Warning Guidelines

Infraction	Penalty	Things to Keep in Mind
Gameplay Disruptions
Minor Gameplay Error A simple, honest gameplay mistake was made, and it only takes the judge a minute or two to identify and correct the error	None, but a reminder to be more careful about following the rules might be a good idea	If the player keeps making these mistakes, then issuing Normal Warnings is appropriate.
Intermediate Gameplay Error A larger gameplay mistake or multiple smaller mistakes were made, and it takes the judge a decent amount of time to correct the error, possibly necessitating a time extension for the game	Normal Warning	A time extension should be about the same amount of time that it took for the judge to correct the error, up to a maximum of 5 minutes. If it takes longer than 5 minutes to correct the error, then this might actually be a significant gameplay error (see below).
Significant Gameplay Error A significant, possibly long-lasting gameplay mistake or several larger mistakes were made, and it takes the judge a significant amount of time to correct the error (if they can at all).	Hard Warning	If the integrity of the game has been irrevocably compromised, then the judge may want to consider issuing a Game/Match Loss instead of a Hard Warning.
Event Disruptions
Tardiness A player is late to their match without notifying a judge beforehand.	Normal Warning	For card games, “late” is generally defined as between 1 and 5 minutes late. For miniatures games, “late” is generally defined as between 1 and 10 minutes late.
Absence A player does not show up within reasonable time for their match.	Match Loss	If a player is 5 or more minutes late (for card games) or 10 or more minutes late (for miniatures games), they are absent.
Deck/Force and/or List Errors A player’s deck/squad/army and/or list is found to contain an unintentional error or illegality.	(see pgs. 9 and 10)	If the error is discovered before the beginning of the first round of the tournament, the leader may choose to not issue a penalty. Regardless of whether or not a penalty is issued, the player must fix the error as soon as it’s discovered. For information on how to fix these errors, see pages 9 and 10 of this document.
Marked Cards A player has distinctive markings on one or more of their cards/sleeves.	Normal Warning	In addition to receiving the penalty, the player should replace the card/sleeves with an unmarked version.
Drawing Extra Cards A player accidentally draws more cards than they were supposed to.	Normal Warning	In addition to receiving the penalty, the judge will need to shuffle the extra cards back into the deck (this does not count as an in-game shuffle). If the players and judge are unable to determine which cards are the extra cards, then the player’s opponent may choose a card from their hand to shuffle back into their deck.
Slow Play A player is unintentionally taking more time than necessary to perform one or more game actions.	Normal Warning after second instance (see right)	The first time a player is asked to speed up, no penalty is necessary. If the player plays too slowly a second time, then issue this penalty. Intentional slow play (stalling) is a form of cheating and necessitates a more severe penalty.
Minor Behavioral Infraction A player acts in a way that causes a bit of tension or awkwardness among their table and neighbors, but it blows over after a short while with relatively little judge intervention	Normal Warning	Most behavioral infractions should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis—if the incident is relatively minor but causes a larger disruption in the event overall, it might be worthwhile to upgrade the penalty to a Hard Warning.
Intermediate Behavioral Infraction A player behaves inappropriately in a way that causes a noticeable disturbance to more than just their immediate surroundings. A judge’s involvement is necessary to resolve the issue, but it does not take very long to do so	Hard Warning	There is a very small window between minor behavioral infractions and significant ones. It is largely up to a leader’s call on whether an infraction needs a harsher penalty than a Normal Warning but not quite as severe as a Severe Warning or Match Loss.
Significant Behavioral Infraction A player causes a major disturbance that threatens to sour the experience for a large number of attendees, necessitates a significant amount of judge intervention/involvement, or blatantly ruins the event for one or more people.	Match Loss or Disqualification	All forms of harassment fall under this category, regardless of apparent severity. If a player commits a particularly serious offense, then immediate Disqualification may be necessary. If a player commits two of these infractions in the same event, then they should be immediately Disqualified and reported to FFG OP.
Repeated Infraction A “second offense,” the player has committed the same infraction that they were penalized for earlier in the event and needs to receive another penalty.	Same penalty as before, but upgraded one step (at leader’s discretion)	Normal Warnings upgrade to Hard Warnings. Hard Warnings upgrade to Severe Warnings. Severe Warnings, Game Losses, and Match Losses all upgrade to Disqualification. This is geared towards more severe infractions than minor gameplay errors. The first time a player repeats a minor gameplay error, have them receive just a Normal Warning instead. If a player has repeated the same infraction more than once or has more than one repeated infraction, the Tournament Organizer / Head Judge may want to consider Disqualifying the player.
Cheating A player attempts to gain advantage in the tournament through dishonesty, tampering with results, exploitation, or intentional rulebreaking.	Disqualification	A player is cheating if their actions are intentional and/or they can gain an unfair advantage through them. Things like unwitting slow play or accidentally drawing an extra card are not cheating—doing those things a second time after being given a warning, however, very well could be cheating.
Too Many Penalty Points The player has accumulated too many penalty points throughout the event (7 or more for a Casual event, 5 or more for a Competitive event)	Disqualification	Normal Warnings are worth 1 penalty point. Hard Warnings are worth 2 penalty points. Severe Warnings are worth 4 penalty points.