General Rules

1. Introduction and purpose

This page lays out rules which all EPIC.LAN operated tournaments will be governed by, referred to as (“General Rules”). This rulebook aims at providing and codifying a structured and consistent set of rules and standards enforceable across all levels of competition for everyone and every team competing in EPIC.LAN events.

Participation in any EPIC.LAN tournaments is conditioned to the acceptance of the following rules and standards:

Any tournament specific rules, referred to as (“Tournament Rules” and “Supplementary Rules”).
The EPIC.LAN Code of Conduct.
The EPIC.LAN Terms and Conditions.

1.1 Acknowlegement of the Rules

Every participant registered to any EPIC.LAN tournament must read, acknowledge and accept these General Rules and any Supplementary Rules, and agree to always abide by them to remain eligible to participate active or future EPIC.LAN tournaments.

By accepting these Rules, participants consent to EPIC.LAN’s authority to issue sanction or sanctions, preliminary conservative measures and/or definitive sanctions, without prejudice.

These rules can be accepted upon registration to any EPIC.LAN tournament or deemed accepted when a participant enters in any tournament or match hosted by EPIC.LAN in either a player, coach or supportive team staff capacity.

Participants may not participate if they do not agree to be bound to these Rules or otherwise do not meet the eligibility criteria set forth in the Rules.

1.2 Modification of the Rules

In order to ensure that any EPIC.LAN tournament is operated in accordance with game developer requirements, or for the protection of any interest that EPIC.LAN considers material in order to preserve the values, legitimacy, and integrity of EPIC.LAN events or tournaments, or in order to comply with any applicable law, EPIC.LAN may amend of supplement these General Rules with or without prior notice. EPIC.LAN may also change part of, or the entirety of, the format of any EPIC.LAN event or tournament with a reasonable notice before said modified parts are executed upon.

2. Entry Criteria

EPIC.LAN events, referred to as (“EPICXX” where XX denotes the event number, “EPIC.LUX” and “TTX” where X denotes the event number), require purchase of an event ticket specific to each event.

EPIC.LAN “LAN” tournaments require the purchase of a BYOC (“Bring your own computer”) ticket specific to the event it is hosted under to be a "Player". BYOC tickets do not guarantee access to any specific EPIC.LAN tournament. However, if the account holder has a BYOC ticket for a specific event associated with their account, they are eligible to sign up to EPIC.LAN tournaments linked to said event, subject to team limit caps.

“Coaches”, “Managers” and “Team Staff” do not require a BYOC ticket to be a member of a team participating in an EPIC.LAN tournament. If these participants only hold a “Spectator” ticket, they cannot be used as “Players” if their team requires a substitute. Extra “Team Staff” must also abide by the tournaments team size restrictions set out in tournament specific Supplementary Rules.

More information on tickets and bookings can be found in our Support FAQ.

2.1 Age Requirements

2.2 Tournament Registration

Tournament registration can be completed any time after tournaments go live on this website via each tournament page’s “Sign Up” button.

Tournament registration will close by 4PM the day prior to the initial stage of the tournament.

Players must be signed up to the tournament and on a team that meets the minimum player requirements for their selected tournament to participate.

Some tournaments allow for players to sign up as a “Free Agent”. This allows players without a pre-organised team to sign up to the tournament and advertise their availability.

Free Agent’s must meet all other requirements outlined in these Rules to participate. Signing up as a Free Agent does not guarantee participation in the tournament.

If signups have been closed but the tournament has not yet started, participants are recommended to contact Event Staff to see if they can still participate.

Any changes to registered teams such as team names, player adds, or swaps can only be done by participants whilst signups are open. Any changes after signups have closed must be requested and can only be executed by Event Staff.

2.3 Tournament Communication

A tournament briefing will be held for each EPIC.LAN tournament onsite prior to the start of the tournament. This will be denoted on the tournament specific schedule and must be attended by at least one representative per team.

