WBC, Day 4...

Thursday's at WBC have traditionally been Command & Colors: Ancients day (well, at least for a couple of years, LOL!), but I decided to beg out of this tourney since it conflicted with two Galaxy heats and I really had to try to win one, being a good teammate and all... So, I got up, had my coffee, and headed to the "Lampeter" room for a game of Kaiser's Pirates.

I played this one last year, when it was first released, and scored the highest total in the preliminary rounds (over 100!), but ended up finishing 5th out of the the 6th finalists. I really wanted to have a better showing this time around. I ended up in a game with Mark Miklos and Don (?), and the way the tourney is set up the top 12 scorers advance to the semis. I won my table with 70 points, but wondered if that would be enough to make the semis. I will have to check on that throughout the next few days...

Galaxy heat 2 of 4 was up next. I got put at a table with my friend Marty Sample. It's always one of those good/bad things when at a tourney table with a friend -- you know the game will be fun, and you don't mind if your friend wins, but it's not always satisfying beating a bud. As it went, we had another 4-player game, and Marty and I tied, 12-12! The tiebreaker was point value of cards in hand. I had 30, Marty had 41. Oh well, another 2nd, but a good guy was definitely advancing, so that was OK...

I looked at my schedule and saw I could make the 2nd heat of Santa Fe Rails. I decided to play in this one, as the 3rd heat later that evening had a bunch of other games against it, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to play again. I was at a table with Duane (?), Paul (?), and Chris Palermo. It was a wide-open game, even though I bought 3 Branch Lines and never used them, trying to shorten the game! The final scores were in the high range, 183-176-166-158. I had never before (in 3 years!) won a heat of SFR. In this game, the 183 was my score, so I'd be advancing to the semis. Finally!

That evening, there was the 3rd of 4 Galaxy heats. My team game, and one I had yet to win. This time, we had a 5-player game. The final scores were 15-7-7-4-4. I had a "7," but finished 2nd based on card values. Mark Mitchell told me I was a definite for the semis, with three 2nds. Woo-hoo, I'm #2! Well, at least I could blow off the 4th heat and try some other games...

11:00 PM rolled around and I went to check out the Pro Golf tourney. Bruce Monnin runs it, and I hadn't played in a few years, so I decided to give it another shot. Now, this game is pretty much pure luck -- in both the golfer you get and in your rolls. Good golfers have better cards, and high rolls are good while low rolls aren't. I found a foursome with Dave Metzger, Jeremy Billones, and Robert (?). I drew Davis Love III, which, I think, was a pretty good draw. We played the Augusta National course (where the Masters is played), and it was tough, all of us having a few bogeys. Going into the 18th hole, Dave's Jay Haas was -5 while my Davis Love was -4. In one of those "shit happens" moments, Dave's rolling went south, and he scored a double bogey. I shot a par, and won our foursome, -4; -3; E; +3. An exciting finish, now I had to wait and see if -4 would make the cut for the 4 finalists. It held up for a while, but when a foursome came in with both a -8 and a -6, the two -4s on the board were bumped, very close to the end of the round. Oh well, I was close, and it was fun.

Some drinks at the bar with the "Western New York Drinking Club with a Gaming Problem," then off to bed. But up pretty late with no gaming...

More C&C:A

Played 2 more scenarios from C&C:Ancients last night on Vassal -- Bagdaras (sp?) and Trebbia. All I can say, is, I hope I got rid of all my bad die rolls prior to WBC. Damn!

I do realize we're in the "lazy, hazy" days of summer, but I hope there will be some interest in starting a little C&C/Vassal league, per July 30th's post. I'm not getting any bites on Consimworld (folks are ignoring my IMs -- I must really be out of the "in" crowd now, LOL!), but I know there are guys here, besides Marc, who enjoy playing on Vassal. Just let me know!

I'm currently deciding what to bring/not bring to WBC. I've decided to go "euro" heavy in tourneys this year, playing wargames mostly for fun, as I have time. I just don't have the stamina now for 16+ straight hours of Wilderness War. So, my packing will probably be worse than in past years, as I'll want several wargames in there to play for fun, as well as the other assorted stuff. On top of that, Ron Wuerth wants me to do my best to continue "Ron Con," so I'll have to be ready .

