Subject: $0.02 on what-to-do-about-cheating
Date: 19 Jul 1998 21:09:08 -0400
From: denelsbe@cs.unc.edu (Kevin Denelsbeck)
Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy

I just read Dan Gray's article on the Dojo and I'm glad to hear that
Guidelines are in the works.  Perhaps these Guidelines will be in the
form of "legal decisions" (like the U.S. courts use) which cite
previous rulings as precedents.  In this day and age, dissemination of
new rulings should be able to be done very quickly.

In that vein, it strikes me that the reason that we don't see harsher
penalties at Big Tournaments is because there's a lot of money at stake
and the DCI doesn't want to get into a messy court case.  To some degree,
understandable.  If this is indeed is the problem (and I certainly think
it's something to consider), why not get players to sign an agreement
when entering a DCI-sanctioned tournament?  Just put a brief statement
(with a signature line) on the decklist sheet that says something like:

        "I agree to abide by the decisions of the Head Judge and the
        Judging staff, and not pursue legal recourse for monies,
        prizes, or qualifications that I deem lost due to incompetent
        judging or incorrect rulings made during the tournament.  I
        understand that I may, through a formal process [specifics from
        floor rules or whatever] lodge appeals with the DCI if I feel
        unfairly treated by the Head Judge and judging staff during this
        tournament."

If a player doesn't sign the agreement, he/she can't play in the
tournament.  Perhaps make him/her sign it in front of a judge when the
decklist is turned in.  Once the agreement is signed, the judges can
have a clearer conscience about penalizing appropriately, especially
if there are legitimate fears that a penalized player would otherwise
sue.

The appeal process is already in place, I think, but it would be
interesting if a sort of "Supreme Court" of Level 4 judges made
adjudications of the icky cases.

Does this sound extreme?  I hope not.  Heck, look at the back of the
average pro baseball stadium ticket -- it explicitly states that the
bearer of the ticket can't sue for damages if hit by a foul ball or
errant bat.  In a society as litigious as ours, this statement is
absolutely necessary.

Kevin

--
Kev @ UNC                  _|_     HILLARY: Some things are better left unsaid.
denelsbeATcsDOTuncDOTedu    |      NICK: Like what?
www.cs.unc.edu/~denelsbe    |
GO HEELS!                  /"\      -- from "Top Secret!"