At least one representative per team must remain in the EPIC.LAN Discord, where a tournament specific Help Desk channel will be made available throughout the tournament.

3. Hardware Requirements

Participants signed up to EPIC.LAN tournaments that have an active BYOC ticket are required to bring the following hardware to play:

A PC capable of running their tournament game title.
A monitor that does not exceed the width of their allocated desk space (3ft of a shared desk).
Input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse or controller.
A headset, in-ears or both.
Minimum of 2-way surge protected extension lead.
Associated cables for above hardware.

More information on hardware and what participants need to bring, including what is provided and other optional recommendations can be found in our Support FAQ.

3.1 Hardware Recommendations

It is recommended that participants avoid the usage of wireless hardware due to signal interference in an electronic saturated space such as a LAN environment.

Items like wireless mice are permitted, however, participants should bring a dongle extension cable, usually supplied with most gaming mice, to keep their wireless dongle as close as possible to the mouse itself.

A BYOC LAN environment can be loud, it is recommended players bring options to isolate external noise such as in-ears to go under their headsets, or active noise cancelling headsets.

3.2 Hardware Restrictions

Participants should not bring the following:

Any item that exceeds the dimensions of their allocated desk space (3ft of a shared desk).
Monitor desk clamps (Bring original monitor stand).
Hardware that gives participants an unfair advantage, referred to as (“Cheats” and “Exploits”) such as but not limited to DMA cheating hardware and input device spoofing.
Electronic devices that have significant power requirements such as but not limited to mini fridges, large fans, and space heaters.

Hardware that directly violates these Rules, isn’t in the spirit of these Rules, or impacts other participants, power distribution and the safety of the event, may result in sanctions outlined in section 11 Enforcement.

3.3 Hardware Rentals

EPIC.LAN may offer additional services that allow participants to rent hardware if they are unable to bring their own. This includes PC and Monitor rental, including associated required cabling, and Premium Chair rental.

If a participant rents EPIC.LAN hardware, they are not required to bring their own hardware listed in 2.2.1 Hardware Requirements.

Any technical issues involving EPIC.LAN rented hardware should be raised immediately with the on-site Technical Team so EPIC.LAN can assist in resolving such issues in a timely manner. This can be done through our Discord #support channel, but more effectively through the on-site Help Desk.

EPIC.LAN does not take responsibility for any hardware rented by a Third Party. Any technical issues with personal hardware or Third Party rented hardware is the sole responsibility of the participant.

3.4 Hardware Liability

You are responsible for personal hardware during its use whilst you are at an EPIC.LAN event. If any damage is caused by parties external to EPIC.LAN such as but not limited to yourself or other participants, EPIC.LAN shall not be liable for any loss or cost in replacing or repairing said hardware.

To the best of EPIC.LAN’s ability, we will aim to assist with finding lost property or acting against malicious intent towards personal hardware. EPIC.LAN does not guarantee any reparations.

If participants rent EPIC.LAN hardware, use or interact in any capacity with EPIC.LAN equipment, the account holder of said rented hardware shall be liable for the replacement costs of any damage. This included but is not limited to:

Furniture including desks, seating, barriers, banners etc.
PCs, monitors and all associated accessories.
Power and network equipment.
AV and production equipment

EPIC.LAN may look to seek reparations through direct payment or reduction/removal of prize earnings from EPIC.LAN tournaments. Any damage caused may also result in further sanctions against a participant or team.

4. Communication

4.1 Staff Communication

The Event Staff team can be reached by either approaching the onsite Help Desk, the website support system or via the EPIC.LAN Discord server.

The onsite Help Desk can assist with rented hardware questions or concerns, technical issues with rented or event hardware such as network or power, and tournament specific questions or concerns.

The Help Desk staff will aim to assist within the best of their ability. If your question related to a different Event Staff team such as a game tournament, they would notify the relevant Admins or Team Members to assist further.

Each EPIC.LAN tournament has a specific Admin team to deal with each game title.