In addition, I'm pretty intimidated by all the work I have to get done between now and Monday morning. I'm about to delve into some tonight -- unless, of course, someone wants a Vassal game...

Countdown...

Well, the countdown to WBC begins -- I'll be getting there on Monday, as Deanna gets back in town. Separate vacations this year... I even bought Manoeuvre, as it's a Tuesday morning/afternoon tourney. I never had any interest in the game until I realized (yesterday) that I'd be able to play it on Tuesday. What the Hell, with my Millennium discount it was reasonably priced.

Of course, this also means that over the next week and a half or so, there won't be many posts here...

I know, I haven't been as "on the ball" lately as I should have been, but with all the house stuff, and the lazy days of summer, it's been tough. I will hope to get back in the groove once I return (or at least by when school starts back up -- I can't believe I just thought that, ugh!).

The Cheyenne training is going well. She's such a smart dog, and quite passive-aggressive! We're trying a "gentle leader" with her now, and this seems to correct her "pulling" problems while on a walk. Of course, it's not the solution, just a measure to be used to get there. I really, really want this girl to listen, in all situations, as her (and my) world will really open if she does. I do have a shock collar, by that's a last resort...

This dog is so damn athletic, if she'd just listen to me better, and not be so ADHD (seriously!), we could do things like agility training, frisbee competitions, flyball, whatever. But first, she needs to do EVERYTHING I tell her to, or she's not welcome...

How I wish we could just communicate in English.

On the gaming front, I've been playing a lot of C&C:Ancients via Vassal. I'm wondering if there would be any interest to set up a little "Zyzzyva" tourney using C&C:A on Vassal. I know several folks here play the game and use Vassal, so if we got 4-8 we could have some fun. I'd make a schedule so that everyone would play the same scenarios and we'd see who would come out on top. Post here (or send me an email) if you're interested. Using Skype would be a big plus, as being able to talk during games really helps. Nothing would be happening before mid-August, at the earliest, but I hope we can generate some interest.

Back to organizing crapola for me...

Fun and Busy Days...

Tuesday evening, Nels Thompson came by and we played 2 Combat Commander scenarios from the randomly generated section. First up, we went my German company attacking his Soviet company. Line units all around, and I advanced too slowly (mainly because he was killing me!) and ran out of time, losing big. Next game saw me draw an elite Russian detachment attacking his line German detachment. I made better advances here, and ended up winning, after a lot of brutal house-to house fighting. Nels lives in Buffalo but works in Rochester, so he crashed here. A fun evening.

Next morning, Bob Titran comes by, and we decide to play Command & Colors: Ancients. First we do a Successors battle, Gabiene, twice. Bob crushed me in the first game, killing my elephants early and having them trample my infantry. I came back in the second. We moved onto Gaugamela, and Bob wanted the Persians. Alexander's companion cavalry was like a panzer army, and the Persians were soon decimated. I offered to switch sides (this one looks too easy for the Macedonians, for my tastes), but Bob wanted to try Darius again, and though it was a closer, Alexander still came out ahead. We finished with my Romans (I was Caesar!) invading Britain. The legions were met at the shore by brave warriors, and almost driven back, but the line stiffened and I got a couple very lucky rolls, so Rome got its foothold in the British Isles!

I had to run and take Cheyenne to her private lesson, and the skies opened up. Man, but it rained hard. Bob was caught in it going back to Grand Island, glad he made it safely!

Then, in the early evening, Nels calls and wonders if I'm up for more gaming. Of course, I say, but I need a quick nap first (forgot to mention Deanna called in the wee hours of the morning to let me know she was safely in Seattle, so I didn't sleep well), so I crashed for 30 minutes, and Nels came by around 8:00. We did another random scenario, and I decided that I was going for a platoon, hoping to be the defender. Well, we got a 1941 German vs. British scenario on a hilly map, so we decided it was Crete, and Germans vs. Kiwis. Nels went for the company, so I was really outnumbered. I did pick up prepared minefields and a lot of wire, to try and slow his advance. Luckily for me, the Germans didn't get any artillery. Well, this was a real tense one, as I felt I was always on the verge of losing (either via surrender, since I had so few units, or by Nels breaking through and getting exit VPs).The game ended on Turn 7, just in time for me! The minefields did their job, and the New Zealanders were tough, winning all 3 melees they got into. This was one of the most fun CC games I've played -- so tense for a small defending force vs. overwhelming odds. Thank God for mines and wire...

