b-17 [Updated October 2004]  

2004 WBC Report    

 2005 Status: pending 2005 GM commitment

Stephen Quirke, WI

2004 Champion

2nd: Paul Risner, FL

3rd: Tim Evinger, PA

4th: Roger Knowles, OH

5th: Chris LeFevre, AZ

6th: Evan Hitchings, DE

Event History
1992    Frank Alexander      32
1993    Kevin Combs      35
1994    Kevin Combs      32
1995    Paul Risner      31
1996    Robert Hamel      32
1997    Paul Risner      34
1998    Paul Weintraub      32
1999    William Burch     32
2000    John Conlon     29
2001    Jim LeVay     32
2002    Paul Risner     32
2003    William Rohrbeck     34
2004    Stephen Quirke     37


Offsite links:

AREA Ratings

boardgamegeek

 Laurels
Rank Name

From

Last
Total
 1. Paul Risner

FL

04
85
 2. Stephen Quirke

WI

04
55
 3. William Rohrbeck

NH

03
50
4. Keith Hunsinger

OH

03
50
5. Judy Krauss

PA

02
42
6. Jim LeVay

MA

01
40
7. John Conlon

OK

00
40
8. William Burch

MD

00
33
9. Tim Evinger

PA

04
25
10. Don Del Grande

CA

01
24
11. John Ellmann Sr

MD

00
24
12. David Gantt

SC

03
20
13. Eric Stranger

OH

02
16
14. Bill LeVay

MA

01
16
15. John Poniske

PA

00
16
16. Roger Knowles

OH

04
15
17. Ralph Gleaton

SC

02
12
18. Rob Navolis

OH

01
12
19. Steve Sheldon

NY

00
12
20. Evan Hitchings

DE

04
10
21. Paul Weintraub

MD

03
10
22. John Emery

SC

02
  8
23. Joshua Dunn

VA

02
  8
24. Michael Haley

NY

00
  6
25. Evan Hitchings

DE

04
  5
26. Henry Richardson

VA

03
  3

Past Winners

1992: Frank Alexander - FL
'93-'94: Kevin Combs - GA

Paul Risner - TN
1995, 1997, 2002

Robert Hamel - CT
1996

Paul Weintraub - MD
1998

William Burch - MD
1999

John Conlon - OK
2000

Jimmy Levay - MA
2001

William Rohrbeck - NH
2003
 


Mission 39 ...

Well, you have either stumbled onto the WBC B-17 Tournament webpage by accident, or you have deliberately come here wanting to know more about this unique tourney which is quite a bit different from most WBC events. How so? First, this game employs a solitaire system, so before coming to the 2005 tourney, you should try to buy a new or used copy of B-17 on Ebay. Dust it off, play it a few times, and you will be ready for action.

For WBC, you are paired with another B-17 pilot who rolls the German attack dice (for Luftwaffe strafing passes and the dreaded FLAK) against you. Your fellow B-17 pilot might cheer for you when you survive attacks, but he might also cheer when he cripples your plane, wounds your key gunners, or shoots you down. There is a spirit of camaraderie in the WBC B-17 tourney that is probably like no other gaming event. You get a firsthand taste of how bloody the WWII air war against Germany was. You see your fellow pilots in your six-plane squadron get shot up and possibly drop out of formation due to lack of oxygen or lack of heat at higher altitudes. But the most enjoyable part of B-17 is that it is not truly a head-to-head competition against your fellow pilots. It is all about survival, and that struggle unites all of us players with a common bond of gamesmanship, sportsmanship, and above all, fun. The game teaches us a history lesson at the same time. Each year, the GM, David Terry, designs three historical scenarios based on extensive research from the literature. Scenario descriptions, similar to ASL, are handed out that describe each mission, values for all of the game parameters, and a historical aftermath recap. 2005 promises something special that will probably require the GM to visit the National Archives early in 2005 to fully prepare the historical background for the 2005 B-17 tourney. We started our scenarios in August 1942, and after 13 years of tournament play, we are now up to mid-1943. Targets from our 2003 and 2004 tourneys were from May and June of 1943 and were: Wilhelmshaven, St. Nazaire (aka Flak City), Wilhelmshaven (a repeat attack, U-Boat Yards are tough to destroy), Kiel, Hüls (first attack in the Ruhr Valley), and, as an example of how things can go wrong, the last mission in 2004 was sent to Bremen, but bad weather obscured the target and the B-17 crews attacked a convoy off of Juist Island as a target of opportunity (last resort). Many long and bloody missions lie ahead for our determined veterans and rookies of the B-17 tourney. Each participant becomes a brave pilot of the Mighty Eighth U.S. Army Air Force, and the memories of survival last a lifetime.

