the oldest new Centurion
Thanks
to membership vote, this longstanding Trial event joined the
Century list in 2001. Its new status did not substantially increase
the number of entrants for this old timer, but was appreciated
nonetheless by its small, but loyal following.
For round 1, four games were the default Saratoga scenario
and one was the Tory and Indian War scenario, a fast-playing,
low-unit-density scenario published in the Boardgamer's
Unofficial Guide to 1776. One of the four Saratoga games used
bidding (three strength points for British) and the rest did
not. The Redcoats won three of the four Saratoga scenarios, including
the bidding version. Fred Barker's victory over Mark Miklos was
the sole American victory. Fred then dropped out, thereby reducing
our field to a perfect four, so round 2 became the four-player
semi-finals.
In one semi-final game, Robert Frisby bid one SP for the British
in the Saratoga Scenario versus David Metzger. The British captured
the Albany supply unit on turn 1 through forced marching, but
American forces recaptured the supply unit on the next turn when
an unsuccessful British forced march left them vulnerable to
an Automatic Victory. Later, the British lost nine of ten strength
points in an unsuccessful attack at 1:1 odds, followed by a 2:1
counterattack by reinforced Americans in the next turn. The Americans
maneuvered skillfully to threaten several objectives and the
British losses were too great to hold the five towns required
for victory.
The other semi-final Saratoga game pitted perennial champ
Steve Packwood's Redcoats against Matt Burkins, with the sides
decided by drawing chits. The British precluded sea invasion
by sending almost all of their forces out of New York city. British
forced march attempts failed to reach Albany, and the American
supply unit retreated to Ft Stanwix. The British forces formed
entrenched screens around Albany, New York, and Ticonderoga,
which effectively limited American movement and concentration
of forces. Although the British closed and attacked the American
forces on several occasions, they were unable to rout them. However,
the Americans lacked sufficient strength to recapture both Philadelphia
and Albany for a.win.
In the final, Steve Packwood's British faced David Metzger
in the first year of the campaign game using all optional rules.
The players bid strategic towns that the British player must
control in December 1776 in order to win the game. Steve bid
13 towns (out of a total of 24, counting Montreal and Quebec)
in order to become the British player. By the end of December
1776, Steve controlled 14 strategic towns to become the WBC's
first 1776 Centurion.
Additional information can be found at http://www.members.tripod.com/bkrusmins
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