour should take a decision.

If, in her opinion, there are less than twenty-four discards in the two decks with most discards, then the new deck should be formed using all the discards available from all the decks.

If, in her opinion, there are less than twenty-four discards available in total, a fifth deck should be asked for to be used as the new deck immediately.

 

A sixth deck may be added in the same way.

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Scoring table
 

The official scoresheet to keep record of the games can be downloaded here.

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