The year 2000 brought change to The Great Campaigns of the American Civil War (GCACW) series tournament play. Instead of trying to pack an ever expanding series of games into a five-day tournament it was decided to consolidate down to two events. Additional campaign games were added for those who love truly looonnnng games. The first tournament was titled '1862' which encompassed four games: Stonewall Jackson's Way, Here Come the Rebels, Stonewall in the Valley and On to Richmond.

The call to arms was heeded by 18 prospective Union and Confederate Generals on Wednesday and Thursday of WBC. Battles were fought throughout 1862 and early 1863. Staying true to history, the Confederate Generals proved superior during this time period.

The first round was South Mountain from HCR. There were nine games played with five CSA and four USA wins. This scenario has been a favorite quick scenario since the Great Campaigns series has been introduced. The second round was Jackson's March from SJW. There were eight games played with the CSA prevailing in six. Another popular favorite, the new Basic Game rules have significantly changed the scenario dynamics. Even with some revised victory conditions, it was discussed in the AAR that there needs to be some significant work to make this scenario more interesting. The third round was Seven Pines from OTR. In a change from last year, there were eight games played with five CSA wins. However, when replayed in the semi-finals, both resulted in USA victories. The fourth round was Brandy Station from SLB. A quick cavalry scenario, there were seven games played with four CSA wins. The fifth round was Gaines Mills from Skirmisher #1 for OTR. There were four games played with three CSA victories. The quarterfinals consisted of The Great Flank March from SLB, resulting in two wins to each side. The top four seeds from the preliminary rounds were victorious. In the semi-finals, Seven Pines as mentioned earlier, Chris Withers (#1 seed) defeated Robert Dwyer (#4 seed) and Pat Duffy (#2 seed) defeated Dennis Mason (#3 seed). Chris Withers (CSA) the defeated Pat Duffy (USA) in the Final game From the Rappahannock to Bull Run out of SJW.

Several notes of interest in this tournament. Special congratulations to Chris on his third consecutive tournament victory (will anyone ever knock him off?). Two newcomers attended the Great Campaigns training session on Wednesday morning, and did well in the tournament, with Brad Anderson advancing to the elimination rounds in both GC2 and GC3. Charles Ellsworth provided an interesting alternative to maps and counters. He brought his computer loaded with all the GCACW modules for Aide-de-Camp 2. For those not familiar with ADC2, it provided a good view of what is available. Many GCACW players use ADC2 for email play, and there will now probably be some more.

The campaign game conducted on Thursday while the elimination rounds were ongoing consisted of playtesting revised victory conditions for The Maryland Campaign, scenario 7 from HCR. This campaign was hosted by Steve Sandy who has been working on this project for over a year. Dave Cross and Jesse Boomer as the CSA battled Steve Sandy, Chris Heizer, and Gerry Germond as the USA. The Confederates quickly took Harper's Ferry. While Jackson cleared the Union remnants in the valley and destroyed the B&O railroad, Longstreet gathered around Frederick and then marched towards Baltimore. The Union ponderously moved forward, and the Confederates retreated across the Monocacy. However, becoming focused on an apparent chance to destroy Jackson, the Union overcommitted and Longstreet moved in a Jacksonian type march around the Union right flank. At that time, it was all over for Mac's boys. Although a rapid retreat would allow the Union to save Baltimore, they would not be able to drive the Confederates out of Maryland. Excellent discussions followed on how to further adjust the victory conditions to make for an exciting campaign.