Trench Wars Leagues ("TWL") is the premier competitive league in Trench Wars.
It is designed for serious squads which are interested in competing against the best in the zone.
Trench Wars Leagues rules may be revised at any time by the League Operators, but notice will be given on the official TWL site (twl.trenchwars.org) beforehand. As well, TWL is a privilege, not a right, and this privilege can be revoked for any player by the League Operators with sufficient cause.
Many TWL offenses listed have a punishment of a ban from TWL until the end of the season. If the offense occurred during the last few rounds or the playoffs, the ban may be extended by the League Operators.
TWL lag limits will not be given out, to discourage people of lag cheating. Captains will be notified when a player is over the lag limits.
The League Operators may be reached at
twlstaff@<yahoo.com
Rule Sections
- League Conduct Rules
- Trench Wars League Qualifcation Requirements
- Trench Wars League Structure
- Multiple Squad Membership
- Cheating & Bans
- Replaying of Interrupted Matches and Postponements
- Appeals Process and Guidelines
- Scheduling Rules and Procedures
- Pre-Game Rules
- Game Play Rules for Dueling and Javelins
- Game Play Rules for Basing
1. League Conduct Rules
1.01
During any TWL event, all Trench Wars and TWL Rules must be followed. Players and attendees must respect any and all Referees and League Operators.
1.02
Upon presenting sufficient proof, Trench Wars League Operators (“TWL-Ops”) may take action against any Referee who is abusing their power or taking excessive measures against players.
1.03
Any staff member who abuses their power during an official match will be reported to the TWL-Ops. TWL Ops will then notify Trench Wars Staff Smods, who may take further action. Please note that instances where moderators accidentally type during a blueout do not count as abuse, unless done repeatedly and purposefully.
1.04
Deliberate attempts to disrupt game play may result in that player being silenced or kicked from the arena by the Referee or TWL-Ops. Given the totality of the circumstances, TWL-Ops may take further action if necessary.
1.05
If a player is being abused by an attendee via private message during a TWL match, that player will be silenced. Proof of the harassment must be provided to the Referee or TWL-Ops within 5 minutes of the completion of the match. The proof must be in the form of a screenshot. Additionally the attendee must be reported to staff via ?cheater.
If an abusing attendee is found to be a member of the opposing squad in a TWL match the match will be replayed, in addition to the attendee being silenced. If there is sufficient evidence that the abusing attendee acted in concert with an opposing squad in a TWL match, the match will be replayed in addition to the attendee being silenced.
1.05a
If sufficient evidence is provided according to rule 1.05, any abuse of the League Conduct Rules during a match will result in a:
I) I) A ban from the zone for 8 days or 1 round of TWL, whichever is longer, if the offender is on a TWL squad. This rule also applies to an attendee who spams under an alias and is found to be on a TWL squad.
II) *warning if the player is not on a TWL squad. If the attendee continues to abuse the rules, the *warning will be accompanied by a ban from the zone for 2 days. If, after serving the ban, the player continues to abuse the league rules, they will be banned from the zone for 8 days or 1 round of TWL, whichever is longer
Repeat game conduct offenders may be banned from Trench Wars League for as long as the League Operators feel is sufficient.
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2. Trench Wars League Qualification Requirements
2.01 Roster Requirements
All Trench Wars League squads must be registered at twd.trenchwars.org and may only have a:
A minimum of:
-5 eligible members for TWLD and TWLJ
-8 eligible members for TWLB
A maximum of: 15 eligible TWL members for a squad participating in only TWLD or TWLJ.
20 eligible TWL members for a squad participating in any 2 leagues, or only participating in TWLB.
25 eligible TWL members for a squad participating in 3 leagues.
2.02 Game Requirements
I) Each squad must play a minimum of 15 TWD games in their respective division in order to qualify for TWL consideration. This includes replacement
squads and auto-qualified Finalists.
