It's getting close to Gencon, and my friends and I are first time goers. We are all competing in the 2v2. It's been a point of debate as to what the 'table talk' rules are with your teammate. If there are any tourney vets out there, could you help us with these rules?

Also, can one move cards, say, from a joust deck to a melee deck, or does each deck have to be constructed fully the whole show?

If there are any other tricky rules out there that we might not be implimenting that we will encounter at Gencon, let us know! We don't want to be 'the noobs' and ruin super fun times.

Thanks!

anavasoothed said:

I'll leave the table talk question to someone who's actually played in a 2v2 tournament.... I have never seen any rule about any deckbuilding restrictions across joust and melee so you should be able to move cards around between events. They are basically separate events other than the fact that the combined standings are used to determine the overall champion.

I am trying to remember tricky rules issues that I encountered the first time I went to a tournament. One thing that was a little awkward at first was discovering that a lot players like to use their own power counters. Casually, the people I play with usually just use one set of power counters so we can hand power back and forth during power challenges. You need to keep track of power being added/removed when both players are using their own counters. The only other thing I can think to say right now is to communicate clearly because some players' styles might be different and timing for responses can occasionally become an issue.

Also, related to communicating clearly - don't play slow but take your time making decisions. Your opponents will be probably less forgiving about backing up the game if you forget to do something. You may feel like you are usually pretty good about remembering things, but playing in a new setting against an opponent with unfamiliar game slang and mannerisms can provide a lot distractions and you may find yourself forgetting to do your third challenge or missing a chance to bring something out of Shadows, etc.

I can't think of any other big rules issues. If you read this forum regularly, you should be in good shape. There is another recent thread here on timing and who gets the first action/response which you might want to review. You will probably come across little tricks while playing. I learned about the way Wildfire Assault works "Cannot be killed" during my first tournament.....

In general, table-talk and deal making is allowed, but hidden information cannot be divulged.

For example: "Partner, doing your military attack against Jeff would be a good idea right now" is usually allowed. Or "If you attack Jeff, I can help boost the STR with my LIV" (assuming LIV is on the table).

But "Partner, doing your military attack against Jeff would be a good idea right now because I have 'You Writ Small' in my hand to help" is not allowed.

ktom said:

Actually, there is no rule against telling someone what is in your hand or verbally divulging hidden information (because you could be lying!). There is a rule against SHOWING someone what is in your hand and unrevealed cards. This actually happened in a Melee game at Gencon last year. One of my opponent's asked Nate if he could whisper something to one of the other players at the table. Nate ruled that it was ok as long as they never showed each other their hands. Here is the actual rule from the rulebook.

During a Melee game, players may discuss the game
with one another, at any time. Of course, there is no
guarantee that any given player is telling the truth,
and the wise AGoT player takes everything that is
said with a grain of salt. Players are not allowed,
however, to show the contents of their hand, deck, or
unrevealed plot cards to an opponent, unless a card
effect or game effect instructs them to do so.

The question is, is the 2 vs 2 tournament considered a variant of Melee or a variant of Joust?

I think there is no reason to forbid to say what you've got in your hand to the other players (the same in joust). You can lie, it is a part of the table talk. We always play like that in France and there's no matter with this. You can even say what you saw in another player's hand after a confession. But it is better to deal it than giving it for free and you can be sure the victim won't make a deal with you in this game... The table talk is what give its savior to melee, it would be a pity to put restrictions on it.

All this discussion on GenCon makes me sad that I can't go lol. Definitely next year though!

interesting.

To be clear, it's ok to whisper, "Hey partner I'll be revealing wildfire assault for my next plot." Or even better, table tapping or coded talk to suggest a move; is that appropriate?

But it is not ok to simply reveal a plot card or card from your hand to your partner during the previous turn?

Are plot card orders typically organized by a team before a game to make table talk in such a way obsolete?

To Fatmouse: I am really excited about it, but I'll be missing that kidney..

This 2 vs 2 tourney at Gencon is the first such tournament at Gencon of its kind for Thrones. So we can't honestly answer some of your questions. 2 vs 2 isn't quite Melee, so perhaps not all of the Melee table talking is allowed. I don't know really. In a Melee game, all of your suggestions regarding tapping and communicating would be just fine. But in 2 vs 2, I have no idea .

I'm not familiar with the tournament rules ...

... but as far as I'm concerned, you can talk about anything you want ... as long as you're not revealing any cards that are supposed to be in a "secreted" place like your hand, or the face down plot cards, or your draw deck. As someone else essentially said making deals, lying, intimidation, and all that is pretty much part of the game, especially in a melee / multiplayer format.

Dobbler said:

I had not considered that. Hmm. Well I'll devise a top secret communication just in case