Article A: Introduction
The North American Society of Ancient and Medieval Wargamers (the Society) is a not-for-profit organization. The purposes of the Society are:
1. To provide its members with knowledge of ancient and medieval history,
2. To provide a way for the exchange of information and ideas about ancient and medieval warfare, and
3. To provide an opportunity for the reconstruction of ancient and medieval warfare through miniature wargaming.
The Society shall admit its members and support those members in their exchanges of information and miniature wargaming without prejudice or favoritism. The Society supports multiple rules systems that the members enjoy.
PP-A-1.0: This document is a requirement of the bylaws of the North American Society of Ancient and Medieval Wargamers (NASAMW). The purpose is to define the details of the operation of the society, which the By-Laws can or did not define. The Policy and Procedures (hereafter referred to as P&P) allow the Executive Council (hereafter referred as the EC) the abilities to change with the times and necessity. The P&P will be organized in the same manner as the Bylaws. The secretary will maintain three copies of the P&P. Three different copies are as follows: Historical, Reading and Integrated. Historical Copy will contain all past and current P&P. Past or superseded P&P will be struck though and dates of changes will be noted. The reading Copy will be just current P&P. The integrated copy will be a merge of the By-Laws and the P&P. All copies will be maintained on a public venue.
Article B: Government
Section 1:
The Society is governed by an Executive Council (the EC). The voting members are the: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and a Member At-Large. The non-voting members are the Chief Umpire and Lifetime Vice-Presidents.
PP-B1-1.0: The EC will establish Regions with Regional Representatives (RR) for the purpose of promoting hobby locally and as a voice of the membership. RR will work through the Member at Large to forward motions to the EC.
PP-B1-2.0: Members will select a Regional Representative. The Regional Representative is an advisor to the Executive Council and will serve for two years. The method of selecting the Regional Representative, or of removing one from office if required, is fully the decision of the members of the region.
PP-B1-3.0: The Executive Council will approve a region’s geographic area. The EC may use artificial boundaries, national and state, to form regions.
PP-B1-4.0: Members may apply to the Executive Council for reorganization of regions, including the formation of new or dissolution of existing regions. The Executive Council will approve such applications provided:
Section 2:
The EC, by majority "yes" vote of its five members (i.e., three "yes" votes), establishes policies and procedures governing the administration, organization, financing, membership, and leadership of the society. The EC shall act to satisfy the Society's purposes, these bylaws, and to address circumstances not covered by these bylaws. Established policies or procedures shall remain in effect until changed or revoked by majority "yes" vote of the EC.
PP-B2-1.0: All EC votes are public information.
Article C: Elected Officers
Section 1:
The President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member At-Large are Officers elected by the members for three-year terms in accordance with the provisions of Article G.
Section 2:
The President is the Chief Executive. The President conducts and presides all meetings of the EC and general membership.
The expenditure of Society funds and correspondence from the Society requires the President's consent.
The President shall have access to all Society records and accounts held by the Secretary and the Treasurer.
The EC may authorize the President for up to twelve months at a time to make specific decisions without further consulting the EC.
PP-C2-1.0: The President will nominate a Chief Editor for Spearpoint. The Chief Editor must be approved by the majority vote of the Executive Council. The Chief Editor is responsible for the publication of Spearpoint, the Society's newsletter. The EC will determine the frequency that Spearpoint is published. The Chief Editor may appoint Assistant Editors as needed. Assistant Editors serve at the discretion of the Chief Editor. The Chief Editor will gather and prepare articles and information for publication in Spearpoint.
PP-C2-2.0: The President may create additional auxiliary offices and nominate members to fill them. All auxiliary offices and those nominated to fill them must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Council. Such auxiliary offices exist until no longer needed or the end of the Presidents term of office, whichever occurs first. All auxiliary officers will be an advisor to the EC.
PP-C2-3.0: The President must hold at least one meeting of the Executive Council each year at the site of a championship tournament. All committees authorized by the Executive Council must hold at least one meeting each year at the site of a championship tournament.
