The online tournament has not yet been scheduled. It is still in the planning phase, but we expect to begin in Summer 2021. June 1st is the tentative start date.
Sign up form for the online Sekigahara tournament.
To play in this tournament, you must be a 2021 registered member of the BPA. An associate or PBEM membership ($10) is sufficient to play in this tournament. You must only be a member for the year the tournament starts (2021).
You can become a registered BPA member here.
Registration for the 2021 online tournament is currently open. Registration will close ~May 20th, with an anticipated tournament start date of June 1st. I will update this if things change.
The online tournament will feature a group phase where all players will play multiple opponents followed by an elimination phase where the top players will be seeded into a single elimination bracket.
We have 24 players, and the information below has been updated to reflect our actual tournament progression and results. Note: The GM has a newborn in the house, and as such, there are times where he may be less available to immediately answer questions. The other seeded players, James Pei, Bob Wooster, and Jeromey Martin are all very experienced and are serving as assistant GMs.
Expected Tournament Timeline: I am optimistic that the group phase can be completed in 2-3 months, followed by the single elimination phase being completed in an additional ~3-4 months. However, given the excellent design of the Yucata implementation, it is also possible we could get done in far less time. I have regularly finished games with players in other countries in <5 days. However, some players may not be able to access the website as frequently or may be on vacation at times. So, we will be flexible on our timeline and play it by ear.
Format for 24 players: [THIS IS OUR OFFICIAL STRUCTURE]
With 24 players: For the group phase, players will be clustered into 6 groups. The top 4 players, based on AREA ratings, will be placed into different groups. The remaining 20 players will then be randomly sorted into the 6 groups. Family members (where indicated) will be placed into separate groups. The group of 6 players will then play each other, giving each player 5 games. These games may be played simultaneously or sequentially. At the conclusion of these 5 games, the top 2 players in each group will advance to the single elimination round. Additionally, all players with winning records will advance to the single elimination round. With 24 players, we will likely have ~12 players in the single elimination round.
What if more than 8 players have winning records? Should there be more than 8 players with winning records, then we will have a "round of 16" where the highest ranked players receive byes. The remaining players will have to win this elimination game to reach the quarterfinals. If we had 12 winning records, the top 4 players (the four players who won their groups) would advance to the quarterfinals. The remaining 8 players will play each other in order to advance to the quarterfinals.
**The GM will finalize advancement scenarios once the full number of participants are known, but prior to starting the tournament play. This way everyone will begin the tournament knowing the precise advancement scenarios. **The above and below are our official rules**
With 24 players: For the single elimination round, players will be seeded based on their group phase rankings. For players with identical rankings or records, tiebreakers (described below) will be used to complete the seeding process. All players who finish at the top of a group will have a higher seeding than all players who finish second in a group. Players finishing second in a group will always have a higher seed than players finishing 3rd, and so on. Ranking in a group will always take precedence over a player's record. Once seeding is complete, the bracket will be published by the GM, and players will begin play.
How many games will be played in each single elimination match? For the single elimination pairings, each match will be a best of three. During the first two games, players will play each side. In the first game, randomize roles. In the second game, roles should be switched. If the games are split 1-1, then the player with the higher seed will get to choose to play as Tokugawa or as Ishida in the third and deciding game. NOTE: At this time, Yucata does not allow one to bid for side.
Players may play the first two games simultaneously or sequentially. The third game must be played after the first two games are completed within the assigned period of time for the round.
Important notes
Yucata game options:
Make sure game is scored (blue checkbox). This will allow us to check the final game state, if needed.
Roles - as described for the phase in the tournament
Loyalty Challenges - Limited. You will only be given this option when you have a chance to play. This is generally the best of the few options we have.
Hidden Information - Discard piles can be examined
Display blocks/cards - Yes
Opponents - Personal invitation (arrange through google sheets).
Skill Requirements - None. Option should disappear after "personal invitation" is set.
Wanted Playing Speed - None. Option should disappear after "personal invitation" is set.
Additional info - Put your Group #, Match # as list on the spreadsheet. For example, "Group 1, Match 3"
A separate google spreadsheet will be used to keep track of games, including the game link. Standings will be updated on that spreadsheet as well as on this website. Please check your e-mail for a link to this spreadsheet. DO NOT SHARE THIS LINK WITH ANYONE ELSE. If you have friends or family who would like to see your progress, please share the link to this webpage. The "Tournament results" page will automatically update from the spreadsheet.
