New Rules for Final ?

jhattara wrote:

I think the current rules are fine. Judges should add time for slow play more easily.

Haven't ever seen that done.

Sure sometimes you get some additional minutes when answering/researching a question took a while, but never for slow play.


I'm rather a slow player but as a judge I have stong dialike for stalling. Yet I've so far never added time for slow play. It is a fine line you have to walk with...

jhattara wrote:

My point exactly. I can't remember seeing anyone add time or even caution players for slow play, although the option exists.

But how easy is it to isolate actual incidents of such behaviour? Vtes does take some brainpower and at the finals people have already had quite a few games. Add to this that some decks simply take longer than others either due to the fact that they offer more options which take time to ponder on or simply due to having more stuff happening.

I mean, the idea is fine in principle but is really feasible in practice?

In essence it would mean that judges should be really quick on the trigger right from the start.

I've judged several tournaments, and I've never added time for slow play... however I informed several times a player who was (in my opinion) playing slowly that I was thinking about addind time to the table if he continued playing slowly, with this caution message ALWAYS the player played faster.

Players in Paris and in Barcelona know me as a judge and they know I'm capable of adding time, so most of the time players tend to play in a good speed.

During finals I've cut too much chatting among the players if I considered conversation was becoming cyclic and pointless, for avoiding time limits for losing too much time during the final.

Saying that, I have to admit that I didn't see EC Day 1 finals, but I saw EC day 2 and I didn't appreciate stalling or slow playing, at least not during the second hour of the game. Isak played correctly his deck bleeding everyturn and trying to advance to get his prey(s) without trying to lose time and getting the final cause of a timeout.

Vlad wrote:

Everybody was pleased to be playing and placing themselves as in the "real" Final...

That is a strong point, independently from the effect on speed of play. If it can make tournaments more enjoyable for everyone, what's the problem? Especially since the players that do not make it to the finals are likely to be the least hardcore ones, the harder ones to convince to come back tournament after tournament. Improving their experience can only help in maintaining the player base.

I have judge a lot of finals in Sweden I tell the finalists that slow play and talking/dealing in circles will result in me intervening and adding time. Works like a charm.