RTS-League: Clan Leagues for Strategy Gamers

Tale of the Dragon, the latest addition to our beloved Age of Mythology, is out for half a year already, and it's about time to try and give it a spin for some proper competitive fun! RTS League is proud to announce the hosting of the first big event the new expansion will see, and we are sure hoping you will join us in having fun with this intriguing new way of playing AoM - can you be the first Champions of RTS League's Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon Clan League?

RTS League is a renowned "Age of" competition focusing on supporting the clan scene in the community, and we are aiming to do the exact same here - the competition will be an RTSL-style clan tournament focused on 3v3 battles, aiming to provide a place for some fun and friendly competing. That means that otherwise we are keeping any limitations to a bare minimum, allowing you to play the game as you see fit to enjoy your time at RTS League the most.

These kinds of settings have been proven time and again as the best format, confirmed by the continuous popularity of RTS League in the community and amongst the players themselves, which is the reason why our AoT seasons are universally considered the most important events around, bringing both activity and plenty, plenty of content - we stream as many games as possible live, provide ton of fun recs, and, of course, supply current info and some fun facts and stuff from the games on our community channels:



We aim to pick up on this with the Tale of the Dragon League as well, and possibly even improve on it through some extra features available, such as multiple-observer streaming allowing for more engaging commentary of games. Make sure you bookmark the community channels above then so that you don't miss any of the AoTD goodness

So, are you ready to join in the fun and rise to fame and glory the same as the clans in our Age of Mythology: The Titans Clan League? Tsunami Clan, AbsoLads or Deities of Death are awaiting company in the Hall of Fame, and it's about time some new names entered the history - everyone is waiting for you, so don't waste any time, read on and sign up!

Settings

As we've said above, with this inaugural Tale of the Dragon event, we're aiming to test the waters a bit, as there hasn't been a competitive tournament yet, and so we want to allow the clans to play as they see fit to show everyone what possibilities the game provides. At the same time, there already are certain parts of the game we know are problematic, and so we'll need to cover them in the rules. Due to the fact that we cannot be sure about the exact number of signed up clans, and that we want to keep to a certain schedule, the specific format as to how the competition will go is still to be decided, exactly based on the response we get. This means that the final rules will be published with the League's start, but don't worry, no surprises will be waiting in line, we will follow our current AoT rules as guideline, we just want to make sure everything fits the way we want the tournament to go.

Now then though to the clear basics that the RTS League's Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon Clan League will follow, so that you know what you are signing up for:

Format and Base Functioning:
- Clan wars (no random teams, there needs to be a clear affiliation of players, such as all being members of AbsoLads, or Deities of Death, etc.).
- 3v3 default, 2v2 possible if both clans agree (we would like to ask clans to be lenient here and support playing games even as 2v2 rather than not at all - this is a fun event first and foremost).
- Supremacy default, clan can choose Conquest on its home map.
- There will be a group stage, its form and potential Playoffs are to be decided based on the number of signed-up clans.
- Match consists of 2 games, home map for each clan (potential Playoffs would then be Best of 3, maybe 5).
- Each round is to be played in its given 1 week (Mo-Su).
- Date of the match is to be scheduled between clans through their Clan Operators using our forum within the given week.
- All games must be recorded.

Map Pool:
All official Tale of the Dragon maps are available for choosing as home maps, with the following caveats:
- Selectable only if both clans agree: Nomad (same reason as in AoT - Atties), Deep Jungle (often seriously buggy spawns, such as cut off TC, hunt), Team Migration, Vinlandsaga (these two do not spawn transport ships for Chinese). Basin, Old Atlantis, Silk Road, Yellow River - do not spawn players according to their team.

Even through the bugs, it would be cool to see them played as something new, so we're again asking clans to be lenient if your opponents want to choose a map from the above.

Current AoTD-specific rules:
- Due to the problematic optimisation and high demands on players' computers, plus sometimes problematic connecting, lag/stutter is unfortunately to be expected in big team games. We urge players to make all possible effort to reduce these problems through switching off all unnecessary applications and reducing all options to a minimum, to have back-up players ready to switch in, to switch to a 2v2 if necessary, but if all options have been exhausted, the games must go ahead nonetheless. Remember, this is a fun event first and foremost, and as such, played games are a top priority.
- Streaming will be mandatory if an official streamer is present.
- All Clan Operators and players involved in the season need to be members of RTS League's Steam Group for easier communication between each other and with staff.
- If both clans agree, Titans may be turned off.

Besides these specifics, consider the Rules for the AoT Clan League as a point of reference for how would certain situation be handled, and what clans and players need to adhere to. As usual, in all cases, the League Staff will have the final decision.

We'll just point out one specific rule for everyone to remember:

The goal of the League is to ensure fair play and fun for all participants. Abusive tactics, such as hunt deleting or building excessive wall segments (e.g. 1x1 wall pieces spam) near settlements, gold mines, or wonders, are not permitted. Using Kronos' Time Shift and Poseidon's Lure on the map King of the Hill, in order to control the vault, is also prohibited.

