Tournament Rules:

• There will be 5 games using the Warhammer 40k 6th Edition rule set. All the current errata and FAQs available from Games Workshop will be in effect.
• Tournament participants should be over the age of 16, unless ok'd by the Organizers
• All models must clearly represent what they are supposed to be. WYSIWYG is the general rule (What You See Is What You Get). No proxies are allowed (ie This Ork is actually a Space Marine).
• Your models do not have to be painted to play. However, your paint score will be included in the Overall score and for an army to receive a paint score it must have 3 colors and be based.
• Each player needs to bring 3 objective markers.
• This is a Open-list tournament. Players are expected to have a printed, legible army list to give to each of their opponents prior to the game.
• Terrain on the tables will be fixed and rules for terrain will be on the table's placard.

Army List Rules:

• You have 1850 points to construct your army using a standard force organization chart. Special and upgrade characters are allowed, assuming that they are playable at 1850 pts. Allied Detachments are allowed. Fortifications are allowed, except the Fortress of Redemption. Note that terrain is fixed and fortifications must be able to fit without moving terrain to be deployed.
• All Standard Codexes are allowed. No Imperial Armour, Rules and Army Lists marked as “Trial” or “Optional”, Warhammer 40,000 Apocalypse, units which are not contained within the army's codex, campaign or expansion codex (for example Eye of Terror or Armageddon). You must use the current edition of any army book released before February 15, 2013.
• All players should submit an army list to the Dark Star GT by March 1st, 2013. Lists should be emailed to thedarkstargt@gmail.com. Please send the lists as an Army Builder 3 file if possible.

Rule Judges:

Players are required to have their rule books handy and to resolve rule disputes between themselves in a fair and friendly manner. However, in the case of ambiguous rules or firm disagreements, there will be Rule Judges circulating on the floor. Rulings from a Rule Judge may not be correct, but they are final. Arguing with a Rule Judge or getting hostile over a ruling that you don't agree with will get you a Red Card or even expulsion from the tournament.

Red Cards and Unbecoming Behavior:

Rule Judges and tournament staff will be empowered to hand out a Red Card to any player who acts in an egregious manner that is unbecoming to the Dark Star. This includes (but is not limited to) outright cheating and violent displays of temper. One Red Card may result in expulsion from the tournament without a refund, while two Red Cards will definitely result in expulsion. The tournament organizers also reserve the right to expel without refund any player who behaves in a manner that we consider dangerous or disruptive to the event.

Tournament Scoring and Awards

The 2013 Dark Star GT focuses on the three elements of good game play - skill, sportsmanship, and appearance - in order to determine who goes home with the prizes. Every player will be scored on the basis of their ability to play the game, play a fun game, and paint their army. To that end, players can score a maximum of 180 points, broken down as follows:

Battle Points = 75
Sportsmanship Points = 50
Army Appearance Points = 45
Dark Star points = 10

Awards

Overall Champion = Battle Points + Sportsmanship Points + Appearance Points + Dark Star Points
Best General = Total Battle Points + Base Sportsmanship Points (i.e. before Best Game Votes)
Best "Codex" General = Total Battle Points
Best Opponent = Total Sportsmanship Points
Best Army = Total Appearance Points
Player's Choice = Most Player Votes

Awards will be given out for first, second and third place in these categories: Overall, Best Opponent & Best Army. Best General awards will be given out - An Overall Best General and Best "Codex" General Awards. The player with the highest battle points from each of the codexes (Blood Angels, Orks, Dark Eldar, etc) will receive the Best Codex General for that particular codex. In order for a codex award to be given, there must be at least five players playing that army. Codexes that don't meet the five player level will be pooled together in a "Best of the Rest" category.

Players will only be able to win one award, with the exception of Player's Choice and Best Codex General. If a player's score wins in more than one category he or she will be given the higher award.

Battle Points:

Each mission will define Primary and Secondary objectives. The player that has successfully achieved more Victory Points thru objectives at the end of the game wins. If neither player has achieved victory, then the game ends in a draw. A win is worth 15 battle points, a draw is worth 10 battle points, while a loss is worth 5 battle points.

Sportsmanship Points:

Sportsmanship is about not only having a good game, but also giving a good game to your opponent. What constitutes a "good" or "bad" game is very subjective. There are hundreds of factors, and everyone has a different criteria. However, it's very easy to recognize a bad game when you have one. It's also equally easy to recognize an exceptionally good game when you have one. So for the Dark Star GT sportsmanship scores will focus on your game experience with your opponent. At the end of the tournament, each player will get to cast a vote for their most enjoyable opponent of the weekend.

Appearance:

Every army at the Dark Star GT will be awarded a score by the tournament judges based on the overall appearance of their army. Technical painting is important, but it is only one factor in your appearance score. Conversions, theme, basing and overall presentation are equal factors as to what makes an army look good and score well in this category. Your objective markers will also be part of the appearance judging.

Paint Your Own - Players must have painted their own army in order to be eligible to win the Best Overall, Best Army, or Player's Choice awards. This restriction does not apply to Best General or Best Sportsman. Please notify the judges if you did not paint your own army.

Previous Best Army Winners - Players that have won a Best Army award at a previous Dark Star GT are not eligible to win another Best Army award with an army from the same codex for 3 years.

Dark Star Points:

Dark Star points are awarded to players that help keep the tournament running smoothly. Bonus points are awarded for:

Paying your registration by February 1st, 2013 = +5 points
Submitting your army list by March 1st, 2013 = +5 points

Player's Choice:

Player's choice is awarded by one's peers at the tournament. The question many folks try to answer is "What army would I most want to take home with me?" This is not a painting competition per se. Technical painting and modeling is scored by the tournament judges. This is all about who you think brought the coolest toys. One player, one vote.

Players should set up their armies with their names clearly visible after game 2 on Saturday. All Player's Choice votes must be turned in before you leave on Saturday.

Charity Raffle Re-rolls

A $20 contribution to the Can-Do Canines charity raffle will get you a special Dark Star re-roll die, in addition to having more chances to win raffle prizes - top prize this year in the Dark Star 2013 Charity Raffle is a fully painted 1850 pt. Army. The Charity Re-Roll die can be used once per game in each of the 5 tournament games to re-roll any roll.

Important Links

2013 FAQ - 2013 Scenarios - 2013 Painting Scoresheet