PP-C2-4.0: The President must hold an annual meeting of the general membership at the site of a championship tournament. The President may combine all annual meetings with the general membership meeting. Society members may request other general membership meetings by submitting a petition of fifty members, or 10% of the Society's membership if greater, to the Executive Council. A meeting requested in this manner must be held within 30 days of receipt of the petition by the Executive Council at a championship tournament, or at a planned location requested in the petition, or at some other location that is agreed to by the parties involved.
PP-C2-5.0: All meetings are open to all members of the Society. Appropriate notice will be given to all members of an impending meeting. Questions arising during the general membership meetings, except amendments to the Bylaws, may be presented to the members present for decision by majority vote. Such questions will be clearly worded to allow a Yes or No vote by the membership. If the majority of the votes are “Yes” then the question shall pass.
PP-C2-6.0: The president must appoint an International Wargaming Federation (referred to as the IWF) representative.
Section 3:
The Vice-President has no prescribed duties. The Vice-President and "Life-Time" Vice-Presidents will perform duties delegated to them by the President.
The Vice-President will be the "acting" President during the President's temporary absence; any such absence shall not exceed 185 days. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the other officers should they be unable or unwilling to carry out their duties.
PP-C3-1.0: VP will be responsible for the internal coordination of all NASAMW officers.
PP-C3-2.0: VP and ChUmp shall coordinate the events with convention host.
PP-C3-3.0: The VP shall have the final word in the event of a dispute concerning the ChUmp. If the VP is not present dispute resolution shall rest with the President, Secretary, or Treasurer in this order.
Section 4:
The Secretary will keep minutes of all general membership and EC meetings. Correspondence to and from the EC will be conducted through the Secretary. The Secretary shall retain copies of all Society correspondence.
The Secretary will maintain a public record, entitled Policies and Procedures of the North American Society of Ancient and Medieval Wargamers, that documents and dates all society policies and procedures and changes to them, all votes by the EC, and all Presidential decisions and actions. The Secretary will maintain other records as requested by the President.
The Secretary with the Treasurer's assistance shall maintain an accurate roll of members and a record of all financial transactions and reasons for them.
The Secretary will turn over to Secretary's successor all records, files, membership lists and other papers or item belonging to the Society.
PP-C4-1.0: The secretary will maintain three copies of the P&P. Three different copies are as follows: Historical, Reading and Integrated. Historical Copy will contain all past and current P&P. Past or superseded P&P will be struck through and dates of changes will be noted (YYYY,MM,DD). The Reading Copy will be just current P&P. The Integrated Copy will be a merge of the By-Laws and the P&P. All copies will be maintained on a public venue.
Section 5:
The Treasurer is responsible for all collecting, holding, disbursing, and accounting for all Society funds. The Treasurer will pay all bills incurred by the Society. The Treasurer shall not disburse funds without a receipt and shall retain all receipts for disbursed funds. The Treasurer shall retain all Society financial statements and conduct any Society correspondence through the Secretary.
The Treasurer will report quarterly to the Secretary the payment of all dues by members, other receipts, and all expenses. The Treasurer shall assist the Secretary in maintaining an accurate roll of members and record of financial transactions.
The Treasurer will establish and maintain one, and only one, Account in the name of the North American Society of Ancient and Medieval Wargamers (called the Account) in a financial institution approved by a "yes" vote of a majority the EC. The President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are the only persons authorized to make deposits to or withdrawals from this Account. No commingling of personal and Society funds in this account is allowed. No loans from this account shall be made.
The Treasurer will propose a budget to the EC for the upcoming fiscal year. The EC will approve the proposed budget by a majority "yes" vote or, failing that, will establish its own budget, again by majority "yes" vote. The fiscal year for the Society will be 1 September of the current year through 31 August of the following year.
Any expenditure not provided for in the budget must be proposed by the President to the EC and approved by the EC with majority "yes" vote prior to the date of the expenditure (i.e., no "after-the-fact" expenditures are allowed). Any other withdrawal or transfer of funds from the Account shall be made only by an Elected Officer and must first be approved by the majority "yes" vote of the EC.
