The first "hit" wargame
as part of Grognardcon
Grognardcon is a special
Pre-con consisting of an amalgam of eight of the old classic
hex-style wargames under the watchful eye of GM Bruno Sinigaglio:
Afrika Korps, Anzio, Bulge '81, Fortress Europa, Gettysburg,
Panzerblitz, Panzergruppe Guderian and Waterloo. All
eight 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 it its own GM on Tuesday for reolution 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 PRECON segment
which begins during the PRECON on Saturday, 29 July 2006, the
regular WBC segment which runs from Tuesday through Friday, or
both. Best performances will be determined as described below
in paragraph 4.
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
consists of four daily heats: Saturday 0900, Sunday 0900, Monday
0900 and Tuesday 0900. The PRECON Swiss Segment continues through
Tuesday, 1900 hours, 1 August 2006, 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 four
daily heats: Tuesday 1900, Wednesday 0900, Thursday 0900 and
Friday 0900. The Swiss Segment ends on Friday at 1800 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 Friday with the Semifinals at 2100 hours.
Either PanzerBlitz or Panzer Leader may be played
with the former the default version in the event no agreement
can be reached.Players must choose from a pool of six situations
(three from each game) with the GM designating the one to be
played barring an agreement to the contrary.
This tournament is for players who enjoy friendly competition,
new experiences, fast paced games, and flexible scheduling with
minimal waiting times. Situation pool and errata is posted at
http://www.panzerblitz.org/index.php?form=wbc2006
3. 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 Swiss segment. Best performances
will be determined as described below in paragraph 7.
4. SWISS SEGMENT
There is one Swiss round scheduled for each day: Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday & Friday. Each entrant may enter as many or few
of the rounds as he wishes and the results will be used in determining
who advances to the finals. The GM or his assistant(s) will determine
match pairings for each round. Self-determined pairings will
not be permitted. You must be present at the kiosk at the start
of any round you wish to join. Start-times are: Tue 6:00 PM,
Wed-Thu-Fri 9:00 AM. Once you receive your match pairing for
a round, you have until midnight to complete the game (exception:
Friday games must be completed by 4:00 PM). Games must start
no later than six hours before the deadline each day.
5. SWISS SEGMENT - EARLY GAMES
Additional "early" games may be played during the WBC
Precons, as both GMs will be present at the convention site.
Advise the GM in advance of the tournament if you wish to play
early.
6. FINALS SEGMENT
Four players from the Swiss segment will play in the two-round
single-elimination finals. The semi-final round will begin at
6:00 PM Friday. All entrants who wish to play in the finals segment
should be present for the announcement of rank and pairings.
Failure to be present for the start of the finals segment (6:00
PM Friday) will be considered dropping out of the tournament.
All games in the finals segment will be timed without exception;
however, ample time will be allocated for completion.
7. 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.
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.
8. 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.
9. MULTIPLE GAMES
Entrants may play every day during the Swiss segment, if so
desired. Entrants may play multiple games during the Swiss segment.
10. MATCH ASSIGNMENTS
The GM will determine match pairings for each round. You must
be present at the kiosk at the start of any round you wish to
join. If you wish to play more than one game in a day, the GM
will attempt to arrange two games for players who want them -
this is subject to availability of opponents.
11. ADMIN
Each player will be given a Match Card (3x5), which will list
the game, opponent and start time.
When opponents are assigned, they must inform the GM when
they will start their game and when they expect to finish. If
the players cannot agree on a reasonable start time, they will
be required to begin the game within one hour.
12. MISSING PARTICIPANT
If an assigned opponent does not show up for a mutually agreed
upon start time, the GM will forfeit the game to a player who
is waiting. The player who is waiting must alert the GM that
a forfeit is imminent within 15-minutes of the start time listed
on the Match Card. If the tardy opponent fails to appear, the
game will be forfeited to the player who is waiting at 20-minutes
past the start time on the Match Card. There is no deviation
from this procedure; therefore, if a waiting player alerts the
GM beyond the specified 15-minute alerting period - there will
be no forfeit - instead, the game will be cancelled.
