Belgian Carcassonne Online Championship 2024
Introduction
The Belgian Carcassonne Online Championship (BCOC) is an annual tournament to crown the Belgian Carcassonne Online Champion.
When
Group draw: 02/12/23 (registration ends 30/11/23 at 22u)
Group stage: 04/12/23 – 30/12/23
Play-off stage: 02/01/24 – 28/01/24
Group stage: 04/12/23 – 30/12/23
Play-off stage: 02/01/24 – 28/01/24
Format
All matches are:
- 1vs1
- Best of 3 games (2 wins)
- Basic game of Carcassonne
- In real time.
- 1vs1
- Best of 3 games (2 wins)
- Basic game of Carcassonne
- In real time.
This tournament will be played on boardgamearena.com and is approved by publisher Hans im Glück, organised by Carcassonne Belgium.
Eligibility and Requirements
- Each player must have the Belgian nationality or reside in Belgium and may not have participated in a National Carcassonne Online Championship from another country during the same year.
- Each player must have an account on boardgamearena.com (premium or not). A player may only use 1 account for the BCOC.
- Each player must join the group Carcassonne Belgium on BGA
- Each player must register by filling in the registration form on our website or by sending an e-mail containing their:
- Each player must have an account on boardgamearena.com (premium or not). A player may only use 1 account for the BCOC.
- Each player must join the group Carcassonne Belgium on BGA
- Each player must register by filling in the registration form on our website or by sending an e-mail containing their:
- BGA-name (with indication of premium membership or not)
- Real name - Nationality - Postal code + municipality/city - Country of residence |
(the players’ e-mailadresses will only be used to keep the players informed about the championship and other Belgian Carcassonne tournaments).
- Each player agrees that their games can be live-streamed and commented on
- Each player agrees that their real name can be mentioned by game-streamers and that the name of the winner will be published on the website
- Each player is expected to play all of their duels
- Each player agrees that their real name can be mentioned by game-streamers and that the name of the winner will be published on the website
- Each player is expected to play all of their duels
The Tournament
The tournament consists of a group round-robin stage (each player of a group will play a duel against all other players of the group) followed up by a play-off knock-out stage.
- players will be divided into 4 groups
- the four semi-finalists of last year will be seeded (1 in each group)
- Players that are family (in a broad sense) will be split over different groups. Players have to inform the organisation in case of family ties.
- Number of qualified players per group may vary depending on the number of groups/players.
Each duel will be played to the best of 3 games (duel is stopped at 2-0)
In case of a tie in a game, the player who did NOT start the game will be designated the winner.
- players will be divided into 4 groups
- the four semi-finalists of last year will be seeded (1 in each group)
- Players that are family (in a broad sense) will be split over different groups. Players have to inform the organisation in case of family ties.
- Number of qualified players per group may vary depending on the number of groups/players.
Each duel will be played to the best of 3 games (duel is stopped at 2-0)
In case of a tie in a game, the player who did NOT start the game will be designated the winner.
How to schedule a game
Both players concerned by a duel have to contact each other directly via BGA to set a day and hour to play their duel.
All games (2 or 3) of a duel have to be played at once!
All games (2 or 3) of a duel have to be played at once!
Duels with premium player(s) involved
It is allowed to start a duel immediately after contact if both players agree to this (you will have to put in a starting time though). If both players are premium one of them sets-up the game. If only one player is premium, that player will have to set-up the game.
Duel set-up:
New name for the championship: BCOC 2024 + bga-name
Name of the tournament: Group Name + Number of the duel in the group (see groups page with results)
Who can register: Private tournament
Open to players of the group: Carcassonne Belgium
Minimum amount of players: 2
Group stage:
The standard setting for a duel is a 3-game real time swiss-tournament with a 22,5-minute clock for each player. If the duel is decided after 2 games, the 3rd one doesn’t have to be played (and will not be considered if played). Players can both abandon that game.
If both players agree, they can set-up a 5-game real time swiss-tournament with a 22,5-minute clock for each player. (Players who have played for the national team are obliged to agree with a 5-game set-up if this is proposed by their opponent.) This to allow an alternation of the start-player between the first 2 games. The possible third game of a duel will thus decide who will have the start-player advantage 2 times (instead of the first game in the previous edition). Players will have to abandon their second and/or third game of the tournament if the start player stays the same as in game 1. (In case players started playing without alternating the starting player and the starting player can play his/hers 4th tile, play will have to continue and the game will be valid). The 4th (and possible 5th) game of the tournament will have to be played regardless who starts. (TIP: put in the chat who starts the game, so you don’t have to look it up at the end of the game)
The option to abandon a game is available by pressing the menu icon (three horizontal bars) near the top right corner of the game window. If one player selects this option and the other agrees, the game is abandoned.
