Frequently asked questions

General

• Where will WDC 2008 be?
  WDC 2008 will be held at the historical site of "Burg Lockenhaus", some 90 minutes (by car) away from Vienna, Austria. We will be eating and playing at the venue, while our hotel (the cheaper two packages) will be located outside (but next to) the castle.
  The address is
  
  Ritterburg Lockenhaus
  Giünserstraße 5
  A-7442 Lockenhaus
  Austria
• When will it be?
  From Thursday, 14^th to Sunday, 17^th of August.
  Starting on Thursday at about 10 pm., finishing on Sunday at about 5 pm.
• Who is hosting WDC 2008?
  The Austrian Diplomacy Association "Tu Felix Austria" is the host of WDC 2008.
• How can I contact you guys?
  Please write to office@tu-felix-austria.org
• Is there a website for WDC 2008?
  Yes, you're actually looking at it. :o)
  The URL is
  http://www.wdc2008.org/en/ for the English, and
  http://www.wdc2008.org/ for the German version.

Getting there and back again

• How do I get there by car?
  If you come by car, please take a look at the interactive map at
  http://www.wdc2008.org/en/anreise.php
  There is a lot of parking space right in front of the castle.
• How do I get there by train?
  For most parts of Europe, Vienna is where you want to go (if you are from Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia or Italy, things might be a bit different). There are several train stations in Vienna.
  If you arrive at "Western Train Station" ("Westbahnhof"), you are right where you want to be in order to be picked up by our bus.
  If you arrive at "Southern Train Station" ("Südbahnhof"), you need to take the Tram "18" in direction "Burggasse - Stadthalle" and leave at "Westbahnhof".
  If you arrive anywhere else (or if you are doing some sightseeing before), there are two metro lines "U3" and "U6" going to "Westbahnhof". "U3" is also going to the city center.
  Anyway: make sure you are at Westbahnhof at a quarter to seven pm. (that is 18.45). Our bus is leaving at 7 pm sharp, and it is the only bus going to our venue directly.
• How do I get there by plane?
  Your plane is most likely going to Vienna International Airport. Our bus will pick you up there at 8 pm. If you arrive early and want to see the city first, you can take the train or one of several busses. The CAT (City Airport Train) is the fastest way to the center. There are busses going to the Southern and Western Train Station, to Schwedenplatz (in the heart of the city) and there is also public transport ("S-Bahn"), which is the most inconvenient way.
  The fares from the Airport to the city are currently:
  CAT: EUR 9,-
  Bus: EUR 6,-
  S-Bahn: EUR 3,60
  Taxi: ~EUR 30,-
  Either way, when roaming around the city, make sure you find your way to "Westbahnhof" by a quarter to 7 pm.
• I understand there is a bus going from Vienna to the venue. When do I have to be where in order to catch it?
  Our bus is leaving on Thursday, 14^th of August:
  From Westbahnhof: 7 pm.
  From Vienna International Airport: 8 pm.
  Be on time (or a bit earlier, just to make sure)!
• What if I miss the bus?
  We are afraid that if you miss the bus, you'll have to care about getting to the venue yourself. We can try to assist you, and there are other possibilities to get there, but it's much more complicated, so just be sure not to miss the bus.
• What if my flight/train arrives too late in order to catch the bus?
  If you can't catch the bus, we can not care for how you're coming to the venue. In a way, WDC starts with the bus leaving Westbahnhof or the Airport. If you're not on it, you're basically on your own. We will try to assisst you though, and the earlier you contact us, the better, but given the amount of players we expect to come to Austria, we simply can't take care of all of you. So, if you have a choice: book a flight or a train that arrives on time.