13. RESULTS
The results of completed games should be reported to the GM
as soon as possible using the Match Card. If game results are
not reported to the GM by the end of a Swiss round (2300 hours)
both players will be credited with a loss. Exception: On Tuesday,
Wednesday or Thursday, but not Friday - The GM will permit players
to continue past 2300 hours, but they must inform the GM beforehand
that they expect to finish after the 2300 deadline.
14. JUDGEMENT
The GM (or assistant GM if the game involves the GM) reserves
the right to adjudicate any game at the end of the time limit
for the round. If one player is moving at a significantly slower
pace than the other, this will be taken into account in the adjudication.
15. ORDER OF FINISH
WBC rules require submission of a Winner's Claim with the
top six players listed in order (although there may be no prizes
for some of these finishes for this event). 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.
16. AREA RATINGS
The GM will submit the results of ALL games played for inclusion
in the AREA ratings.
17. SINGLE ELIMINATION ROUNDS
The four players with the best performance during the Swiss
will advance to a Single Elimination Semi-Final at 2100 on Friday.
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 1600,
Friday.
18. FINALS MATCH POSTINGS
The GM will post the match assignments for the semi-finals
by 1600, Friday. If players qualifying for the final round do
not intend to participate, they should alert the GM early on
Friday, so that lower ranked finishers may be moved up to play
in the single elimination.
19. TRUANTS
If any of the four players qualifying for the Semi-Final fail
to appear at the Kiosk by 1800, Friday, they will be dropped
from further participation. Players who finished lower than 4th
in the Swiss segment may move into the Single Elimination rounds,
if they are present at the Kiosk on Friday at 1800, when higher
rated no-shows are officially dropped.
The following official old Avalon Hill FAQ and errata will
be in effect:
Q. Can either side voluntarily destroy their own armored
vehicles? A. No
Q. Does a colored hexside obstruct the line of fire?
A. In some cases, yes. It depends on the respective elevation
of the attacker and defender. Consult the Target Elevation Table
and the Examples of play card as there are many different situations.
Q. Do you count truck and wagon units for victory conditions?
A. Yes, but you don't count pieces which contain no men
such as mines, blocks, and fortifications.
Q. Are units on hilltop hexes such as the plateau-like
hilltop on board 2, that are not forest or town hexes, subject
to the overrun rule by armored units? A. Yes, only hexes
with orange sides are hilltop hexes. A clear hex is a clear hex,
no matter what its elevation is. Clear hilltop hexes are clear
hexes.
Q. If a unit is fired upon from a woods hex or a town
hex, can it return fire without meeting the SPOTTING RULE conditions?
A. No. SPOTTING RULE conditions must always be met.
Q. Using the INDIRECT FIRE rule, may a friendly unit
call in artillery fire even though a friendly CP unit does not
see the enemy unit? A. No.
Q. Can block units ever be destroyed by engineers or
artillery? A. No.
Q. May a unit on a hilltop hex fire at a unit on a
slope directly behind a brown hexside (the reverse slope)? A.
Yes. This is shown on the examples of play card, see note C&D.
Alsom note that this is not always the case. The exceptions are
covbered in the rules under the SPECIAL NOTES part of the Obstacles
and ELEVATIONS section of the rules.
Q. In situation 10, may the Germans win a marginal
victory by destroying all 12 Russian units on board 1 without
even entering board 3? A. Yes, but the Russians may then
win a decisive victory by moving all their forces onto board
3. Note that the North direction arrow should be pointing towards
board 2.
Q. When making the initial setup of units, can the
half hexes on the sides of the boards be used if a unit in such
a hex would be half on one board and half on another? A. No.
Units must be completely on one board as indicated.
Q. What happens in Situation 1 if three German units
are destroyed? A. Decisive Victory.
Q. If there are several units on a hex that have identical
defense factors, how is it decided which is the weakest? A.
You may attack the unit of your choice.
