We're so glad you have joined our team and welcome!!
You will start out as a TD. Down the road with hard work and diligence you can advance to Head TD. Keep in mind a lot of thing are considered when promoting to HTD and not everyone will make it that far but every TD is a valued part of the team.
Head TDs are game administrators. These hosts are in charge of various games and have extra duties.
Some of the Head TDs are also League Admins. They have several areas of responsibilty that they cover to ensure that the league runs smoothly. Our job as Admins is to ensure our league does not overstep the boundaries of Cases or POGO's rules, that everyone has everything at their disposal to be successful as a host and that all games are hosted in a fair manner for all of our players.
You will be contacted by one of our trainers to start the training process. Our training pages have been created to assist you in your training and hopefully provide you with all the information and materials you will require to be the best Host you can be. We ask that you read these and of course go over any concerns or questions with the Trainer. As a new TD you are not expected to know everything on these pages prior to starting to host. Don't be overwhelmed, some of the pages contain information that you will require once you advance from S/E's, begin to host Swiss tournaments and in some of the more difficult games to host.
Should any host have any problems/concerns/suggestions/complaints etc the appropriate way to communicate that is via the Contact Admin link on the left hand side of the league page. Quite often someone will make the decision to become a TD only to find that it's not for them if this happens to you simply Contact Admin let us know and you can be taken down. Don't fret no one will be upset or disappointed in ya and you can of course remain as a player!
It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain a league as big as The Twisted Raiders is. We have such a big admin crew because we trust each of them to be able to handle things for the league. They are extremely capable of making the right decisions. The Admins know exactly what the policies, views and opinions are on how the league should operate and they share the same ones as the Head Admins. That being said, their answer is going to be the same as the HA's 99.99% of the time.
Please respect the Admins, HTD’s and your fellow TD’s when they are having their fun time and playing. Do not attempt to discuss league business with them at these times (unless there is an IMMEDIATE emergency that requires us to address with a CURRENT tourney in progress). If any Admin, HTD or TD is in a NON-RAIDER room respect this as they are wanting some quiet time and please do not disturb them.
We wish you well in your journey with us and welcome to The Twisted Raiders team.
Your Admin Team
TD Conduct:
* Please read all of Cases Ladder Rules along with TD Welcome Letter. It is very important that you follow all the rules of Cases Ladder so you do not jeopardize your hosting position.
Courtesy~~ Please treat the players and other hosts with the respect and courtesy that you would like to be shown. Saying please, thank you, wtg, etc. go a long way to make this enjoyable for them. We'd rather not have anyone feel like they are being yelled at or that we as hosts are being demanding. Make sure you are polite and "gentle" as possible. Remember a lot of players are unfamiliar with the tourney process and need to be assisted in a respectful manner.
Explicit Jokes & Swearing~~ Please keep the explicit jokes and swearing to a minimum. Many players are offended due to religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation, etc. Please note that there are under age people in the rooms also. People can and do report incidences to POGO and they can suspend or ban your membership as we do not play in uncensored rooms. Try not to let the innuendos get too out of hand, especially during the day. Under no circumstances will racial slurs or jokes be tolerated. Any report and verification of this will result in your removal as TD!
No arguing with players~~ Under no circumstance should the hosts be arguing or debating with the players over any issue, scores, etc. in main chat. This only makes you lose control of the lobby and forces players to chose sides. Take the player or players to private chat immediately. If necessary, grab another host or administrator to assist you. Do NOT talk down to any players or publicly reprimand them this is extremely embarrassing for both you and the player.
Picking on Fellow Hosts~~While it is fun to rib a fellow TD and have a little fun with them, remember there's a time and a place for everything. Please do not interefere while a TD is collecting tokens or giving results. This only prolongs the time of a tourney and can annoy players as well. We were all new once, please show some courtesy while they are learning how to run a tourney properly.
Solicitation~~ Never discuss our league in a non-Twisted Raiders room!! You can not mention the league, its address or anything regarding it in a non-Raider room. If a friend of yours asks, take them to PC to tell them.
Roomies~~ Please, please, please remember, that not all the roomies are in our league and may not understand what is going on, ie. holding chat. Be patient and explain to them that the rules are for the Twisted Raiders. They will probably become members if you just show them common courtesy. If you encounter a hostile roomie, try not to let it escalate to a lounge war. If the player remains disruptive, ask all Raiders to mute that player by right clicking the players name, in the who's here box and choosing mute. You can also tell the disruptive player to feel free to mute you so they will not see all of your chat.
