General rules of Heroes III offline-tournaments (from 06.10.2012)

0. If you don't understand any rule or you don't know what to do in a certain situation, don't try to think out the rules by yourself, instead, contact the organizer by the private message. You will necessary receive help and explanations!

1. To take part in the Heroes III tournament it is necessary toregister at our website and make an application in the tournament topic.

2. The tournaments are played in the last version of Heroes of Might and Magic 3:
Shadow of Death (version 3.2) or Complete [Platinum collection] (version 4.0)
If you have a version of SoD below 3.2, you should update it. Playing in the tournament in the versions Restoration of Erathia (ROE), Armageddon's Blade (AB) or Wake of Gods (WoG) is FORBIDDEN!

3. The actions order to participate in tournament:
3.1. Download a savegame (it is normally located at the bottom of the main post of tournament topic).
3.2. Put the savegame into GAMES subfolder of Heroes III folder.

3.3. Load the savegame and start playing whenever you want. It is forbidden to make a restart, the map should be completed only starting from the downloaded savegame.
3.4. Each player should save a game after each completed day. The organizer can ask for these saves. If you don't have them, the result will be voided without discussion.
3.5. Before the last action (the victory is achieved after this - final battle, town capture, artifact taking etc) it is necessary to save the game again.
3.6. The detailed description of the tournament map is welcome (not necessary).
3.7. Until the end of the tournament the final save should be sent to the organizer (e-mail must be indicated in the rules of the tournament).
3.8. Wait until the final results are declared.

4. General restrictions:
4.1. It is not allowed to discuss walkthroughs or gaming details during the tournament flowing. Questions can be asked only to organizer (or judge) of a tournament in a private message.
4.2. The game is allowed only from a starting savegame. It is forbidden to make a restart or start playing from a map.
4.3. Cheats can be used only for scouting (to study the map). In the final walkthrough it is forbidden to use cheats. Otherwise the result will be voided at once.
4.4. It is forbidden to use any programs or files not included in 7, that impose the changes into gameplay.

5. During the game it is forbidden:
5.1. To dig Grail before all puzzle map is opened, i.e. you should first visit all obelisks (even if a cross can be seen before!)
5.2. To dig grail in a day when digging hero makes some other actions (movements).
P.S. To dig a hole (without getting Grail out) in the same day is also forbidden.
5.3. Hire your killed or dismissed heroes in the day of dying/dismissing (however running/surrendering from battle and hiring that hero the same day is allowed; it is allowed to hire killed computer's heroes).
P.S. Recruting a hero with extra movements in the other day is also a bug, but allowed one.
P.P.S. Heor who "wins" a battle using "Summon elementals" spell losing all his army and disappearing from a map is considered as killed one.
5.4. To leave a hero with no army (the cases when it happens after quest solving are excluded).
5.5. Artificially interrupt hero's movement (for example, by pressing spacebar) who uses "Flight" spell (or Angel Wings). That includes conquering of blocked cities or defeating their garrisons using this trick; the other usage of the spells is allowed.
5.6. To sell artifacts and spell scrolls at higher prices.
5.7. To visit Sirens more than once by the same hero.
5.8. Attack and run/dye from a group of neutrals that has upgraded stack (multidefeat).
P.S. It is allowed to attack such a group and run with the aim to hire the hero (without the following defeating the same group of neutrals).
P.P.S. It is allowed to run from such a battle after the upgraded stack is killed.
5.9. To use a magic in anti-magic garrisons. The automatic spells conjured by some artifacts are excluded.
5.10. To rise undead from summoned elementals or from cloned monsters or from demons risen by pit lords or from undead that was risen by computer hero after he defeated your hero.
5.11. To use the "paralysis" of monster, who is under berserk spell.
5.12. To use a bug with unlimited ballista ammo without ammo cart in the case when victory is achieved only using this bug, i.e. by the means of ballista alone.
P.S. Using of this trick with the ammo cart is allowed - in the cases when the number of battle rounds don't exceed 500. Hero must have ammo cart before he enters the battle and he should keep in undamaged after battle ends.
P.P.S. Using of this bug in the case of long battle (without ammo cart or if it was destroyed) when the victory is achieved not because of ballista but due to hero's army or spells is allowed.
5.13. To use bonuses from navigation on land.
This includes the running from sea battle and subsequent moving of hired hero in the following cases:
1) When hero uses "Admiral's Hat" artifact or artifacts that comprise it;
2) When hero has "Navigation" skill of any level;
3) When the Lighthouse is built or taken under control.
P.S. It is allowed to run from sea battle and move after it by hired hero on land in cases 2 and 3 if Navigation skill of basic level (or few levels starting from basic) or building/conquering of Lighthouse happened in the day of running.
5.14. To use "Admiral's Hat" artifact
P.S. It is allowed to use the artifacts comprising "Admiral's Hat" ("Captain's Hat" and "Necklace of navigator" ) without their uniting.
5.15. All tournament battles can be revised by tournament organizer to check the possibility of their repeating on any computer. Participants could be asked for the detailed descriptions of these battles.
During the battle repeating, morale/luck/special abilities shouldn't be the key factor in the victory (army preserving) and are not necessary at the battle repeating by organizer.
The player can build his victory on the basis of single morale/luck/special ability occurring, and ask the organizer to repeat his battle a few times to be convinced in the reality of results.
If you don't follow this rule or if organizer can't repeat a battle in 25 attempts then the your final save is voided.
P.S. Organizers don't count 25 attempts during this condition checking, instead, the reality and probability of the battle is evaluated.
5.16. To use any bugs of the game that are not listed in 6
P.S. If you found a bug no listed in 6, you should contact the tournament chief for explanation.

6. It is allowed to use the following tricks:
6.1. Hiring a hero who was dismissed or killed in any day that follows after dismissing/dying.
6.2. Hiring of a killed computer's hero in any day.
6.3. Leaving a hero without army after he completes the quest.
6.4. Transporting neutral monsters on rough terrain without penalty.
6.5. Dismissing a hero who stays in city garrison.
6.6. Building the Grail in the same day with the other building in a city.
6.7. Building of two ships in the shipyard at the same time.
6.8. Using of artifacts transfer from loser to winner as the result of a battle between computer heroes.
6.9. Using of mistakes (or explicit and implicit ideas) of card builder and implicit mistakes of the game occurring without player's operation.

7. Additional programs and files that can be used:
7.1. HD mod - Mod for interface functionality improving. Author is baratorch. HD+ is FORBIDDEN!
7.2. «Digger HMM» - Program for heroes hiring. Author is ShadeByte download
7.3. HMM3_Lighter - the program for quick army and artifacts exchange between two heroes in Heroes III. Author is vbn.
7.4. ONLY these text files
Cranim.txt - accelerates animation in battles.
File ARRAYTXT.TXT - shows the quality ranges (in numbers) for monsters for different H3 versions.
File GENRLTXT.TXT - shows the amount of hero's mana in battles.
7.5. 7-zip - program for making the archives of tournament savegames.

8. Other
8.1. If you found any inaccuracy in the rules, please report me in PM.
8.2. To organize your own H3 tournament it is necessary to contact me in PM to get consultation and organization help.