Charter

Preamble

This document ("the Charter") sets out the principles and rules by which the Age of Sigmar WorldsChampionship (in the following document shortened to ‘AoS Worlds’) shall be administered.

1. Organisation and Principles

A. The AoS Worlds is an annual premier tabletop gaming event, inviting gamers from across the world to participate. It is a team focused event, but also supports singles gaming.

B. The AoS Worlds is run for the benefit of the international gaming community, with the community taking a leading role in directing its activity. Council members are appointed by Captains to carry out the actions necessary to arrange each year's event.

C. The AoS Worlds holds the following principles to be central to its events:

Fair play.
Inclusivity.
Respect.

D. The council members shall be empowered to incorporate AoS Worlds as a non-profit organisation, to be administered under the law of the appropriate nation. The council members, as appointed under this Charter, shall act as the trustees or directors of such an organisation.

2. Gaming Systems

A. The games played at each AoS Worlds ("Gaming Systems") shall be Age of Sigmar; produced by Games Workshop with all other systems considered “side events”.

B. The following systems can be considered to be potential side events to AoS Worlds:

Warhammer Underworlds; produced by Games Workshop

C. The council may elect to add a gaming system to the side events provided at least ten prospective Teams have expressed an interest in playing said gaming system at AoS Worlds.

3. Countries

A. Each Team in AoS Worlds is considered to be representing a Country in relation to a Gaming System.

B. A country's eligibility to submit a team will be elected by council members as captains claim a country's team.

C. Each Country may submit a maximum of one Team to each Gaming System for AoS Worlds.

D. A captain may claim a country's team by contacting AoSWorlds and paying the respective membership dues as set by the council.

4. Teams

A. A Team shall be composed of Players and Coaches, representing a Country and participating in a Gaming System, the number of Players and Coaches to be set according to the Ruleset for the respective Gaming Systems, as decided by the Council and/or the Captains.The country that is to be represented must be a recognized country by the FIDE organization. Islands and foreign territories shall represent the country that holds governance over the respective territory. Should that country already be represented within the AoS Worlds organization, the applicants shall refer to the respective Captain for inclusion in that country’s Team.

B. Each Team must contain a minimum number of Players who qualify to represent their country according to one or more of the following criteria:

The Player was born in the Country;
The Player possesses a government-issued document, such as a Passport, which states that the Player shares the nationality of the country they want to represent. In the case of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, instead of a government-issued Passport or Document; the Player must have had at least five years of cumulative physical addresses in the country to meet this qualification OR one or more parents of the player was born of said country.
The Player has resided in the Country for the three calendar years immediately preceding the next annual AoS Worlds.

C. The minimum number of eligible Players in a Team shall be half of the total number of Players +1, rounded up. Therefore, more than 50% of the Players in a Team need to be eligible to represent a country.

D. Each Team is required to provide proof that their players meet the requirement set out in Clause 4.b. above upon request by the council.

E. If a Team is unable to meet the Player eligibility requirements under Clause 4.b. above, due to last minute issues which prevents a Team from participating with their original roster of Players, the Team shall be allowed to compete under the following conditions, at the discretion of the council:

The Council and the Team with issues will work together to fill the roster of Players with available Players, be they local or international. The eligibility requirements do not apply to these Players.
The Team must represent the originally registered Country (provided that this dispensation may not be applied for the same Team in two consecutive years);
The Team will compete as a United Nations team with no affiliation to one Country.

F. A United Nations Team, with no Country affiliation, may be established to support the international spirit of the organization and the competitions under it’s wing.
A United Nations Team will be established with cooperation between the Council and Event Organisers as required, with all parties trying to ensure that no more than three Players qualifying to play for any one particular Country or nationality are represented on the United Nations Team. No more than one United Nations team may be established and maintained at any given time.

G. In the event that a new Team wishes to register for a Gaming System which has not previously participated in that Gaming System, the council shall ensure that the prospective Team meets all eligibility requirements and that they can field a valid Team at the relevant AoS Worlds event. Provided these conditions are met, the council shall enter the team into the AoS Worlds records, and shall endorse an eligible Captain for the Team.

H. In the event of conflicting claims to establish a new Team under Clause 4.g. above, the council shall assess each claim and shall endorse the stronger, taking into consideration the quantities of eligible Players each Team can field, and the best interests of AoS Worlds..