General Conduct~~Admins/HTDs/TDs should never publicly or privately insult, bash, gossip, name call, or criticize a fellow admin/htd/td, member, player or the league in general. As well, please do not discuss league business in the tourney rooms, players do not need to know or necessarily care about league business. This should be done in pc, IM or via the contact admin link.
Playing in Tours~~The TD who is currently hosting the game is in "charge" in the room. If you are in a tour, you are considered a player, not a host. Please allow them to direct the room and run their tour. Unsolicitated help/advise is rarely wanted, needed or appreciated! If you have a problem with how a fellow TD is running a tour, please contact an Admin or HTD immediately if the room is becoming disruptive over their actions; otherwise use the contact admin link.
Main Chat Issues~~ If you correct, harass, reprimand, embarass, insult, bully or argue with a td in main chat you will be removed as a host. A TD does have the right to eject you from their tourney and future tourneys they host! Granted they will have to present proof and this action should not be done lightly only if this person has seriously caused problems. Harassment of players, tds, htds and admins is a clear violation of the league rules.
DQ'S:
Player must List their own score~~ If a player is not available to give their starting score: Check if player is in the room and if they are, try and get their attention. If no response, simply advise that player X will be on DQ timer (game specific) once the round starts. Attempt to get their attention while they are on timer. After the time has expired, advise them professionally that they are dq'd and that their opponent does not need to report. At the stop, players must report their own final tokens, tokens given by another player will not be accepted.
Substitute Players/Subbing~~ Twisted Raiders does not allow players to "sub" for each other at any time or under any circumstances. The player registered for the tourney is to play for themself. If they cannot complete the tourney then they should withdraw to avoid loss in their standings.
Enforce DQ's~~ Please enforce the DQ's when it's obvious the player(s) are being difficult and breaking rules, ie. hold chat. It's fair to give warnings but at some time we simply must DQ when its apparent that the player is simply not listening or being disruptive.
Player cheating~~ When player is asked to stop, they must stop playing and present tokens. If player is in spin, game specific in macs, they must announce spin and report tokens immediately on completion of spin. No player is to list score and play another 30 seconds or so and then report a new score. If you feel a player is cheating, do not confront them in the room, contact admin with details.
NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER POGO DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY UPDATE STATS (EXCEPT YOUR OWN) AS PLAYERS ARE PLAYING ON DIFFERENT POGO SERVERS THEY UPDATE AT DIFFERENT TIME INTERVALS. IF A PLAYER QUESTIONS WHETHER THEIR OPPONENT IS PLAYING PLEASE ADVISE THEM OF THIS. THIS IS NO INDICATION OF CHEATING.
Tokie Reporting~~If a player gives you a score before the token line and a corrected score AFTER the token line, the FIRST score is what we use. The only exception is a typo, ie. 34505 should have been 35405. Tokens must be reported after the word STOP and before the token line. If a player manages to post their score between the STOP and "Twisted Raiders please report..." their score is to be accepted, because it is after the word stop.
Report any DQ's/Room Issues~~ ALL TD's are to report to Admins., via the admin link, concerning any players that are DQ'd . Any problems you have with a player in a game needs to be reported to us as well. Please don't let us hear about it from the players. Please give us the players exact name, the tourney in which it happened and describe what occurred. Screen shots are very helpful with regards to incidents and problems occuring in chat.
TD Rules and Policies:
General help on hosting~~Please email any HTD, preferably a Trainer, as this is their specialty and they are there to assist you. Please do not IM Admins/HTDs or TD for assistance in training or specials help, unless there is an IMMEDIATE emergency that requires our assistance with a CURRENT tourney in progress, or you have been asked to contact someone by IM.
Updating Macs~~ Macs are constantly changing, please make sure that you have the right ones for the games you are hosting in. When new macs are available, you will be notified by email and must upload the new file immediately. If you need assistance please get with a training TD. Incorrect macs will not be tolerated and can result in suspension or dismissal.
