^®
2011 Schedule

The final schedule for 2011 is:

The big change this year is the elimination of the second demo and the return of the last heat and final rounds to Friday evening to accommodate Adel Verpflichtet's move back to Saturday evening.

If a fourth round is necessary (see Format) the final will be held at the convenience of the finalists and GM (or on Sunday at 11 am if no other option can be agreed upon). Note: A fourth round has not been necessary since the introduction of the five-player game into tournament play!

Flexible Second Round

Winners may play a second round game (semi- or quarter-final) at any scheduled heat time by notifying the GM! Five qualified players must be available. As a result, it is possible to play in the semi-final round more than once (as many players, including myself, have done in previous years). This is a scheduling and a competitive advantage to players who play in the early heats! Make the most of it.

Beginner Instruction Sessions

One hour preceding the Tuesday night heat (at 9 pm), there will be a one-hour rules and strategy session in the same location where the heat will be held. All inexperienced players are encouraged to attend -- and then to immediately play in the heat!  If you want to learn Gangsters strategy, this is the best place to be.  Rules will be taught by video for beginners at each heat.

Timetable

Game length is two and three-quarters hours even though the program shows three. To facilitate that, each heat will be run on the following timetable:

Times are based on the scheduled heat time (e.g., -0:15 means fifteen minutes prior to the heat's scheduled start; 0:07 means seven minutes after the heat's scheduled start). A clock with the official tournament time will be available at the kiosk. Those arriving after registration closes (0:05) will be allowed to play only if they can round up three additional players; such games will still be held to the 2:45 completion deadline.

The semi-final (and quarter-finals, if needed) will run on the same timetable. No second round game will be allowed to run longer.  The final will be allowed to run to completion regardless of length (unless a majority of finalists wish to limit the game to the standard timetable prior to the start of the game).

15-Minute Warning: At the 15-minute warning, players continue to play until every player has had one more turn and every player has had the same total number of turns.  At the moment of the warning, a turn is judged to have begun if the dice have been rolled.

Timers: The GM will provide timers for each game that doesn't have one. The use of a two-minute timer is mandatory.  Playing without a timer needlessly slows the game, consumes convention time, requires games to be scored using tie-breakers more often, and hurts players who adopt long-term strategies.  I've played in five-hour games of Gangsters when not using a timer.  The timer literally cuts playing time in half and doubles the excitement level!

Announcement Sheet: To permit a longer playing time, the normal announcements will be available on a small flyer. A quick summary will allow tournament veterans to learn the changes in less than one minute. New players will need to take a few minutes to review the pre-convention newsletter. By using this sheet, the GM will make few (if any) announcements at the start of the round -- allowing the playing to begin earlier!