Group phase clustering will only take into account AREA ratings for a top seed in each group. This seeding will be irrelevant after the group phase. Family members (where indicated) will be separated into different groups. The GM and assistant GMs will also be placed into separate groups to aid in tournament administration.
Elimination phase seeding will take into account group phase performance only. Players who finish at the top of a group will be seeded higher than players who finish second in a group, and so on. For players with identical group rankings, players with 5-0 records will be seeded above players with one loss (4-1). These players will be seeded above players with two losses (3-2), and these players will be seeded above any 2-3 players that may advance (highly unlikely).
Multiple players are expected to have identical records coming out of the group phase. We have a need to differentiate between players with identical records within their group as well as for players with the same ranking and record between groups.
Tiebreakers for in-group ranking:
For example, two players finish 4-1 within their group, or three players finish with 3-2 records.
1st tiebreaker for two tied players: head-to-head result. Winner wins tiebreaker. Done. This tiebreaker will be used whenever there are ONLY two tied players remaining within a group of tied players.
1st tiebreaker for three+ tied players: head-to-head results within the cluster of tied players. Players with more wins within the cluster rank higher than those with fewer. If three players are 3-2, then if any one of those players beat the other two, they would win the tiebreaker.
2nd tiebreaker if three or more players are still tied: most wins over players with better records. A player(s) with more wins against players with a better record will win the tiebreaker against those players with fewer wins against players with a better record.
**Remember, if at any point the number of remaining tied players has been reduced to two, then we will use the head-to-head result of those two players to finish the tiebreaker.
3rd tiebreaker if three+ players are still tied: total number of VPs for each player based on end of games scores..
4th tiebreaker if three+ players are still tied: Random draw by the GM or Assistant GM. Once only two players remain, the head-to-head result will be used.
Tiebreakers for players when seeding for single elimination bracket.
Remember, the first determining factor is having a higher group finish. Players who finish first in a group, regardless of record, will be seeded higher than a player with a lower group finish.
Among the four players with the same ranking, it is quite likely that multiple players will finish with the same record while being from different groups. Here are the tiebreakers for those players:
First tiebreaker, total number of VPs based on end of game scores. The more VPs, the higher the seed.
Second tiebreaker, random draw by the GM or Assistant GM.
Byes – If byes are needed for the first round of the elimination phase, they will be given to players with the highest seeds. If more than one player receives a bye, they may play each other for fun!
FAQ
How will VPs be determined in games on Yucata?
Answer:
VPs will be determined using the VPs shown in the game, assuming the game finishes at the end of week 7 and is decided by VPs.
If a game ends sooner than that, either due to an instant victory or a player conceding, then the losing player will receive a number of VPs equal to the current week #. For example, if Ishida dies in Week 6, that player would receive 6 VPs. The winning player will receive the balance of the points, so "27 - 6 VPs" = 21 VPs.
If a player abandons the games (disappears/leaves the tournament), then they will receive 0 VPs, while the winning player will receive VPs equal to "27 - current week #".
Note: These VPs are only important for tiebreakers, as described above.
What if someone abandons in the middle of the tournament?
Answer:
Prior to the single elimination phase, if a player abandons, all other players in that group will receive a 14 pt victory over the abandoning player, even those who have already played that player. This may increase the likelihood that players from this group advance. This is always a bad situation, and I hope this does not come to pass. However, this choice of remedy will not negatively impact any player's chances in advancing to the single elimination round.
During the single elimination phase, the abandoning player's opponent will advance to the next round.
How does Yucata handle 1-2 blocks in a castle that decide to then fight a field battle?
Answer:
On Yucata they have interpreted the rule as such: "overruns can only happen during the movement phase or as a result of a retreat". Thus, if the Ishida player has a disc and 1 or 2 blocks in a castle, during the combat phase, the Ishida player can have the block(s) fight a field battle without triggering an overrun. Thus, this can prevent the heir from being captured for at least one extra turn.
I ran this by Matt Calkins, and he agrees that their implementation is consistent with the way the rules are written. I am including this here because I (the GM) do not like this interpretation. However, we are using this interpretation since this is how Yucata has implemented the rule.