Recommended turn order based on play times:

Thanks for the offer but I am fine without being a judge. However, if there is a case where the judges can't decide/ can't come to a conclusion or if there ar judges missing and you really need someone, then I'll help out. You can be sure that I will judge fairly and unbiased.

Thanks for your observation.    I agree - it's time to change the header to interest more players (especially after the current tourney will start). So for now  I've already changed the end of the header in terms of the rules - so as not to mislead new interested players.   Full change of the header I'll make when I'll be able after finishing the preparing stage for the current tourney.
Thanks again for your observancy and your activity too.   Do you want to be a judge, instead of me for example?   You may be a judge from the beginners camp. :whiteman 

Skuns you are right, the settings are fine. When you linked "here" at the top I thought this wa the tournament, but you only used the 2v2 tournament rules set as an example. My mistake.

I can now also understand why you want to use PBEM++, thanks for the explanation. I just didn't know anytjing about it and thought: "why use a pbem mod if there already is a balance mod..." but it's fine this way, enhancing supportive games is what lacks a bit in AoW.

Looking forward and thanks for answering all my questions!

Hi. Welcome to our little club.   But were you not mistaken with the address?  We are going to use only 2 mods, not 20 ones 

@Zytozid   I don't understand what you're saying about   About what 1 day timer you are talking? And the rest of your claims is in the same spirit.    On this page I can see another period/words.  Though if you can see there all of that what you described - sorry, I have trouble with my eyes. 

P.S. I'll try to answer your question from your PM. I'll propose to use Hellbrick's PBEM++ mod, because it allows to make team games more friendly and more supportive. The last expression means that this mod improves the interaction between the players in a team by casting some spells on your allies cities etc. I hope that your teammate-veteran can help you to see all of its advantages. Anyway you can see all changes which it makes HERE. 

P.P.S. About your question: "Are you sure the game is more balanced with it? " I can't say anything about the balance for this mod, also I don't like some changes from it. But we have no any other good mods for the team games, so we should say only thanks to Hellbrick that he took the trouble to create this mod, which makes team game more interesting.   I should say that this is only my private opinion, so if you or any other player don't like to use it, you should leave this tourney discussion. The rules were described much long ago, so it's too late to try to discuss/change/cancel this big change at the start of the tournament.  Sorry, if I was rude or something. But it's true.

@Ezekiel   The same for you.  I don't understand why you are not satisfied with 4 slots for 4 teams.  

So honoured Skuns. You say the ship have set sail but there´s only 4 spots so far on the tournament page. I will not spoil your lottery by joining prematurely even though it was very tempting - now that I actually had the opportunity :--)

Edit: A veteran can apparently be mistaken by the logical system of this site. I have played so many games so I have a per default thinking of when joining you do it as a player - not as a team.

Please change the turn timer.
If yo uask me, 1 day is crazy... if you set the turn timer to three days, it does not mean everyone takes 3 days for his turn, it just means no one who cannot do his turn in two consecutive days is skipped. Skipping is a huge disadvantage for a player... and can lead to player leaving/quitting the game, destroying the whole setup and work put into it.
I'd be more generous with the turn timer (I normally use 3 days).

Any other opinions (or people supporting mine) are welcome.

edit:
I mistakenly moved to the tournament 2v2 page. Settings displayed are fine.

$eeR joined !!

P.P.S. Updated the previous message

You asked: "what do we do now ?"

Don't worry. You don't have to do anything yet for a while. After I'll hold the lottery, I'll post the results here. This results will show in which of lists (main or odd) do you find yourself. Also by your, Longinus, request, I'll post approximate composition of the teams. But maybe someone will wish to change the team - it's ok, just say about it here and we'll discuss such possibility.  And also you can discuss the team name.

After that moment, when all players will agree with their teams you'll need to contact your teammate-veteran. You'll ask him about possible combos (class/race) for you for the first match (or propose your own combo) and discuss it to define which combo and specializations you'll choose for this match. Only after that when your teammates and you will decide this question, each player of the team have to send to the judges (for now it's only me) their class/race choices by private message (PM). If some of the beginners has troubles with it, then you must ask your teammate-veteran to do it instead of you. 