II) In order to qualify for TWL, a squad must fit into one of TWO categories:
-Be a finalist from last TWL in their respective league division
-Be ranked in the top 8 on the TWD ladder in their league division
Note: If a TWLJ finalist does not return, then the top 6 squads on the TWLJ ladder would be invited. The same goes for TWLB and TWLD, in which an
additional squad on the ladder would be invited.
2.03 TWL Acceptance
Upon determining the qualifying squads, TWL-Ops will make a thread on the forum detailing the qualifying squads that are invited to participate in a given season. Squad Captains must accept the invitation by posting on this thread. In the alternative, Squad Captains may ?message a TWL-Op to accept their invitation.
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3. Trench Wars League Structure
3.01
Trench Wars Leagues is composed of three separate league divisions:
Trench Wars League - Dueling (TWLD) which features 5 vs. 5 Warbirds
Trench Wars League - Javelin (TWLJ) which features 5 vs. 5 Javelins
Trench Wars League - Basing (TWLB) which features 8 vs. 8 Basing
All Trench Wars Leagues divisions will have a full regular season with schedules randomly assigned. Each squad will play every squad once during the season.
3.02 Playoffs
TWL playoffs will follow a double-elimination structure as explained on the TWL Forums. The explanation of the playoff structure can be found at:
http://forums.trenchwars.org/showthr...offs-explained.
3.03 Captains
Each squad is allowed to have a total of 3 Captains and 8 Assistant Captains.
Captains are responsible for their squad. This includes making sure all of their players are eligible for the games on the TWL website.
3.04 TWL Invitations
The top 8 ranked teams in TWDD, TWJD, and TWBD will be invited to participate in TWL.
To be eligible for TWL, a squad must play a total of 15 games in each league it wishes to qualify for. For example, SquadA must play 15 games in TWDD, TWJD, and TWBD if it wishes to be eligible to participate in TWLD, TWLJ and TWLB respectively.
3.05 League Participation Requirements
In order to be eligible for Trench Wars League gameplay, each player must:
A) Be registered at
www.twl.trenchwars.org with the appropriate squad, as well as be a registered member of Trench Wars Divisions.
B) Be listed for game play on the TWL roster found on the TWL website.
C) Be eligible to play after the Standard Waiting Period. (See Rule 3.05c)
D) Not be serving a suspension from Trench Wars League game play.
Players may be added to the TWL roster if they joined the squad before hard lock by putting a check in the checkbox next to their name. All eligibility
rules still apply. TWL rosters will be frozen every Friday and will be unfrozen every Monday of the TWL season.
3.05a Warnings & Forfeits
TWLD/TWLJ teams will receive a score of 0-50 for each forfeited game and TWLB teams will receive a score of 0:00-15:00 for each forfeited game.
I) If a squad does not field the maximum number of players in the appropriate league division at the start of the game (see Rule 3.01), the squad is thus
warned that if said squad is unable to provide the maximum number of players a second time, the aforementioned squad will be terminated from that league
division. Note: if a player comes late to the game, it will still count as a warning.
II) A squad is allowed to play 5 vs. 4 (TWLD and TWLJ) or 8 vs. 7 (TWLB), but if a squad is unable to provide the minimum number of players for a game,
the match will be forfeited. If it happens again in the same league division, the squad will be terminated from that league division.
III) If a squad adds an ineligible player into the game, the match will be forfeited and the squad will receive a warning. If it happens again in the same
league division, the squad will be terminated from that league division.
IV) If a squad is terminated from a TWL division, the captain(s) will be unable to enter another squad into TWL as a captain for the next TWL season.
(see Rule 4.01a for more information on banned captains).
V) Warnings do not carry from season to season.
3.05b Replacement Squads
If a squad is removed from the league during the season, it will be replaced by the highest-ranking team on the TWD ladder which is currently not in that division of TWL. Replacement squads that join during a season in progress will start out with a 0-0 record and continue in place of the drop-out squad. Replacement squads must respond to the invitation as soon as possible or else the next best squad will be asked and so on. To be considered as a replacement squad, the squad must be in compliance with Section II.
