Vout Timeline
MONDAY Noon ET - Home team chooses Song Plucker
Home team will automatically become Song Plucker if no choice is submitted by Noon ET. 
MONDAY 11:59pm ET - Song Title due to V.I.P.

Hint: On Tue & Wed, BOTH Voutists should be actively searching for a video version of the song. The Song Plucker should find two videos in case the other player selects one of those as his first choice.

WEDNESDAY 11:59pm ET - First Video due to V.I.P.

THURSDAY 11:59pm ET - Counter Video due to V.I.P.

FRIDAY MORNING - Website updated and available to Judges

SATURDAY 11:59pm ET - Deadline for judges to submit ruling on website

SUNDAY - Results Posted and Trash Talk Emails ensue.

Timeouts may be used to extend time if need be.
Failure to meet a deadline will result in forfeit unless a timeout is called prior to deadline.

It is a good idea to have a few videos on standby and ready to go before your clock starts. Waiting until the last minute could cause head trauma.

TwoTube ® Rules

TwoTube ® Rules

General Game Play.

Each vout requires 2 voutists, 3 judges and 1 V.I.P.

The V.I.P. is in charge of league setup, league rules, scheduling, length of Vouts, length of season and player invitations.

Once the invitations have been sent and the schedule has been created, the season begins with the first vout.

To begin a vout, the home team chooses whether to be the Song Plucker or defer that responsibility to the Visitor.

The Song Plucker selects a song title and sends it to the V.I.P. (Send the song name only. No video is submitted yet but make sure it is a song which you know has at least a few great videos available online.)

The V.I.P. sends the chosen song to the other player (along with the restricted artists*) and that player then goes online to youtube and tries to find the best possible performance of that song.

*see O.A.R. below

O.A.R. (Original Artist Rule):

No video by either the original artist* or by an artist whose performance reached the highest on the U.S. Billboard Charts may be submitted.

*The original artist is considered the original writer(s) of the song and/or the first artist to record and release the song thereby introducing it to the world. 

Also, if two different artists hit the same high point on the US Billboard Charts, both will be restricted.

When the Song Plucker submits a song, the V.I.P. will send the song title to the other player with the restricted artists included so there is no confusion. The V.I.P. will also reply to the Song Plucker informing him/her of the restricted artists.

V.I.P. decisions are final.

Example:

Song Plucker chooses: “Twist and Shout”

Written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns

First performed by: Top Notes
Hit highest on the US Charts: Beatles 

So the viduel may not include performances by the Top Notes or the Beatles.

This rule is intended to promote more amateur performances of songs.

This video performance needs to be either an official video of the song, a cover version (including a one-person track by track studio recordings), a studio version (live or recorded), a cartoon or puppet version, your own band’s version, a live performance including lip-synched quasi-live performances and pretty much any other video which shows a performance of this song (in other words, no slide shows, fan-created videos, static shots of the album cover, etc.). If you find a video of a homeless guy on the street singing the song with no instrument, yeah that counts. Any performance is pretty much allowable. Generally we accept anything as long as it is not a cut and paste production.

Once that player finds a video, they will send the url to the V.I.P. who will review its legalities.

The V.I.P. will send the url to the Song Plucker who will then search youtube for a counter video.

Note: There are a few rules you need to know when finding a counter video. If a counter video is deemed non-viduelable (not able to be used) the V.I.P. will let you know.

Here are the two rules you need to know about submitting a counter video.

Cut in two, each half is new.

If more than 50% of any main performers* perform in both videos then those videos are non-viduelable.

*not including backup singers, choirs, non-featured horn/percussion/strings/woodwind sections, dancers, background musicians, jugglers, symphonies, acrobatic dwarfs, singing crowds or any other entity which is not considered a primary performer.

If the band name is the same, they can’t play in the game.

Two videos from the same band* are non-viduelable even if each configuration of the band has more than 50% different members.

including offshoots of original bands which include the same name as part of its title, such as Asia Featuring John Payne 

Once the Voutist finds a counter video and sends its url to the V.I.P. the voutists’ job is done. Now they just sit back and wait for the judges’ rulings.

Once the V.I.P. has both urls (two different versions of the same song) then he posts them on gilcogames.com. Each judge will be sent an email with a link to the Vout.

Each judge will watch the pair of videos and select his or her preference as to which video they preferred. Keep in mind this is a video so the video needs to be judged alongside the audio. If a video is great and the audio is terrible that might detract from a judge’s overall impression of the version. Same goes for a great sounding but lousy looking video. Make sure your video submission is pleasing to the judges eyes AND ears. You want their vote. The video you submit might not always be your most preferred. Remember, you are playing to the judges here. The more you play the more you will know how to win a specific judge’s vote.

Each judge will complete the Judge’s Ruling Submission Form on gilcogames.com

The winner of the Vout is the one who receives more votes.

PLAYOFFS
The four players with the best records* after the season ends will compete in the playoffs. Round 1 Vouts are 3 Viduels long. Each team will be Song Plucker for one Viduel and the Home Team has the option to defer Song Plucker duty for the additional Viduel. It is important to get to know the judges well during the season because one of those judges will be the sole judge for Round 1. The better you understand that judge, the better you'll do in Round 1. Round 1 is as much of a battle against an opponent as it is a battle against the judge. The same Judge will vote on both Round 1 Vouts. The two Round 1 Vouts will happen simultaneously and the Judge will be presented 6 Viduels in random order so he won't know which Vout he is judging. Results of the Round 1 playoffs will be posted by the V.I.P. one Viduel at a time. The Championship Vout is 4 Viduels long. Each Voutist is Song Plucker for 2 of the 4 Viduels. Home Team advantage for the Championship only comes into play if the regulation Championship Vout ends in a tie. If the Championship Vout ends in a tie, then they will play 1 more Viduel with the higher seed as the home team with option to defer Song Plucker duty.
*V.I.P. determines tie-break using method posted below.

The winner of this Championship Vout is the TwoTube® Champion.   

TIMEOUTS AND FORFEITS

Each player will get 3 timeouts at the beginning of the season.

Each timeout is a 24-hour deadline extension.

Voutists AND Judges may call timeouts.

Any Voutist missing a deadline will forfeit their current match. NO EXCEPTIONS (That's why you have timeouts. You need to use them.)

Any Voutist who forfeits a Vout receives 0 points for that Vout. The other Voutist receives 1 point for a Win (which is the standard point value for a win). If both Voutists forfeit, no points are awarded for that Vout.

Obviously, any out of the ordinary personal circumstances which force a player to miss a deadline will be reviewed on an individual basis. The V.I.P. makes the final decision on enforcement of forfeits or forcing a timeout on a player.

Any Judge missing a ruling will forfeit their ruling. NO EXCEPTIONS (Again, that's why you have timeouts. You need to use them!!)

In the event that two players call timeout at the same time, the timeout will be divided by 1/2 (or 1/3, or 1/4 depending on how many players have called timeout).

No player may not divide up a timeout on their own. (i.e. you cannot use 1/6 of a timeout to buy 4 hours.)

Any Judge who forfeits their ruling will lose a timeout. The timeout will not be used and the Vout will be judged by two or fewer judges. If out of timeouts, the Judge will drop 1 seed in the playoffs per forfeit. In the event that all 3 judges miss the deadline and no judge calls a timeout, the season will be cancelled due to lack of fan/player support.