League Rules

§1. Player Agreement

By signing up for the Black Vale League, players agree to:

• Abide by the league ruleset and decisions made by staff,
• Abide by the Code of Conduct, and
• Remain in the server and tournament for the remainder of the event.

Please be aware that breaches in the conduct and/or ruleset can result in consequences such as:

• Warnings,
• Penalties,
• Match forfeits,
• Team disqualifications or suspensions, or
• League bans.

§2. Code of Conduct

In conjunction with the ruleset, the Black Vale League will strictly adhere to a behavioural code of conduct:

• Exercise sportsmanship and fair play,
• Avoid behaviours engaging in bullying, harassment, and toxicity (including bringing outside drama into the tournament),
• Not spoiling match results, and
• Not engaging in conversation/commenting in the stream or server when your team's match is live.

§3. Region and Ping

(1). This is an OCE focused tournament. Teams from other regions are not permitted to play or sign up.

(2). Killers will host the lobbies.

(3). ExitLag is allowed. VPNs are banned.

(4). SEA players are allowed to join OCE teams and play survivor if the team rosters a minimum of 2 survivors from OCE.

• SEA players are not permitted to play killer.
• This keeps the ping difference as fair as possible.
• Example: an SEA based team could play if they have 2 OCE survivors and an OCE killer.

§4. Rosters and Teams

(1). Teams must have a minimum of 4 players up to a maximum of 10.

(2). Players may change teams once per season and cannot return to their original team until the event concludes. Furthermore, new roster additions after a PnB are ineligible to participate for that week only.

(3). In-game names must coincide with or closely resemble Discord usernames.

(4). Players must be over the age of 18 to participate.* Staff will never ask for an ID as The Black Vale works on a trust basis.

*For the RvB Event only, this rule is exempted as participants have already been chosen.

§5. Builds and Proof of Loadouts

(1). There will be an updated Balanced by Daylight page available for creating loadouts. Please note:

• Prior to match starting, players must submit pictures of their in-game builds and their Balanced by Daylight counterparts.
• Killers must send screenshots of the lobby settings,
• Please let staff know if there are going to be changes to builds.
• Errors should be corrected before the match starts; ensure that in-game builds and BBD builds match,
• Uncorrected errors can result in penalties, and
• Repeated errors or mis-creation of builds can lead to consequences such as forfeiture or warnings.

(2). There may only be one type of survivor per lobby. Legendary and Visceral cosmetics are not permitted.

(3). A perk may only appear once across all loadouts in a match.

§6. Lobbies and Match Procedures

(1). As Killer:

• Create a lobby, disable 'Idle Crows,' set map, and invite match staff at least 10 minutes before the first scheduled match time. Set-up time between matches should be no more than 5 minutes.
• Ensure cross-play is enabled.
• Provide proof of loadout as per §5.

(2). As Survivor:

• Join the killer's lobby upon creation as per invitation by the killer or match staff.
• Ensure cross-play is enabled.
• Provide proof of loadout as per §5.

(3). Builds must coincide with the proof of loadouts sent into your team's channel. Changes will lead to:

• A match restart,
• A warning, and
• A penalty or forfeit.

(4). To avoid delays, please ensure to behave in a timely manner in accordance with the time frame stipulated in §6(1). Your team may incur warnings, penalties, or forfeiture as per staff discretion otherwise.

§7. Disconnections, Bugs, & Cosmetics

(1). Crashes and/or issues that result in a disconnection can lead to a match restart only on the following conditions:

• The DC happens before 1 generator is completed, or
• The DC happens before 3 hook stages are acquired, and
• Video or screenshot proof of the crash is submitted into your team channel.

Note: if the above conditions aren't met, the match will continue in a 3v1 format. Repeated/suspicious disconnections will be investigated.

(2). Staff will keep an eye on any game-breaking or match-altering bugs that may affect the tournament and/or a team's PnBs. We will notify the server and teams should changes occur and what actions will be taken.

(3). Legendary and Visceral cosmetics are not permitted for survivors or killers as per §5(2). Any use of such cosmetics can result in penalties or forfeiture.

§8. Custom Timeslots

(1). In the event that teams can't agree on a timeslot, the Black Vale can offer custom slots. Please note:

• Custom timeslots must be confirmed at least 48 hours before the proposed time,
• This is subject to approval and is dependent on staff availability,
• There is the possibility that these matches will be offline, and
• Teams are highly encouraged to agree on the standard timeslots available.

(2). If a time cannot be agreed on by both teams and staff, staff have the right to choose the outcome of the match.

(3). If a team can no longer attend the agreed upon timeslot or cannot negotiate times with the opposing team, the sets will be forfeited.

§9. Penalties

(1). Out of match penalties include but are not limited to:

• Warnings,
• Forfeits,
• Temporary bans from the season,
• Disqualification from the season, or
• Permanent bans from the tournament.

(2). In game penalties are related to hook stages.

(3). Action taken is as per staff discretion and can be escalated at any point given the context and subsequent responses.

(4). The severity of actions taken depends on:

• Intention and impact,
• Significance to the match, and
• Your team's cooperation and attitude.

§10. Streaming

Players are welcome to stream their POV of the games under the following requirements:

• You set a stream delay with a minimum of 10 minutes,
• Include (Black Vale League - Red vs Blue Mini Event) in your stream title,
• Include The Black Vale's logo on your stream, AND
• Let match staff know that you're streaming.