5. Captains

A. Each Team shall be led and administered by a Captain. The Captain shall have the following rights:

To vote in any Captains Vote, as per clause 9, on behalf of their Team.
To select the Players who will participate in an AoS Worlds on behalf of their Team; and
To elect a new Captain to become the Captain for their Team.

B. Each Captain shall maintain an account to participate in the AoS Worlds Discord, and provide a correspondence email address to the Council. The captain is also responsible for paying their membership dues to secure their captainship and representation of their country.

C. The Council shall maintain a list of Captains. By accepting the position of Captain, each Captain accepts and acknowledges that their name could be used publicly by the AoS Worlds council.

D. Countries may have their own procedures for selecting a Captain, but it falls to the Captains of the respective Teams to enforce them.

E. Save for the circumstances set out in Clause 5.G. below, the Council shall have no right to remove or replace Captains. The Council may act as mediators if a conflict arises over the position of Captain in a Team, but the final decision must follow the procedures set out in Clause 5.

F. Captains must meet the eligibility criteria to represent their Country as a Player, as set out in Clause 4.b. above.

G. The following shall be reasons for the removal of a Captain, to be determined by the Council:

Failure to enter their Team into the AoS Worlds for the preceding year;
Failure to enter a Team for the next AoS Worlds by the First Registration Date;
Gross misconduct - where such conduct materially violates the principles of the AoS Worlds, or represents significant criminal activity.
Failure to maintain membership dues.
Failure to comply with direct requests or orders of the council.
Players report gross misconduct of their Captain and reach out to the council to step in.

H. Removal of a Captain shall be subject to the following requirements:

An application must be received by a council member from a potential replacement Captain meeting the eligibility requirements under Clause 4.b above and who is able to enter a Team into the next AoS Worlds, or provide evidence of gross misconduct of a Captain provided to the Council;
The Council must seek to contact the current Captain, along with any recent Players and anyone else who may have relevant information, including other members of relevant Country communities to resolve the issue;
The Council must weigh up the best interests of the AoS Worlds, and ensure that where possible a Team is entered into the AoS Worlds and Countries are well represented;
The Council may appoint a temporary Captain for the purposes of an AoS Worlds Event where removal of a Captain is not warranted, but a Captain cannot field a team to represent their Country at such AoS Worlds Event.

I. If a Captain is unable to attend an AoS Worlds Event for any reason but their Team is still attending, they shall appoint a representative to serve as an acting Captain for all necessary purposes surrounding such AoS Worlds Event.

6. Council

A. The Council shall be elected on an annual basis by the Captains be it from Event Bid voting or through direct election, in accordance with Clause 6.d. below. Captains as well as former Captains can candidate for council positions directly-elected by Captains. No Captain, former Captain or Coach can maintain and hold either Commissioner or Branding Ambassador and another Council Position. If a Council Member is to relinquish their position, a Captains vote is to be established to elect a successor unless that position is for Media Ambassador or Captain Ambassador or Event Ambassador (as they are picked by entity due to Event Bid and not individuals) or Head Referee (as it is not elected by Captains).

The following position are up for election during Event Venue bid cycle (Event is decided by Captains) before any other Council Seats:

Media Ambassador: The Media Ambassador is the public face of the Age of Sigmar Worlds organization. The role comprises of maintaining the organization presence on all social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc...) on top of providing Streaming services during the Event. In addition, the Media Ambassadors works closely with the Event Ambassador & Brand Ambassador to ensure that all sponsors get social media callouts. Any matters regarding streaming and social media fall to the Media Ambassador. This position of Media Ambassador is chosen by the event chosen streaming service/team (Primary Streaming Service provider are part of the Bidding Process for an Event.)
Captain Ambassador: The Captain Ambassador is the representative of the other Captains within the council. They conduct the Captains votes and instruct them on any issues that Captains would like to address without reaching to other Council and Captain members first. They are also responsible for working with the Event Ambassador for maintaining active communication about the event organization to the Council. This position is held by the Captain who represents the country that the event is held in that following year.
Head Referee: The Head Referee is the representative of the other Referees within the council. Only a Referee may be the Head Referee. The Head Referee oversees the Referee chamber and is responsible for selecting and preparing Referees for their duty at the championship. In addition, any Rules questions, FaQs and Rulepacks are handled by the Referee Team and ratified by the Head Referee. During the event, the Head Referee has the final say on any decisions made by any Referees. Any matters regarding the Referee chamber are to be handled by the Head Referee.
Event Ambassador: The Event Ambassador is the event organizer or representative within the council. The Event Ambassador oversees organizing the event on site for that following year and actively keeping the Council up to date with its progression as well as work with Captains regarding packet/table map proposals as well as answer any logistical question regarding the event from the Captains and Council. They are also responsible for any local event sponsorships and/or mercantile function at the event location. Any issue pertaining to the Event related matters are handled by the Event Ambassador. This position of Event Ambassador is chosen by the event organizer who wins the Event Bid for the following year.