The Treasurer with assistance from the Secretary shall prepare and publish an annual to the membership on all financial transactions and the reason for them no later than thirty days following the end of the fiscal year.
The Treasurer will turn over to Treasure's successor all records, files, membership lists and other papers or item belonging to the Society.
PP-C5-1.0: The Treasurer and Secretary must communicate on a constant bases to ensure Society’s records are current.
PP-C5-2.0: The receipt disbursed funds must be some written document for a paper trial during an audit.
PP-C5-3.0: The money allocated to each region is available to that region during the gaming year. If the funds are not spent by end of the gaming year, the Treasurer shall divide the remaining funds in thirds.
The First Third shall be returned to the region’s account to be used next year’s funds.
The second part shall create a ChUmp Prize Budget for the promotion of the hobby.
The last third shall be divided among the regions, which utilized all their regional funds. Distribution will based on the number of members in each region over the number of members in all regions, which consumed their funds. (ie: Only two regions used all their funds. Region M has 10 members and region N has 40. Region M will receive 20 % and region N will 80 %.)
PP-C5-4.0: Distribution of regional funds will be through the Regional Representatives. If by Mar 1st, a region’s funds are not used, any member from that region may request to utilize them. The member’s request will be made to the President.
Section 6:
The Member At-Large has no official duties and acts as an ombudsman to the membership.
PP-C6-1.0: The Member At-Large is the voice of the members on the EC and the coordinator of the Regional Representatives.
Section 7:
If the office of the President becomes vacant, the Vice-President will become President and serve the remainder of the President's term. Vacancy occurs if the President resigns, is impeached, is incapacitated, or unable to correspond with other members of the EC for more than ninety days.
If the Vice-President is unable or unwilling to assume the office of the President the remaining three members of the EC shall by majority "yes" vote elect an "acting" President to assume the duties of the President for up to 185 days or until a new President and Vice President are elected in accordance with Section G to serve out the remaining terms off their offices. The EC must elect by majority "yes" vote an acting President every 180 days until a new President and Vice President are elected in accordance with section G.
If the Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Member At-Large, or the Chief Umpire resigns, is impeached, or is otherwise unable or unwilling to perform their duties the President will appoint a "temporary" replacement to the EC within ninety days. The EC must confirm the President's appointment by a majority "yes" vote within ninety days. If confirmed within ninety days the appointment shall then become permanent and the appointee shall serve out the remaining term of the appointed office. If not confirmed within ninety days then the appointee shall no longer hold the appointed office and the President shall appoint another person within ninety days and the EC shall again vote to confirm the appointment within ninety days.
Article D: Chief Umpire
Section 1:
Upon election the President will appoint within thirty days a Chief Umpire. The Chief Umpire must be confirmed within ninety days by a majority "yes" vote of the Elected Officers. If not confirmed within ninety days then the appointee will no longer hold the appointed office and the President shall appoint another person within ninety days and the EC shall again vote to confirm the appointment within ninety days.
The Chief Umpire shall serve at the pleasure of the President or for no longer than thirty days after the end of a President's service in office.
PP-D1-1.0 The Chief Umpire (ChUmp) shall be an impartial adjudicator who does not show favoritism towards any one rules set or subset of tournament gaming members. The ChUmp has the authority to arbitrate disputes involving Society referees and he is responsible to the President for the good order of Society sponsored tournaments.
PP-D1-2.0 The ChUmp shall chair a rules committee - if necessary to convene one.
PP-D1-3.0 The ChUmp shall attend each Society SPONSORED tournament. If the ChUmp is unable to attend a Society SPONSORED tournament the ChUmp shall, with the President's concurrence, delegate his "authority" to another member who will be present.
PP-D1-4.0 ChUmp shall coordinate all Society SPONSORED tournaments. The Chump shall allocate prizes, and provide logistical and administrative support. The ChUmp may enlist the help of other members as volunteers to assist with administrative and logistical support. ChUmp shall publish pre-event instructions for each tournament and produce a written report.
