Boardgame Players Association Newsletter November 2014
Nov. 17, 2014

Top GM | Century Changes | AARs | Membership | Sportsmanship | Yearbook | Event Reports | Event Submissions | PBEM

 

NICK FERRIS IS WBC 2014 GM OF THE YEAR: BPA is proud to present its 23rd Annual GM of the Year Award to Nick Ferris. Nick wasted no time in impressing the Board of Direectors, earning the award in only his second year on the job. He had entered WBC's GM ranks in 2013 with an impressive debut at the helm of two events which each drew in excess of 100 players.  That rookie performance nearly took home top honors also - finishing second to Larry Lingle for the 2013 award. But there was no sophomore slump for Nick in his second year as he won the Award by a wide margin in amassing a near record 88 points - just one point shy of Claire Brosius' alltime high of 89 points set in 2011. He attracted three of the eight possible first place votes, plus three seconds, a third and a fourth to average 11 points per voter in our 12-point maximum scoring system. Also earning Top Six recognition were John Corrado, Michael Garton/John MCLaughlin, Terry Coleman, Bill Morse and Gregory Crowe.

2015 CENTURY: Six events won Century status for the coming year (1989, Conquest of Paradise, Empire of the Sun, King of Tokyo, Tzolkin', and Wooden Ships & Iron Men). A like number were demoted and now need a sponsor or membership support in the Trial vote to be eligible for a return in 2015 (Battle Cry, Counter Insurgency Series, Goa, Great Campaigns , Pro Golf and Race for the Galaxy). There were no Legacy additions to the Century voted by the Board for 2015. If you're wondering how an old chestnut like Wooden Ships suddenly re-emerged into the Century, email hitchings@juno.com and ask GM Tim Hitchings for a copy of his Naval Gazette newsletter which he used to raise interest from age of sail enthusiasts. Or if your interests lie more in the vein of Gettysburg or War At Sea you can contact Vince Meconi at vmeconi@verizon.net for copies of his newsletters centered on those events. Being a GM of a classic game can lead to year 'round habits.

2014 AFTER ACTION REPORTS POSTED: The WBC 2014 Event After Action Report pages complete with the latest Laurel counts and photos as only WBC does them are now available. Peruse them to recall last summer's fun or see what you missed before deciding what events to support with your votes when renewing your 2015 membership next month. 

DECEMBER MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: The Annual BPA Membership Drive when we offer our lowest rates and free premiums is just weeks away but please do not respond until we announce the opening in our next newsletter once the official ballot and membership form are posted. Your participation in the Trial event selection is an important part of the process so please wait until everything is in place so as to take part in the vote. The Membership Drive commences Dec. 1 and lasts one month, after which it will be too late to vote or get free premiums and the least expensive WBC admission rates. Please DO NOT rejoin for 2015 yet. Wait for the ballot and membership form to be updated in a few weeks. 

2015 SPORTSMANSHIP NOMINEES: The candidates for this year's Sportsman of the Year have been posted. Peruse them and cast a vote for your pick when renewing your membership in December. Help us reward great sportsmanship with a free room by electing a truly deserving winner. 

WBC 2015 EVENT SUBMISSIONS: Great events are planned well in advance. They don't just happen at the last minute. Every year, prospective GMs come forward wanting to get new events on the ballot after the voting has already started. By then, it is too late. Be proactive and take care of that now.The deadline for inclusion on the Annual ballot is November 24th. Those merely wishing to get an event on the membership ballot who are willing to GM that event should complete the required event form at http://www.boardgamers.org/forms/SubmitEvent.php after reading the GM Guidelines linked from the start of that event form. To be clear, every WBC 2014 event is either already in the 2015 Century list or will be listed on the list of eligible Trial event candidates for the December ballot or sponsorship. However, if you want to see a different event that was not run at WBC 2014, you need to submit a GM form for that event NOW to get it on the ballot. 

PBeM NEWS:

RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN XI TO BEGIN IN DECEMBER: This will be a single elimination 10-turn tournament with a starting date of Dec. 26, 2014. Entrance is required by contacting johnohlin5@comcast.net by Dec. 19.  Check the details at http://www.russiancampaign.com/. 