The following positions are up for election during Council election cyle post Event Bid & Charter Amendment:

Commissioner: The overseer and head of the Age of Sigmar Worlds organization. Their duties are to maintain the spirit of the organization, to observe and keep track of the progress of other council members, to serve as a mediator to the other council members, to schedule council meetings, votes and timelines and to ensure the success of the event. This position includes being active and understanding every other function of the council and be willing to step in and assist where one councilmember needs help or coverage.
Brand Ambassador: The Brand Ambassador is responsible for securing AoS World's Brand as a functional entity, securing AoS World's non-local and/or multi year sponsorships and maintaining the budgets regarding various brand-related activity such as collecting Captains' dues, ordering AoS World's branded items, maintaining all AoS Worlds' branding material, reaching out to potential vendors & content creators outside of the event.

B. The council always has the power and the absolute authority to make decisions for the good of the organization and the event.

C. The primary roles of the Council shall be:

To oversee and facilitate the smooth operation of the organization.
Aid the event organizer with pre-event management tasks, such as list gathering and checking, mapping out terrain deployment and so on.
To organise and facilitate a Captains Vote on the choice of Event Organiser for the following year's AoS Worlds Event.
To establish the Rulesets to be used during the AoS Worlds Event, including gathering feedback from Captains, and making these available to Captains and the Event Organiser.
To administer any disciplinary action in accordance with this Charter;
Administering any non-profit organisation established under Clause 1.d. of this Charter; and
To make any further decisions which are in the best interests of AoS Worlds.

D. The Council shall be elected in accordance with the following process:

The Council Election shall take place within two months after the conclusion of the relevant year's AoS Worlds Event.
The Council Election shall be administered by the current Council. Should the council fail to do so, the Captains are entitled to directly organise the Council Election.
Candidates for a position as Council member shall provide their names together with details of their candidacy to the Council, or publish them directly for the Captains to read.
Should any conflicts of interest, or potential conflicts of interest arise, they must be declared during the election process, or if they arise during a Council member’s term, at the point they are realized. Conflicts of interest shall include (but are not limited to) a position as Captain, any role with the Event Organiser, or any financial interest in the AoS Worlds Event. The Captains or the Council may call for an Extraordinary Captain's Vote to remove a Council member if the conflict of interest is seen as an impediment to carrying out their duties.
All candidates for Council membership shall include the following details:

The Name of the candidate.
Their objectives as members of the Council.
Any other roles they occupy which are relevant to their role as potential Council member, including any affiliation with a Team or any Event Organiser (either selected or candidates).
Their relevant experience with the AoS Worlds.
Any other relevant experience or factors to their candidacy.

E. If a council member is unable to fulfil their duties under this Charter due to reasons of inactivity or disruptive behaviour, the Council may establish a Vote by majority within the Council to remove such a Council Member.

F. If a vote of no-confidence succeeds under Clause 9.e. below, a new board of the Council shall be appointed following the process set down in this Clause 6.

G. Should a Council Member wish to do so, they are allowed to elect an Advisor, who aids them in fulfilling their respective Duties. Advisors are to be selected from the currently represented Captains as well as former Captains. These Advisors do not have a say in Council votes and primarily serve the function of aiding a Council member with their duties. Advisors can always and immediately be dismissed by the Council member that has called for their aid or by the rest of the Council by majority vote.

7. AoS Worlds Event

A. The AoS Worlds Event shall be held each year in either the months of April, May or June and shall be run by the Event Organiser for the relevant year.

B. The AoS Worlds Event shall be held in accordance with the bidding document.

C. Registration for the AoS Worlds Event shall be open for a period to be agreed between the Council and the Event Organiser, ending on the First Registration Date. The Event Organiser shall allow for a period of late registration following the First Registration Date, during which additional teams may be added, provided capacity is available at that current AoS Worlds Event.

