Penalties, rewinds, and common play errors

A judge call has four parts: identify the error, apply its penalty, fix the game state with the remedy, and check whether the penalty upgrades. Learn each infraction as those four parts, and always explain the error, the fix and the penalty to the players (TR 701.3.b).

Worked example. In a two-player game your Treasure Hunter moves, and its trigger "play a Gold gear token exhausted" would change the board. You do not acknowledge it, and you take a new game action, so the trigger is forgotten (TR 506.3 and TR 506.3.b). A forgotten trigger never goes on the chain (TR 506.4). Your opponent calls a judge. This is a Missed Trigger, a game play error with no penalty because missing it gave you no advantage (TR 702.2). It was missed this turn, so the next opponent in turn order chooses whether the trigger resolves now or is missed altogether (TR 702.2.f.2). Had missing it helped you, it would be a Warning (TR 702.2.e).

The penalty ladder. Penalties come in four steps: a Warning, which is a record that an error occurred, then a Game Loss, a Match Loss and a Disqualification (TR 701.2). If one error leads to several related penalties, the judge issues only the most severe (TR 701.3.d). Repeated Warnings upgrade to a Game Loss: three Warnings in the same exact category in one event, or six Warnings in total across all game play error categories at competitive OPL (Organized Play Level), or five in total at professional OPL (TR 702.1.b.1, TR 702.1.b.2 and TR 702.1.b.3). Failure to Maintain Game State is exempt from all three and never upgrades unless the head judge instructs it (TR 702.1.b and TR 702.17.b). At low OPL penalties are generally softer (TR 702.1.c). A "full round cycle" completes when the player whose turn the error occurred on begins their next turn (TR 702.1.e).

Rewinds. Many remedies are a simple rewind: undoing only the last action, which any judge may do (TR 701.5.b and TR 701.5.b.1). The game goes back to before the action began, and runes recycled or exhausted to pay are unrecycled or readied (TR 701.5.b.2 and TR 701.5.b.3). A more complicated rewind needs the head judge or, at high OPL, an appeals judge (TR 701.5.c).

Triggers. The accountable player is the one responsible for putting a triggered ability on the chain under the Core Rules (TR 506.1). For a battlefield that depends on who controls it, not who brought it to the game (TR 506.1.a and rule 190.6.a). An uncontrolled battlefield's ability belongs to the Turn Player unless it names a player (rule 190.6.b and rule 190.6.c). A trigger must be acknowledged by the time it would have an observable impact, such as changing a point or rune total, causing a draw, moving a unit, or requiring a choice (TR 506.3 and TR 506.3.e). A trigger that only adds Might has no impact until the Might matters (TR 506.3.e.4). A trigger at the start of each player's first Beginning Phase may be acknowledged at any time during that turn (TR 506.3.d). A forgotten trigger still counts as having triggered for non-optional "first time" triggers (TR 506.5). After a missed trigger, any further errors about it are General Errors, and players may not rush the game to make an opponent miss one (TR 702.2.b and TR 702.2.c).

Score and payment errors. Forgetting to score a point from conquering or holding is no penalty: if the correct score can be determined and no more than a full round cycle has passed, it is corrected, otherwise play continues (TR 702.3, TR 702.3.b.1 and TR 702.3.b.2). An opponent who sees it and says nothing gets a Warning for Failure to Maintain Game State (TR 702.17). Underpaying a cost is Mispayment for Cost, a Warning, with a simple rewind if possible, otherwise the cost is corrected (TR 702.9, TR 702.9.b.1 and TR 702.9.b.2). Overpaying is no penalty: a simple rewind if possible, otherwise play continues (TR 702.8 and TR 702.8.b.1). It becomes a Warning if overpaying was advantageous, and a General Error, TR 702.16, if it caused a result that would not otherwise have happened (TR 702.8.b.1.a and TR 702.8.b.1.b).

Common mistake. "I'll just let them keep the extra Energy." Overpayment no longer leaves floating resources: the remedy is a rewind or play on.