E&G Guidelines

[wolf]

Events & Groups Guidelines

Welcome to the Events & Groups sub-forum! These guidelines are here to give you a quick understanding of how the forum works, what the rules are, how to make certain threads, and where other threads belong. In this forum you may join and create battle events and groups. Any event or group that is related to competitive or casual battling goes here. This does not mean the goal of the thread needs to be specifically about battling. A team building competition would be a good example; it involves making a team for battling (and therefore fits in this forum), but the actual goal is not to battle each other. Also, remember that in-game challenges fit in the Challenges forum, but in-game events that exclusively involve battling may be posted here too. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact any of BC's moderators: Wolflare.

Click this if you need help on understanding terms like "league" and "clan."

Click this if you need help on understanding terms like "league" and "clan."

— What is a tournament?
A tournament is a competition involving at least three people or more. The most common type of tournament is a single-elimination knock-out tournament, which is divided into consecutive rounds. Each participant battles an opponent once a round, with the winner continuing onto the next round while the loser is eliminated. This continues until there is a winner. Double-elimination is also common, which allows members to lose once without being eliminated from the tournament. My PC Tour Series: Standard is an example of an acceptable tournament.

— What is a clan?
A clan is a club of battlers. One of the main focuses of clans is clan wars, where two clans face-off to decide the winner (which is usually a tournament that has one round). Not all clans have wars; this is only a common competition they hold. Clans also hold exclusive events within their thread. The possibilities are close to limitless when it comes to clans; though, the same can said about other threads that may be made here.

— What is a league?
A league is similar to a clan, meaning it is also a group of battlers. The difference is that a league functions identically to the in-game's Pokémon League. There is usually eight Gym Leaders, four Elite Four, and one Champion. Challengers must win their battles against all Gym Leaders before fighting the Elite Four. From there, they have to beat all of the Elite Four, which leaves the Champion. The challenger replaces the Champion if the Champion loses to them in a battle. Of course, rules vary from league to league; some do not even follow this foundation. "League" is a pretty loose term after all.

— Do not disobey the PokéCommunity Rules.
However, the 25-character limit and 4-word rule do not apply here. Neither does the thread revival rule apply to thread owners. Additionally, do not start any discussion in a thread unless it is strictly related to the event or group. Do not make posts specifically about trading; PC has the Trade Corner forum for a reason.

— Do not disobey BC's General Battle Rules.
But certain events and groups may have exceptions in their rules.

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Joining Events and Groups

— Do not become inactive after joining an event or group.
If there is any doubt in your mind that you will not be able to check the thread occasionally and finish your battles in a timely manner, do not join an event or group. You may receive a warning or infraction for joining an event or group and not remaining active. If you become busy unexpectedly, tell the thread owner that you will not be around much or simply drop out.

— Always plan out a time and day for when you and your opponent can battle.
However, this rule can be ignored if you have not been assigned a specific opponent. Do not assume that you and your opponent will be on the server at the same without any preparation. Always use visitor messages to contact your opponent so that the event host can keep track of your match. There is a high chance that you will receive a warning or infraction if you have been online and have not bothered to contact or reply back to your opponent.

— Do not join more than one battle group (i.e. clans).
If the groups use different metagames, then you may join both.

— Do not sign up for an event or group as more than one person.
Do not make alternate accounts for the purpose of pretending to be more than one person.

— Do not rematch someone due to luck affecting the previous battle.
Luck-based occurrences include critical hits, move misses, and so on, which is commonly known as "hax."

— Always have a rematch if a battle ends in a draw.
However, this rule is generally exclusive to elimination knock-out tournaments. Players may either use same teams or new teams for the rematch.

— Always save the logs for your battles when possible.
Having the battle log helps the event host make unbiased decisions. You take a risk by not saving the battle log, because special circumstances may force you into redoing your match later on.

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Posting Events and Groups

All threads must be approved by one of BC's moderators before being displayed in the forum. You may receive a private message with possible advice once your thread has been approved or disapproved. Thread approval is set in place here to prevent members from making poorly done threads and to keep quality at a standard.

— Always specify what game or simulator the event or group is for.
There are currently three types of Pokémon games that may be used for Wi-Fi battles: BW(2), DPP/HGSS, and PBR. When it comes to battle simulators, always use the PC Battle Server unless a different simulator must be used.

— Do not neglect your thread until it has been ended or closed.
Once your thread has been posted, you are in charge for ensuring that battles are finished within a reasonable deadline as well as enforcing battle rules. You are also largely responsible for reporting posts in your thread. If you are having trouble managing your thread, do not be afraid to ask other members for help.

— Do not post incomplete threads.
The final version of your thread must be posted. Always get approval by one of BC's moderators if you decide to implement further changes to your thread's rules after the original thread has been posted.

— Do not post threads similar to those that are already running.
For example, if there is two run-of-the-mill BW OU tournaments, do not make another identical one. Making copies of other threads can spread out activity in the forum, and will kill your (and other thread owners') chances at having a successful thread. i.e. There are six members and two clans are made; this forces those members to split up into two groups of three. Both clans are now going to have difficulty becoming active due to the lack of members. Another piece of advice: never get too caught up into making your event or group so different to the point where it is not fun at all.

— Do not use custom ban lists.
*smogon.com link removed* are generally recommended. If the ban list is the theme of your event or group, then it is usually fine as long as there is a good reason to use it. Always use fun and creative themes that are easy to grasp (i.e. a theme that involves banning the top 25 Pokémon used in a metagame encourages the use of uncommon Pokémon and may be enjoyable for most people).

— Always put some thought and effort into your thread.
Try to use thorough, fair, easy-to-understand rules; a feasible concept; and good organization, grammar, and format in your thread. Try using BB and CSS codes to spiff up your thread, but remember to keep it readable and easy on the eyes. My NU Tournament is a good example of a simple yet appealing format that works.

— Try to offer an incentive for winning.
Incentives may give people a reason to join your thread instead of others. Examples would be giving out Pokémon that have good natures and IVs (but this usually only works for Wi-Fi tournaments) or displaying a significant amount of recognition for the winner's success within your thread. There is not many other options except for those two, so it is fine if you do not choose to provide any prizes at all.