MARCH MADNESS TIME AGAIN: The 12th Annual BPA March Madness PBeM tournament will begin its team draft on Nov. 27. To enter contact GM Bruce Monnin at bdmonnin@nktelco.net. Check out the details first athttp://www.nktelco.net/bdmonnin/mms_home_page.html.

DIPLOMACY 2015 STARTUP:
Fast on the heels of the recent DIplomacy tournament is a second planned event for 2015. Email the GM at DiplomacyDayM@cox.net  (Michael Day) no later than Dec. 21, 2014. Be sure to include your full name, e-mail address, and AREA code (if you have one, if not, one will be provided) so the GM can register you on the site http://playdiplomacy.com. Do not register on the site, but contact the GM. Country assignments, usernames, and passwords will be sent out no later than the early afternoon of Dec. 30, 2014. The host website is at: http://diplomacywwi.weebly.com/

LUNAU WINS ADVANCED CIVILIZATION:
Mads Lunau, playing Thrace, has won the 2013-14 Advanced Civilization PBeM tournament. He has become the dominant BPA player in this event, having won two of the three tournaments, and placing second the only time that he did not win. This year, he was almost counted out of the running, and was 570 points out of first going into the final turn. He amassed a 720 point purchase of Theology, Philosophy, and Mathematics while the leader was unable to complete any purchases. In the end, his score of 4438 topped second place Javier de la Fuente's Egypt by 162 points for what he humbly states was an unexpected win. The other laurelists are Kevin Youells (Africa), Dan Morris (Iberia), Kevin Worth (Asia), and Jonas Lundgvist (Babylon). More details and updated laurel totals are available at http://www.boardgamers.org/yearbook14/acvpge.htm.

The current tournament continues. We have completed two of the ten games in the preliminary round, with Jonas Lundgvist and Kevin Youells scoring wins. Current details are available at http://bpa-civ.rol-play.com/

AMERICAN REVOLUTION PROGRESS REPORT:  So far 31 players have participated in six rounds featuring battles in chronological order: Brandywine, Germantown, Oriskany, Saratoga, Monmouth and Newtown (now in progress). After Newtown, the highest scoring 12 players will play the 3-player Savannah scenario. The 12 will be separated into three groups of four: the four highest scorers, the four next highest scorers and the four third highest scorers. From thence, the assignments for the four games will be at random, with one player from each group for each of the four games.

The highest scoring players after five rounds are Miklos +13, Easter +12, Sinigaglio (+12), Doane (+11) and Tracy ii (+11). Barring a disastrous round 6, these guys will probably make the cut for the Savannah 3-Player Round. The next highest group after five rounds include Andy Maly (+ 8) and Jeff Lange (+6). A reasonable showing in Round 6 will also advance these guys into the Savannah 3-Player Round. Then there is a boatload on the cusp for the remaining five slots: Adam Deverell (+4), Jeff Coyle (+4), Dave Stiffler (+4), Tim Miller (+3), John Vinal (+3), Bill Morse (+2), Keith Mageau (+2), Rob McCracken (+2), Rod Coffey (+1), Mike Krafick (+1), Chris Leary (+1). Anything could happen with this bunch. The remainder of the field will require a Substantial or Decisive Victory in Round 6 to conceivably propel them into the next round. Check out the details at http://www.ohiovalleygamers.org/boarpbem.html.



Remember ... all of the above PBeM fun is free to current BPA members. Others may qualify with a $10 Email membership in the year the event starts. All multi-day paid attendees to WBC are current BPA members for the balance of that calendar year. You need not keep your membership current in order to finish a PBeM event. Players may join the BPA throughout the year. See the BPA Terms page for details.

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Remember... all of the above PBeM fun is free to current BPA members. Others may qualify with a $10 PBEM membership in the year the event starts. All multi-day paid attendees to WBC are current BPA members for the balance of that calendar year. You need not keep your membership current in order to finish a PBeM event. Players may join the BPA throughout the year. See the BPA Terms page for details.

BPA members who would like to see an email tournament for their favorite game are encouraged to step forward as the GM of such an event. BPA does not run tournaments. Rather, we are an organization of gamers lending support to one another so such events can happen. No one cares as much about your hobby as you do. Get involved. See the requirements to host a BPA email tournament at http://www.abovethefields.com/top_pbem/

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