The following rules do not describe a precise event idea, but a matchup system. However, some ideas can be based on it, so I posted it here.
Synchronous Speed Swiss SystemThe 4S is a system for tournaments and events, assuming there are no deckbuilding or rules changes between two rounds. In other words, this system allows players to fight as soon as they ended their previous match.
It involves a barely more complex organization than the classical matchups. The work can be split between the contestants.
How does it work ? Contestants are split in Tiers. Tiers are defined by a criteria (wins, points, whatever groups the same-level players) which must fulfill the condition : "After a battle, two players must belong to different Tiers". Each Tier is basically a list of players. #1 and #2 fight, #3 and #4 fight, etc. At the end of the battles, the two players add their name at the end of the list of their respective new Tiers.
With this basic principle, various Tier criteria and final rankings, many types of matchups can occur. Let's try with a few examples.
Example 1 : Double-elimination TournamentThere are only two Tiers : Winners Tier (WT) and Losers Tier (LT). All players start in WT. The criteria is :
Win : WT -> WT, LT -> LTLoss : WT -> LT, LT -> elimination
Step 1
WT : A B C D E F G H I
LT : (empty)
A-B C-D E-F G-H
Step 2
WT : A B C D E F G H I A D E G
LT : B C F H
I-A D-E B-C F-H
Step 3
WT : A B C D E F G H I A D E G I E
LT : B C F H C A D H
G-I C-A D-H
... and so on, until one player remains in both Tiers.
Example 2 : RaceTiers are defined by the number of wins. All players start in Tier 0. The criteria is :
Win : Tier N -> Tier N+1Loss : Tier N -> Tier N
Players are eliminated when they're alone in the lower Tier. The race ends when a certain number of players have been eliminated.
Step 1 : 16 0Step 2 : 8 8 0Step 3 : 4 8 4 0Step 4 : 2 6 6 2 0Step 5 : (1) 4 6 4 1 0Step 6 : 0 2 5 5 3 0Step 7 : 0 (1) 4 5 4 1 0Step 8 : 0 0 2 5 4 3 0
... and so on.
The 4S matchups can evolve in real time or step-by-step, depending if the number of matches played matters or not. Usually you'll choose step-by-step if you risk elimination after several losses, and real time otherwise.
The main problem of 4S is the players ending up alone in their Tiers. The solution ? Simply change the criteria, as long as it still meets the main condition (two fighting players must end up in different Tiers).
4S is still a rough idea, any comments and suggestions will be greatly appeciated. Thanks !