Q. What would happen in a situation such as No. 6 if
the Russian player refuses to attack the German positionn?
A. Nothing. No battle - no victory.
Q. In situation 1, may all the CPs be placed in one
fort or may two be placed in one fort or may only one be in each
fort? A. All three may be in one fort, but the fort must
be on a hilltop hex (one with six orange sides).
Q. The TEC states that it costs a truck unit 2 MF to
enter a clear terrain hex. Does this mean each clear terrain
hex? A. Yes.
Q. When a unit becomes dispersed, does he still have
Zone of Control on the hex he occupies? A. Yes, enemy
units may still not move through a dispersed unit. The dispersed
unit still retains its normal defense factor.
Q. If a unit moves to a Fortification, does it cost
him a MF to enter UNDER the fortification, rather than just sit
on top of it?
A. There are no movement penalties for moving onto or
into a fortification counter.
Q. On the optional rules concerning Panzerblitz assault,
must the infantry attack the overrun unit or may it attack any
adjacent unit? A. It must attack the unit being overrun.
Q. If only a transport or CP unit is placed under a
fortification counter, does the fort counter still have its full
defense factor?
A. Yes, any fort with people in it will do it.
Q. If a fort is occupied, can enemy units travel directly
through that hex? A. No. They may move onto the fort in
one turn, but they cannot move off until the next turn.
Q. If there are three German units in a fort, can there
also be three German units on that fort? A. Yes, or two
Russian units.
Q. If the Germans have to get units onto board 2, for
example, to satisfy victory conditions, are the units that are
on squares that are half on board 2 and half on another board
considered on board 2? A. No.
Q. If a unit moves onto a minefield and survives the
attack, can it attack in that turn? A. No. On the next
turn, it may move, fire, or execute overrun or CAT attacks. It
may remain on the minefield without suffering further "attacks".
Q. In situation No. 5, do all German units have to
move off the east side of board 2? A. No. But before any
given unit can count toward the victory conditions, it must leave
and stay off for three complete turns.
Q. May wagons move from a gully to a slope hex? A.
Yes. Any unit can always move one hex regardless of movement
costs listed on the TEC. Forbidden movements such as armor entering
swamps are not allowed.
Q. Are cavalry considered vehicles on the TEC? A.
Yes, except that they can pass through green hexsides without
cost.
Q. Since units in towns and forts are treated as armor
targets, can they be attacked by I units that are two squares
away? A. No.
Q. If two engineer units are adjacent to a minefield,
cvan they "attack" it twice in one turn? A.
Yes.
Q. Can trucks and wagons spot? A. Yes.
Q. Can a carrier move after it has unloaded if it has
MF left? A. If a transporting vehicle has MF left over
after unloading it can move. "Transporting" does not
equal "moving". "Transport" is a specific
type of movement.
Q. If a defending unit gets a DD and then a D in the
same turn, is it eliminated? A. No. Just dispersed.
Q. Can two carriers unload on the same hex? A.
Yes.
Q. In situation No. 9, the 1st edition scenario card
calls for 4 Russian 120mm. Is this correct? A. No. They
should have three.
Q. In Situation No. 12, the scenario card calls for
6 German wagons but there are only four provided. A. Use
Russian wagons for the other two.
Q. Can CAT be used against units that are on a minefield?
A. Yes.
Q. Can you explain spotting more? A. There are
four things to keep in mind. First, since firing occurs prior
to movement, a spotting unit must be in place at the beginning
of a turn. It cannot move into position and spot for firing in
the same turn. Second, even after a unit is spotted, the firing
unit must still have a clear line-of-fire to the target(unless
the optional indirect fire rule is being used). Third, if the
spotting unit moves away, fire may no longer be directed at units
that were previously spotted. Fourth, if you are using the Indirect
Fire rule, the CP must be able to see the spotting unit.
Q. If armor is carrying units which are attacked and
dispersed, what happens? A. Passengers must unload (and
are eliminated if overstacked).
