Code of Conduct

About the Malifaux World Series (MWS)

The Malifaux World Series (MWS) explained

1. The Malifaux World Series (MWS) is an international tournament circuit supporting the global, competitive Malifaux 3rd Edition scene; Run by the World Series Committee, MWS events aim to hone player skill as well as foster a fun, encouraging and competitive environment for players in the series.
2. The MWS is entirely a community-driven endeavour, and is in no way affiliated with Wyrd Games, Vassal, or any other official producers of intellectual property used in the execution of MWS events.

2. The World Series Committee (WSC)

1. The WSC’s main function is the planning, administration, and execution of the MWS, its events, and the Malifaux World Series Championship. The WSC is entirely volunteer-driven.
2. For the purposes of MWS events, the WSC reserves the right to make official rulings on rules interactions that have yet to be addressed by official Errata or FAQ documents released by Wyrd Games.
   1. Where possible, the WSC aims to keep its rulings consistent with the rules-as-written (RAW) but will always prioritise reasonable gameplay where it is sensible to do so.
   2. Following the release of official Errata or FAQ documents by Wyrd Games, the WSC will review and amend its own FAQ document(s) to align with those releases.
   3. Varying size and nature of Wyrd Games’ official document release means that there should be no expectation of time frame for amendments to WSC FAQ documents. The WSC will aim to reduce the impact this alignment to Wyrd Official documents has on tournament play, but will take all reasonable precautions to avoid unnecessary error. For this purpose, where WSC and Wyrd documents do not align, Wyrd official document(s) shall take precedence over WSC FAQ.

2. Code of Conduct

1. Purpose of The Code of Conduct (COC)

1. 1. The Code of Conduct (COC) exists to govern interpersonal interactions between players in the MWS. Players and Spectators are expected to operate within the bounds of both the nature and the spirit of this COC. These expectations are not limited to In-Game interactions, but are extended to how an individual presents themselves within the community.
   2. The WSC considers the following to be the ideal standards individuals should be expected to adhere to. This list is not exhaustive, and the WSC reserves the right to add to or alter this document at any time to address any inconsistencies of language, or in the event that an unforeseen circumstance should arise.
   3. It is the expectation that Players remain up to date with any announced changes to this COC, and participation in MWS events is considered an indicator of an agreement to adhere to these standards.
2. Community Standing affecting Eligibility of participation
   1. It is an expectation that any Participant in an MWS event should remain in good standing within in all major communication platforms, including (but not limited to):
      • The Official Wyrd Forums
      • ‘A Wyrd Place’ Facebook group
      • MWS Discord group
      • Other Community pages

      Participants who fail to maintain a good standing may have their eligibility for participation revoked by the WSC, at the sole discretion of the WSC.

      1. If at any time a player has their eligibility for participation in MWS events revoked, they will be immediately dropped from any active event(s) and eligibility for registration for future event(s) will be placed on hold, pending reinstatement of their eligibility.
      2. At the time of revocation, a participant will be informed of the length of time that their eligibility will be removed for, and the expected date of reinstatement to the MWS.
      3. The WSC reserves the right to extend this time period (with appropriate notice to the relevant party) should there be additional concerns/infractions against the COC that the WSC deems material, at the sole discretion of the WSC.
   2. Due to the online nature of most qualifying events for the MWS, the facilitation of these events requires an online platform for voice communications between players. Participants are therefore required to abide by all rules and regulations as set out by the owner(s)/administrator(s) of the subscribed platform at any time.
      1. The WSC reserves the right to change its preferred platform at any time at its sole discretion.
      2. Participants who find themselves outside of good standing with the owner(s)/administrator(s) of the subscribed platform may have their eligibility for participation revoked until such good standing is achieved.
3. Behavioural Misconduct Guidelines

