von Marwitz
Forum Guru
I'd take a very similar approach if I were a TD, and I believe what you describe (or something close to it) is 'Standard Operating Procedure'.As the TD of the ASL OPEN before I took the OPEN to VASL, I was fairly ruthless in forcing slow matches to be terminated at the end time of the round. I simply told the players, you decide now who is the winner. Usually that ended the problem because with I think only one or two exceptions over the years when I used that system, the players knew who was going to be the winner. If they couldn't decide, then I would tell them I will decide by roling a die in a few minutes if they couldn't agree between themselves. I gave up about 10 years ago trying to analyze the pros and cons of each player's position and making a call based on my estimation of the probable winner. Usually when I announced the die roll was going to decide, they would agree on a victor.
All in all, at the OPEN they only times (I think it was twice in about the last 10 years) I let a match go on was in the second to last round when the winner was going to remain undefeated. Then I extended their match for about 30 minutes because they were close to a clear win/loss determination. Meanwhile except for their possible opponents, I started all the other matches.
I am most familiar with GRENADIER. The morning round games (including the final) have fixed deadlines. If a game is still running them but it is apparent that only a few minutes are required to decide it, this is usually accepted. Otherwise the players mostly determining the 'most likely winner' amongst themselves. If they can't agree, the game is judged by the TD plus another experienced player with the TD having the final say.
The afternoon games are usually "open end". Most of the games end in a usual timeframe. It is normally two or three which last significantly longer than the rest. This may be due to secenario selected by the players, the tactical situation or the style of play.
von Marwitz