VDL Rules & Guidelines

1a. 10 Player League

1b. 1 game per week

1c. Home & Away Fixtures

1d. Win: 2 Points, Draw: 1 Point

1e. Games = BO10 - 501 SIDO (BO8 Silver & Bronze)

1f. Home player throws first

1g. The table will be posted twice per week, on Sunday and Thursday.

1h. League placing will look like the below:

2a. Leagues are average-based. Any new players are placed based on their last full month's average.

2b. Game timer to be set to a minimum of 60 seconds.

2c. Camera must be on at all times. If it fails, pause the game until it is fixed.

2d. A screenshot of the result is to be posted by the WINNING player (or the home player if it is a draw).

2e. Games, once confirmed, MUST be posted into the relevant channel.

2f. Any confirmed games not completed within 2 hours of the scheduled game time will be investigated.

2g. Games must be completed by 10pm on Sunday.

2h. The admin team's decision is final.

3a. Plan your games in your league's game planning channel. This makes the arrangements visible to all.

3b. When trying to get hold of your opponent, tag them using @"theirname". This will send them a notification, allowing admins to track who has made an effort to arrange the match.

3c. Be proactive in arranging your game; do not leave it until the end of the game week. Players have other commitments and we need to respect that.

3d. If you have tagged your opponent on 3 or more occasions, on separate days, with no response, advise your league captain. They can use our activity bots to check the player's status. Your captain will then DM the player, who will have 24 hours to respond before being removed from the division.

4a. A game is only classed as a confirmed game when it is posted in your league's confirmed games channel with a time and date. If it is not a UK time, the time zone must be stated.

4b. If you know you are going to be late for a confirmed game, please give at least 1 hour's notice so we can allow the game to be rescheduled.

4c. If your being late for a confirmed game makes the game unplayable for your opponent and they cannot reschedule, then your opponent will be awarded a forfeit win as the game was already planned.

4d. If your game is not posted in the confirmed games channel, then the game does not exist, meaning no admin action can be taken.

4e. If your game has not been posted in the confirmed games channel, but you and your opponent have agreed a time and date and one of you does not show up, NO wins will be awarded. If the game runs past the end of the game week under these circumstances, it will be awarded as a 0-0, resulting in a loss for each player. If the game is not in confirmed games, it does not exist.

5a. If you have a game confirmed and your opponent no-shows, please allow 15 minutes and then inform your league captain, who will award a forfeit win.

5b. If you are the player who does not show, you will be awarded the loss and you will receive a strike for the no-show.

5c. If you get 3 strikes in one season, you may lose your league place. The final outcome will be decided by the admin team.

5d. If your no-show is caused by something out of your control rendering you unable to inform anyone (e.g., hospitalization), get in touch with your division captain as soon as you are able to do so. The situation will then be put before the admin team for a vote.

5e. You must inform your captain of any holidays as soon as possible during the season so we can arrange the early release of any fixtures while you are away.

6a. If you receive 2 warnings, this will automatically be converted into 1 strike.

6b. If you receive 3 strikes, you will immediately lose your place in the league. Depending on the severity, the admin team will decide if a ban is necessary.

6c. Warnings and strikes will be cleared at the end of each season; however, they will remain on your historical player record.

7a. Any incidents of cheating proven to be true will result in an immediate ban from the VDL network, including both premium and free servers. We will also share this information with our partners, which could affect your participation in the wider network.

7b. Decisions regarding cheating are made only with undeniable evidence, such as video recordings of games.

7c. All decisions on cheating are put to the admin team, who will vote on whether they believe cheating occurred. We act on the majority decision. Decisions on cheating must be made by more than one person.

8a. Players who drop out or are removed will be replaced.

8b. Players who come in as replacements will inherit the match results of the player who left; however, their statistics will be cleared.

9a. No Camera = No Game. If the camera goes off during a game, follow Rule 13.

9b. We recommend all cameras are positioned at bullseye height and approximately 1 meter away from the board.

9c. We highly encourage the recording of all games. Keep the footage for 24 hours and delete it if there are no disputes.

9d. You MUST post your Cam Check in your league's cam check room before the season starts.

9e. Target Virt camera is also accepted.

10a. For all scores over 100, high-scoring darts must be pointed out clearly for your opponent.

10b. If any dart is obscuring the view of another high-scoring dart, remove the dart so your opponent can see.

10c. ALL double finishes must be shown to your opponent on camera, along with any treble that makes up the checkout.

10d. There is no practice throwing allowed while your opponent takes their turn. This is classified as cheating. Do not throw until your opponent has entered their score and the camera view has switched to your board.

11a. The VDL permits the use of the Target Omni Auto Scoring System.

11b. If the Omni makes a counting mistake, it must be rectified BEFORE removing your darts.

11c. If using an Omni, both the rules for Cameras and DartCounter Etiquette apply.

11d. Your opponent must have access to the camera view of your board.

12a. The VDL is considered a safe place for many; we will not tolerate any form of bullying or online abuse.

12b. Any evidenced abuse will be taken directly to the admin team and sanctioned with consequences ranging from a warning to a direct ban. This includes any Direct Messages that can be linked to VDL activity.

12c. Treat people with respect and how you would want them to treat you.

12d. If you feel you have been bullied or abused, come directly to a member of the admin team. Please do not engage with the other member under these circumstances.

13a. We strongly suggest that you record all games you are involved in.

13b. For any in-game issues, please follow the procedure below:

13c. The procedure above is the only reporting process we accept. Do not wait until the game is over to report an issue.

13d. This process applies to all games in the VDL, whether it be League, Cup, or Tournament.

14a. Before the season starts, you will be asked to read and acknowledge these set rules.

14b. You MUST post your Cam Check and DC username in the Dartcounter channel of your league.

14c. You will need to link your Discord to the server using the !linkvdl command in the game planning channel.

14d. You will not be permitted to play until the above steps have been completed.

15a. All prizes given are optional and may be revoked at any time.

15b. The VDL offers rewards in the free leagues only when viable, and is not under any obligation to do so.