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Early arrivals contemplate scenarios
before the tournament begins. |
Bill Thomson and David Gubbay in the
Final. |
Grognards to the Rescue
Many Squad Leader series players from long ago emerged
from the shadows and the nearby Grognards room to fill the boots
of regulars who were MIA this year. Additional reinforcements
from the PBeM SLlist ladder included the featured names of Phil
Grasha (Chicopa, PA) and Scott Bramley (Teaneck, NJ) who made
their first WBC appearance elevating the hopes of several seeking
a FTF meeting to avenge many PBeM battles. David VanBronkhorst
(Annandale VA), the 2006 champion of the WBC as well as both
email tournaments, failed to appear to defend his title. The
final tally was 24 games played by 21 participants. The
field included four past SQL champions totalling eight shields
between them: Pete Pollard 4 (Bartlett, TN), Eric Stranger 2
(North Canton, OH), Andrew Cummins 1 (Cambridge, UK) and Bill
Thomson 1 (Fort Worth, TX) resulting in several tough matches.
John Sharp's (Sarasota, FL) personal leader counter topped
the surviving the PLC field to earn the awe and admiration of
his peers, ending with 25 élan and a 9-2 rank. In
addition to winning the plaque for best PLC performance, John's
PLC is now the target in the 2008 tournament for others to earn
the Pollard Memorial plaque. Bill Thomson, the 2006 winner,
was successful in keeping his PLC alive through four rounds so
the Memorial plaque went unclaimed in 2007. Overall, it
was a relatively good year for PLCs with over a 30% survival
rate.
Players selected from a choice of scenarios for each round
as a function of the rules level agreed upon by each participant. The
Squad Leader Academy authored scenarios dominated scenario selection,
supplemented by several On All Fronts (OAF) and original Avalon
Hill (TAHGC) designs. Squad Leader level of play dominated
the event with only two CROSS OF IRON scenarios. The
annual GI: ANVIL OF VICTORY match between Chuck Leonard
(Muncy, PA) and Bill Thomson consisted of Scenario 33 "Belated
Christmas" resulting in a ? point American victory per the
final tally after the last die roll.
The final was a Texas shootout. David Gubbay (Houston,
TX) arrived via Australia with jet lag and moved steadily through
his first three matches into the Final with GM Bill Thomson. Playing
TAHGC scenario 7 "Buchholz Station" saw David's Americans
taking an early lead toward the 10 VP in KIA needed towards victory. The
Germans at one point were depopulated resulting in a stack of
unmanned German support weapons and putting the Germans on the
defensive. Despite careful play by both sides, - 2 leadership
modifiers on scores of HMG shots threatened to conclude the contest
quickly at any time as these forces slugged it out. Meanwhile
remaining troops continued to maneuver elsewhere. Even with
the powerful shots ringing out each turn, KIAs proved strangely
rare, maintaining the suspense throughout the last few turns. In
the end, the Germans eked out a 10-8 victory gaining Bill Thomson
his second tournament win after thwarting the final American
assault.
Limited experimentation of allowing advance play was conducted
which may continue to expand in 2008. This yielded participation
of several players in the Grognard's tournament room and those
overbooked with final weekend activity. Many of the regular
participants and past champions are taxed by GM commitments and
other events in which they are also top tier participants. Restraint
from adopting a true free form format is necessary as many of
the top tier players are only available during the scheduled
weekend play. On the downside, many featured opponent pairings
could be limited by dictating matches based on best record and
opponent availability.
2004 BPA
SQUAD LEADER PBEM Championship Tournament CONCLUDED
26 entrants from seven countries competed in the 2004 Squad
Leader Play-By-Email tournament. This event drew eight of
the top 15 active AREA players in the Squad Leader series
of games. Using a single elimination format, the first of five
rounds was launched on January 5th, 2004. The final match between
#18 seed John Blazel (IL) and #4 seed David VanBronkhorst (VA)
was concluded on January 17, 2006. The outcome of this match,
which was in doubt until the final die rolls, resulted in David
VanBronkhorst earning Championship honors. The individual round
summaries are presented below. This event was administered by
Squad Leader Academy (Bill Thomson, Pete Pollard) on behalf of
the Boardgamer Player Association.
Round 1 Summary
Round 1 used scenario WG102 "Forced Entry" which is
a variant of Avalon Hill Scenario 1 "Guards Counterattack".
This scenario uses the full SQL ruleset; most notably second
level building rules (54). The most noticeable change for the
standard Scenario 1 Russian force is the reinforcement group
of two SU122 assault guns. The German player must choose from
one of three available forces; engineers with smoke, or two infantry
forces with differing leader sets and support weapons. The SL
list scenario record for "Forced Entry" at the end
of 2003 was Axis 2: Allies 4.
