The Guns of August Pre-Con is seperate from WBC and requires its own registration fee. See the Pre-Con for pricing information.

Tribune level members may attend any and all Pre-Cons AND WBC free of charge.

1.1 The Campaign Game Pre-Con (Sun/Mon)- 

The campaign heat will begin on Sunday at 2 PM, using a modified Swiss format designed to yield eight top players for the Playoff rounds. Players will bid for sides. We will determine the top finishers by (1) Points {3 for a win, 1 for a tie} Note that draws are allowed in the preliminary rounds. (2) high dice amongst all those tied with the same number of points. We will play three rounds {seven hours each} of the campaign game. Round 1 match-ups will be determined by AREA ratings. Subsequent match-ups will be random among those players having the most points.

1.2 The Playoff Rounds. (Tuesday - beginning at 9 AM)
The Playoff Rounds will occur on Tuesday and Wednesday. Playoff round contestants will bid sides using the campaign game. Unlike the preliminary rounds, no draws will be allowed. Draws will count as an Allied win. Players should bid accordingly. Match-ups will be random among the players, with the exception of not matching players that previously met in the campaign heat if possible.

1.3 Bidding for Sides.
Each player rolls a die. Player with high die declares a side he wishes to play AND the amount of victory points they will "cede" the opposing player - any whole number including a bid of zero. The opposing player either accepts the bid (and thus plays the other side), or bids a higher victory point number to play the same side. Bidding ends when one player accepts the opposing player's bid. At the END of the game, the final victory point total is adjusted by the ceded points.

2.0 Schedule: Notification will be given 30 minutes and then 15 minutes prior to the end of each round. For results to be counted, players must submit a completed score sheet (provided at the tournament) to the GM. Games with score sheets not in by the scheduled end of the round will be adjudicated on the spot by the GM and at least one assistant GM. Chess clocks will be available throughout the tournament for the GM to sample speed-of-play. Extremely slow play will be a factor should a game need to be adjudicated.

3.0 Tournament Officials: GM: Peter Reese. Assistant GMs: David Docktor and one other will also be drafted on Sunday.

4.0 Special Tournament Rules: From rule 4.2.4: Recording with pen and paper the cards placed into the discard pile is prohibited.  However, players may refer to the discard pile for previously played cards which have been removed from play (if these are in a separate pile) in order to confirm an event or war status .  Players may use any other optional rules they wish so long as both players agree.

5.0 Rules Clarifications and Player Aids:

5.1 Version
We will use the 2004 Fourth Official Update Rules. Additional copies of the updated rules will be available at the tournament. These rules are available from GMT Games in their POG 2004 Reprint, or free for download from their "Living Rules" section of their company website:http://www.gmtgames.com/t-GMTLivingRules.aspx

5.11 Other Useful PoG Resources
Quite a number play PoG online using ACTS. The website for joining ACTS (a free service although it does operate on donations) is:  http://acts.warhorsesim.com/

There is a fair amount of discussion regarding PoG. Check out the PoG board at: http://talk.consimworld.com/

5.2 Optional and Special Rules

Optional Rule 4.2.4 - AH and Ru corps at Lutsk and Stanislaw
 
Optional Rule 11.2.10 ­ Trench roll modification
 
Optional Set-up (which disappeared from the rules/historical setup somewhere along the way)
  CP addition ­ Trench in Strasbourg
  AP addition/subtraction
      Remove trench Brussels
      Add trenches in Verona, Asiago, Maggiore and Udine
 
VP space changes
CP
remove VP spaces from Turkey (2 - Jerusalem and Kharput)
add 2 VP spaces -  Koblenz and Aachen
AP
Remove VP spaces from Ahwaz and Venice
add spaces at Brest Litovsk and Sedan.
 
RP change
CP receives 1 Ge RP each turn during TW (ie after it has drawn TW cards) if during the RP interphase it has at least three French/Belgian spaces, which include Sedan.
 
Historical POG - per the GMT website

· Set-up using the complete optional set-up.
· The CP Player must open with Guns of August as an Event.
· Entrench may not be played as an Event on Turn 1.
· Only Austrian and Italian armies may operate in Italy (move, attack, or advance into any space in Italy) and no German armies may end their movement (OPS or SR) in Trent, Villach or Trieste until the start of a turn at which both sides are at Total War.
· The following cards may double as OPS when played as Events: Landships, Zimmermann Telegram, Over There, Tsar Takes Command, Fall of the Tsar, Bolshevik Revolution.
· If the game ends with an Armistice or at the end of turn 20, add 1 VP for each US Army not currently on the map or in the deadpile.
· If the game ends with an Armistice or at the end of turn 20, subtract 2 VP if the Tsar has not fallen.
· Use the optional 8 card-hand.

5.3 Preliminary Rounds/Playoff Rounds
 
The Rules in 5.2 are the default rules and will be used unless both players agree to play POG using some other rules.  Copies of these ruless will be available at the tournament.  The following may also be used if both players agree:
 
5.31 Expansion Cards
If both players agree, the expansion cards may be used.
 
5.4 Clarifications
To confirm, the Rape of Belgium card may only be played as an event if the Allied War Status is still at Mobilization, not Limited or Total War.  To confirm, rule 9.5.2.5 concerning play of the Italian and Romanian Entry cards is in effect.

In cases of rules interpretations or conflicts, the GM will have final authority for tournament purposes.

No other optional rules or variants will be used.

6.0 Changes from Previous Years
Initial pairings are not done by novice/veteran status, but instead by AREA rating.

Additionally, the tournament will use the  Official Fourth Reprint Rules.

7.0 Awards

Medalists (plaque winners) will receive GMT merchandise credits of $20 for 1st, $15 for second, $10 for third, and $5 for fourth through sixth place. GM may provide other awards.