3.05c Waiting Period
Any player joining a TWL Squad’s roster after Round 1 will be subjected to a Waiting Period of 1 Round subject to rules 3.06 and 3.07. In other words, players will be ineligible to play the subsequent round after joining a TWL squad after the commencement of a TWL Season.
3.06 Soft Lock
All Trench Wars League rosters will experience a soft lock after the last Round 3 match. This means that any players that de-roster from a Trench Wars League squad will no longer be eligible to join another League squad for the remainder of the season.
3.07 Hard Lock
All Trench Wars League rosters will experience a hard lock after the last Round 6 match. This means that no more roster additions will be allowed.
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4. Multiple Squad Membership
Note: Assistant captains are considered players on the squad, and not as co-captains for purposes of cheating. Because captains and co-captains (which are
both marked off as 'captains' on the rosters) are expected to be more responsible, their punishment will be harsher and will result in direct punishment
for their squads.
4.01
Multiple squad membership, or double-squadding, is defined as follows:
A) A player that is rostered on two different participating squads of Trench Wars League.
B) A player that is rostered in a participating Trench Wars League squad and a different Trench Wars Division squad even if the squads play in
different league divisions.
C) A player that is rostered more than one time on the same Trench Wars League squad.
D) A player that is rostered in a Trench Wars League squad using another player's name to play in a League Match.
Instances of double-squadding will not be tolerated. If a player has someone else who uses their computer for TWL (i.e. a sibling), those players are
expected to notify the Trench Wars League staff prior to participating in any League matches.
4.01a
A captain can not share his name with a banned captain in order to bypass the banned. If a captain breaks this rule, he and his squad will be warned. If broken again, the captain’s squad will be terminated from TWL.
4.02
Any player who is found to be double-squadding will be subject to:
A) Suspension from Trench Wars Leagues for the remainder of the season.
B) Forfeiture of any games the double-squadder played in that round.
4.03
Double-squadding for squad Captains and Co-Captains (including squadowners) will be:
A) Suspended from Trench Wars Leagues for the remainder of the season.
B) Forfeiture of any games the double-squadder played in that round.
C) Removal of their squad(s) from Trench Wars League participation
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5. Cheating, Lag, and Bans
5.01
Any Player found to be guilty of cheating to alter game play and to create an unfair advantage during a TWL match will be subject to:
A) Permanent suspension from Trench Wars Leagues participation.
B) Forfeiture of all squad matches the offending player played in that week; and
C) Referral to League Operators and Trench Wars Moderators for immediate punishment including being banned from Trench Wars.
5.02 Deliberate Lag
If a participating player is, given the totality of the circumstances, excessively jittery, blinking in and out, or otherwise showing signs of lagging that might be the result of an attempt to cheat, the person will be immediately reported to the upper staff. Further action may be taken in game by upper staff. Suspicion of cheating will be followed up and the consequences will be harsh.
5.03 Uncontrollable Lag
If a participating player's lag is, given the totality of the circumstances, creating an unfair advantage for his squad, and he is not suspected of cheating or manipulation of lag, then the player will be asked to reconnect or be substituted. If the player fails to comply within a reasonable amount of time, the referee or TWL Op may lock the player in spec until they reconnect or are substituted. If a reconnect does not fix the player's lag, a referee or TWL Op can tell him and/or his captain to substitute him.
Note: If a squad has used all of their substitutions, they must play 1 man down. As a result of this rule, if they do not have the minimum number of
players, the game will be forfeited.
5.04 Banfree's
A player can not be banfree'd in order to play TWL unless they have won an appeal from the BanG Op and the ban has been completely removed. No exceptions.
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6. Replaying of Interrupted Matches and Postponements
6.01
If an unpredictable server crash, router failure, server lag, TWBot failure, or other event has a massive impact on a game in progress, the match will be cancelled and all current scores discarded. The game will then be replayed subject to 6.02, 6.03, 6.04, 6.05 and 6.06.
