Chess Clocks

We appreciate that with a game as complex as Warhammer 40000 you may need time to think and consider your moves carefully. You also have to ensure that both you and your opponent have that luxury of time and so we split the time evenly using a chess clock. For our event:

• The use of a chess clock is mandatory for all games.
  • These will be provided to you.
• Both players are responsible for the time on the clock being correct.
  • It is your shared responsibility to ensure that the clock is on the correct player at all times.
• Players have all the time on their clock to finish their game.
  • While we would hope that the players have managed their time and do not need to play in a rushed fashion at any point, as long as a player has time left on a clock he can start a turn.
• If you feel for any reason that the clock is being mismanaged by your opponent then you should CALL A REFEREE IMMEDIATELY.
  • If a referee is not spoken to at the time it happens, we have no chance of resolving an issue
• Failure to use the clock in a way that complies with our sportsmanship policies can carry a penalty depending on the severity of the situation.
  • Examples:
    • Attempting to use the clock as a weapon
    • Not switching the clock back to you or your opponent in a timely fashion
    • Perceived malicious use of the clock and other situations
• Players are not allowed to pause the clock at any time
  • Pausing the clock may only be done by a referee if they feel it is necessary during a game
  • A player pausing the clock at any time is a foul
  • In addition to any penalty applied, the referee may adjust the clock to establish what they feel is the correct game state.

Chess clock setup

• The rounds will last 3 hours.
  • This includes time for you and your opponent to ensure that:
    • All objectives are in place
    • Terrain is set correctly
    • Each other is aware of any rules they need to know about your respective armies
• Once you have done all of the above:
  1. Take the time remaining in the round (you can find this on BCP)
  2. Remove 5 minutes as a safeguard in case a referee needs to be called to the table to help resolve something that may require a pause to the clock briefly
  3. Divide the remaining time between both players equally.

Chess clock setup example

Neil and Tom are playing each other

1. After going to their table and setting up the game they have 2 hours and 50 minutes left
2. To avoid any sportsmanship issues, and to ensure a good game can be had by both players, they
   • Talk through each army and what it does
   • Disclose any
   • Proxies
   • Count-as models
   • Models whose equipment is not modeled correctly
3. There is now 2 hours and 45 minutes left in the round
4. They take 5 minutes off the round time for a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes for actual gameplay
5. Divide the time equally to both have 1 hour and 20 minutes to play
6. They then start the game normally

Swapping the chess clock

During the game players are free to swap the clock back and forth so that the active player is using their time for their actions.

• The chess clock should be active for phases in each player’s own turn
• The chess clock should be active for a player doing actions in an opponent’s turn, which include, but not are limited to:
  • Rolling armour saves or other things like Feel No Pain mechanics
  • Removing casualties
  • Time to consider use of a stratagem or ability
  • Time to resolve the use of a stratagem or ability
  • Acting in phases such as close combat, interventions, reactionary abilities such as shoot on death, and so on
  • Moving away from the table for any reason
• Players are encouraged to discuss how they will handle different situations prior to starting the game
  • Be aware that when the game time is running low these are more likely to happen
• When finishing actions, players should ensure that the clock is switched back to the active player’s time
  • Continued failure to do so may incur a penalty (see Penalties)

Time reaching 0:00

If a player’s time reaches 0:00:

• They are unable to act
• If they are in the middle of a turn they stop playing immediately
• They may
  • Make saving throws and Feel No Pain rolls
  • Take morale tests
  • Score objectives that they hold
  • Score secondaries that they are eligible to score
• They may not
  • Fight back in combat
  • Move
  • Shoot
  • Use command phase buffs
  • Take any other action that would require the player to make a decision
• They must make all efforts to complete any rolls as quickly as they can so as not to use any additional time where possible
  • Failure to do so will incur a penalty (see Penalties)

Allowing opponents to continue playing

A player may, at their own discretion, allow an opponent to play on, despite them having no time left. This can be rescinded at any point without incurring a sportsmanship penalty. It is each player’s obligation to complete their half of the game in a timely manner, not to let others have more time than they have been allocated.