Financial Issues

• How much will my stay in Austria cost approximately?
  Well, that is hard to say without knowing your travelling habits and skills, your need for luxury, how long you are going to stay and where, how much you want to travel around, how much money you want to spend for souvenirs, how much money you spend in bars, etc.
  Generally, as a rule of thumb, travelling and living in Austria is approximately as cheap or expensive as in Germany. Cheaper in general than in England or Canada.
• How much do I have to pay in order to attend WDC 2008?
  For the whole weekend, Thursday through Sunday, the minimum amount of money you have to pay is 99.- Euros (~140.- American Dollars, ~160.- Australian Dollars). That is accommodation in a room shared with three other players, including full board. There will be no extra tournament fee. For more details: see "Accommodation".
• Is there a tournament fee in addition to what I paid for accommodation?
  No.
• Is it possible to pay at the venue?
  No, we're afraid that is impossible. For one simple reason: you'll have to pay until May 2008 in order to participate. That has to do with the deal we have with the hotel providing the accommodation.
• Is it possible to pay by Credit Card or PayPal?
  Yes. You simply have to pay a small fee to use that service. Just check the right box during your signup. Otherwise you can pay via bank transfer.
• When do I have to pay?
  Latest deadline will be end of May 2008, though we highly recommend booking and paying as soon as possible. We follow a strict "first pay - first serve" policy, which means, that your place is guaranteed only if it has been paid for. This is due to fairness reasons given the limited amount of places we have in the different categories.

Accommodation

• Where do we stay during WDC 2008 and how much comfort can we expect?
  Please take a look at
  http://www.wdc2008.org/en/packages.php
  The packages are described in more detail, if you click on them.
  The most important difference between the most expensive package ("Fürst") and the other two is, that players booking "Fürst" will sleep in rooms located directly in the castle, while the cheaper packages offer accommodation in a hotel close to the castle.
  The difference between the cheaper packages "Knappe" and "Ritter" is, that in "Knappe" you share your room with up to three other players, while in "Ritter" you have 2 or 2+2 rooms, which means that you share your room with one other player, and probably share shower facilities with another room (two players).
• Places in each of the three categories seem to be limited. What if I want to book in a category that is already sold out?
  Yes, for every category there is a certain contingent that we can not overbook. Therefore, if a category is sold out already (and all the players who signed up for this particular category have already paid), we obviously can not offer you a place this category. Therefore it is recommended to book early and pay early.
• Is it possible to simply book a place in the tournament (say, I am living somewhere else close to the venue)?
  Yes, if you just want to play, there is a "Tournament only" package you can book, for 30.- Euros, granting you entrance to the tournament on all three days.
• Is it possible to just attend one day of the Tournament (say, I can only manage to drop by on Saturday)?
  Yes, but you still have to pay the whole 30.- "Tournament only" package. We don't offer Tickets for particular days.
• Is it possible to book "Knappe", "Ritter" or "Fürs" and sit out one or more rounds?
  Well yes, definitely. You decide how much you are going to play.

Non-playing guests

• My partner is going to join me on the trip. Does he/she have to pay the full price?
  Yes, the packages we offer are "all inclusive" that means by paying you earn accommodation, full board AND tournament entrance at once. To keep administration simple, we only offer the packages that way. It would be hard for us to administrate the special wishes people might have. Also we think, that the packages we offer are fair enough to handle things that way.
• Is there a discount for children?
  We're sorry, there is no discount for children.
• Will there be program for non-playing guests?
  We are currently thinking about offering some ("guided") things to do on Friday and Saturday, but even if we should fail to do so, there are a lots of things to do in the area close to the venue (aside from exploring the castle itself). More information about being a tourist in Burgenland (the district our venue is located in) can be found here.

Tournament

• How many games will I be playing at the tournament?
  As many as you want to play. Generally, we play two rounds on Friday and two rounds on Saturday. You can sit out any time, but your sit outs will not be rewarded with points if you voluntarily sit out (i.e. if you don't register for a particular round).
• Will there be a Top board?
  Yes.
• How do I qualify for the Top bard?
  By kicking all the other players asses! :o)
  Just kidding. The seven players with the highest combined results from the first three rounds qualify for top board.
• What kind of a scoring system will be used?
  We are going to use a slightly modified "ManorCon".

Miscellaneous

• I want to eat a la carte. Is that possible?
  It is, there is a restaurant at the venue. Nevertheless, you'd still have to pay for the whole package including the meals as well as the meals you order individually. We're sorry, but it is simply impossible for us to administrate requests like "I won't be there on Friday evening, so I don't want to pay for that dinner" or "On Sunday I want to eat a la carte and I don't want to pay for Sundays Lunch". Imagine, some dozens of requests of that kind - we (and those responsible for food at the venue) would go nuts organizing.