6.02 Resolved within 30 minutes
In the event that all technical difficulties are resolved within 30 minutes of the scheduled time period, the match will be replayed immediately.
6.03 Resolved after 30 minutes
If all technical difficulties are resolved after the 30 minutes of the scheduled time period, and if the game slots allow it, the match can be replayed immediately with consent from the captains.
If the game slots do not allow for an immediate replay, the game will be replayed at a later agreed upon date and time by the squad captains involved.
6.04 Postponed Games - Replay Week
In the event that a replay time and date cannot be agreed upon by squad captains, the game will be until the replay week. The game time of the match will be decided using the standard scheduling rules.
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7. Appeals Process and Guidelines
7.01
A squad may appeal any game, decision, or occurrence it was subjected to during a TWL game. The burden of proof strictly lies with the appealing squad such that TWL Ops are adequately informed to rule on the appeal.
7.02 24-hour Statute of Limitations
All appeals must be made within 24 hours of the completion of the game in question.
All appeals must be made on the TWL forums (
forums.trenchwars.org) Appeals sent to any other location or by any other means will not be heard.
7.03
No games will be replayed as a result of a 'Flag Jupe' in TWLB games. A 'Flag Jupe' occurs when the flag appears to change to a different team, but the bot does not recognize it.
7.04
Appeals will be handled by the TWL Ops collectively. The TWL Ops will vote on acceptance/denial of each appeal. Their votes, along with an explanation of their choice, will be public information. Any TWL Op who is a member of a squad involved must recuse themselves from the vote. The final decision on the appeal will be based on whichever vote has majority. In the event of a tie I will provide the deciding vote.
7.05
In the event an unbiased appeal cannot be heard, the Dean of Staff and a System Operator will hear the appeal in addition to the TWL Ops.
7.06
All decisions made by TWL Ops on appeal are final.
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8. Scheduling Rules and Procedures
8.01 Time Slots
All three leagues will have a total of ten (10) time slots to choose from each week. There are five (5) slots on Sunday which begin from 1pm to 6pm EST (1800 - 2300 GMT).
8.01a
There will be a total of four (4) available games per time slot. If a time slot is filled, another must be negotiated and chosen. Only 3 games of one league division are allowed in one slot. TWL Ops may at any time grant an exception to this rule.
8.02
Only designated squad Captains and Co-Captains may negotiate for available time slots.
8.03 Negotiations
All squads will be given a chance to negotiate and mutually agree upon an acceptable time for their games. Scheduling for games will begin on Mondays at 12am EST (500 GMT) and conclude on Thursday at 6pm EST (2300 GMT).
8.03a Failing to Propose a Time (Both Captains)
If neither squad enters a time into negotiation on the website or if a time can not be agreed upon by both squads by Thursday at 6pm EST (2300 GMT) of a week, the League Operator will assign it. The League Operator will choose a time slot between 2pm and 4pm EST (1900 - 2100 GMT) on Sunday. Timeslots of starting times of 1pm and 6pm EST (1800, 2300 GMT) may be chosen if no other slots are available.
8.03b Failing to Propose a Time (1 Captain)
If one squad captain fails to enter a proposed time in negotiation, the other captain's proposed time will be automatically accepted.
8.03c Submitting a time 48 hours after the first Proposal
If a squad captain submits a proposed time more than 48 hours after the other captain's proposal, or does not offer a proposal before Thursday at 6pm EST (2300 GMT), the first captain to propose a time is automatically rewarded their time.
8.03d
If both squads agree to a time after the deadline, they may petition the League Operator to alter the assigned time.
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9. Pre-Game Rules
9.01 Introduction
If both squads agree to a time after the deadline, they may petition the League Operator to alter the assigned time.
9.02 Line-ups and the Extra 2 Minutes
Immediately following the game's announcement, squad captains or an appointed representative will have 5 minutes to submit a valid line-up. An additional 2 minutes may be requested if a squad is experiencing difficulty gathering the maximum amount of eligible players. TWL Ops may add extra time given the totality of the circumstances.
