Moderating and Keeping Score in an Online Match

Before the start of each round, moderators should ensure the correct teams have been added to their rooms (see this page for details).

Join the voice channel for the room you’re moderating. Then click on the video button to launch the video chat. Then click the Pop Out button (bottom right) to move the video into its own window. This will allow you to have both the video and the text chat open.

A screenshot of what you’ll see after joining a Discord video chat but before popping the window out to a second window

Load the packet and/or scoresheet. Ideally position your windows so you have everything open at once like so:

Windows are positioned so that the packet, scoresheet, video and chat are all in one screen. The scoresheet is not necessary to have open if there’s a dedicated scorekeeper for the room.

If you’re using Neg5 to keep score (recommended), create a new scoresheet for this new round. Select the teams that are playing this round.

Creating a new scoresheet in Neg5
A match in progress in Neg5

Do a check that everyone can hear you. Remind teams of your policy for accepting bonus answers (saying “our answer is” or typing in ALL CAPS).

TODO: Per-round honor pledge?

Before the start of each tossup, type the tossup number in the chat (e.g. “Tossup 1”). This will help separate buzzes between questions.

Start reading the packet out loud to the teams.

Be alert to any incoming messages in the chat as you’re reading the tossup. You’ll want to stop right away when someone buzzes in. Double check who buzzed in first and then recognize them (saying their name) so they know they can give an answer. Consult with your TD on how long to give players on tossup and bonus questions.

As teams answer questions, enter their stats in the electronic scoresheet (or have the scorekeeper do this if your room has a scorekeeper).

On bonuses, be strict about enforcing the timing rules the TD has set. Long bonus prompts are a big contributor to online tournaments being delayed.

Like in a real tournament, try to move as quickly as possible between questions. By having multiple windows open at once, you shouldn’t need to do a lot of scrolling around.

Once the round is done, report that it’s finished in the #control-room channel and the high-level stats of the round (i.e. “Team 1: 300, Team: 250”).

If you’re using Neg5, make sure to submit the scoresheet once the round is over:

Hit the Submit Scoresheet button after the round is over to commit the stats

If there’s a protest that needs to be resolved, report it to the #protest channel.

Check the Control Room channels for other announcements.

Once instructed, repeat these steps for the next round.

Adding Teams to Discord Rooms | Staffer Guide | Getting Help