Waiting for the German Onslaught...

Tonight, Bill Peeck comes by to finish up our Espana 1936 game. Now, if it will only stop raining...

Joan of Arc dies young...

Short post today -- I apologize in advance. Away all day at Bob Titran's, then dealing with some crap at home (what's new, eh?).

***BGG is down for maintenance, so I can't link to games there***

Anyway, always the gracious host, Bob had WofG laid out and after chatting for a while, we embarked on the "Lion in Winter Scenario (1100s-1200s). I drew the French and luck really went my way -- we ended on Turn 7 out of 12 with a French auto victory of 30 points. We decided to switch sides, then, and play the "100 Years War" scenario. It was back and forth all game, until about Turn 9, when 5 of Bob's 6 leaders died. I was able to take advantage of the carnage, and the final count was an English victory at 16 VPs. And to keep it historical, Bob had a chance to come back with Joan of Arc on the rampage -- but she moved into Burgundy and died (roll of a "1" -- burned at the stake, I guess!).

A really fun game that played relatively smoothly. It is procedural, and I think this will wear on me, but initial impressions are good.

We had lunch at the Brick Oven restaurant, then came back for a game of C&C:A. In the Bagdaras (sp?) scenario, Bob took Carthage, I got Rome. Carthage got off to a good start, but then three elephants died within 2 turns, and it evened up. Once the lines smashed together, my lucky die rolling stayed with me and Rome pulled out a 7-4 victory. We both commented on what a great, fun game this is.

I have to bring my car in tomorrow for a tune-up, oil change, and a/c work -- maybe I'll retire to the dungeon and fool around with WofG for a bit...

Another Long Day...

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday, my apologies.

Between the garage sale, house/yard work, and Cheyenne training, I didn't have time to catch my breath. It seems to never end.

Anyway, on the gaming front, as I mentioned the other day, I will be headed to Grand Island tomorrow to play some Warriors of God (WofG) and Command & Colors:Ancients (C&C:A) with Bob Titran. WofG is one of those annoying games in that it's simple, yet there have been a ton (literally, I measured!) of questions on BGG and CSW. Yet neither the developer nor the rules editor have taken any time putting together a FAQ/Errata/Clarification file for the game. The best one can find is a link to 3 errata/clarification notes on BGG -- and there are more than 3 pertinent questions players have had. As one who worked so hard getting Wilderness War questions into a usable FAQ/Errata sheet and updating this whenever necessary, I find it lackluster support when others don't do the same. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the fanboys don't seem to care. Hope not too many issues will come up. Don't get me wrong -- questions are answered, but for we "Johnny-come- latelys," it's impossible to figure out what questions have been answered (and how) without going through thousands of messages.

On the other hand, C&C:A is wonderfully supported -- check out this fantastic C&C:A support site! Of course, a guy like John Foley (who runs this site and does so much for the hobby) always gives 100%, even when it's tough to do so.

OK, enough of that mini-rant! Onto C&C:A!

I'm not sure how many scenarios we'll get to (a lot will depend on the length of that other game), but we're going to try to play through the 5 scenarios being used at the upcoming WBCs.

A very fun scenario (one of my favorites, even though it seems to favor Rome in the game) is the Battle of the Trebbia, 218 BC -- this is the Round 3 battle. The Romans were suckered into battle by Hannibal, and ambushed by Mago, Hannibal's brother. The Roman Consul Sempronius learned his Hannibal lesson the hard way. It was an interesting battle, and the Romans even won the center, only to lose it on both flanks. Some info here, if you're interested: Trebbia in Wikipedia.

So, more organizing today, then a lot of glorious gaming to look forward to tomorrow!