9.03 Forfeits
A) If a squad is unable to submit a valid line-up within the allotted time, that squad will automatically forfeit the match and will receive a warning.
B) If a squad fails to show up for their scheduled match, the squad will automatically forfeit the match and will receive a warning. Also see Rule 3.05a for more details on submitting a valid line-up and forfeits.
9.04
The TWBot will place both squads on a frequency once the game has begun. Only squad members are allowed on the chosen frequency. Referees may join that frequency if the need arises. Squad members who are not playing and wish to join their team's private frequency can do so by private messaging the attending TWBot with !myfreq.
9.05 - Lag and Lagouts
A) TWLD/TWLJ - Players are allowed a maximum of 3 lag-outs per game. Lag- out handling is done automatically, and a player who has lagged out can reenter the game by private messaging the attending TWBot with !lagout. Once a player has reached the maximum lag-out amount, the player must be replaced by a substitute if one is available. If none is available, the player will be placed on their squad's frequency and they will keep their personal score as is, but their slot will be automatically assigned 10 deaths as if they died out.
B) TWLB - Players are allowed an infinite amount of lag-outs per game. Lag-out handling is done automatically, and a player who has lagged out can reenter the game by private messaging the attending TWBot with !lagout. Players who lag-out of a game will be forced to wait for a period of 15-seconds before the attending TWBot will allow re-entry.
9.06
Players have 3 minutes to return from a lag-out. If they do not return, the slot will be assigned 10 deaths in TWLD/TWLJ unless a substitution is made. There is no time limit to return after a lag-out in TWLB.
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10. Game Play Rules for TWLD and TWLJ
10.01 Starting the Game
Squads will be allowed to submit a maximum starting line-up of 5 eligible players. In order for a game to commence, each squad must have a minimum of 4 eligible players submitted to the game referee within the allotted time for line-up submission.
10.02 Ineligible Players
If a player has been found over the lag limits and has been removed from the game by a referee or TWL Op, is sitting out due to the Standard Waiting Period, or is otherwise deemed ineligible, the player may not participate or be reconsidered for that game to play unless specific approval has been given by a TWL Op. This includes substitutions. If an ineligible player is added, the game will be killed and the offending squad will receive a forfeit loss and is officially warned.
10.03 Substitutions
Each squad will be allowed to have two (2) substitutes for each game. Substitutes must be registered and eligible members of that squad. Squad captains and assistant captains may use their available substitutes at any time during the match. The substitute will be placed in the game with the amount of lives left for the slot that they substituted. Registered squad captains and assistant captains can substitute players by private messaging the attending TWBot with !sub.
10.04 Blueout
Once a game commences, captains may enforce a public chat-only blueout by typing !blueout to the TWLBot. Staff is prohibited from use of public chat during a blueout. Violating this may result in disciplinary action for the offending staff member.
10.05 Check Eligibility before Start of Game
It is the participating squad’s and the hosting TWL Op’s responsibility to assess the eligibility of its players before a match.
10.06 Game Play
Each game will consist of one 30 minute round, and each player will be given a maximum of 10 deaths. In TWLJ, teamkills count as deaths. The squad that knocks out the entire opponent's line will be declared the winner. If a game reaches the end of 30 minutes, the squad with the least number of deaths will be declared the winner.
10.07
Full charge greens have been eliminated completely from TWLD and TWLJ.
10.08
Once the game begins, all players will be warped into a TWBot-assigned safety zone. The game itself will commence after a 30-second waiting period, and all players will be warped to a starting point just outside the safety zone.
10.09
Warping is allowed in all TrenchWars League Dueling and Javelin matches.
10.10 Refusing to Fight
Refusing to fight will not be tolerated.
10.11 Fighting outside of the Base
Players will not be able to spend more than 15 seconds outside of base, as TWLBots will penalize that player with +1 deaths every 15 seconds outside of base, up to 10 losses.
