waterloo [Updated October 2007]
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Grognard Pre-Con
2007 WBC Report
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2008 Status: pending 2008
GM commitment |
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Marty Musella, VA |
2007 Champion |
Offsite links:
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Event History |
1991 |
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Kevin McCarthy |
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17 |
1992 |
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Rob Beyma |
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16 |
1993 |
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Larry Lingle |
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16 |
1994 |
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Joe Beard |
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18 |
1995 |
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Joe Beard |
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10 |
1996 |
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Bruno Sinigaglio |
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10 |
1997 |
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Phil Evans |
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18 |
1998 |
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Rob Beyma |
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16 |
1999 |
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Chuch Stapp |
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17 |
2000 |
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Rob Beyma |
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10 |
2001 |
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John Clarke |
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18 |
2002 |
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Rob Beyma |
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20 |
2003 |
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Marty Musella |
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20 |
2004 |
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Rob Beyma |
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17 |
2005 |
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Marty Musella |
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18 |
2006 |
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Rob Beyma |
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18 |
2007 |
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Marty Musella |
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22 |
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Rank Name From Last Total
1. Rob Beyma MD 06 144
2. Marty Musella VA 07 122
3. John Clarke FL 07 73
4. Bruno Sinigaglio AK 07 42
5. Chuck Stapp NJ 01 31
6. Bill Morse VA 07 24
7. Richard Beyma MD 07 18
8. Mark Gutfreund KY 04 18
9. Forrest Pafenberg VA 02 18
10. Bill Scott VA 05 16
11. Pat Mirk FL 06 15
12. James Tracy OH 07 12
13. Tim Miller GA 04 12
14. Larry Lingle PA 00 12
15. John Ellsworth IL 99 9
16. Gary Dickson CA 05 8
17. Johnny Hasay PA 01 8
18. Steve Likevich OH 05 6
19. Ivan Lawson MD 02 6
20. Mike Horn FL 06 3
21. Greg Smith PA 02 3 |
2007 Laurelists |
Richard Beyma, MD
2nd |
Bill Morse, VA
3rd |
Jim Tracy II, OH
4th |
Bruno Sinigaglio, AK
5th |
John Clarke, FL
6th |
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Past Winners |
Kevin McCarthy. OH
1991 |
Rob Beyma, MD
'92, 98, 00, 02, 04, 06 |
Larry Lingle, PA
1993 |
Joe Beard, AZ
1994-1995 |
Bruno Sinigaglio, AK
1996 |
Phil Evans, VA
1997 |
Chuck Stapp, PA
1999 |
John Clarke, FL
2001 |
Marty Musella, VA
2003, 2005, 2007 |
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Grognards in action; Bill Thomson
vs Marty Musella The latter won his third Waterloo title
and then announced his "retirement". Yeah, him, Rob
Beyma and Roger Clemens. |
Election Central? No ... just
the up-to-date scoring for the Grognard games to determine who
will make the Single Elimination playoffs. |
Another Grognard Classic
Waterloo's
resurgence continued this year with 22 contenders to the imperial
throne, the most players ever. While this game has prospered
in the GrognardCon pre-convention, eight players still joined
the tournament during the regular convention. Also once again,
several players were returnees from younger days when they joined
the hobby and Waterloo was one of the few games available.
What was even more encouraging were the three youngsters giving
the game a go for the very first time. Not too shabby for a game
that is older than more than half of the contestants. After the
smoke had drifted away from the preliminary skirmishes, the four
semi-finalists were Jim "Attack, Attack" Tracey against
Richard "Beyma the Younger" and Bill "The Hammer"
Morse versus Marty "Mad Marine" Musella.
In the first semi-final, Jim's French wasted no time and launched
their main assault immediately down the primary roads towards
Quatre Bras with a single flanking attack towards Nivelles. Richard
adroitly delayed the main attack and concentrated his PAA forces
in front of Nivelles. Despite being outnumbered in this sector,
Jim's French gallantly advanced and in a tangle of thrusts and
counter-thrusts in the woods, traded counter for counter with
Richard's PAA. This slugfest continued for several turns until
the French numbers dwindled and Jim was eventually forced to
go on the defensive. Meanwhile, Richard's PAA conducted a fighting
withdrawal through Quatre Bras contesting every French assault.
Richard then re-concentrated his victorious Nivelles forces and
slowly withdrew the PAA to doubled positions around Genappe and
in the ridges in the center of the board. At this stage late
on 17 June, both armies were at about the same strength and the
game was still up for grabs. Would French maneuver at this point
replace the elan and blood of French bayonets? Jim decided that
the only marching the French would do would be straight at the
PAA, so true to his nom de guerre, he doggedly assaulted into
the heavily defended ridges. Even though he captured one ridge,
Jim suffered several crippling exchanges that bled the French
Army to death. When Richard's PAA counterattacked and pinned
several divisions against a river with no retreat, Jim realized
he was on his way to exile on St. Helena.
Bill and Marty had met before in competitive play and Bill's
increased tactical skill was evident in this semi-final as his
French advance featured the "traditional" three pronged
advance towards Nivelles, Quatre Bras, and Wavre. This French
opening stretches the outnumbered PAA and seems to be a more
successful strategy then a "high diddle diddle, right up
the middle" immediate assault. Bill immediately put pressure
on Marty's PAA and the center thrust made good progress towards
Quatre Bras. Bill's Nivelles force was quickly countered by Prussians
from the center and arriving British reinforcements as Marty
tried to obtain force superiority in numbers. Bill's French tried
to force their way down the main road towards Nivelles all afternoon
on 16 June and the morning of 17 June. The combat was extremely
bloody with exchanges suffered by both players in almost all
attacks. Marty's superior numbers finally carried the field and
forced Bill's French column to a halt far short of their Nivelles
objective. On the French right flank, Bill's force consisted
of a small force of French cavalry with two supporting infantry
divisions in an attempt to extend the PAA defenses along the
Dyle River towards Wavre. When Bill concentrated his force to
force the upper Dyle attempting to get behind the PAA at Quatre
Bras, Marty's screening forces surrounded and attacked. He also
dispatched three large Prussian infantry divisions from the center
to form a second echelon assault. In three game turns, Bill's
French force had been crushed on the river and now the PAA forces
from both flanks were converging on the center to confront the
French advancing from Quatre Bras. Throughout 18 June Bill's
French slowly forced the PAA back towards Waterloo trading board
space for time looking for the Prussians. The arrival of the
Prussian IV Corps, mimicking history, brought an end to Bill's
imperial ambitions in what turned out to be the deciding game
for the "wood".
A promising championship game between Marty and Richard never
occurred since Richard swore allegiance to the Czar in the Napoleonic
Wars Final but promisied he would return to seek glory next year.
Marty announced that he will retire from future competition,
though continue to teach and GM Waterloo next year. Early intelligence
reports also indicate that former champion, Rob "Napoleon"
Beyma (recently nicknamed "Beyma the Elder") will return
next year, so a father-son grudge match may be possible in this
well-balanced game of maneuver. Stop by next year as the GM has
promised to reveal his Waterloo "secrets of play"
so that even the newcomers might find "a Marshal's baton
in their knapsack"! |
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