Participants are expected to behave in a way that reflects the community values of the MWS. Players who consistently demonstrate an inability to operate within the guidelines set out below may have their eligibility for participation revoked. This applies to both persistent behaviours, and to one-off incidents that the WSC deems severe enough to warrant intervention. The WSC reserves the right to alter or amend its Behavioural Misconduct guidelines at any time, for any reason. The WSC will not act on amendments to the behavioural misconduct guidelines retrospectively. All amendments will be enforceable following an announcement to the general participants in a reasonably accessible channel. Participants operating in bad faith with other participants in the MWS will be in breach of the Behavioural Misconduct Guidelines. Bad faith includes (but is not limited to): Poor Sportsmanship Personal Attacks, Swipes or Taunts Hate Speech (Specifically addressed or otherwise) Exclusionary language Rude or Harmful language Maintenance of True Game State It is the responsibility of the Players in a game to maintain a true and fair representation of the game state. It is assumed that unless there is an active disagreement regarding the state of an in-progress game that both players are in agreement about its current state. WSC Members may at any time interject in an active game, pursuant to 2.8.4 Players may not mutually agree to ignore a rule as described by Wyrd, the MWS, or the Tournament organiser. Any player(s) suggesting or agreeing to a derivation from the rules set may receive an official warning. Cheating If a participant maliciously gains or intends to gain an advantage in an active MWS game, their behaviour will be considered cheating. If a participant maliciously imparts or intends to impart an advantage on a player other than themselves in an active MWS game, their behaviour will be considered cheating. The WSC may consider any other breach of this COC reviewable against this section. Participants found to be cheating may be issued official warnings, and other disciplinary action beyond. Slow Play/Fast Play MWS events try to emulate in-person play as much as is practicable. As such all events will have a maximum time limit per round. The maximum time allowed for a round is at the sole discretion of the Tournament Organiser. For most events, it is an expectation that players should make use of chess clocks. Players may agree at the beginning of a match to not use chess clocks. If this is the case, a single running clock indicating the total time used must be active. The WSC will not entertain complaints of Slow Play for games where individual clocks are not used. Patterns of behaviour that make it difficult to maintain a true or proper game state due to unnaturally fast pace of play may be considered Fast Play. Attendance International level play presents numerous challenges for Tournament Organisers and Players alike. Reasonable attendance for MWS games is essential to creating a positive play environment for all players. It is an expectation that players take all reasonable precautions to ensure they attend all tournament games at an agreed time. Players are expected to make contact with their round opponents to make arrangements to play with their opponents within 24 hours of the round’s start. Players who fail to make contact with their round opponents within this 24 hour time frame must report their failure to comply with this deadline to the WSC immediately after making contact with their round opponent. Players who have made attempts to contact their round opponents within the 24 hour time frame must report their opponents failure to comply with this deadline to the WSC as soon as is practicably possible after the 24 hour deadline. In the event that either or both players have failed to make contact within the 24 hour time frame, it is still the expectation that both players should make reasonable allowances to play their allocated game pairing. Where players cannot make an appropriate game, the WSC will mediate between players and assign a result that best reflects the scheduling situation and any conflicts. If a player fails to make contact within a further 24 hours (48 total hours after round start) then that player may concede their match. If this is the case, the round will be recorded as a 6 - 2 result, in favour of the player who did not fail to make contact. Spectation MWS events are driven by community - engagement and interaction are encouraged and anticipated. Spectators should however remain impartial, and have no effect on the outcome of an active MWS game. Spectators joining through voice channels must mute their microphone at all times. Spectators may not intervene in an active MWS game to correct rules mistakes at any time. Players in a game may request a spectator find a specific rule in the core rulebook, the player’s pack, or any MWS/Wyrd FAQ document, but may only offer the direct, verbatim reading from the document requested. Participants may not send communications to players in an active MWS game. The WSC may at any time interject in an active MWS game, for the purposes of correcting a game state. At any time, a player in or spectator of an active MWS game may engage a WSC member to request a formal presence to watch over the game state. Where this is possible, the WSC will oblige. The WSC will not retroactively correct a gamestate unless there is an active disagreement between players, but can correct a gamestate from any time after their speciation of the game. The presence of a WSC member in an active game room does not indicate their intent to actively maintain or repair the game state of an active game.events are driven by community - engagement and interaction are encouraged and anticipated. Spectators should however remain impartial, and have no effect on the outcome of an active MWS game. Enforcement Enforcement Process The WSC and the MWS expects players to behave responsibly and within the bounds of the COC. Where it is necessary, participants may be issued with official warnings in an effort to notify and correct their behaviour. The nature of these official warnings are outlined below. The purpose of this enforcement process is not entirely punitive, but is intended to give participants a notification about their single instances or patterns of behaviour that have raised concerns, or been in direct breach of the COC. Warnings can be given for any breach of this COC; The WSC reserves the right to appropriately allocate a warning to a participant based on the significance and nature of the breach, and any additional information that the WSC deems pertinent. Warnings may be issued for a failure to adhere to event guidelines, TO expectations, or directions issued during the event. The WSC may at times publicly issue cards to players as a demonstrative measure. Warnings Yellow Card - Lowest severity, intended as a flag to a participant that their behaviour is in breach of the COC, but not to the individual severity that could warrant further action, or that the WSC is satisfied that it is not (or is unlikely to result in) a pattern of behaviour consistent with the terms in the COC. Yellow Cards are a warning, and may come with additional requirements/disciplinary measures. These may be handed out at the discretion of the WSC. A Player who has one or more active yellow cards may have any additional yellow card infractions automatically upgraded to a red card. Automatic upgrades may also come with additional disciplinary measures. These upgrades will be issued solely at the discretion of the WSC.

Red Card - Highest severity, intended for both serious individual breaches of the COC as well as for use as an escalation for previous warnings under the same or similar circumstances. Red cards are a warning, and may come with additional requirements/disciplinary measures. These may be handed out at the discretion of the WSC. Warnings are tracked on individuals permanently, but will not be considered active after 4 weeks of tournament time has elapsed. Should this 4 week period clash with the end of an MWS event or season, they will carry forward to the next MWS or season that a player participates in.

The WSC reserves the right to consider all past warnings when issuing warnings and/or other disciplinary measures.

On watch - Participants who are considered “On Watch” have demonstrated an inability to follow, or a blatant disregard for various elements of the COC or tournament procedure. Players who are on watch must take all reasonable steps to ensure that they notify the WSC before playing their round for an MWS event. Time of play must be provided (within reasonable efforts) a minimum of 24 hours in advance of any round being played. Where this is not possible in the instance where a player plays nearly immediately after the round starts, players must notify the WSC of their intention to play as soon as a time is finalised with their opponent. Updates and Changelog 21 May 2023 - Major update adding 2.4 through 3.2.4