Play-off stage:
In the play-off stage there is only one possible setting. All best-of-3 duels in the play-offs have to be played according to the rules of the 5-game real time swiss-tournament set-up as described in the Group stage section.
Name of the tournament: Group Name + Number of the duel in the group (see groups page with results)
Who can register: Private tournament
Open to players of the group: Carcassonne Belgium
Minimum amount of players: 2
Group stage:
The standard setting for a duel is a 3-game real time swiss-tournament with a 22,5-minute clock for each player. If the duel is decided after 2 games, the 3rd one doesn’t have to be played (and will not be considered if played). Players can both abandon that game.
If both players agree, they can set-up a 5-game real time swiss-tournament with a 22,5-minute clock for each player. (Players who have played for the national team are obliged to agree with a 5-game set-up if this is proposed by their opponent.) This to allow an alternation of the start-player between the first 2 games. The possible third game of a duel will thus decide who will have the start-player advantage 2 times (instead of the first game in the previous edition). Players will have to abandon their second and/or third game of the tournament if the start player stays the same as in game 1. (In case players started playing without alternating the starting player and the starting player can play his/hers 4th tile, play will have to continue and the game will be valid). The 4th (and possible 5th) game of the tournament will have to be played regardless who starts. (TIP: put in the chat who starts the game, so you don’t have to look it up at the end of the game)
The option to abandon a game is available by pressing the menu icon (three horizontal bars) near the top right corner of the game window. If one player selects this option and the other agrees, the game is abandoned.
Play-off stage:
In the play-off stage there is only one possible setting. All best-of-3 duels in the play-offs have to be played according to the rules of the 5-game real time swiss-tournament set-up as described in the Group stage section.
Push the green button on the next page to open the tournament.
Then the player who has set up the tournament can register for the tournament and has to send and an invitation to their opponent. You can also send a direct link of the tournament through the chat.
*Very important: Both players have to register before the starting time of the tournament!!!
If a duel starts with a wrong tournament set-up, it must be cancelled and a new tournament will have to be set up. Both players have to check if the settings are correct! Duels not played according to the right set-up will have to be replayed.
If you are having problems with setting up a tournament, see “Duels with no premium players involved”.
*Very important: Both players have to register before the starting time of the tournament!!!
If a duel starts with a wrong tournament set-up, it must be cancelled and a new tournament will have to be set up. Both players have to check if the settings are correct! Duels not played according to the right set-up will have to be replayed.
If you are having problems with setting up a tournament, see “Duels with no premium players involved”.
Duels with no premium players involved
If none of the 2 players has a premium account, they will have to contact tournament organiser N2xU through boardgamearena.com or send an e-mail at least 24h before the start of their duel.
A private tournament will be set up for both players involved, starting at their agreed date and time. Please indicate if you have agreed on a 5-game set-up.
*Very important: Both players have to register before the starting time of the tournament!!!
A private tournament will be set up for both players involved, starting at their agreed date and time. Please indicate if you have agreed on a 5-game set-up.
*Very important: Both players have to register before the starting time of the tournament!!!
Additional tournament rules
The help of any kind of tool is not allowed!!! (No scripts, no computer applications, no taking notes on paper…). Help through hints or in any other way from other people during the match is also forbidden. All players have to play their games on their own. A player caught using tools, will be expelled from the competition. If still in the group stage, all results of matches already played by that player will be disregarded.
Discarded Tiles. During a game, if a player can’t legally play their tile, the BGA platform automatically discards it at the beginning of their turn, and the player receives a new tile. The other player, however, does not see this. Although a subtle note is added to the game log, it is not part of the game play, so we ask that you inform your opponent (via the chat window) whenever you discard a tile.
If a player exceeds the allowed game time, the player who runs out of time should concede and loses the game. If that player does not concede the game he must be reminded to do so. (Note that each player’s clock sometimes differ slightly from the server/log clock during a turn, but the time remaining is re-sync’d after each turn.)
For fair play reasons, we request that all games are finished except in the case described above.
Note that if a player runs out of time during a game, it’s a loss for the game (not the entire duel.)
If players do not reach an agreement about date + hour.
If a duel cannot be played due to the absence of one of the two players, the player that has not shown up will lose the duel. Once a tournament starts, there’s about a 5-minute window in which player have to enter before it is automatically finished.
A player who fails to show up for 2 duels in the group stage, will be expelled from the competition. All results of matches already played by that player will be disregarded, Rule addition BCOC 2025: with the following exception: if the annullement of the results of his matches have an impact on the (order of) qualification for the knock-out stage and the expelled player has played his duels against all these players involved, the results of these matches will be nonetheless taken into account to determine the (order of) qualification.
There are no real pauses in between games. There’s about a 5-minute window to enter a next game before the tournament is automatically finished!
Results have to be reported by the winning player by filling in this form.