When the judges will check all combos for both teams of the match and approve its, I'll choose by random factor the host team. The veteran from the host team has to host the game on the server and posts screenshots at the game blog's page on this site. Your game blog you can find at the roster page here. The judges and your opponents will check the settings and after approving it you can finally join this game (with your chosen combo for the match, of course) and may start.

P.S. I'm busy this week so maybe I can hold the lottery only in Monday or a few later. Sorry for this

Finally our ship is sailed.   You can read the match settings and the rules HERE. The rule №6 I'll add later

Yeah I mean I can only speak for what I think/believe is right, I can't promise all Beginners feel that way but I think it is fine this way.
And if we try to match stronger elites with weaker beginners it actually helps to avoid this complaint, as we TRY to balance teams a bit. Teams won't be the same strength, but there is always luck etc as well in AoW. It's not about making perfect balance but only using the easiest steps to make it a little balanced (:

I hope everyone will play seriously, have fun and learn. And as there is no big prize, losing is not all that bad so do not get too serious everyone! (:

Thanks for organizing!

Ok, you persuaded me. I'll try to simplify a participance of the beginners in terms of the rule № 6. But after this simplifying I can't and don't want to receive and consider complaints with such contents: "Beginner A is better than me and he uses limitations of rule № X in his favor". 

Well, since RedChameleon decided not to participate, I think we shouldn't wait other beginners so I propose use the first scheme: 4 teams with 2 matches into each of tourney phases.
For all other players who will appear in the odd list (on substitute players' bench) - don't be upset. If soon more beginners will wish to join us, then we can start another parallel tournament (the similar situation was in 2015-2016 for 3 duel tournaments, which were organazing one by one  ).
I hope I'll find time for organizing things this week. 

Also I have to announced additional basic rule, № 8: If the beginners will decide that their teammate-veteran is rude or too persistent in terms of choosing a strategy of playing session or cheating, they must let know about it to the judges (evidence of this behavior, like screenshots etc., is welcome). And if the judges will agree with that evidences, then this veteran must be replaced on another one from the odd list. The match must be stopped and restart with the new composition of the team.

RedChameleon quitted!

Yeah we can split teams into 1 vet and 2 beginners but I'd still propose to at least try to mix stronger vets with weaker beginners.
I know that I am weaker than Lobo for example and I believe I am in turn, stronger than Nub Nub. And Nub Nub is certainly way, way less experienced/skilled than El_Lobo. So it's tricky to put the same label on all of us. But of course it needs to be done, to easen match-making, just beware of pitfalls and try to create at least marginally fair teams.

And let's not do it 4v4, because 1.) players are more likely to quit and destroying the game for more players who would have liked to play 2.) turn times are much longer and games take longer...and they are also less fun/exciting due to that

Well. if it´s about starting this one soon - 3 vs 3 is the way to go and then force one of the veterans into the beginner group. This forcing could then be based on ranking or gut feeling by the most experienced players and we could consider making a mid-tier/second beginner runner-up group (by splitting the then 12 players into two tiers of 6 players) for further balancing purposes.

The perfect balance is not easily achievable in this game where luck will and should be a factor (though not major) as well as day-to-day variation in performances of players (thus I occasionally also still make beginners mistakes and am not regarding myself as elite despite my ranking and humongous playtime recorded).

yes, I really would suggest to do a 1 Vet 2 Begs as intented and start soon, otherwise some new players might loose interest. I would be a back up then (unlikely to happen because the veterans shouldn't leave the tournament )
maybe 2 groups of 3 teams each would make sense? then you need 12 beginners 

Yeah, I'd rathern ot do a 4v4, because quitters and turns take very long

It's interesting idea to change the tourney from 3vs3 into 4vs4. More experince for the beginners, more fun for all. But I'm afraid that each match will continue too long. I'm not sure that all beginners are ready for 6 months match for each of phases. And we will have no any chance to restart match from quitters this time. Also we need one more vet))
It's all my concerns. But I'm ready to try, if the others will be agree too

P.S. Instead, we could try to organize 3vs3 tourney with 6 teams into 2 groups of 3 matches as Marcus proposed. But we still have not enough number for beginners without any replacements.