First off, as far as calling a dodge I want to emphasize that both parties should do everything to resolve the issue on their own before requesting a dodge - even if that is scheduling a duel past your deadline (You must wait 12 hours to rechallenge officially but if you post your duels completion before one of you are challenged again I have no issue with honoring the results).
That being said I wanted to post some clarification on what we look for when determining whether a dodge is valid/invalid as both parties always feel they are in the right and blind-sided by any resolution. As such ill offer some insight into my thinking on the matter to offer some transparency and hopefully for my sanity reduce the degree of surprise when I come to one conclusion or another.
Many of these I think are self evident, but I will state them regardless:
Did the challenged give advanced notice for dueling times, and in general how available were they ("Hey are you around now" certainly can work, but it should not be the main method of meeting up).
Did either party miss an agreed upon timeframe?
Did the challenged wait until the last day to reply or reply at all?
Did either party request an extension?
Does the dodger have a track record of being difficult to duel?
Are there extenuating circumstances (hospital stay, etc)?
Did the accuser/accused provide evidence or am I taking either/both parties at their word?
Originally Cambria and I discussed codifying a set of rules for the dodge system, but determined it would be better to allow for flexibility on a case-by-case basis as there are a lot of variables possible. We did not want to box ourselves in with red tape as our aim is to keep this ladder accessible to a variety of lifestyles and not alienate people unnecessarily. As such we feel it best to rely on analyzing each case as it comes to us so we can consider all of the variables. The above should act as a general guideline as to what we will be considering in an effort to provide some transparency. Id appreciate any dialogue people wish to have on the matter if they wish to PM me about it as the discussion could certainly help us to refine our outlook.
Thanks and good luck in your climb!
Also as a general rule clarification:
A dodge will constitute a forfeit of duel for the first dodge moving forward.
This post was edited by Diablo 2 Barb on Feb 4 2021 10:12pm