This article announces a new ladder tournament I will be running. For now I'll be managing the tourney by hand. If the format is fun and successful I may consider building an automated system for kitsdb.com.

What is a Ladder Tournament?

Each player in a ladder tournament sits on a rung of the ladder and tries to climb to the top. The winner of the tournement is the one who is able to climb over the other players and hold onto the top rung.

Unlike the fixed time and place tournaments that we are used to in Star Chamber a ladder tournament has no fixed number of rounds, rather players may challenge those above them to see if they can claim their rung. Ladder tournaments can run for an indefinite peroid of time and don't really even need to ever end. Players can come and go as they please while the ladder continues.

How It Works

There are many variations on the rules for ladder tournaments, here are the rules I've chosen for this one.

1. Initial Registration for the tournament will be open for 7 days starting today (Jan 31, 2007).
2. All players who sign up during this one week period will be initially seeded by their SC overall Rating.
3. Players registering after this will be added to the bottom rung in the order that they register.
4. Any player may challenge another player 1, 2, or 3 rungs above them.
5. Challenges should be made by PM in the Star Chamber Forums.
6. Challenges should include a list of several times that work during the next week.
7. A Challenged player has 48 hours to respond to the challenge. The response should include the time for the match. The Challenged player is not required to pick one of the times that the Challenger listed, but doing so is encouraged.
8. The Challenger can now either accept the offered time in which case the game is on, or they can decline the offered time and withdraw their challenge. Further negotiation for a time that works for both players is acceptable, but the final choice is up to the Challenged Player.
9. After the match is over the losing player should report the match to the Tourney Admin (Kit) via PM.
10. If the Challenging player loses the ladder does not change.
11. If the Challenging player wins they move above the Challeged Player on the ladder.
12. It is certainly acceptable to challenge a player you happen to see in the Casual Lobby and have them agree to a game right away. But both parties to the challenge must agree.

One of the nice things about this format is that in the steady state you are always challenging and being challenged by players at a skill level similar to yours. A new player will not end up in a game against Banslay or Dimitri unless they have defeated a bunch of other players first.

Ladder Specific Rules

I'd like to have this ladder use a ruleset that we don't see everyday in the casual lobby, so I'm making it a Highlander ladder. All decks used it the tournament must be set up as follows.

• Number of Players: 2
• Play Format: Highlander
• Map: Random
• Time Limit: 150s per Turn
• Observers: Off

I chose this clock just to keep the games moving. Observers is off because I don't want other members of the tourney to see what decks are being played. Meta gaming is a part of any tourney where you know your opponent in advance, so having only one tourney deck could get you in big trouble. But at least this way you have to play someone once to see their deck.

For Fun, Fame and Glory

This tourney has no set end date, it will keep going so long as players remain interested and active. There is no entry fee and any Star Chamber player is free to join. Because you can have at most 1 of a card in your deck you don't have to have lots of killer rares to be competitive.

You can see the current status on the official Highlander Ladder Tourney Page.

I will be playing in the tourney and look forward to seeing you all there, to sign up send a PM to "Kit", or email to "kit@kitsdb.com". -- Kit