8. Event Organiser

A. The duties of the Event Organiser shall be as outlined in the Bidding Process Document.

B. Selection of the Event Organiser for the relevant AoS Worlds Event shall be made as follows:

The details of the AoS Worlds Event, Event Requirements set out by the Council, the bidding document and a sample bid will be provided to all captains within two months of the end of the previous years’ event.
Event organizers that wish to submit a bid will be required to be vouched for and “co-represented” by an AoS Worlds captain.
Any potential Event Organiser will prepare and submit an Event Specification as part of their application to host the AoS Worlds Event. The Event Specification will incorporate all material details of the proposal by the Event Organiser candidate, including but not limited to intended venues, available space, estimated cost and budgets, provision of food and drink and scope for singles events to be held. The Event Specification must provide for the minimum terms set out in the requirements set out by the Council in the AoS Worlds Bidding Document.
Once all applications are received, they will be presented to the Captains by the Council, and a Captains Vote will be held to determine the selected Event Organiser. The Captain’s Vote will be scheduled to start the dead after the bid deadline and will last a period of two weeks.
Once selected, the Event Organiser will make all necessary preparations for the AoS Worlds Event, in accordance with the terms of the relevant Event Specification.
The Event Organiser will maintain regular contact with the Council, and will provide regular updates on the progress of preparing the AoS Worlds Event.
In the event of any problems delivering the AoS Worlds Event to the standard set out in the Event Requirements, the Event Organiser shall bring this to the attention of the Council at the earliest possible opportunity, and a solution shall be agreed between the Event Organiser and the Council.
In the event of a material breach of the Charter or the Organiser Agreement by the Event Organiser, the Council may elect to remove and replace the Event Organiser with another party.

9. Captains Votes

A. A Captains Vote shall be held in the following circumstances:

To elect the Council.
To determine the venue and Event Organiser for the following AoS Worlds Event.
For any amendment to this Charter under Clause 9.d. below.
Where an Extraordinary Captains Vote is called under Clause 9.c. below.

B. Only the Captains of teams shall be permitted to vote in Captains Votes affecting the AoS Worlds as a whole, including determining Event Organisers or changes to the Charter.

C. An Extraordinary Captains Vote may be called in any circumstance where a Captain proposes a vote on a matter in relation to the AoS Worlds or AoS Worlds Event. Such a proposal or support may be made directly to the Captains Lead. If that proposal is supported by 10 other Captains, the vote will be administered as a Captains Vote by the Captains Lead, and the result will be considered by the Council. The names of Captains proposing or supporting an Extraordinary Captains Vote shall be published along with the proposal itself.

D. If a Captains Vote involves a choice between two options, the result will be determined by a simple majority. Where a Captains Vote involves the choice between multiple options, the Schulze (Winning Variant) Method of Condorcet voting shall be used, unless a more appropriate method is identified by the Council, acting reasonably.

E. Each Captains Vote shall take place over a period of 2 weeks, unless the Council decides in their reasonable opinion that this time should be amended.

F. A vote of no-confidence in the Council may be initiated as an Extraordinary Captains Vote in accordance with the process under Clause 9.c. above.

G. All Captains Votes will be communicated by the Council in the AoS Worlds Discord. All Captains Votes will be confidential until the conclusion of the relevant Captains Votes. No Council shall pass any information to any person about the status of votes cast until the period for voting has passed.

10. Player Conduct

A. Each Player attending an AoS Worlds Event is expected to uphold a standard of behaviour which is in accordance with the rules and principles of the AoS Worlds.

B. AoS Worlds Events shall operate on a Yellow Card/Red Card basis during the AoS Worlds Event.

C. A Yellow Card will be issued as a warning for the following conduct:

Deliberate failure to comply with the relevant Ruleset.
Arguing with a Referee after a ruling has been given.
Verbal abuse of a Referee, Player or other attendee at an AoS Worlds Event.
Disruptive behaviour preventing games from proceeding in an orderly manner.
Any moderate breach of the behavioural standards expected from Players.

D. A Red Card will be issued for the following conduct:

Repeated Yellow Cards without improvement in a Player's conduct.
Any physically violent or intimidating behaviour aimed at a Referee, Player or other attendee at an AoS Worlds Event.
Premeditated cheating, such as the use of loaded or altered dice.
Any breach of the expected behavioural standards of Players which is too serious to be handled via a Yellow Card.

E. Each Yellow Card issued to a Player will result in a penalty to that Player, or their Team, in accordance with the terms of the relevant Ruleset.

