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Mark McBride (left) and Stan Buck
trade war stories over a game of Combat Commander. |
Tell me again why we drove 800 miles
together just to play each other here. |
Balanced and Clear Again ...
Combat Commander continued to thrive at WBC. Attendance
increased to 55 from last year's impessive debut of 48. In addition,
the format of a Wednesday Mulligan leading to Friday Single Elimination
was well received by the players, as was the scenario list introduced
this year. Feedback on the scenario list indicated that, overall,
the choices were well balanced and fun to play. No players chose
to use the Random Scenario Generator as opposed to four who opted
for that course last year.
Wednesday's Mulligan Round featured 32 players (including
yours truly). Play was tense and rules questions were few and
far between. This is an ongoing testament to the tightness of
the rules, and a credit to the designer and developer. Unlike
last year, your friendly GM actually won (earning a first round
bye).
Single Elimination play started at 2pm Friday with a good
crowd on hand. Play was faster than last year, as evidenced by
the fact that we got all the way through the semi-finals before
quitting for the night despite starting five hours later. Defending
champion Bob Heinzman made it to the quarter-finals before being
vanquished. Likewise, your humble GM bowed out in the same round
to preserve an even bracket The quarter-finals also featured
something new for this GM; a game actually had to be adjudicated.
After a well played semi-final round, the Final was played
Saturday morning pitting Assistant GM Bryan Collars against WBC
newcomer Mike Galandiuk. After a well fought game, Mike prevailed
to earn WBC wood in his inaugural trip here, and he chose the
DVD Where Eagles Dare as his special prize. Bryan finished
second and received a Kelly's Heroes DVD as his special
consolation prize.
I want to extend special thanks to Bryan Collars and Roger
Nord, who served as Assistant GMs. Both were immensely helpful,
and made the GM experience more relaxing for me than last year.
I also want to thank everone for their good humor and sportsmanship,
both of which were critical in making a Single Elimination event
this large a success.
Next year will be interesting times for Combat Commander,
as the Pacific Theater game will be released by then. As always
we will be looking at the format and scenario mix to see where
it can be improved. To be part of this process, just visit the
Combat Commander topic on the Consimworld discussion board.
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Watching the Greenville Mafia cheer
on a fellow member is sort of like watching vultures gather over
roadkill. |
Bryan Collars finally meets someone
he can't beat in the Final with Mike Galandiuk (right). |
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