As per custom, rewards for the top finishers will be Award Banners confirming your top status in the community, giving you the prestige only the top clans deserve. Fame and glory eternal are then natural parts of succeeding in RTS League

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And now how to sign up!

To take part in the prologue to our brand new Tale of the Dragon Clan League and have a chance at the fun (and the Banners ), your clan will need to fit a few conditions to ensure you would be a positive contribution to the League.

First you will need a Clan Operator - the guy/gal representing you in the competition, scheduling your matches with the opponents and communicating with League staffers on your behalf. This person should be reliable, responsible and available regularly, every day if at all possible. Proper and timely communication is the key here. You can, of course, have more than 1 Clan Operator to cover for each other

Then you must have at least 6 active players ready to participate - this is to ensure you are able to complete your matches regularly even if some of your heroes happen to be temporarily unavailable.

Further you need to be familiar with the League rules stated above, and that will be finalised with the start of the season. Read them carefully, and pay attention to the original rules for the AoT Clan League as well.

And when you've checked all these points and you're ready to join, then again make sure that your clan meets the criteria listed above and within the rules and simply post the following sign-up form (you'll need a forum account here first - please follow the instructions in the Announcement below the top banner here, and we'll make one for you). Since everyone is new this time, we expect the form posted from every clan signing up - also do not miss the need to post the complete list of players you're going to use, we need a way to determine if your clan meets the criteria and also how strong it is for seeding purposes

Clan Tag:
Clan Name:
Clan Website:
Number of Members:
Clan Operator Nickname, Steam account (link) and another Contact:
Clan Leader Nickname, Steam account (link) and another Contact:
List of all players who will take part in the League with their Nickname and Steam account (link):
Clan Operator has read the rules and agrees to them:

Please sign up your clan only if you seriously want to take part in the League, do not sign up inactive clans or clans with too few players to actually meaningfully compete. Clans that drop out during the season will be excluded from the next one/s.

Sign-ups will be closed on Sunday 7th August, the season will start the following week.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact our AoT staff members or any other staffers.

Looking forward to having you in the League, and spread the word - the more clans, the more fun for everyone!

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Streamers and Commentators

As we've said, we'll try to cover as many matches live as possible, and for that we'll need a dedicated crew of casters. If you'd like to help in this regard, please contact us (Careful to replace the addressee line with my nick - Black Adder ) with some information about you, such as your usual availability and your timezone, plus your stream settings (resolution with potential downscale, bitrate, internet speed) and your computer specifications, to have an idea what to expect and if the streaming of high-computer-taxing team games is viable (mention how your experience with Tale of the Dragon is in these regards). Also let us know if you commentate in English or just stream, if you have streamed Tale of the Dragon, and send us links to your Twitch and past streamings.

Since the Extended Edition allows for multiple-observer streaming, we're also looking for co-commentators, especially from the expert ranks, to make streams more interesting. If you're interested, please contact us (Careful to replace the addressee line with my nick - Black Adder ) with some information about you, such as your usual availability and your timezone, and experience with Tale of the Dragon. Also let us know your computer specifications and internet speed  (mention how your experience with Tale of the Dragon is in these regards), for the same reasons as above - even observers can lag games, and we want to avoid that

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That seems to be about it then for the time being, so sign up if you have a clan, or follow us and the TotD goodness if not!

You can check the games played in RTS League at the RTS League's Replays Archive or in the dedicated forum at RTS-Sanctuary where you can also discuss them. Visit our YouTube channel for previously streamed League matches to enjoy the games with insightful commentary or see them through the eyes of players the likes of Spoeft, and be sure to follow our Twitch for regular live streaming of RTS League battles.

Looking for Staff!

Btw we're always on the lookout for community members eager to help their fellow players enjoy the game we all love even more!

Currently we would quite welcome help from a skilled webmaster to improve on our web, so if you have experience with creating and running websites (especially PHP) and would like to leave your mark on not only the "Age of" community, make sure to contact us! (Careful to replace the addressee line with my nick - Black Adder )

We could definitely also find use for various other talents you might have, especially concerning graphics, streaming or other content creation, and our League Staff team could also accommodate another enthusiast to make sure our Leagues function as well as possible!

So if you'd like to help us bring RTS League and the fun it offers to the community to the next level and join our team, be sure to message me (careful to replace the addressee line with my nick - Black Adder ) with your ideas and how do you think you could help us and the community improve!

About us:
RTS League is the foremost and longest running "Age of" clan competition ever, with a history of hosting numerous other strategy games (like StarCraft II, Empire Earth, and Dawn of War) in the past. Fun and friendliness are the prominent aspects of RTS League, with the unquestionable prestige and fame the triumph brings to the top finishing clans following close behind.