Our primary goals are to build team spirit, interact with other guildmates in new and unusual setting, have a good time, and hang out together! A nice side effect of these contests will usually be that people can look at how they performed and find ways to improve - maybe it's increase their DPS, maybe it's a Talent build that isn't doing what you'd hoped, whatever. These competitions provide a safe place to explore the strengths and weaknesses of your build in a non-raid setting that isn't going to get the party wiped!

In order to make everything function smoothly in these competitions, We're going to establish some general ground rules. These rules will apply to every contest unless otherwise stated in the specific contest rules. Each specific contest will have a thread for it in the forums which will detail the rules specific to that contest.

And now, for the legalese!

Immortals Guild Contest Rules
version 1.0 last revised October 2007 - Drossblighte primary author

1. Contestant refers to the player character(s) whose performance is(are) being judged.
2. Runner refers to characters of lower level than the contestant involved in the contest - typically a character that contains a quest which can be completed during the contest.
3. Judge refers to the contest judge(s).
4. Contestants will be judged, timed, or scored on their ability to perform the contest mission/quest with a runner in tow. If the runner dies, the timer does not stop. Contestants should be aware that kills made while the runner is dead will not be lootable (see rules 2 and 4). Some contests may end immediately if a contestant or runner dies, but unless that is stated in the contest objectives, there is no additional penalty for death.
5. The runner must be able to loot the mobs, as if they had quests for them. If the runner has quests for them, and those quests are within the scope of the contest (kill specific mob, activate specific event, etc.) then those quests must trigger or be completed.
6. It is the runner's responsibility to inform the contestant and judge of any quests that might hinder the contest. Any quests deemed by the judge to be immaterial to the contest may be ignored at the judges discretion. The runner must have any quests that are integral to the contest, which will be declared when the contest is announced. If no quests are included in the contest description, the runner may be asked to meet level requirements for the contest.
7. Looting will be set to Free-for-All, with only the runner allowed to loot. Mobs not essential to the quest completion may be excluded from loot needs, at the judges discretion. To avoid accidentally preventing named mobs from being lootable, the contestant should take reasonable steps to try to make all corpses lootable if possible. (example: Stockades quest to kill 4 inmates, those named corpses must be lootable, but normal prisoner corpses might be overlooked with no penalty.)
8. Disenchantable loot drops will be broken if possible after the contest. Materials will be offered to the contestant, who may have 50% of them as a participation reward. Loot drops the runner wishes to keep and use may be kept and used. If the contestant agrees, loots may be kept or sold by either runner or contestant.
9. Contestants may have, use, or maintain any buffs, potions, bandages or other consumable/activated ability they have access to, including buffs applied by the runner, or the runner's pet or minions. Priest Shield spells are acceptable. (not every spell is listed, we will try to add to this as we need to).
10. Each contestant may have 1 retry. The cost for retry will be set at 25% the value in Gold of the announced first place prize. This fee is paid to the judge, and will be used to offset the cost of the competition. The fee is charged and limit placed on 1 per contest to prevent "spamming" the judges with requests to try again. (example: Stockades reward was 10g for 1st place, 5g for second. Any retry would cost the contestant 2g 50s, paid to the judge at the time of the retry)
11. Except for passive damage (such as Thorns, Imp Fire Shields, etc.), the runner may not cause damage to any mobs, nor may they heal the contestants. Runner minions or pets are to be set on passive.
12. Contestants may select their own runners, if they wish, and if the selected runner is eligible. In contests where Contestants cooperate in groups of 2 or more, contestants may select their own partners if they are able to do so. If you cannot find a partner, we will try to find one for you.
13. Any specific rules stated in individual contests override these rules, However, unless a specific contest rule contradicts a rule here, these rules will apply. These rules will not be repeated every contest, so check both these rules and the contest specific rules each time to be sure your efforts are eligible.
14. Please remember that these contests are supposed to be about having fun, getting to know your guild-mates, and generally fighting for bragging rights. Please respect the contest coordinator, other contestants, runners, and judges. Sportsmanship and good conduct are a requirement. These rules are in place to hopefully provide a more even playing field, and to prevent sore feelings.

One last thing - have fun! Don't feel you have to participate, or feel you shouldn't participate if you want to! Try it out if you really want to - the worst you can do is have a good time!

If you have any good ideas for upcoming contest - e-mail or shoutbox Drossblighte. He loves hearing from you all.