The EPIC.LAN Discord has a #support channel to raise event and tournament tickets, as well as game specific categories which include their own virtual help desks.

The EPIC.LAN tournament platform allows ticket holders to raise support tickets directly and categorise requests against specific game titles or matches.

4.2 Voice Communication

Participants are permitted to use either built in game chat or voice functions or external communication platforms such as Discord or TeamSpeak.

4.4 Non-player Communication

Non-player communication rules can be found in specific tournament Supplementary Rules. This includes participants such as Coaches. Please ensure you are aware of any tournament specific restrictions and requirements.

4.4 External User Interference

Players are not permitted to receive external communication by third party individuals that may impact an EPIC.LAN tournament, such as information that may unfairly benefit the participant against rival teams or players.

This extends to onsite spectators or other participants. Participants external to a live tournament match cannot purposefully interfere with match proceedings. This includes but is not limited to:

Interrupting or otherwise distracting a participant, verbally or physically during a live match
Moving or knocking a participants chair or desk during a live match
Interacting with hardware that is actively being used during a live match

5. Team & Player Names

Team and/or player names may be modified at EPIC.LANs discretion for reasons including but not limited to:

If a submitted name is

• Offensive or crude
• Politically charged / motivated
• A brand, copyrighted or trademarked without the explicit property owner’s permission for use
• Violates EPIC.LAN’s Code of Conduct, General Rules or any other Supplementary game rules
• Includes references to illegal activity or anything otherwise in accordance with local law and broadcast guidelines
• Is a risk to EPIC.LANs name, brand or events
• Endangers the integrity of EPIC.LAN events

If you team name has been deemed to violate these rules you might be notified that any additional elements related to your intended name may be banned from the event that relate to your submission, such as but not limited to: team jerseys, banners, digital media, merchandise.

EPIC.LAN is not responsible for any loss or damages relating to private agreements in relation to branding or names if they are deemed in violation of our rules on our event site or within our tournaments.

EPIC.LAN will notify the registered team leader of any violation via email and make adjustments immediately to any team name we deem violated this non-exhaustive list. EPIC.LAN will either adjust the existing name or replace it entirely. If your name(s) are modified you must communicate with the EPIC.LAN esports operations team before making further adjustments yourself to ensure any changes do not violate these rules. 

Attempting to circumvent these restrictions or submitting a name that violates them may lead to further repercussions aligned with these General Rules or the EPIC.LAN Code of Conduct.

5.1 Branding & Sponsorship

EPIC.LAN may ask you to cover brands or sponsors on official merchandise or team wear for broadcast sanitisation purposes in order to abide by agreements with game publishers through tournament licenses, other tournament operator requirements or local law. It is EPIC.LANs discretion on what constitutes a violation in these cases.

EPIC.LAN is not responsible for any loss or damages relating to private agreements in relation to branding or names if they are deemed in violation of our rules on our event site or within our tournaments.

6. EPIC.LAN Stage

Where EPIC.LAN uses the Arena layout for main events, some game titles may host Grand Finals on the EPIC.LAN stage.

During the Final, teams will be assigned their respective referee to administrate team communication during tech pauses and coach communication outside of tactical pauses.

In-ears are a requirement for all players who reach the Grand Final of their respective tournament/when playing in an esports stage match. Players should bring their own choice of in-ears, which will be setup for game audio underneath their regular headphones. Headphones will be used for mic communication and noise cancellation. Players will provide their own peripherals for stage use (mouse, keyboard, in-ears, mousepad). 

Teams must abide by any change in playing environment (moving to a stage setting) and any regulations associated for tournament Finals.

7. Streaming

Players are allowed to stream their own games throughout the weekend. However, EPIC.LAN reserves the right to ask you to stop streaming for the reasons that include but not limited to; network issues, bandwidth issues, commercial restrictions or matters of competitive integrity. If you are playing in the tournament, you must stop streaming if you are asked to do so. 

Players are not allowed to stream games that are featured on the official EPIC.LAN streams.

