Scheduling & Game Night Procedures

Section One: Game Nights and Times

1.1: Game Nights

CBL games are played Monday through Thursday. There are two game slots each night.

All times are Eastern Time (ET) and follow Daylight/Standard time changes. The schedule shows each game with its day and slot.

1.2: Tip-Off Time

The scheduled time is the tip-off time. Both teams must be in the lobby and ready to start at that time, not just arriving.

1.3: Changing a Game Time

Both GMs may agree to move a game to another open slot within the same week, and must report the change to staff before the original time. A game moved without staff notice is treated as a no-show by the team that did not play.

1.4: Playing Ahead or Behind

A game may be played earlier than scheduled only when both GMs agree and report it to staff first. Staff may deny any change that affects the standings, the playoff race or the integrity of the schedule.

Section Two: Availability and Lineups

2.1: Weekly Availability

Players submit availability for the coming week before the weekly deadline. Availability is binding. Marking "available" and then failing to show is an unexcused no-show.

2.2: Minimum Players to Play

A team needs five rostered players in the lobby to play a game. A team should keep at least one extra rostered player available for each game, since the roster minimum is six.

2.3: Lines and Rotations

GMs submit starting lineups and rotations before the lock deadline set by staff. A locked lineup is final unless an injury, a roster move or an emergency requires a change that staff approve before tip-off.

2.4: Playing Time

Every rostered player who is available and scheduled has the right to be considered for playing time. A player who is scheduled and held out without explanation may file a complaint under Article IV, Section Two.

2.5: Leave of Absence

A player who needs time away must notify the GM and staff in advance. Repeated leave requests without a reason may be reviewed.

Section Three: Lobby, Grace Period and Forfeit Trigger

3.1: Lobby Set-Up

• The home team creates the private game lobby no later than 10 minutes before tip-off
• The home team invites the opposing roster players and Captain
• Both teams must be in the lobby by the scheduled tip-off time
• Game settings must follow the league settings sheet posted by staff. No team may change them

3.2: The Grace Period

If a team cannot field five rostered players at the scheduled tip-off, the game is delayed by a grace period of 10 minutes from the scheduled tip-off time (for example, until 9:10 PM for a 9:00 PM game).

• During the grace period the late team may add players to reach five
• The waiting team must stay in the lobby and may not leave or start without them
• Tip-off happens as soon as both teams have five players, even inside the grace period
• The 10 minutes is a fixed limit. Staff do not extend it, except for a confirmed league-wide or server issue

3.3: When a Game Becomes a Forfeit

If a team still cannot field five rostered players when the grace period ends, the game is declared a forfeit against that team. The forfeit procedure in Section Six applies.

3.4: Reporting a Delay

A team that expects to be late must tell the opposing GM and staff right away. Telling staff does not extend the grace period. It helps staff decide whether a no-show applies.

3.5: Slot 2 Games

The 10:00 PM game is on its own clock. A late or overrunning 9:00 PM game does not delay the 10:00 PM game for teams that are not in it. A team that plays in both slots must tell staff in advance, and both games run on their own grace periods.

3.6: Waiting Team Evidence

The team that is waiting should take a screenshot of the lobby at tip-off and again when the grace period ends, with the time visible. These screenshots support the forfeit.

Section Four: Disconnects and Restarts

4.1: Who Is Affected

This Section applies when a player's connection is lost or a server issue stops a game after tip-off.

4.2: A Player Drops in Quarters 1–3

The game is stopped and restarted. The dropped player returns with the team. The score, the time remaining and the stats at the moment of the drop are recorded, and the restarted game plays out the time that was left. The final score is the points recorded at the stop plus the points scored in the restart. Stats from both parts are added together.

4.3: A Player Drops in Quarter 4

The game plays on. The team plays without that player, or with an AI fill-in if the game gives one. The score and stats stand as played.

4.4: Repeated Drops

A player who drops more than twice in the same game, or whose connection repeatedly ruins games, must be replaced for that game by another rostered player. Repeated or suspicious disconnects are reviewed as possible manipulation under Article IV.

4.5: Server or Game Crash

If the game crashes or the server fails for everyone, the game restarts the same way as 4.2, no matter the quarter, unless the game was already decided in Quarter 4. Staff may make the final call.

4.6: Restart Window

Both teams must be back in the lobby within 10 minutes after a restart is called. A team that does not return in that time is subject to Section Six.

4.7: Dropping Without Returning

A game that stops is never a result. It is restarted until it is finished, with a full score and full stats. A team that refuses to restart or return forfeits (Section Six).

Section Five: Replays and Reschedules

5.1: Replays

Staff may order a game to be replayed in full when a game is invalidated by a severe glitch, a wrong league setting or a roster error that cannot be fixed after the fact. Staff decide the replay time.

5.2: Postponements

Staff may postpone games because of a league-wide issue (game servers down, a major outage or a holiday). Postponed games must be played in the first open slot staff announce.

5.3: Make-Up Games

Make-up games follow the same rules as normal games, including the grace period and forfeit rule.

Section Six: Forfeits

6.1: The Forfeit Score

A forfeited game is recorded as a 15–0 win for the team that did not forfeit. The forfeiting team takes the loss.

6.2: No Stats

No player stats are recorded in a forfeited game. Nothing from the game counts toward player stats, career totals or record books. The game counts in the standings as a win and a loss. The 15–0 score is not used in point differential tiebreakers (Section Seven).

6.3: What Counts as a Forfeit

• Failing to field five rostered players when the grace period ends (3.3)
• Refusing to restart or return to the lobby after a restart is called (4.6, 4.7)
• Quitting a game in progress and not returning
• Refusing to play a scheduled game without a staff-approved reason
• Playing the game with an ineligible player or an illegal roster, when staff rule it a forfeit

6.4: Prestige

A team that forfeits by quitting a game or by refusing to restart takes the largest prestige loss in the prestige system, as set out in Article IV, Section Seven. The loss goes to the team and to every active player on its roster.

6.5: Repeated Forfeits

A franchise that forfeits more than once in a season is reviewed by the Commissioner's Office. The review can lead to discipline for the GM and the players involved, a roster freeze, and loss of playoff seeding or promotion eligibility.

6.6: Both Teams at Fault

If neither team can field five players at the end of the grace period, both teams take a loss and the game is not replayed, unless staff decide otherwise.

6.7: Forfeit Entry

Only staff enter a forfeit result. The waiting team's screenshots (3.6) and a staff review are needed before it is recorded. A team that disagrees may file a complaint within 7 days under Article IV, Section Two.

Section Seven: Standings and Tiebreakers

7.1: Standings

Standings are based on win percentage within each conference. Staff publish standings on the site, and the site standings are the official record.

7.2: Tiebreakers

1. Head-to-head record between the tied teams
2. Record within the conference
3. Point differential
4. Fewest forfeits and rule infractions during the season
5. Coin flip or a ruling by the Commissioner's Office, if still tied

7.3: Application

Tiebreakers apply the same way in every tier and are calculated by staff before the playoffs and before any promotion or relegation decision.