PP-D1-5.0 The VP shall have the final word in the event of a dispute concerning the ChUmp. If the VP is not present dispute resolution shall rest with the President, Secretary, or Treasurer in this order
PP-D1-6.0 ChUmp Prize Budget for the promotion of the hobby will come from one third of the year’s unused regional funds. The President must pre-approve the use of these funds.
Section 2:
The Chief Umpire will appoint an Assistant Umpire for any rules system if necessary. Such appointment must be approved within ninety days by a majority "yes" vote of the EC. If not confirmed within ninety days then the appointee will no longer serve as an Assistant Umpire and the President shall appoint another person within ninety days and the EC shall again vote to confirm the appointment within ninety days.
Assistant Umpires shall serve at the pleasure of the President and Chief Umpire (i.e., either can relieve an Assistant Umpire) or for no longer than thirty days after the end of a Chief Umpire's service in office.
PP-D2-1.0 The Vice-President and ChUmp shall nominate a member for each set of rules used in sponsored tournaments, as Rules coordinators. Rules coordinators will be an advisor to the EC. Rules coordinators will act as both a coordinator and as the referee at the tournament level. Once approved these nominees may, with the President's concurrence, enlist members as volunteers to serve as assistant referees or to act in their stead at a NASAMW sponsored event should they be absent. Rules coordinators shall work with the ChUmp to establish the procedures and schedules for tournaments involving the respective rules. Rules coordinators shall provide the ChUmp with pre-event instructions for publication. They shall provide written summary, with results.
Article E: Lifetime Vice-Presidents
Section 1:
The position of Lifetime Vice-President is an honorary position granted to members who have contributed in extraordinary ways to the Society.
Section 2:
Lifetime Vice-Presidents may be nominated by unanimous vote of the EC. They will be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the Society's membership through secret ballot.
Section 3:
Lifetime Vice-Presidents are exempt from paying membership dues. They may run for elected office and, if elected, are entitled to the vote of that elected office. Upon completion of an elected term Lifetime Vice-Presidents once again become non-voting members of the EC.
Section 4:
Those existing Lifetime Vice Presidents at the time of the ratification of these bylaws retain their status.
Article F: Dues and Membership
Section 1:
Payment of annual dues provides membership for a year. Members failing to pay dues for twelve months are no longer members.
The President shall annually propose to the EC the amount of annual dues for the next fiscal year by 1 June. The EC must approve the President's proposal by a majority "yes" vote by 30 August. Dues will remain at their existing value should the EC fail to approve a change in the fee structure by 30 August. Dues are nonrefundable. Dues will be paid to the Treasurer. The Treasurer assisted by the Secretary shall issue a membership card as a receipt for payment of dues.
PP-F1-1.0 Membership dues are set $30.00 and $8.00. Printed Membership is $30.00 and divided as follows: $24.00 for Spearpoint printing, publication, and mailing; Regions will receive $5 for each member in their region; $1 goes to the NASAMW general fund; $1.00 for technology services. eMembership is $8.00 and divided as follows: Regions will receive $5 for each member in their region; $1 goes to the NASAMW general fund; $2.00 for technology services.
PP-F1-2.0 Canadian members’ pay the same numeric value but in Canadian currency. Canadian regions receive no funds for regional use. With a printed membership, the $5.00 regional funds will be added to the printing, publication, and mailing of Spearpoint. With an eMembership, the $5.00 regional funds will be added to the General Fund.
Section 2:
Membership permits access to Society information, events, and participation in the Society's invitation championship tournaments if qualified. Members age 16 and older are entitled to vote in all Society elections.
PP-F2-1.0 NASAMW members may elect to join the International Wargaming Federation (IWF) at the cost of 1 £ per year at the conversion rate to US$ effective on July 1 each year. The president must appoint an IWF representative. The IWF representative will be an advisor to the EC.
Article G: Elections, Referendums, and Impeachment
Section 1:
The Elected Officers are chosen by secret ballot every third year. The Secretary will accept nominations for each elected office until 15 March of the election year. Any Society member may be nominated for any office. A nomination must contain the following information:
1: The candidate's name and signature,
2: The office for which the candidate is nominated,
3: The names and signatures of five or more Society members, and
4: A campaign statement.No member can be a candidate for more than one office. The Secretary will verify each nomination by checking the names of the candidate and the nominating members against the membership roll.