10.12 Game Scoring and Results
If a game ends by result of a forfeit, the losing team will be given a score of 0 wins and 50 losses. The winning team will receive a score of 50 wins and 0 losses.
10.13 Overtime
If a game results in a tie in score, a 5-minute overtime period will be played, and will continue directly from the end of regular time with no intermission. If any squad has 50 deaths before the overtime is complete, the other squad will be declared the winner. Otherwise, after the 5-minute overtime, the squad with the least deaths will be declared the winner. If the teams are still tied after the 5-minute overtime, a second overtime will be played. Any subsequent overtimes will result in a replay.
10.14 Awarding MVP
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of a game is the player with the most kills at the end of the regulation game period. If two players have the same number of kills, the player with the least number of deaths is declared MVP. MVP is decided by the TWLbot.
10.15 Statistics
All scores and player statistics will be reported automatically to twl.trenchwars.org upon completion of the match.
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11. Game Play Rules for Basing
11.01 Starting the Game
Squads will be allowed to submit a maximum starting line-up of 8 eligible players. They will have 7 minutes from the start of the match to submit a starting line-up. In order for a game to commence, each squad must have a minimum of 5 eligible players added into the game within the allotted time for line-up submission.
11.02 Ineligible Players
If a player has been found over the lag limits and has been removed from the game by a referee or TWL Op, is sitting out due to the Standard Waiting Period, or fits other non-eligible reasons, the player may not participate or be reconsidered for that game to play unless specific approval has been given by a TWL Op. This includes substitutions. If an ineligible player is added, the game will be killed and the offending squad will receive a forfeit loss and is officially warned. (see Rule 3.05a-III).
11.03 Ship Limits
Each squad may only have a maximum of one Terrier (ship #5) and two Sharks (ship #8) per team. The remaining line-up can be compiled with any combination of ships. Use of Leviathans and Weasels is prohibited.
11.04 Ship Changes
Each squad will be allowed to have 6 ship changes for each game. Registered squad captains and assistant captains can change players by private messaging the attending TWLBot with !change.
11.05 Substitutions
Each squad will be allowed to have 3 substitutes for each game. Substitutes must be eligible members of that squad. The substitute will be placed in the game with a score of 0 points. The removed player will be placed on his/her squad's frequency with their score intact and valid for final calculation. Registered squad captains and assistant captains can substitute players by private messaging the attending TWLBot with !sub.
11.06 Switches
Players in the game can switch ships. Registered squad Captains and assistant captains can switch players by private messaging the attending TWLBot with !switch. A maximum of 3 switches will be allowed per game.
Note: Switching 2 sharks will not remove their mines from the game or give them more repels.
11.07 Blueout
Once a game commences, captains may enforce a public chat-only blueout by typing !blueout to the TWLBot. Staff is prohibited from use of public chat during a blueout. Violating this may result in disciplinary action for the offending staff member.
11.08 Check Eligibility before the Start of the Game
It is the participating squad’s and the hosting TWL Op’s responsibility to assess the eligibility of its players before a match.
11.09 Game Play
Each game will consist of a single round, with the winner being determined as the first squad to hold the flag for 15 minutes.
11.10
Once a referee begins a game all players will be warped into a TWLBot assigned safety zone. The game itself will commence after a 30-second waiting period, and all players will be warped to a starting point just inside the main base flagroom. One squad will be warped to the center of the upper-left flagroom chamber and the other squad will be warped to the center of the upper-right flagroom chamber.
11.11 Game Scoring and Results
If a game ends by result of a forfeit, the losing squad will be given a score of 0 minutes for and 15 minutes against (0-15:00), and the winning squad will receive a score of 15 minutes for and 0 minutes against (15:00 - 0:00).
11.12 Awarding MVP
The Most Valuable Player will be given to the player who collected the highest rating.
11.13 Statistics
All scores and player statistics will be reported automatically to twl.trenchwars.org upon completion of the match.
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