Since the field had only 26 players, six received first round
byes based on seeding using AREA ratings. Four of the first round
matches were not played due to player attrition. In the six matches
played, the record was Axis 2: Allies 4 with several post-game
comments noting the defending Germans did not take advantage
of the second level building status. Hence the accumulative WG102
scenario record of Axis 4: Allies: 8 which may not be indicative
of matches between equally-experienced players. Due to real-life
priorities and other causes, two of the Round 1 losers joined
the Round 1 winners and the players who had the Round 1 byes
in Round 2 to complete the field of sixteen.
ADVANCING TO ROUND 2:
Pete Pollard (TN); Bill Thomson (TX); Allen Kaplan (NJ);
David VanBronkhorst (VA); Andrew Cummins (United Kingdom); Jay
Yanek (LA); Michael Pacheco (CA); Dan Leader (MA); Stefan Eriksson
(Sweden); Karl Brannigan (New Zealand); Chris Stewart (FL); Brent
Easton (Australia); Andy Cowdery (IL); Dennis Jorgenson (CA);
John Blazel (WA); Richard van Vugt (The Netherlands)
Round 2 summary:
Real-life priorities interceded again, resulting in only four
matches being completed. The Germans compiled a 2-2 record in
Squad Leader Academy scenario WG105 "Patchwork". A
mobile German force enters the middle of board 3, ahead of the
Russian Assault force split between both ends of the mapboard.
Charged with retaining control of at least three buildings in
the six-turn scenario, the Germans either won easily or failed
completely in the matches played. This indicates the ability
and decisions of the participants was a key factor in the result.
ADVANCING TO ROUND 3:
Pete Pollard (TN); Bill Thomson (TX); David VanBronkhorst
(VA); Andrew Cummins (United Kingdom); Chris Stewart (FL); Michael
Pacheco (CA); John Blazel (WA); Stefan Eriksson (Sweden)
Round 3 summary:
All four quarterfinal matches were played to conclusion using
scenario WG102 "Tooth and Nail"four 4 support weapons)
assaults German defenders (three leaders, 9x467, 3x247s, 5xMGs,
2 weak ATGs, and a radio/off-board 50mm mortar with unlimited
single hex barrages). German positions are stiffened by two bunkers
and entrenchments. The Russians are tasked to occupy six of nine
defined Victory Point positions with an unbroken 447 by the end
of the game. Lack of long-range LOS on this board, the exposed
& scattered nature of the various VP positions, and their
shortage of leaders hinders the Russian momentum. The Russian
spearheads are susceptible to German counterattack by Turn 3
reinforcements consisting of a StGIII75, two armed halftracks
supported by a 9-1 and 3x838s with their toys.
This round's results produced an even 2-2 Axis record, as WG102
continues to be a challenging scenario since its debut at the
2004 WBC SQL Series event. Round highlights saw #17 seed John
Blazel (WI) upset the top seed, Pete Pollard (TN), with a final
successful German charge to nullify a Russian-controlled position
despite a Russian 2:1 advantage in the final CCPh. #2 Bill Thomson
(TX) was able to survive #15 Chris Stewart (FL) and an initial
collapse of his German positions using the reinforcements to
eliminate three of the unsupported T34s in German Turn 3. The
remaining T34 pivoted to eliminate the flanking STG before falling
to the German 50L ATG on a frontal shot. The final turns saw
infantry maneuver & firefights dominate, with the final Russian
push cut down by interlocking fields of fire and a friendly die
server. Many possibilities in the final turn could have moved
the result to the other side: FT burning a VP hex, FT flameout,
the 1:1 CC in the final German turn, or the creation of a berserker
in key location. As Chris aka 'the giant killer' eliminated both
Pete and Bill, the top two seeds in the initial rounds of the
COI event, he will remain a rising star and is participating
in all six SQLA PBEeM tournaments started in 2004. The other
two matches posted wins for both sides as #4 David VanBronkhorst
(VA) defeated #11 Stefan Eriksson (Sweden) and #7 Michael Pacheco
(CA) dropped #5 Andrew Cummins (UK).
ADVANCING TO ROUND 4:
Michael Pacheco (CA); John Blazel (WA); Bill Thomson (TX);
David VanBronkhorst (VA)
Round 4 summary: Semifinals:
The scenario utilized was WG110 "Reconnaissance in Force
B". This represents a 1944 infantry action on the Western
Front using Board 16, whose principal features are large wheatfields,
three wooden buildings, and a lack of elevated terrain. A small
German force (6x467) attempts to slow down an American infantry
force (10x666) augmented by two smoke-capable 847s and DC. The
Germans are reinforced by a detachment of elite infantry (4x468)
and an armed halftrack. The American goal is to occupy with an
unbroken squad (or destroy with a DC) all three buildings in
the center of the board. This must be effectively accomplished
prior to the arrival of the German reinforcements. Both sides
lack excellent leadership and the luxury of time, given the six
game turns.
