Guild Wars World ChampionshipGuild Wars 2006 World Championship Rules
Article from GuildWars.com
This article was initially published on the official website of Guild Wars.

The Guild Wars 2006 World Championship series is an international event that culminates in a tournament that features $100,000 in cash, earned trips, and other great prizes for the top 6 finishers.

Schedule

  • The ladder season begins at 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on October 1, 2005 and ends at 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on January 1, 2006.
  •  Regional Playoff matches will take place from Saturday, January 7 through Saturday, January 14, 2006 in the time zone of each region. Matches will take place on weekends and on weekday evenings, during the time slots designated by ArenaNet.
  • The World Championship will take place at the Taipei Game Show in Taipei, Taiwan, February 16 through 19, 2006.

 Invitations and Eligibility

  • All Guild Wars guilds are eligible to compete, except those that include employees or contractors of NCsoft, ArenaNet, a subsidiary or affiliate or their advertising or promotion agencies, or be domiciled with any such person, or those that have been disqualified for other reasons (see below).
  • Guilds will be disqualified if they play a rated ladder game with any team member (guild member or guest) who is an employee or contractor of NCsoft, ArenaNet, a subsidiary or affiliate or their advertising or promotion agencies, or is domiciled with any such person.
  • Guilds will be disqualified if they engage in ladder abuse or if they are banned from the game for any reason. If individual players are disqualified, the guild may also be disqualified.
  • The top 12 eligible guilds from each region, according to their final ladder ranking at the end of the ladder season, will be invited to participate in that region’s playoffs. (In Korea, the top 11 eligible guilds plus the defending champion from last year’s Korean Regional Championship will be invited to participate.)

 Notes

  • All Guild Wars Universal Tournament Rules are in effect for this event unless specifically overruled by information in this document.
  • Guilds may switch players or switch or modify characters on their single, tournament-qualified game account between games or after a restart, as long as they are ready to start on time. During the Regional and World Championship tournaments, each player may only use characters from the one game account eligible to compete for the guild.

 Tournament Structure

  • During the initial Championship Season period leading up to the Regional Playoffs, guilds will be able to compete against randomly paired (but weighted) guilds in single-game match play.
  • During the Regional Playoffs guilds will compete in a 4-round single elimination tournament (the top 4 rated guilds get a first round bye). Matches will consist of the best 2 out of 3 games.
  • During the World Championship guilds will compete in a 3-round single elimination tournament (the top 2 seeds receive a first round bye). Matches will consist of the best 2 out of 3 games. 

Regional Playoffs

  • Guilds invited to the Regional Playoffs must provide a Tournament Roster to ArenaNet via email by 08:00 (a.m.) GMT January 2, 2006. The roster must include the following information for eight players and up to two alternates: player's full name, mailing address, birth date, telephone number, email address, and a single account (user) name (not character name). 
  • Only players (and accounts) on a guild's Tournament Roster may participate in the Regional Playoffs.
  • At least 6 players on the tournament roster must be residents of the region for which the guild is competing. Players who live in North, Central and South America are considered residents of the American Region. Players who live in a European country and Russia are considered residents of the European Region. Players who live in Korea are considered residents of the Korean Region. Players who live in areas of the world not currently serviced by a Guild Wars region, and not expressly mentioned above, may choose to qualify as residents of either the American or European Region.

 To be eligible for the tournament roster, the following requirements must be met:

