This year's tournament will continue to feature scenarios from Battle Above the Clouds, the eighth and latest game in the Great Campaigns series. The action shifts now from the Eastern Theater to the mountains, rivers and political infighting that dominated the campaign for Chattanooga and points beyond. We have shortened the preliminary rounds to just three, and we'll strive to have eight players advancing to Thursday's single-elimination play.

For game-packing purposes, players need only bring Grant Takes Command and Battle Above the Clouds.

WEDNESDAY

Swiss Elimination Qualifying Day

Demo - 9 am

Learn the mechanics of the system from some of the best players. Try out a brief scenario: "Crossing the Chickamauga", from Battle Above the Clouds.

Crossing the Chickamauga (BATC) 11 a.m.

Chickamauga (BATC) 2 p.m.

Sheridan Rides South (GTC) 6 p.m.

THURSDAY

Single-Elimination Round

Quarter-final: McLemore's Cove (BATC), 9 a.m.

Semi-final: Wilderness (GTC) 1 p.m.

SATURDAY

Final: Chickamauga (BATC) 9 a.m.

TOURNAMENT RULES

Games not completed by the start time of the next round are subject to adjudication by the GM and his assistants.

Bidding for sides: Players must bid for sides. First, players secretly select what side they want by placing a Confederate or Union counter in their hand. If players pick opposite sides play proceeds with no VP modifier. If players pick the same side, roll dice to determine the first bidder. Players then bid VPs until a player passes. That bid becomes the VP modifier for the game.

Pairings: This year we will be scheduling preliminary rounds based on four-player pods. Each pod will consist of two players randomly chosen from the top half of the current AREA ratings, and two players from the bottom half. In a given pod, each player will face the other three players once, in each of the preliminary rounds.

Odd players may be shifted around as necessary in subsequent rounds. Such shifting will be done randomly, but it will be based on shifting similarly-ranked players (a pod that loses a top-half AREA we will attempt to fill out with a top-half AREA player, and so on).

Advancement: Players who win at least two preliminary games will be eligible to advance. We will strive to advance eight players to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal round will be seeded first based on total preliminary wins, and then points.

Points: Players receive points each time they win. No points are awarded for a loss. Points are given to the winner by taking the loser's AREA rating and multiplying by the scenario multiplier (longer scenarios have higher multipliers)

Scenario Multipliers:

Crossing Chickamauga 1.0

Chickamauga 1.3

Sheridan Rides South 1.2

Supplementary Prizes: