Fantasy Thursdays: Vanguard Sportsmanship System

On April 7th, Sportsmanship rubric for Vanguard was posted (here). At first glance, it looks like a combination checklist/ranking system that asks the pretty standard sportsmanship questions.

Player Sportsmanship: 20 points total. Each Player is expected and
required to use the highest level of sportsmanship at all times while involved
in the N.I.M.G.C. Tournament. At the end of each game, your opponents will rate
your Sportsmanship by using a Sportsmanship checklist.

A. Was your Opponent on Time and Prepared to play with all needed items? YES/NO (5 POINTS)

B. Did your Opponent Measure accurately and play at a timely pace? YES/NO(5 POINTS)

C. Did your Opponent know his/her rules and handle rules disputes reasonably? YES/NO (5 POINTS)

D. Each player will rate their opponent every round. The three scores you recieve from your opponents will be averaged and that is your final Sportsmanship score.

0 – Worst Opponent Ever!
1 – Opponent was Awful
2 – Opponent was Average Sportsman
3 – Opponent was a Good Sportsman
4 – Opponent was Excellent Sportsman
5 – Best Sportsman and New Friend

Since the rubric was posted, a member of the NIMGC forums posted his concerns about the system (here). Basically he was concerned that the system could be gamed and that players will intentionally score opponents poorly to gain an advantage. My opinion is that while this can happen, my experience with the NIMGC crowd has always been positive. There is always the threat of a bad seed attending, but I think the concerns being expressed by the OP are out of line for this event.

My personal view of the system is pretty neutral, as it really doesn’t sway me either way. Most folks will likely get the full points for the first three questions, so the last question is the one that is going to spread the pack. I figure most folks will earn 2 or 3 from me on the last question. I highly doubt anyone will get a zero or 5, but I can see the 1 or 4 being used depending on who I play.