Q. In situation No. 8, it states that CPs may only
spot for 120mm mortars (within 4 hexes). Does this refer to the
enemy within 4 hexes of the 120mm mortars? A. The CPs
must be within 4 hexes of the 120's to spot.
Q. Can overrun attacks be conducted on a unit on a
stream ford? A. Yes. A stream ford is considered a plain
hex.
Q. The CRT shows results for die-roll subtraction to
-2; but it is possible to have a -3 subtraction. What happens?
A. For attacks at 1-4 and 1-3; when a -3 is rolled take
the results from the -2 line of the next higher odds column.
Therefore, -3 at 1-4 odds = DD; -3 at 1-3 odds = X.
Q. If I had a unit on a slope hex directly behind a
brown hexside, is my unit in the LOS of a unit firing from a
hilltop (assuming no other obstacles)? A. Yes. Brown hexsides
block LOS only when the target unit is on ground level (see TET).
Q. Can the German unload three units in the same hex?
A. Yes. If the transporting units all have extra MF. However,
he can never load those units again (Transporting ...B) unless
have a movement capability and can move to other hexes.
Q. Must a CP unload to observe? A. Yes.
Q. In situation 12, Wespe and Hummel units cannot move.
Can they be transported by trucks? A. Yes, In this case
those units represent towed divisional artillery.
Q. May units being transported by tanks be CAT'ed without
involving the tank? A. No. Rules state that all units
in a stack must be totalled for defense in CAT. Therefore, infantry
while being transported is ignored.
Q. Which board are the half hexes considered to be
part of? A. As a rule of thumb, consider the half squares
to be part of the middle board, but keep in mind that they are
not considered in determining victory conditions.
Q. Are units outside of a fort totalled in with the
fort's defense in the cases of CAT and combination attacks? A.
Yes.
Q. Does a unit move at the normal road movement rate
even on a road that goes up a slope? A. Yes.
Q. Can a truck, wagon or halftrack drop infantry for
a CAT attack, and then retreat? A. Vehicles may unload
units and move off but a passenger unit may not fire in the turn
of unloading.
Q. While dismantling mines, do engineers undergo the
mine attack? A. Not as long as they observe the proper
procedure for dismantling mines. If they attempt to cross them
in the normal manner they are subject to attack just like any
other unit.
Q. May engineers make a mine removal attempt and attack
in the same turn? A. No.
Q. Are mines placed in towns subject to the "add
1 to attacker's die roll" rule of the TEC? A. No.
Q. Are units outside of a fort destroyed if the fort
is eliminated? A. No.
Q. Assume three AT guns with an attack factor of 7
each are firing at an infantry unit. Is the total attack factor
3 +3 +3 = 9 or 3.5 + 3.5 + 3.5 = 10? A. 9. Unit attack
factors are halved and fractions dropped individually.
Q. May a unit fire through a green hexside through
the width of a road in that hex? A. No - unless the units
are adjacent.
Q. Since armored units cannot use the road movement
rate while executing an overrun attack, can they still use the
road to go through obstacles such as green hexsides while still
moving at the non-road movement rate? A. No.
Q. The rules state that ford hexes are treated as plain
terrain for ALL purposes. Therefore does a unit moving along
a gully have to pay 3 MF to leave the gully in addition to moving
into the ford hex? A. No. The rules state that fords allow
a unit to leave a gully at no extra cost.
Q. What is the stacking limit for fortifications? A.
3 for Germans; 2 for Russians.
Q. The rules state that stacking limits do not apply
during movement - only before and after movement. Therefore,
may units pass through a hex already occupied to its maximum
stacking ability by wrecks? A. Yes, except as qualified
by road movement rules.
Q. Do terrain qualifications affect odds or die rolls
in a CA attack? A. Yes.
Q. In situation 7, is the Russian player free to move
his other units as soon as the lead unit comes within 3 hexes
of the Germans? A. Yes, but following Russian units must
have moved up the road in convoy fashion up to that point in
the time span of the turn.
Q. Do units which move onto mines in woods or town
hexes still add 1 to the minefield attack? A. No
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