In keeping with the GM's policy of having the tournament scenarios chosen by an outsider, this year he asked a top expert on Memoir. Magnus Nygaard of Denmark is consistently one of the highest ranked players in the world. As of the date when this Preview was written, Nygaard had played more than 6,200 games on Memoir Online - while only one other person in the world had played more than 5,200. He is one of the organizers of the Memoir Online League. In addition, he has composed over 30 scenarios of his own.

The GM asked Nygaard to choose a set of scenarios that would make a great tournament for WBC: Public scenarios, so players can see them in advance. For the first several rounds, scenarios that can be played from the original, basic game - so players don't need to bring any expansions. Interesting and balanced, with a variety of strategic options. A strong opening hand shouldn't guarantee a win, and a weak opening hand shouldn't guarantee a loss. This year, we will have different scenarios for the Mulligan and Round 1. Also, several of the early scenarios are actually from the base game, so they will be familiar to most players.

Mulligan Round: Operation Cobra http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/editor/view/?id=15

Round 1: St Vith http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/editor/view/?id=20

Round 2: Foret d'Ecouves http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/editor/view/?id=7045

Round 3: Montelimar http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/editor/view/?id=18

Round 4: Saverne Gap http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/editor/view/?id=29

Round 5: Invasion of Amoy http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/editor/view/?id=8293

Round 6: Ponyri http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/editor/view/?id=1365

The Mulligan and Rounds 1-4 can all be played from the basic set. Round 5 is Pacific, and Round 6 is Eastern. The GM can provide the sets for Rounds 5-6. Air Rules will not be used.

Foret d'Ecouves was composed by Jacques "jdrommel" David, who has created many official Memoir scenarios for recent expansions. It was introduced in the 2012 French Open tournament. (As some readers may know, there is a lively face-to-face Memoir tournament scene in France. The French Open attracts 100 players.)

Invasion of Amoy - a 1938 battle between the Japanese and Chinese - is one of Nygaard's own creations.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The schedule for Memoir '44 will be similar to previous years. The format will be six rounds, Single Elimination with a Mulligan Round. The Mulligan Round will begin at 9 PM Thursday evening, and the Demo will precede the Mulligan Round at 8 PM. Winners in the Mulligan round are excused from Round 1 the next day, and can rejoin the event in Round 2 at 11 AM Friday. Losers of the Mulligan Round can rejoin the event fresh in Round 1 at 9 AM Friday. The tournament will then run continuously for the rest of the day..

In each round, competitors will play twice against each other, switching sides for the second game. Best total medal count for the two games wins the match. In the case of a tie, the player who inflicts the most casualties on his opponent wins. In Rounds 3 and later, cumulative wins and cumulative medals will serve as additional tie breakers, if necessary. The last tie-breaker for all rounds will be a number drawn at random by the player upon registering for the tournament. Players who bring games being rewarded with higher tiebreak numbers.

One change from previous years: Because last year's tournament ended after midnight and the finalists were accosted by werewolves, the "round robin" is being eliminated. If three players remain after Round 5, the two with the best records (based on the tiebreaking rules) will advance to the Final, and the other will automatically be awarded third place. (For the full story of the werewolves, read last year's Event Report )

ABOUT MEMOIR'44

Memoir'44, like its cousins from other eras (Battle Cry, BattleLore, Commands & Colors: Ancients, and Commands & Colors: Napoleonics, Samurai Battles), combines a strong element of strategy with just the right amount of luck from cards and dice. A typical battle can be fought in under an hour, including setup time. Now in its tenth year of distribution, new expansions continue to keep it a vibrant and growing game. Nearly 350 official scenarios have now been published, along with more than 2,700 player-created scenarios. (Many of these so-called "Scenarios from the Front" are excellent.) Also, Memoir '44 Online now gives players a ready source of opponents most times of the day or night. A wealth of information about the game is available at www.Memoir44.com.

OVERLORD, TOO

In addition to the tournament, four multi-player Memoir'44 Overlord games will be played in the Demonstration area outside the Paradise and Cornwall rooms on Thursday afternoon, Friday evening, and Saturday.
* Thursday 2PM: Tigers in the Snow
* Friday 11PM: The Hell of Munda (May be changed if new Overlord scenarios are released.)
* Saturday 10AM: Stalingrad: Perdition ("Scenarios from the Front")
* Saturday 2PM: Twin Battles at Warnach & Bigonville (from Equipment Pack)