Grognardcon is a special Pre-con consisting of an amalgam of ten of the old classic hex-style wargames under the watchful eye of GM Bruno Sinigaglio: 1776, Afrika Korps, Anzio, Bulge '81, Gettysburg, Panzerblitz, Panzergruppe Guderian, The Russian Campaign , Waterloo and Wooden Ships & Iron Men. All ten use the Free Format scheduling device which allows players to schedule preliminary games at their convenience. Play as many or as few preliminary games as you like but only your best three results in each game will determine the four finalists to advance to Single Elimination play at the end of the week. Each event will be turned over to its own GM on Tuesday for resolution in the normal manner - the only difference is that participation in Grognardcon gives you three additional days to qualify with preliminary games in the events of your choice. Play at Grognardcon is free to all Tribune level members and subject to an additional fee for all others.

1. WBC FREE FORM FORMAT
This Tournament uses a Swiss Elimination format for the preliminary rounds followed by a Single Elimination format for the four players with the best performances during the Swiss segment.  Entrants may play multiple games during the preliminary Swiss segment during either the GROGNARD PRECON segment; the regular WBC segment which runs from Tuesday, August 5 through the morning of Saturday, August 9; or both. Best performances will be determined as described below in paragraph 5.
 
2. SCHEDULE
The schedule consists of three segments, GROGNARD PRECON Swiss, CON Swiss and CON Playoffs (Semifinals and Final).
a. GROGNARD PRECON SWISS. The PRECON Swiss Segment runs until Tuesday, August 5, whereupon the CON Swiss Segment begins. Essentially, the PRECON Swiss Segment simply continues unabated into WBC.
b. CON SWISS. The CON Swiss Segment consists of five daily heats: Tuesday 1800, Wednesday 1000, Thursday 0900, Friday 0900, and Saturday 0900. The Swiss Segment ends on Saturday, August 9, at 1300 hours, at which time the four players with the best performances during the Swiss Segments will advance into the Single Elimination Playoffs.
c. CON Playoffs. All games played during the Swiss Segment, which includes the PRECON Swiss and the CON Swiss, will be used to determine the four top players. The two-round playoffs begin Saturday, August 9, with the Semi-Finals at 1300 hours.
 
3.  SWISS SEGMENT
To participate in a Free Form tournament, players must appear at the kiosk within one hour of the scheduled starting time.  Match pairings for each game will be determined by the GM, subject to the availability of opponents.  Pairings will be random, except if possible former champions will not be paired against each other in the swiss rounds, and entrants who play against each other at home will not be paired against each other in the swiss rounds.  Players may participate in more than one game during the same day. When opponents are assigned, they must determine when they will play their game during the day and inform the GM.  If they cannot agree on a reasonable start time, they will be required to begin the game within one hour.  If an assigned opponent does not appear for a mutually agreed upon start time, a player who has appeared must go to the kiosk and inform the GM. After the GM is informed and after waiting 15 minutes at the kiosk, the missing player forfeits the game to the waiting player.  Results of completed games should be reported to the GM as soon as possible.  Results not reported to the GM by 1300 Saturday, August 9 will not count toward the tournament. GMs have the right to adjudicate any game that extends beyond six hours.  Note that any game started on Saturday, August 9 must be completed by 1300, the start of the Semi-Final round (any games started that morning will be adjudicated if not completed by 1300).  The GM will supply 3x5 cards for the players to record basic information about their game, which they should return to the GM (the card should indicate the winning side and whether the 16th and 19th armies were able to move on Turn 1).
 
4.  SINGLE ELIMINATION ROUNDS
The four players with the best performance during the Swiss will advance to a Single Elimination Semi-Final at 1300 on Saturday, August 9. The 1st place finisher will play the 4th place finisher, and the 2nd place finisher will play the 3rd place finisher. The GM will post the match assignments for the Semi-Final by 1300 Saturday. If players qualifying for the Final round do not intend to participate, they should alert the GM by 1200 Saturday, so that lower ranked finishers may be moved up to play in the single elimination. Failure to be present for the start of the finals segment (1300 Saturday) will be considered dropping out of the tournament.  The Semi-Finals must end by 1900 so that the Final can begin, unless all players agree to extend the duration of the Semi-Final round.
 
5. PLAYER PERFORMANCE RATINGS
a. All game results and performance ratings will be posted and updated as results are reported.
b. Performance ratings will be based upon the best three games played by a participant against different opponents (an entrant can only count one game against the same opponent).
c. Games in excess of three will not add, nor detract from a player's performance rating.
d. Performance ratings for a player will be obtained as follows:
10 points for each win.
A player receives 2 points for each victory tallied by an opponent that he defeats. All of the defeated opponent's games will qualify for the scoring of these points.
 
6. PERFORMANCE RATING TIEBREAKERS
a. Head to head play is the 1st tiebreaker.
b. Points scored VERSUS mutual opponents is the 2nd tiebreaker.
c. Points scored BY mutual opponents is the 3rd tiebreaker.
c. Points scored BY all opponents is the 4th tiebreaker.
 
7.  ORDER OF FINISH
WBC rules require submission of a Winner's Claim with the top six players listed in order. At the end of the Swiss, players will be ranked in order from 1 to 6. The final 5th & 6th places will be determined from these standings.
 