Rule Macs~~THE RULES MUST BE RUN BEFORE EACH GAME AND PRIOR TO CLOSE. This will prevent any arguing from members saying "I didn't know." Also, this will give them the opportunity to withdraw if they would like. With this being a Multi-Gaming League, we will have members from other games/leagues coming in to play in a tourney for the first time, therefore they may be unsure of how to play the game, report, etc.
Changing of Rules~~ League Rules and Game Rules are in place for a reaon. The Macs clearly indicate how each game should be run. If you do not like the rules in a game by all means utilize the Contact Admin link and we will review them and/or explain the reasons for why they are how they are. Any member attempting to get a TD to change the rules will be considered cheating and ejected from the league. Mind you they can make suggestions which you may forward on via Contact Admin.
Room Arrival Time~~ TD's are to be in their tournament room 20 minutes prior to the starting time of the tourney. This will allow you to advertise your tourney in the room and assist any newbies or any new joiners prior to the start time. We ask that you run the Join the Twisted Raiders mac at least once!
Tour Start Times~~ Please do not start your tourney until 5 minutes past the scheduled start time to allow any late comers to show. Do NOT start it any later than 10 minutes past the scheduled start time. If someone is having problems joining or registering, apologize to them and state that you must start to keep on schedule. Advise them when the next tourney is, where to find the tourney schedule and ensure they get the help they need.
Do not sign in other players ~~ You cannot sign players into your tourneys for any reason. Cases can and will flag your account. (They track ya by your ISP addy and yep they can tell!) Cases may also flag the tourney as a fradulent tourney and negate the outcome as well both players can be banned from Cases and can result in the league getting into trouble.
Withdrawing Players ~~ The only time a TD should remove a player from a tournament is if a player did not show for the start and is still missing from the room at the end of round 1. If a player asks the TD to remove them, we are now asking that the players remove themselves. They do this the same way they register, except it will give them the option to withdraw. Reasons being; there is no way that a TD will remove the wrong player or if they change their mind between the time they ask you and you actually remove them, there can be no complaint. Once a tourney has started the bux cannot be refunded.
Withdrawing Yourself~~Please be courteous and do not enter a tour that you cannot complete. Use these timeframes to judge your time. S/E: 1 hour, Swiss: 1.5 hours, D/E: 3 hours. This is approximately how long a tourney takes.
Possible Player Cheating~~ If a player pc's you and states that they think their opponent may not be spinning or cheating thank them for the information. Advise them that you will advise an admin and it will be investigated. If there are more rounds in the tourney, keep an eye on the players stats and report your findings. You are to contact Admins via the admin link and we WILL investigate. If a player is found to be not spinning or cheating they will be boxed or disqualified from play.
Announcing your tournaments~~ You can announce your tournament, however, do not run your macs in any of our league rooms where a tourney is currently in progress. POGO does allow us to run tourneys, use macs, etc. However, too much spamming is not allowed and POGO can suspend or ban your POGO membership, or the league through Cases if too many complaints received. We also have roomies that are not league members and they do get tired of the constant running of macs. Therefore, you can always just type, ie. Come join me in Vaults @ 300 Hope to see you there!
Advertising/Soliciting your Friends~~ You may not advertise tourneys via email or POGO mail as you may inadvertantly send it to other league's members and this violates Case's Rules. You may send out invitations to a tourney to Twisted Raiders members only via POGO mail. Please make sure you only instant message and invite members of our league. If you make a mistake you will be held accountable for any brought to our attention by other league admins.
Less than 4 Players~~ If your tourney is short people, it is acceptable to use messenger to ask for players. However, we ask that you wait until approximately 5 minutes prior to your start time to do this. We don't want to annoy players with too many messages!
Spin/Play~~ Players are allowed to spin/play between rounds. The only exceptions are special tournaments and tournaments with over 30 players. YOU MUST LET THEM KNOW IN ADVANCE!
Hosting exclusively for Twisted Raiders~~ One thing we do ask of any Admin, HTD or TD is to not become a TD for another league under the name you use for Twisted Raiders. The players look for us on their friends list and follow us. If they see us hosting for another league, it can lead them to another league and make them think that we can not provide them with the fun and tournaments in our own league! The whole purpose of the Twisted Raiders being a multi-game league is to provide both the players and TD's many options in which to play and host. While we prefer you host exclusively for Twisted Raider, if you have another POGO ID of which the Twisted Raider players are not aware of and you fulfill your commitments to us, we then will accept your hosting in other league's games. Please make sure you let us know the TD name and league so if any issues arise between the leagues we can effectively resolve the situation.
