Colored glass damage counters, why? Are there any rules about them?

[Lopuff]

Hi there, my name is Lopuff and I have a few questions about these kind of damage counters but first my short introduction.

Today purple, yellow, dark blue, brown and other colored glass damage counters are used.
Also there is the Japanese Pokemon XY Damage Counter Pack. These are flat marble like gems with numbers 10,20,50 on it.

Practice shows that there are players who really have problems with the visibility of these little marble like gems.
What if you are color-blind or it seems like the stones run into each other and they become blurry.
When players tell their opponent that visibility is bad there are opponents who refuse to change the damage counters.
Using these little glass stones while knowing that color, visibility, brightness, readability and clearness are bad gives you an edge over your opponent. In this case there is no fair play any more.

Rules of the Pokémon TCG (http://www.legendarypokemon.net/rules) say:
“Any small token (such as pennies, stones) will suffice, as long as it is understood that each counter represents
10 damage. Using counters to represent other damage values (such as 20 or 50 damage) is discouraged unless it is obvious what the value of the counter is.”
At least the opponent should only use the marble like gems with the number 10 on it.

These little glass stones:
- are difficult to read
- are difficult to see on the dark colored Pokemon cards
- are difficult to keep track of damage (more difficult to count)
- you need more of these glass stones than dice
- it becomes a mess on a card when you need more and more of them
- you have to count out large amounts of little stones turn after turn

My questions:
- Are these little glass stones permitted (like dice) to be used as damage counters during a Pokémon TCG match like City Championships, Regional Championships and the World Championships?
- Are there official rules about these little glass stones regarding size, color, visibility, brightness, readability and clearness? If so, where can I find these rules?
- What if you can’t clearly see these marble like gems? Is the opponent obliged to use other damage counters?
- What are the rights and obligations of both players in this matter?
- What to do in the situation when your opponent refuses to change damage counters?
- What about “The Spirit of the Game” (Fun, Fairness, Honesty, Respect)?

As you can see there are a lot of questions that need answers and I hope you can help.

With regards,
Lopuff

 

[MegaVelocibot]

I'd imagine the solution would be that a player that has issue with these damage counters would need to provide damage counters for his or her opponent that both can read and work with. After all, it isn't the opponent's fault that the player is unable to read these damage counters; the opponent is probably working under the assumption that their opponents can read and use those damage counters.

 

[vaporeon]

As far as I know, (have not checked for updates), the rules say any counters used must be readable by all players. We dont want anything like the elven alphabet and numbers on dice because not a lot of people speak elven. While players are required to be respectful of opponents and not use things that are too cryptic, its impossible to account for everything a player could have a issue. If something comes up that you or any other player may have a problem with, just ask your opponent to use dice that you can read. If they refuse or dont have any, ask them to use your dice or call a judge. You can also use your dice if you like.

 

[Lopuff]

Just like there are criteria described for randomizers (see: Play! Pokémon TCG Tournament Rules and Formats => 7 criteria for coins and 8 for dice) it would be great if also for damage counters there would be some criteria to avoid problems and ambiguity. This way for both player and opponent it is clear how and when to use glass damage counters and whether it is desirable to use them or not.

 

[FunnyBear]

And how often is this an issue that we need more nonsense rules for it? If you are the one that is color-blind and you run into this all the time, I apologize, but still how many opponents would not just switch to whatever you needed at first mention?

 

[tutti]

And how often is this an issue that we need more nonsense rules for it? If you are the one that is color-blind and you run into this all the time, I apologize, but still how many opponents would not just switch to whatever you needed at first mention?

That seems to be what the opening post is complaining about - opponents refusing to use other damage counters despite being asked to. I do assume the OP is providing their own damage counters that they can see (and that these aren't causing a major hassle for the opponent); failing that they of course have to real complaint.