PP-G1-1.0 Secret Ballot is defined as nameless with no means of identifying the member directly. Our security will be the accurate membership record. The Election Supervisor will mail ballots to the members listed by the Secretary. The Election Supervisor may procedure a numbered ballet but must not associate the number to a member. The numbering of ballots is a control by means of the number range and total.
PP-G1-2.0 Members may vote electronically. The society must maintain the secrecy of the ballot.
PP-G1-3.0 Society members who are not nominated for an elected office (Bylaws Article C, Section 1) may run for office as a write-in candidate. Such candidates will not be included on the election ballot, nor will they be allowed space for campaign statements in Spearpoint (including letters to the editor, or other submissions meant to circumvent the prohibition of campaign statements). Write-in votes will be counted in the election total. If a write-in candidate meets the election criteria of Article G, Section 2, that candidate will be elected to office.
Section 2:
If the Secretary is a candidate for reelection the President will appoint an Election Supervisor, otherwise the Secretary will serve as the Election Supervisor. The Election Supervisor will mail campaign statements and a ballot to each Society member not later than 15 April of the election year. Ballots must be returned to the Election Supervisor to be counted. All returned ballots post-marked before 16 May of the election year will be counted. The candidate receiving both the majority and at least 50% of the votes cast will be elected.
Section 3:
When an election results in no candidate receiving enough votes to be elected, or when an election results in a tie between the leading candidates for an office, a run off election will be held. The two candidates receiving the most votes, or the candidates with the most votes when the vote is tied, will have their names placed on a run-off ballot. The Election Supervisor will mail run-off ballots and the candidate's campaign statements to each Society member not later than 1 June of the election year. Run-off ballots must be returned to the Election Supervisor to be counted. All returned ballots post-marked before 1 July of the election year will be counted. The candidate receiving the majority of the votes cast will be elected. If a tie exists following a run-off election the winning candidate will be determined by secret ballot of the EC.
Section 4:
Newly elected officers will assume their offices at a meeting of the general membership to be held not earlier than 15 July nor later than 31 August of the election year.
Section 5:
When a Lifetime Vice-President is nominated the following question will be included on the ballot:
Shall (candidate's name) be confirmed as a Lifetime Vice-President of the Society?
Boxes will be provided to allow members to vote either Yes or No.
Section 7:
Other questions, except amendments to these Bylaws, may be presented to the Society's membership for decision, at the discretion of the EC. Such questions will be clearly worded to allow a Yes or No vote by the membership. If the majority of the votes are Yes then the question shall pass.
Section 8:
Impeachment of any elected officer shall follow the procedures described below for amendments in Article H.
Article H: Amendments
Section 1:
Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in three ways:
1: By petition of fifty members, or 10% of the Society's membership if lesser, or
2: By two-thirds vote of the EC, or
3: By majority vote of Society members present at the annual meeting.Section 2:
Proposed amendments will be submitted to the membership and be voted on by secret ballot. The Secretary will act as the Election Supervisor and will mail a ballot to each Society member. Members must be at least 16 years of age to vote and a member may not vote by proxy. A deadline for return of ballots will be established by the EC. Ballots must be returned to the Election Supervisor to be counted. All ballots post marked on or before the date of the deadline will be counted. For each proposed amendment the ballot will read:
Shall the following amendment to the Society's Bylaws be adopted?
(Blank line followed by the text of the proposed amendment.)Boxes will be provided to allow members to vote either Yes or No. If a majority of Society members vote Yes then the proposal will be adopted. Amendments become effective 90 days following adoption
P&P Article X:
Section 1: TOURNAMENTS
PP-X1-1.0: A GAMING YEAR for each rule set is defined as the time between the NASAMW Individual Championship Tournament (NICT). The NICT is the last and first Tournament of consecutive years. Allowing the winners to qualify for the next year’s NICT.
