Impact Wrestling Forum Debate League
Official Rules and Guidelines
Official Rules and Guidelines
I. League Overview
A topic or scenario will be presented to the two debators scheduled for the contest. From the time the debate is posted in THE ARENA, the debators have 3 days to confirm their participation. The first user to reply (Debator A) will choose which side of the argument they'd like to represent with this privilidge operating on a first come, first serve basis. Once the other user (Debator B) confirms their participation the debate will officially begin.
Because Debator A had the option to choose his/her side of the debate, they will also go first in the debate. Debator A will have 7 days from the official opening to post their opening argument. Debator B will then have 7 days to post their opening. Debator A will then have a 7 day window to post their rebuttle and closing argument followed by another 7 day period for Debator B to do the same. Once Debator B's second post has been made, the topic will be locked while the Panelists determine a winner.
II. Debators/Panelists
Any active IWF user is eligible to join the Debate League as a debator. To register for the league, a user must simply express their desire to compete in the SIGN-UP THREAD that will be created before each card. Although we will certainly look to expanding when the time comes, early sign ups will be closed once we have 10-12 debators for a card.
Panelists are the judges who decide the debates with each debate being judged by 3 separate Panelists, eliminating the chance of a debate finishing in a tie. The Panel will be composed of 4 members with The Italian Outsider and Veritas serving as Head Judges. The other two positions will be known as Reserve Judge posts and will be held by active debators.
These Reserve spots will rotate every 3 cards (defined as a "cycle") with the criteria for consideration being consistency in finishing debates, quality of debates, and general knowledge. Success in the League, while important and a minor factor in deciding Reserve Judges, will NOT necessarily garauntee a spot as a Reserve Judge.
Reserve Judges can NOT hold their position for consecutive cycles. They are eligible for consideration again in the future but they must step down at the end of their 3-card turn. It is our hope that this format, in addition to the Debate League Championship, will help increase competition and debate quality around the league.
In the event of a match-up between 2 current Panelists, a third Reserve Panelist may be temporarily tapped if needed.
Reserve Judges will remain anonymous throughout their cycle and their identities will only be revealed following their replacement.
III. Topics
Although IWF is a wrestling forum, topics in the Debate League will NOT be strictly wrestling centric. Sign-ups will be held before each card and it is asked that, when signing up, each debator include a short list of 5-7 topics that interest them so the Panelists can set-up competitive matches.
Providing the proposed debate is not a complete mismatch, Panelists will also allow Debators to challenge each other to individual contests with predetermined topics that must be agreed upon by both Debators and cleared with The Panel.
Although Debators will have a say in their topics in the aformentioned situation, all Debate League Championship and Num. 1 Contenders Debates will feature topics chosen by the Panel. This format will be used to truly test the League Champion's overall knowledge and ability, as well as prevent them from handpicking topics their opponent may not have much knowledge in.
IV. Time Limits
Once sign-ups have been completed, The Panel will take a few days to set-up a complete card, which will be made public upon it's completion. Once the entire card is posted in The Arena, individual topics for each debate will also be created in that forum within 24-hours.
From the time the individual threads are created, there will be a 3-day (defined as 72-hours) period where BOTH debators must confirm their participation and choose their side IN THEIR SPECIFIC THREAD. As stated previously, the Debate will officially begin once both sides have confirmed.
Once both sides have confirmed and the Debate officially begins, each Debator will have a 7-day (defined as 168-hours) grace period between posts to complete their argument. For a clearer explanation of this process, see the OVERVIEW above.
If a Debator knows they cannot finish their debate within the alloted 7-days, they can apply for an extension of up to 3-days (defined as 72-hours from the end of the initial 168-hours) IN THEIR DEBATE THREAD. Be warned though, this extension will be decided at the OPPONENT'S discretion and any Debator who makes a habit of asking for extensions may find this privilidge revoked by The Panel.
V. Debate Content
Although we encourage competitiveness throughout the league, there will be no room for personal attacks in a gentleman's debate. Anyone who goes overboard with personal attacks will be approached in private by the Panel about toning things down and, if they fail to comply, will be subject to negative marks at the Panel's discretion.
When using another person's thoughts or opinions as part of your debate, it is mandatory that you cite your references. The Impact Wrestling Federation Debate League will not tolerate plagarism in any form and any debator found knowingly violating this rule could be subject to permanent expulsion from the League at the Panel's discreation.
VI. Finishes
There will be 3 possible finishes to every debate.
Panelist Decision - When a debate goes to completion (which SHOULD be all debates), the thread will be locked and, in private, the Panelists will decide a winner.
Forfeit - If a Debator knows they cannot finish their debate, even with an extension, because of circumstances out of their control and notifies a member of The Panel in a timely manner (no later than 24-hours of the close of their turn) the debate will be considered a forfeit. The other Debator will be ruled the winner but the "loser" will NOT be given a negative mark for leaving their argument unfinished.
DQ - If a Debator fails to post their opening or rebuttle within the alotted time or fails to notify the Panel of an intended forfeit in a timely manner, the debate will be considered a DQ. The other Debator will be ruled the winner and the loser will be given a negative mark on their record. Three negative marks on a Debator's record will be considered grounds for expulsion from the League at The Panel's discreation.
VII. League Championship & Num. 1 Contender
The Debate League Championship will be recognized as the top prize in the League and will be decided in a tournament as soon as membership numbers permit. Title match topics will be open to anything but will be decided by the Panel, not the participating Debators.
Any Champion who successfully defends his/her title for an entire cycle will be eligble for a rematch should they lose the title. These automatic rematches do not "stack" for multiple successful cycles. The rematch will take place within 1 cycle of the Champion's loss and will be scheduled at the Panel's discreation.
In the interest of keeping the League moving forward, the Debate League Championship CAN change hands on DQ and Forfeit finishes. The Championship MUST be defended on every card and a Champion will NOT be allowed to sit on the shelf for any reason. If the current Champion has just cause for needing to forfeit, an alotment can be made to fit them into a Num. 1 Contender's match upon their return to debating. A Champion who loses his belt on a DQ will NOT receive the same preferential treatment.
If the current Champion fails to make sign-ups for the next card, the current Num. 1 Contender will be scheduled for the title shot against a worthy contender chosen by the Panel. If the former Champion resurfaces in the future, they may be fit into a Num. 1 Contender's match but, make note, this spot is NOT garaunteed and may be decided at the Panel's discreation.
If the current Champion is banned from the board before the next card begins they will be stripped of the title and it will be placed in hold. There will be a 3-man tournament with the current Num. 1 Contender being given a bye that will begin and conclude at the next available card, meaning 1 of the 2 Panel chosen contenders will need to debate twice.
If the current Champion is banned from the board during a debate they will be immediately stripped of the title and it will be awarded to the opponent via DQ.
In addition to a Debate League Championship match being on every card, there will also be a Num. 1 Contender's match on each card to determine who will get the next title shot. The two Debators in this match will be chosen by the Panel based on win-loss records, quality of opposition, and quality of debates. Num. 1 Contender's matches will be open to any topics but will, as with Championship matches, feature a topic chosen by the Panel.
If the current Num. 1 Contender fails to make the next card for any reason they will NOT receive an automatic title shot in the future and the Champion will defend his or her title against an opponent chosen by the Panel.
Once a Num. 1 Contender or Champion who hasn't earned a rematch loses a title match, they must return to the back of the pack and work their way back up the ladder for another title shot. Once the League is a few cycles deep we'll hopefully be able to institute a Top 10 Rankings system to allow users to accurately track their progress.