8. AREA RATINGS
The GM will submit the results of ALL games played for inclusion in the AREA ratings.
 
TOURNAMENT PROCEDURES AND RULE INTERPRETATIONS

 Determining Sides and Victory Conditions: This year the players will bid to play the Germans by bidding the number of victory points they believe they can take as the Germans.  The players should roll a die to determine who bids first, and then start the bidding after rolling to determine whether the 16th and 19th armies can move.
 
Playing Time: Each game may take up to six hours, although any game beginning on Saturday, August 9, must be completed by 1300 so that the semi-final Semi-Finals can begin.  During the SWISS rounds, if a game has not ended after six hours and both players do not consent to play longer, the GM and two assistant GMs will adjudicate the game.  Each Semi-Final game must end within six hours unless all four players agree to extend the playing time. Close games will be adjudicated in favor of the faster player.
 
Rule Interpretations:
1. The absolute retreat priority is:
a) Empty hex
b) Friendly occupied hex out of enemy ZOC
c) Friendly occupied hex in enemy ZOC
d) Death
Retreats must be done so as to put the maximum possible number of units into empty hexes, (a stack of units retreating do not have to be split up and can end up in the same hex after retreat) and subject to that the maximum number into friendly/out of ZOC hexes, and subject to that, the maximum number into friendly/in ZOC hexes.
Clarification of how to retreat units:
a) Retreating units can never "switch places": no retreating unit can ever go into or through hexes initially occupied by other units retreating from the same combat.
b) In the event of a D1/A1 result with a single defender who is eliminated, attacking units may not be retreated into the defender's former hex.
(Note: For a single combat retreats are to be considered simultaneous, therefore if there is a retreat available to all units at the time of retreat then no units may be eliminated by retreating units from the same combat. In other words, the attacker may not retreat units in such a way as to cut off a unit's retreat path by any retreating units from the same combat. If any questions arise on this matter, the GM will demonstrate so that all participants understand the intent of this rule. You may retreat units in a prior combat so that units in another combat would then be cut off if forced to retreat)
2. Subject to rule 1 above, the opponent will choose which units retreat in which order which will determine what unit will die due to non available retreat route. In other words the opponent will retreat the enemy units with rule 1 in mind.
3. If a unit is retreated onto a leader who is attacked later that phase, the leader's defense strength is used and any adverse result (not including engaged) will kill the previously retreated unit before any combat losses or retreats. That retreated unit will not count for combat losses. If a unit is retreated onto an untried unit who is attacked later that phase and turns out to be a zero defense strength then the retreated unit(s) are automatically eliminated and the attacker can then advance up to two hexes.
4. If a unit is overrun and disrupted, then later that phase another unit is overrun and retreated onto it, then later that phase the stack is overrun, the defense strength of the first unit is used, and any adverse result (not including engaged) kills the second unit. If a unit is retreated onto another unit or units as a result of an overrun during the initial movement phase, the units defend normally during the following combat phase.
5. The Soviet leader evacuation rule is not in effect.
6. The German player does not have to move over old rail breaks to reutilize them, he simply removes them and places the rail break in the new hex. The German player must have just moved into or is currently moving a unit through that hex, where the new rail break is to be used. No more than six rail breaks can be on the map at one time.
7. If during an overrun the hex to be overrun is cleared of enemy units and there is an adverse result for the over running units (i.e. split result or an engaged result), and the over running player wishes to take loses instead of retreating, he must remain in the hex from which the overrun came from. The units must then end their turn and their movement phase.
8. German supply is 20 hexes to a road that leads to hex 0120 and is unblocked by enemy ZOC's (German units negating ZOC), or 20 movement points to any western edge hex, note the 20 movement points does not include moving off the map. When using movement points to determine supply, use the unit type for movement purposes. (i.e. Panzer and Motorized units get the road movement rate, and it costs two extra MP's for all German units to cross rivers).
9. German divisions are doubled for divisional integrity before being halved for supply or overrun. Example: an intact motorized division overruns or fights out of supply as a 6, overruns out of supply as a 3.
10. Divisional Integrity. The only units that may stack with a 2 regiment Motorized unit and not break it's divisional integrity is either of the independent regiments GD and Lehr.
11. A stack of units which has conducted a successful overrun may split up after the overrun and move separately, with any remaining movement points. However, movement for all of these units must be concluded before any other unit is moved.
12. Multiple Soviet leaders can be on the same hex, subject to the four unit stacking limit, and can add to the attack of the same unit or units, as long as the attack factors due to leaders do not exceed the factors due to combat units. Soviet leaders can overrun in conjunction with one or more non-leader units under the same conditions set forth in Rule 10.36, except like all overrunning units their combat value is halved (rounded down).
13. Soviet lines of communication from leaders to units, like lines of supply, may be traced into but not through swamp.
14. All original Soviet rifle divisions must be used before any destroyed divisions enter the game as reinforcements. On the turn that the last of the original rifle divisions arrive as reinforcements, the Soviet player selects any other reinforcements from units destroyed on previous turns other than the immediately preceding turn (no rifle division may return as a reinforcement on the first turn after it is destroyed). Subsequently all destroyed rifle divisions are available as reinforcements beginning two turns after their destruction (a division destroyed on turn 9 is available on turn 11).
15. Air interdiction markers add one to the movement point cost of overrunning units in the hex where the marker is placed.