F. A Red Card issued to a Player will result in that player being expelled and removed from the current AoS Worlds Event. Any score they have earned during the AoS Worlds Event will be voided. The Team shall continue to play as normal, but all games involving a player who has been issued a Red Card will be considered forfeited and full points awarded to the opponent. The Player will be prohibited from attending the next AoS Worlds Event in any capacity.

G. An appeal against a ban resulting from a Red Card may be made to the Council by either the responsible Captain or other managing position in the case of the Team Event and by at least 3 other Players in the case of the Singles Event.
H. Following the AoS Worlds Event, prompted by an appeal under Clause 10.g. above, or based on their own investigations, the Council may choose to remove or extend a ban against any Player based on the severity of the Player's actions and the surrounding circumstances.

I. The Council may choose to impose a ban on a Player outside of a Referee decision where a serious breach of AoS Worlds principles has taken place, and they believe it is in the interests of the AoS Worlds.

11. Game Rules

A. The Ruleset shall be determined by the Council and shall consult with the Captains for such Gaming Systems as appropriate.

B. The council will provide the following detail in relation to its respective Gaming System:

The version of the Gaming System's rules to be used.
Any alterations or comp to be applied to such rules.
The process of determining a winner of each game, each round and each competition.
How any ties are to be resolved.
The penalties to be applied for any Yellow Cards issued to a Player during the AoS Worlds Event.
The component requirements to participate in the Gaming System, including model requirements and painting requirements.

12. Referees

A. Referees for each Gaming System will be determined by the Head Referee, at least 3 months ahead of the competition.

B. Referees have the following powers during an AoS Worlds Event:

To adjudicate on any conflict between Players or Teams.
To determine the winner of the AoS Worlds Event for the relevant Gaming System.
To issue Yellow Cards and Red Cards.
To enforce relevant provisions of the Charter.

C. A conference between all Referees and the Council shall be held before the commencement of the AoS Worlds Event, outlining the powers of the Referees, the principles of adjudicating the AoS Worlds Event, and responding to any questions the Referees may have.

D. A pre-event briefing will take place for each Gaming System, involving the Referees and the Captains, as well as any relevant Council members, setting out the expected behaviour over the course of the AoS Worlds Event, and responding to any questions from the Captains.

E. All Referees, and particularly the Head Referees, will prepare a post-event report following the AoS Worlds Event, setting out Yellow Cards and Red Cards issued, general compliance with the rules, any conduct issues for the Council to take into account for future reference, and any suggested improvements to the Rulesets or the terms of the Charter.

13. Language

A. English is the official language of the AoS Worlds.

B. All communication at the table, by Players, Coaches or any other member of a Team, during each game of the AoS Worlds Event must be in English, unless both players agree otherwise. Any failure to conduct gaming communication in English may be penalised by a Referee.

14. AoS Worlds Prizes

A. Three categories of prize will be awarded as follows:

Event Winner
Fairplay/Best Sports
Best Painted

B. The basis upon which the winners of the prizes under Clause 14.a. above are decided and will be set out in the relevant Rule Set which will be released at least a previously agreed upon number of months before the event itself.

C. The winner of each award will be communicated by the Head Referee to the Council members present at the AoS Worlds Event.

D. Prizes shall be awarded by the Council, by the Referees, or by a designated appointee on behalf of the Council.

15. Administrator

A. The Council may appoint an Administrator to perform all necessary technical services in relation to hosting and maintaining an AoS Worlds Website.

B. Any costs associated with the Administrator's duties shall be recompensed by the AoS Worlds upon provision of receipts.

16. Captain List and Contacts

A. The Council shall maintain an up to date and accurate list of all Captains.

B. The list of Captains shall be made available on the AoS Worlds Website for any interested party to check.

17. AoS Worlds Funds and Assets

A. Any funds or assets held on behalf of the AoS Worlds shall be held by the AoS Worlds for the benefit of the Teams and for future AoS Worlds Events.

B. The Council shall publish an annual account of all funds received, expenditures made, funds retained and assets owned by the AoS Worlds.

C. Any transport or storage of any AoS Worlds assets shall be at the cost of the AoS Worlds, or subject to agreement between the Council and any other party, including a relevant Event Organiser.

D. Any funds retained by the AoS Worlds shall be held in an account to which the Council shall have sole access.

The council has read this Charter and unanimously agrees on its implementation and the powers and restrictions that come into effect with the signing of this document.

Signed on the 20th of July 2022 by the council, in full.