After briefly skimming the "Thread about default wins and leadership", I decided to make the following suggestions to modify the rules for this or the next NationsCup:
Wildcards
1. Each national team is given 1 wildcard, which it can use to cancel and reschedule a planned group match, for whatever reason. National teams are strongly advised to cherish their wildcard until they really need it because of bad luck (e.g. connection problems). Using the wildcard lightly and then losing a later match because of real problems would be a painful way to be eliminated from the cup.
2. The wildcard can be used up until 10 minutes after the match start time as shown on the Roster Page. If a nation attempts to use a wildcard after the allowed time, they will have to forfeit the match. Once the first map of a match has started, it is too late to use a wildcard.
3. A wildcard used against a national team that later quits the cup is not restored.
4. National teams that try to use their wildcard a second time lose by forfeit. It is not the cup admins responsibility to check whether a national team already used its wildcard.
5. When a wildcard is used, the national teams have to reschedule the match immediately to one of the days into the same or the following matchweek of the original match date, and inform the supervisor. If no agreement is communicated to the Supervisor within 48hrs of the original match time, he may force the match to be played as he sees fit.
6. Wildcards can not be used for playoff matches. A playoff match can only be postponed by decision of the supervisor. Problems that affect only 1 player will never be sufficient reason to postpone a playoff match.
7. Only the supervisor can decide to postpone a playoffs match, and only in the following circumstance: There is an exceptional internet infrastructure problem in one of the countries (e.g. a major ISP failure) that is beyond the control of the players, and this problem affects several starting players.
The playing for two countries can be solved with something like this:
Nationality and residence requirements:
* Captains must have the nationality and be residents of their team's country. The supervisor can make an exception if there is no candidate who meets these requirements.
* Players who have the nationality of the country they live in are always allowed to play for that country.
* Players who have the nationality of another country than the one they live in:
- Can play for their home country without any further requirements. However a national team may never have more than two such players playing at the same time. This means entire teams of ex-pats (players living abroad) are not allowed.
* A player with two nationalities can only play for one of them.
- If he lives in country A he can play for country A without further obligations.
- If he lives in country A he can play for country B after showing a valid legal document to prove that they have the nationality of country B (just having the right to obtain such a document is not enough).
- If he has already played for one of the two countries in the past, he can not play for any other country.
- Any player, who legitimately (according to TaleWorlds NationsCup rules) played for a country, can play for it in future NationsCups and for it only.
I'd also advise introducing a card system to be used to teams:
1. National teams who violate the TaleWorlds NationsCup rules may be given a card. A national team can be given 3 types of card:
* Yellow card : This card is given out for small rule violations. When a yellow card is given in some cases a match result could be changed in favor of the opposing team. Other then that this card mostly is a warning. A second yellow card is to be considered as one red card.
* Red card : The match in which they received this card will be changed into a forfeit loss. In some cases this card is handed out together with one or more player bans. A second red card falls in the category 'Two red cards' below.
* Two red cards: A national team that has been given two red cards will be kicked from the cup. In some cases a second red card is handed out together with player and/or an entire national team ban(s) for 1 or more seasons.
Only 1 card can be given for each match. In case of several violations only the most severe card will be handed out. However, all extra punishments for each of the rule that was violated are still applied. When a national team is given a red card all previous given yellow cards are removed.
2. Abusive behaviour towards a TaleWorlds NationsCup admin, supervisor or opponent, at any time during the cup season, can be punished by the supervisor. Sanction: Yellow Card. If the abuse is severe a supervisor can also punish with a temporary or permanent removal from the cup of either the offending players or the entire national team.
3. The Team Captain is responsible for his own members knowing and following the rules. A Team Captain breaking the rules, or seemingly allowing his members to break the rules, may incur penalties against the whole national team.
4. The TaleWorlds NationsCup staff reserves the right to record and reproduce every match. This can be done with computer recording tools and assorted apparatus, whose purposes include but are not limited to editing and making videos of the best and worst moments of the matches. The recording of such broadcasts can't be refused by the national team. In many cases TaleWorlds Nationscup staff will allow or ask third parties to record the matches. Spectators may never be charged for seeing any material recorded during these matches.