Playing in other leagues~~ Due to different levels or responsibilty there are different guidelines for Admin, HTDs and TDs regarding playing in other leagues.
Admins~ As the main representives for the league we ask that Admins not play in other leagues under the same Pogo ID. IF we have permitted this in certain circumstances it is only allowed if all Raiders are blocked from friends list on POGO.
HTD's~ Head TD's are who we consider when we have available Admin positions. While we allow an HTD to play in other leagues we would consider it a conflict of interest during the consideration process. We would appreciate any HTD that is using the same Pogo ID to block Raiders from their friends list on Pogo.
TD's~ Although we allow TDs to play in other leagues it is something we consider when looking at promoting TD's to HTD's. We do consider it a conflict of interest however, we understand players have friends in different leagues. We would appreciate any TD that is using the same Pogo ID to block Raiders from their friends list on Pogo.
Please be aware that we must hold you accountable for any complaints filed by other leagues regarding you and/or Raiders that have followed you into another league so make sure you follow Case's rules. Do NOT solicate their players to our league or our players to their league as this is a serious Case's violation.
If it is discovered that a ADMIN/HTD/TD is an ADMIN/HTD/TD on another league and it is causing a conflict of interest or problems between the leagues we will have no opition but to remove that person.
If you have any concerns about playing/hosting in other leagues, please use the Contact Admin button on the left side of the page and we will address them.
Scheduling Tournaments:
Be courteous~~ Try and be courteous to each other. At this time there is NO limit on the amount of tourneys you can scheduled in advance or per day. You can always throw another one up if there is a demand and time allows. You must allow 2 hours between same game tours. Remember we have more than 1 room in Dice City, Lottso and Bingo! The only exception is Lottso, Bingo and Dice City where an hour is acceptable. Just keep in mind you are responsible for hosting them. Moving too many tourneys is not acceptable, as it blocks space in advance that other TD's could have booked. Please note that the tourney calendar is sent out nightly to our members and should remain accurate.
Moving tourneys~~ We ask that you not move a tourney on the day it is scheduled unless not enough players have registered at 15 mins past scheduled start time. If you have to move it, please notify us via the admin link with the tourney moved and reason. If any players are registered, they must be removed and the tourney cancelled! DO NOT MOVE A TOURNEY IF ANY1 HAS JUMPED ~ DELETE IT. If for some reason you will not be able to administer your tourney, please contact an HTD to cover for you. Please try and notify someone as soon as you are aware and move the tourney only as a last resort. Players look at the calendar and plan when they will play, even if they have not registered. Move them too much and they will stop playing!
Too much is not a good thing~~ Moving or deleting too many tournaments will result in a warning. If a host moves more than 10% of their tours they scheduled for the week, they will be put on vacation for one week. It is not fair to the other hosts for one host to prepost a bunch of tourneys then to move them and/or not show up to host them. If it still continues, it will result in the removal of TD privileges.
5 minute rounds ~~ This is an option you can use, however, you need to post a tournament message and let the players know in advance. Do not change round times mid-way through a tournament! Some players feel this is cheating them out of a win or the opportunity to get a win. Make sure you announce it in the lobby prior to the start of the tournament as well.
Seeding~~ Change seeding from ranking to random. This is located when you go into administer a tourney, on the right hand side near the bottom of the page. This the fairest way for Cases to set-up pairings.
Room Hopping~~ Since we are multi-league, we have a lot of td's that host in multiple games and have pre-booked tourneys. Please be courteous of the scheduled tourneys and don't take the players with you from room to room or ask them to leave one tourney for another. After midnight this is usually the way things are done due to lack of available players, but again try not to step on toes and if another tourney is scheduled, why not have everyone jump there then continue on!
Minimal Tours~~All of the players and the rest of the team are depending on you. We ask that you host 3 tourneys per week, then as many more as you would like. Please advise via the Contact Admin link if you are unable to host for any length of time. If you are having computer issues and cannot advise that way, please call any one of the Admins. If you do not send in a notification and are mia for 14 days you will be sent an email and must respond or you will be placed on vacation status. While on vacation status you are unable to host or play in tourneys. If no confirmation as to why you are unable to host is received within 21 days you will be removed as a TD.