  • Player must be age 16 or older. Players under age 18 will be required to provide notarized written consent of parent or legal guardian to receive prizes and/or to travel to the Guild Wars World Championship.
  • Player must be able to travel without restriction to Taipei, Taiwan. Players will be required to deliver proof of possession of a passport and satisfaction of all other requirements for entering the country. Proof must be sent to ArenaNet by expedited mail, fax or scanned image on or before 08:00 (a.m.) GMT January 4, 2006. Costs associated with obtaining a passport are the sole responsibility of the individual player.
  • Player must be willing and able to execute the following: A Publicity Release, a Liability Release, and Declaration of Eligibility. For a player under age 18, a parent or guardian must execute the Declaration and Releases in addition to the player.
  • Player must be a Guild Wars account holder in good standing and in compliance with the Guild Wars User Agreement.
  • Player must have been a member of the guild continuously from 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on December 5, 2005 through 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on January 1, 2006. This is called the Guild Lockdown period.
  • Player will be allowed one (1) change in guild affiliation during a specific 24-hour period that will run from 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on December 17, 2005 through 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on December 18, 2005. This is called the Grace Period
  • A player new to Guild Wars may join a guild at any time, but will not be eligible to participate in the playoffs unless he or she was an account holder as of 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on December 5, 2005 and has met all other eligibility requirements.
  • Any player found to have changed guilds during the Guild Lockdown period will be disqualified and will cause his or her guild to be disqualified from participating in the playoffs
  • Player must comply at all times with the Guild Wars World Championship Rules and the Universal Guild Wars Tournament Rules.
  • If a qualified guild does not provide a valid Tournament Roster or is otherwise unable to participate in the Regional Playoffs, ArenaNet may, at its discretion, invite another guild from the same region (or, if none eligible or available, then from another region) to participate in the Regional Playoffs.
  • Guilds will be seeded for the Regional Playoffs based on final ladder ranking. The Regional Playoffs will consist of four rounds, with match-ups determined by seeding. The top 4 guilds will receive a bye in the first round.
  • Regional Playoff matches will take place from Saturday, January 7 through Saturday, January 14, 2006 in a time zone of such region designated by ArenaNet. Matches will take place on weekends and on weekday evenings, during the time slots designated by ArenaNet.
  • The final round of the Regional Playoffs will determine a Regional Champion and a 1st Runner Up, both of which will advance to the World Championship in Taipei, Taiwan, providing they maintain eligibility.
  • A list of player guidelines related to schedules, on-floor behavior, game mechanics, acceptable attire and other matters will be distributed upon confirmation of each player's qualification for the Regional Playoffs. Players must abide by these guidelines. Failure to do so may result in disqualification from the Regional Playoffs or the World Championship. In the event that any guild, as a whole, is deemed to have broken the rules, the entire guild may be disqualified.

World Championship

  • A maximum of eight eligible players from each guild will be brought to the World Championship. Guilds with a Tournament Roster of more than eight players must select eligible players from their roster and provide ArenaNet with a revised Tournament Roster of eight eligible players by 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on Tuesday, January 17, 2006.
  • Only players (and accounts) on the revised Tournament Roster may participate in the World Championship.
  • Players on the revised Tournament Roster (and a parent or guardian in the case of a player who is under age 18) must execute and transmit to ArenaNet a Publicity Release, a Liability Release, and a Declaration of Eligibility by 08:00 (a.m.) GMT on Monday, January 23, 2006.
  • ArenaNet and NCsoft will provide air transportation and hotel accommodations to the 8 members of the Tournament Roster. Air transportation will be provided from the nearest major metro airport approved by ArenaNet. ArenaNet and NCsoft will provide meals for the duration of the GWWC, a city tour of Taipei, and an international calling card to players. Players will be responsible for all other expenses.
  • For the World Championship, all guilds will be seeded according to the final ladder ranking of the Regional Champion from their region; Regional Champions will be seeded above Regional Runners-Up in the first round. The World Championship will consist of three rounds, with match-ups determined in the first round by seeding. The top two seeds will receive a bye in the first round.
  • The World Championship will take place at the Taipei Game Show in Taipei, Taiwan, February 16 through 19, 2006.
  • Guilds will play in a time and location chosen by ArenaNet, on hardware provided by ArenaNet. ArenaNet will provide noise-canceling headsets and access to a voice-communication system in order to allow team communication during matches. Players will be permitted to bring their own keyboard and/or mouse, but both must be standard USB devices, and no drivers may be installed to enable or enhance their use. All players must be physically present for each match, and may not use any of their own software during the match. A player may not access web-browsers or other external programs while playing or between matches.

World Championship Team Prizes

ArenaNet will provide cash prizes for the winning guilds of the Guild Wars World Championship, which will be divided pro rata to their players, as follows:

  • 1st Place: $50,000
  • 2nd Place: $25,000
  • 3rd Place: $10,000
  • 4th Place: $10,000
  • 5th Place: $2,500
  • 6th Place: $2,500