Discarded Tiles. During a game, if a player can’t legally play their tile, the BGA platform automatically discards it at the beginning of their turn, and the player receives a new tile. The other player, however, does not see this. Although a subtle note is added to the game log, it is not part of the game play, so we ask that you inform your opponent (via the chat window) whenever you discard a tile.
If a player exceeds the allowed game time, the player who runs out of time should concede and loses the game. If that player does not concede the game he must be reminded to do so. (Note that each player’s clock sometimes differ slightly from the server/log clock during a turn, but the time remaining is re-sync’d after each turn.)
For fair play reasons, we request that all games are finished except in the case described above.
Note that if a player runs out of time during a game, it’s a loss for the game (not the entire duel.)
If players do not reach an agreement about date + hour.
- Please send an e-mail if you don’t get a response from the other player.
- Regarding the group stage: The remaining duels have to be played on the final day of this stage at 19u. If a player still has to play 2 duels, the first duel is to be played at 19u against the first drawn player of the group stage draw order and at 21u30 against the last drawn player of the group stage draw order of the others players involved. If more than 1 player of a group still has to play 2 duels, the order of games is decided by group stage draw order. Rule addition BCOC 2025: If no player shows up for the remaining duel, the duel will be considered a 2-0 loss for both players (even in the case one of these players would be expelled from the competition).
- Regarding the play off stage: Duels have to be played at 20u on the final day of that play-off stage.
If a duel cannot be played due to the absence of one of the two players, the player that has not shown up will lose the duel. Once a tournament starts, there’s about a 5-minute window in which player have to enter before it is automatically finished.
A player who fails to show up for 2 duels in the group stage, will be expelled from the competition. All results of matches already played by that player will be disregarded, Rule addition BCOC 2025: with the following exception: if the annullement of the results of his matches have an impact on the (order of) qualification for the knock-out stage and the expelled player has played his duels against all these players involved, the results of these matches will be nonetheless taken into account to determine the (order of) qualification.
There are no real pauses in between games. There’s about a 5-minute window to enter a next game before the tournament is automatically finished!
Results have to be reported by the winning player by filling in this form.
Group Classification
Players will be ranked according to the following parameters in the following order:
- Number of duels won
- Difference between games won and games lost.
- Result of direct confrontation(s)
- Number of duels won
- Difference between games won and games lost.
- Result of direct confrontation(s)
- Number of duels won
- Difference between games won and games lost
- Games won
Group standings can be found and will be updated regularly on this website.
The Winner
The Winner of the BCOC will be officially awarded the title of 'Belgian Carcassonne Online Champion' and all of the accompanying glorious and eternal fame. YEAH!
It also includes a ticket for:
- participation at the next Carcassonne Champions League
- participation at the individual World Championship in Herne/Essen if Team Belgium would be awarded a place there thanks to their results in the WTCOC/ETCOC.
- participation at the next Carcassonne Champions League
- participation at the individual World Championship in Herne/Essen if Team Belgium would be awarded a place there thanks to their results in the WTCOC/ETCOC.
The new Belgian Carcassonne Online Champion and numbers 2 and 3 will be guaranteed a place in Team Belgium for the upcoming World Team Carcassonne Online Championship (WTCOC).
Who do I contact if I have any concerns or questions regarding the tournament?
For any questions, please send a mail to [email protected]
If there is a rules dispute between players, the e-mail will be forwarded to an independent referee. The referee for the BCOC is Kerry Alley (Mingo on BGA), captain of Team USA and an experienced referee (ETCOC 2021)
If there is a rules dispute between players, the e-mail will be forwarded to an independent referee. The referee for the BCOC is Kerry Alley (Mingo on BGA), captain of Team USA and an experienced referee (ETCOC 2021)
Finding your tournament game once it has started.
If you don’t see the game invitation bar as expected, first try refreshing your screen. Note that the invitation bar is never visible when you are at a game table (i.e. spectating or playing a game), and will not reappear if you are disconnected from BGA after the invitation bar has appeared and before following the link. There are several ways to find your game if you believe it has started but cannot find the invitation:
1. If your opponent has already joined the game, you can navigate to your opponent’s profile page and find their status: “Online Playing now at:” with a link to the Carcassonne game table (indicated with a blue arrow in the figure below). A similar link appears on your own profile page once you have joined the table.
2. Send a personal message to your opponent and ask them for the link (if they have already joined the game)
3. Find the game listed at the bottom of the tournament page. The game is also a link to the game table, as illustrated in the figure below. It might take several clicks to take you to the game table.
3. Find the game listed at the bottom of the tournament page. The game is also a link to the game table, as illustrated in the figure below. It might take several clicks to take you to the game table.
4. Sometimes you can find a link to your game in your list of ‘Games in progress’ available via an icon near the the top right corner of your window, or from your profile page. (icon and list of games in progress shown in the figures below).