PP-X1-2.0: NASAMW defines "NICT" to be "NASAMW Invitational Championship Tournament" which is conducted in accordance with our bylaws.
PP-X1-2.1: The NICT format (Figure scale, Table size, Scoring, Point and Time limits etc.) will be determined by a popular vote. The Rules Coordinator will poll the members who are currently qualified and who participated in the last NICT. Poll should be conducted 3 months after the NICT.
PP-X1-3.0: As an open society, all tournaments are SANCTIONED by NASAMW as long as one member participates, organized or run the tournament. NASAMW does not dictate to any tournament organizer how a tournament must be organized or run. NASAMW tournament practices are recommended, but not required.
PP-X1-4.0: A NASAMW SPONSORED tournament is organized or run by the Chief Umpire and financed by NASAMW. For a tournament to become a SPONSORED event, a Minimum of 2 members will be needed to participate.
PP-X1-5.0: Entry fees may be collected at tournaments. The amount of fees collected may be different amounts based on whether the player is a NASAMW member or a non-member. When different, the NASAMW member fees will be less than the non-member fees.
PP-X1-6.0: Current Entry fee structure is: A member pays $5.00 once for the all tournaments entered during a convention. Non-members pay $5.00 for EACH tournament entered. The President and Chief Umpire may wave an entry fee to promote the hobby (i.e. the youngest player in the tournament, a member’s young son’s or daughter’s first tournament).
PP-X1-7.0: Qualification standards for NASAMW Invitational Championship Tournaments (NICT).
PP-X1-7.01: Membership Qualification: Individuals must be NASAMW members to participate in a NICT. However, the President , Chief Umpire, and rule system coordinators in consultation may issue additional invitations which may include a membership exemption (ex. oversea visitor).
PP-X1-7.02: Tournament Qualification: Each complete multiple of six player participating in a tournament permits one individual to qualify for an invitation to the NICT. Qualifiers are the highest finishing players. If the highest finishing players are already qualified, the qualification DOES NOT move down to a lower finishing member - instead the tournament produces fewer than the maximum number of qualifiers.
PP-X1-7.03: Rated Qualification: The Ten (10) highest rated North American players of each rule system, on May 31 of the current year, will qualify. The rating system is rule specific and is the chosen at the discretion of the each rule system coordinator. Example: DBM is currently using GLICKO. If any of the ten highest rated players have already qualified by other means the Rated Qualification does not move down to lower rated players - instead the ratings produce fewer than ten qualifiers.
PP-X1-7.04: Regional Invitation Qualification: Each Regional Coordinator shall be able to invite a single member from his/her region to participate in a single NICT each year. The Coordinator must inform the ChUmp who this invitee is one month before the date of the NICT.
PP-X1-7.05: Regional Championships Qualification: Each Regional Coordinator may hold a regional championship for each rules set for which NASAMW sponsors a NICT. The winner of this regional championship shall qualify for the NICT of that rules set regardless of the number of players involved.
PP-X1-7.06: Champion Invitation: The current NICT champion will be invited to the next NICT. If there are over 25 participates in a NICT, the second place player may receive an invitation to the next NICT. A pervious NICT champion may request an invite to the NICT of the rule system in which they have been a champion. The request must be made to the rule system coordinator of each rule system and the granting of the invite is at the coordinator's discretion.
Section 2: FISCAL ISSUES
PP-X2-1.0: The President may from time to time authorize reimbursement to elected officers and approved appointees (e.g., Chief Umpires and lifetime VPs) for actual travel costs (gasoline and air, rail, bus ,or taxi fare) and lodging costs hotel room and taxes), but not dining or other costs, to attend wargaming conventions or ancients miniature figure shows. Any such reimbursement shall be given only to an elected official whose sole purpose for attending is to provide information, demonstrate gaming, or solicit support by working in a NASAMW information booth or to canvass attendees, vendors, or officers of other clubs in support of an EC sanctioned activity.
PP-X2-2.0: All Elected Officers shall assist in the collection of all monies and procurement of awards.
Section 3: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ISSUES
PP-X3-1.0 The society will establish and maintain a website.