The first match pitted the German defenses of John Blazel against
Bill Thomson's Americans. The initial American assault proceeded
as planned, brushing away the German screen without receiving
casualties. But the stiffening German fire melted the American
lead elements, which headed to the rear to regroup during the
middle turns, and prevented the early American grab of all three
VC buildings. The remaining German forces, anchored by building
L6, were able to keep the GIs at bay as the Panzergrenadiers
arrived. Disorganized by enemy fire, the 847s were out of position
to contribute effectively to the final assault. The final American
rush was predictably costly and sealed John Blazel's victory
and entry into the finals.
The second match saw the David VanBronkhorst-led Americans square
off against Michael Pacheco's Germans. The American forces were
augmented by 3x666 through the bidding process. Initial prep
fire neutralized German flanking squads, then the central attack
pushed the Germans back through the wheatfield while taking substantial
losses. German dice were nothing lower than 6 on all fire attacks
through the first four full turns, and American rallies were
few and far between. At the end of GT4, the Allies had three
squads KIA'd and four broken, including both the elite 847's,
one of which was then eliminated on a 12 in the next rally phase.
However, even as the German reinforcements entered, American
fire started to register, KIA'ing a 467/MMG/8-1 stack during
its advance and breaking a squad in the halftrack that had been
a particular thorn in the Americans' side. That suppressed the
German defensive fire enough to allow the remaining 847 to attack
through smoke and plant a DC in the final building, claiming
an American victory.
ADVANCING TO ROUND 5:
David VanBronkhorst (#4) and John Blazel (#18)
Round 5 summary: Finals:
The scenario in use for the final match was WG111, "Nutcracker".
The scenario represents a cautious American assault vs a German
city across board halves of city boards 20 and 21. The boards
are less dense than board 1 but possess a variety of stone and
wooden buildings, several of which are multistory. The large
graveyard in board 21 is converted to woods, with other changes
to negate post-SL terrain. The Americans are attacking to gain
uncontested control of the dominant building 21J3. The German
player benefits from being able to use sewer movement without
the requirement of a leader. Additionally, after setups are complete,
the German player decides who moves first.
The American force is centered on 12x666 squads, a mix of
leaders & support weapons, a 105mm howitzer, an M4M52 Sherman
and an 81mm OBA. A late-game pair of M10s completes the US arsenal.
The defending Germans are centered on 8x467s, a mix of leaders
& support weapons including a captured .50 cal HMG and a
relative wealth of Panzerfausts. Additional assets include a
50mm ATG and a single-hex 120mm OBA with six fire missions. Mid-game
reinforcements include a StGIII75, a MkIVF1, two squads with
leader and SW. Most significant of these is a smoke-capable 838
with DC.
The players agreed to sides after a bidding process which
resulted in David VanBronkhorst leading the Americans with one
additional 666 squad added to his OOB. John Blazel, continuing
his underdog status, led the German defense. Due to its recent
design, this scenario was new to both players.
During opening maneuvers the German HMG and 120mm mortar exacted
heavy casualties (3 squads KIA'd and one broken) as the Wehrmacht
soldiers shrugged off any return fire and kept on the move to
deny the American 105mm guns (Howitzer and M4M52) any targets.
However, the defense (including the HMG and 9-2 leader) stretched
its left flank a bit too far across the graveyard/woods, creating
a weakness in the center. The US then struck quickly through
OBA smoke, gaining a toehold in the central objective building
and knocking out a leader and the German radio. The German left
wing was able to collapse back to the building but the defensive
outposts on the right wing were cut off from the central building
by American MMGs sited down the road. Simultaneously, German
reserves arrived and the assault engineers counterattacked in
the building under smoke, breaking the squad spearheading the
American assault.
The German STG was knocked out attempting to overrun the Howitzer
in the street. The Panzer IV finished that job, but on its own
was unable to make any dent in the American armored force. As
the Germans' stock of panzerfausts dwindled, with none of the
shots finding the mark, the Sherman 105 was able to get in position
to bring the central building under fire, and promptly took the
German 838 out of the action with a barrage of HE rounds. A vicious
exchange ensued in the building: the German 10-2 and HMG squad
were KIA'd by fire directed by the American ranking officer,
but the Germans quickly recaptured the HMG.
In the last two turns, the Allies were on the brink of losing
due to casualties, but their concentrated firepower methodically
wore down the defense in the building. In the final turn, German
defenders remained in one upper level hex and one lower, while
a lone leader and broken squads held control of two other VC
hexes. The Americans used enhanced mobility from the recently
arrived M-10's (losing one in the process to the German ATG)
to cut off routs and eliminate the broken units, but could only
mount a single-hex head-on assault on the good order squad in
the upper level manning the HMG. The gamble paid off as the German
defensive fire was ineffective. It looked to all like the game
would come down to a final round of close combat, but in a surprising
turn the Americans called up snakes for their advancing fire
and KIA'd the final German holdouts.
WINNER AND CHAMPION: David Van Bronkhorst (VA)! |