DoS: Activity & Reinstatement Rules Amendments

[DUEL Norah]

After receiving input from several directions, and after additional consideration and discussion during the last week, the DoS Team has a new proposed set of rules regarding activity and reinstatement.


Summary:
- Duelers wishing to remain active on the standings will need to duel at least once every two cycles.
- Title-holders (Overlord, Barons) must duel at least once every cycle (or be at risk of losing their title).
- Duelers who have been removed from the standings due to inactivity/retiring may duel at their last recorded rank as shown under an Inactive/Retired Duelist List, provided they inform the caller on duty prior to the start of any duel that they are listed on the Inactive/Retired Duelist List. This list will be provided as a sticky in the DoS OOC folder and a link will be provided to it from the DoS standings.
- Duelers from the Inactive/Retired Duelist List will be moved to the Active Standings after they have dueled. There is no requirement to contact the standings keeper, unless a discrepancy is found.


Details & Discussion


Staying Active:
- Duelers wishing to remain active need to duel at least once every two cycles. The previous rule was that inactive duelers could get purged at the end of every cycle. This was not enforced on a regular basis, but going forward activity rules will be enforced regularly at the end of each cycle. However, to make meeting the requirement easier, the official window has been extended to two cycles (half a year), which should help make it easier for duelers to keep their characters active. Inactive duelers will be purged as part of the cycle reset.
- The activity requirements for title holders have been left at the currently stated once a cycle. We believe that it is beneficial to the community for duelers (new and old) to see title holders being active.


Reinstatement:
- Duelers who have fallen off the standings due to inactivity or retiring may duel at last recorded rank as shown on the Inactive/Retired Duelist List, provided they inform the caller on duty prior to the start of any duel that they are listed on the Inactive/Retired Duelist List. This list will be provided as a sticky under the DoS OOC folder and a link will be provided to it from the DoS standings.
- Duelers from the Inactive/Retired Duelist List will be moved to the Active Standings after they have dueled. There is no requirement to contact the standings keeper, unless a discrepancy is found.


Warlord Tourney:
- All duelers wishing to enter the Warlord Tourney, will need to log one regular duel (since the date of the last WLT) in order to be eligible for entry. This rule only applies to the Warlord Tourney. Other tournaments or special events (e.g. Madness) will have entry requirements as defined specifically for those events (e.g. Warlords may not enter the Talon of Redwin tourney). The reasoning behind this requirement is reflective in the activity requirement for title holders. As the time between one tournament and the next is roughly equal to one cycle, duelist entering for a chance at holding a title should be able to meet the same requirements.

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The DoS team has heard the input of the community and recognizes the desire to avoid putting barriers in place for duelers wishing to return. Allowing the on-duty caller to immediately verify a dueler (provided their previous rank can be found) will allow casual/returning duelers even greater flexibility than was previously available when reinstatement required contacting the standings keeper. If the dueler then duels, they will be automatically reinstated in the next standings. This change minimizes the burden of the standings keeper (who only has to reinstate after duels actually take place), and minimizes the delay for a returning dueler to duel at their previous rank, and is thus a win/win for everyone.

Pending any changes that the DoS Team decides to make, the above rules will go into effect on day one of the Spring Cycle, February 28, 2013. This applies to duelists who are inactive for two cycles. At the start of the Spring cycle, February 28, 2013, any duelists that has been inactive for two cycles will be removed to the Inactive/Retired Duelist List.

That said, with the support of the community we will likely put the Inactive/Retired Duelist List into effect earlier than the start of the new cycle.

As always, my door is open for discussion if you have any questions or concerns about these rules amendments. Please feel free to contact me via PM, Email or IM. Thank you!

[DUEL Norah]

To Clarify:

In order to be moved from the Inactive/Retired Duelist List to the Active Standings the duelist will have to have a duel during regular dueling hours. In order for a duel to count toward activity to stay on the Active Standings the duelist will have to have a duel during regular dueling hours. Duels in challenges (i.e. challenge, tests, champions, intercessions) and duels in a tournament that isn't reported towards WoL will not count.

[DUEL Norah]

As a reminder to our player base, it is the responsibility of the player to adhere to all activity requirements. This applies to title holders as well. You will not be reminded anymore to get a duel in in order to stay active.