Congratulations on all your hard work and your advancement in the league!!
All of the above guidelines of course still apply, however, fellow hosts will now call on you at times to offer them guidance.
We promote TDs up to Head TDs when that host has exhibited dedication. loyalty and exemplary behaviour in rooms, have a strong grasp of the rules & games and have the availablity and time to offer more assistance to the league. Head Td's become Game Admins not to be confused with League Administrators.
Game Admins~~ You will be in charge of a game or games; sometimes you will share these duties with a fellow HTD. Your responsibility is to try and keep your game active and come up with new and exciting specials in your game. Please do not think that it is your sole reponsibility to host these games. Any host is allowed to host in these games, once they fully complete training.
Hosting Responsibilities~~ As an HTD you're still responsible to host tourneys. If an HTD does not host within a 21 day time period they will lose their HTD status unless Admin has been informed of the situation. If after 30 days a tourney has still not been hosted, they will be removed as a TD. Please make sure if you cannot host, that you notify admin in writing via the contact admin off the main page.
Rules/Mac Changes~~ The Game admins do not have the authority to change any of the rules/macs for their games; they are meant to be uniform and fair. They should not be changed unless it's for an approved special tourney. If you do not like the rules in a game by all means utilize the Contact Admin button and we will review them and/or explain the reasons for why they are how they are.
Filling in for Another Host~~ With your head td advancement you have the ability to fill in for another host in an emergency. We do ask that you Contact Admin when you do this so we can track for trends. That way down the road we don't hear complaints that so and so is not hosting their tours.
TD Helper~~ As an HTD you'll spend some of your time helping out other TDs. They may need help learning how to host in your game, tips on hosting, advice or just a ear to listen, whatever the situation your expected to act the part with dignity and kindness. If it's out of your area then advise them to use the Contact Admin link. NEVERRR allow yourself to get into a he-said she-said drama gossip situation... although we allow drinkin.. smokin.. partying we do NOT ever condone drama!
As Admins of the league our responsibilities are to ensure that we follow Case's Policies, POGO's rules and ensure that both our TD team and players have fun while playing and touring! The guidelines apply to the TD and moreso to the Admins. As such it is up to us to set an example with our behavior on how to act and react to situations that may occur. As an Admin you have certain powers that TD's and HTD's do not have and it is up to us to use them wisely and without a "Hammer" mentality.
Every Admins responsibilites also include assisting TD's, HTD's, fellow Admins and players when called upon. The purpose of the league and tourneys is to have fun playing the games you like, with friends and acquiantances in a pleasant and fun atmosphere! Unfortunately, problems will occur between players, TD's and players and even occasionally between TD's. We have generally been very lucky and have had to "boot" very few players or TD's from the league. But, it does happen occasionally and as an Admin you do have the abilities to box or ban a player. This is not a move taken lightly and may be best decided in consultation with several other Admin. However, there will be times when that option is not available and the player has made the decision for you. There is absolutely no tolerance of racial slurs or jokes, abuse of TD's or fellow players whatsoever, or excessive and crude language. Incidents such as these result in immediate removal and bannishment from the league.
You may be called on to intercede when there is an issue in a game room, calm the room and take those involved to PC. While it is impossible to list every problem or incident that may occur, use your best judgement and try to solve the situation without offending or berating the TD and the players involved, especially in main chat. The rules are in place for a reason and that is to ensure fair play for all players and to make the TD's job easier. The game rules are to be enforced and if the issue involves breaking those rules your decision is easy. Most players will accept they broke the rules and have to be DQ'd for that round if it is explained why the rules are in place. If the issue involves cheating it gets a little more complicated. Unless the stats clearly show that a player has not been playing it is a judgement call. Therefore, if there is an accusation of cheating, please assure the player that it will be looked into and monitored. As well, please ensure that all Admins are notified in order to monitor the player. There is an option in the Admin menu to put comments on a players record. Please note any occurances there as it is our way to monitor players and problems. This tool can be used ultimately to decide if a player should be boxed or banned for re-occuring complaints or problems.
The rules and guidelines outlined for the TD's and HTD's also apply to the Admin team and are to be followed. If you find that we have missed something in them, please make sure to advise us and we will make sure it is added.
As Admins, we are also looked upon as ambassadors for the league and it is our responsibility to ensure it is run accordingly.
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