All streams must have a minimum of a 3-minute stream delay always set. 

We may ask you to provide further information about your stream data.

8. Match Betting

EPIC.LAN is a place where we believe in competitive integrity and thus, we actively pursue the prevention of match fixing and throwing of matches to get extra income through a secondary route.

Any players who are participating in the tournament and bet against their own team and the proof is found through Tournament Admins, Betting website staff or Game developers, then they will be disqualified from the tournament, any prize winnings will be forfeit for the entire team. Further repercussions may apply.

9. Game Developer Bans

In the extreme example that Game Developers (Ubisoft, Valve, Blizzard, Riot etc.) have stepped in and stipulated a certain ban that is game wide (this includes Match Fixing and VAC bans specifically from Valve) then EPIC.LAN will uphold these bans on players. We do not condone cheaters, match fixing or any toxic behaviour of any kind. Players that are on any such lists are banned from competing in any EPIC.LAN sanctioned tournament (online or offline). For further information around punishment time limits, please see the bottom of this page.

10. Conflicts of Interest & Entanglements

Participants and teams must notify EPIC.LAN immediately on registration and no less than 3 weeks prior to the start of any tournament if your team or any individuals have any entanglement or conflict of interest. This includes but is not limited to having business relationships, shared management, shared ownership of entities, licensing and loans with other participants. For example, if you have signed up to a tournament as a “mix” team with friends, but you also manage activities (contracted or otherwise) for another team, you have an entanglement with a potential competitor.

It is the duty of all participants to understand this responsibility and notify EPIC.LAN of potential conflicts of interest. If you fail to notify EPIC.LAN upon registration or no less than 3 weeks prior to the tournament starting, you may be ineligible to compete. Even within this time frame, EPIC.LAN may be unable to resolve this conflict if EPIC.LAN is bound by tournament operator licenses to ensure no conflicts exist and may result in tournament removal.

Please contact us immediately through our Official Discord server on these matters via #support.

11. Enforcement

Violating EPIC.LAN’s General Rules will result in any of the following:

• Verbal Warning.
• Written Warning.
• Forced Broadcast Sanitisation.
• Communication Suspension.
• Communication Suspension.
• Game Forfeiture.
• Match Forfeiture.
• Disqualification from a specific tournament.
• Disqualification from multiple tournaments.
• Undefined time – temporary suspension from any EPIC.LAN competitions or activities.
• Undefined time – temporary suspension from any EPIC.LAN hosted events and associated venues, without refund.
• Permanent ban from any EPIC.LAN competitions or activities.
• Permanent ban from any EPIC.LAN hosted events and associated venues, without refund.
• Reduction and/or forfeiture of all prize earnings either monetarily or otherwise. (All forfeited cash prizing is donated to a charity of EPIC.LAN’s choice)

In situations where rule violations pertain to tournament infractions. Enforcement may be applied to a team, and it’s interested parties as a whole and not just individual participants.

12. Spirit of the Rules

It is at the discretion of EPIC.LAN Management and Tournament Officials to modify any of the rules above for any reason and at any time. The rules are most likely to be amended in the following cases (without limitation):

• If a different patch/version release is used and modifications to the rules are necessary to ensure fair play for any title.
• If a game-breaking bugs are discovered during the course of the tournament.
• If players are suspected or proven to be engaging in unfair play or collusion to fix the results of a game.
• If changes to game settings and/or operations guidelines are necessary due to differences between online and offline tournaments.
• If there are substantial delays to a tournament that would prevent it from concluding in a timely fashion.
• In the event that a rule amendment is made, teams will be informed immediately of the changes made and the reasons why, via the tournament’s main communication channels.

All decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules lie solely with the Tournament Officials, the decisions of which are final.

13. Cancellations & Adjustments

Epic Gaming Ltd. reserves the right to withdraw any tournament should there be an insufficient number of participating teams. To abide by other restrictions, regulations and rules, EPIC.LAN may also adjust elements of tournaments from admission through to event end.