The B-17 tournament scoring system is based on awarding points for survival (plane and crew), reaching the target, bombing accuracy, and credits for German planes shot down. The scoring is accumulated over all three missions (provided that you have at least one crew member survive and fly each mission). Scores are tallied as the planes straggle back to their bases. Our 2003 tourney winner, William Rohrbeck, did something strange and set a record in the process. He is now the veteran with the longest gap between tournament appearances. He played in Camp Hill, PA in our inaugural year, 1992, and returned ELEVEN years later in 2003 to win the event. He went AWOL on us in 2004 though, so maybe we will see him again soon, or perhaps in ten more years. We always welcome returning pilots. Green recruits are also more than welcome, because some of us delight in cannon fodder. 2004 saw Stephen Quirke pull off an outstanding set of three missions, including an excellent score of 71 in the mission against Kiel. Stephen held off multi-year winner Paul Risner by a mere two points, and Paul had been shooting planes down left and right throughout the day, almost claiming yet another championship. This scoring system has remained unchanged since 1993 (second year of the tourney) and has been battle tested for well over a decade. Again, it rewards survival as well as destruction of the enemy.

For those participants that complete all three missions, consolation (or booby) prizes are offered for those coming in at the bottom of the pack. Assistant GM Mike Lam has, on his own initiative, graciously offered medals for various achievements (some good, some bad) during the course of the tournament. Mike Lam's medals contribute to the flavor and camaraderie of the tourney and his effort can't be described in words ­ he is greatly appreciated by his fellow flyers, even when he awards them a Purple Heart (which usually means something very bad happened in this game). Here are examples of the medals that Mike handed out in 2003:

2003 B-17 Medals Awarded (courtesy of Assistant GM Mike Lam):
Mission 1: Wilhelmshaven, Germany, 21 May 1943

- Silver Star (Chris Lefevre) for his pilots risking frostbite by staying in formation for mutual squadron protection.

- Air Medal (David Gantt) for his bombardier scoring a single mission accuracy of 60% (which was pretty high considering most of the group's bombs fell between the 0-to-40% range).

- Purple Heart (Eric Stranger, Matt Spitznagel & Bruce Peckham). Eric and Matt's crews were lost by exploding bombs, while Bruce's crew was lost in a ditching attempt.

Mission #2: St. Nazaire, France, 29 May 1943

- Medal Of Honor (Steve Munchak) - Flight Engineer attempted to land bomber with pilot dead and the co-pilot incapacitated. Heroic attempt, but it failed.

- Purple Heart (Kevin Coombs) whose plane was lost by exploding bombs.

Mission #3: Wilhelmshaven, Germany, 11 June 1943

- Distinguished Service Cross (Arthur Davis & Kevin McCarthy) Both players rolled a "12" while landing their bombers with both pilots and co-pilots out of action. Both planes landed successfully. Mike Lam notes that the DSC (or Army Cross) is the second highest medal. The Medal of Honor is the highest, and the MOH would have been given out posthumously if the planes had unsuccessfully landed. They landed successfully, so they get the second highest medal instead. This is how the Army did it, and there are some oxymoronic aspects of that, but this is the Army Air Force after all.

- Purple Heart (Scott Salvatore) whose plane was lost by exploding bombs.

For All 3 Missions in 2003:

- Legion Of Merit (Paul Weintraub) for having the highest bombing accuracy average of 27% by one bombardier. Bombing was very dismal for all players since Paul won this with only a total of 27%. Flak was a big factor in most bombs being off target during the three missions.

- Air Medal (Mike Backstrom & Kevin McCarthy) for having the highest kills by ONE gunner (7). Kevin's was by his tail gunner while Mike's was by his Flight Engineer. Honorable mention (no medal) was Keith Hunsinger with 6.

- Bronze Star (Mike Backstrom & Jim Miller) for having the highest number of flight crewmembers evading capture in occupied France (3).

- POW (Steve Arcidiacono) for having the highest POW total (8 POWs)

New, for 2005, we will have an after-action meeting (time TBD, probably on Saturday night or Sunday morning). We will be having an optional prize table where each B-17 tourney participant is invited to bring a gift (approximate value $5 to $10). If most participants do this, then every B-17 tournament participant will go away with a prize ­ no one will go away empty-handed. Suggested items for the prize table include: copies of B-17 for new players, plastic models, videotapes, and of course, new or used books pertaining to the air war in Europe in World War Two. The after-action meeting will serve as a post-mission debriefing and will summarize the tournament results, medal awards, consolation prizes, and gifts from the prize table.

SO, the question remains, why did you stumble onto this WBC B-17 web page? Are you looking for a tournament that is different and offers a unique atmosphere? Have you heard rumors about this event and want to know more about it? As GM for 13 years, going on 14, I can only strongly urge you to get a copy of the game, go over the simple rules, play a few games, then meet up with us in Lancaster, PA where we will be more than happy to try and shoot you down, but in a friendly, sporting way.

SO, again, we ask, are you brave enough to enter the world of B-17? Do you have the GONADS (whether you are male or female) to risk it all and have some fun with an eclectic group of veteran B-17ers? Have you counted the pips on those dice? Do they show 5s and 6s more often (good) or are you coming up with 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s (bad)? What's it going to be, sucker? Do you feel lucky? Huh, do you rookie? Go ahead, make our day and show up in 2005 for some of the hottest action in Lancaster. B-17 provides enough hot action to make the Amish run back to their farmhouses at sundown.

See you at the WBC B-17 tournament in Lancaster. Amish are welcome. DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?

 GM      Dave Terry  [13th Year]  NA 
    david.terry@jhuapl.edu   NA

2004 Preview Page | View the Icon Key | Return to main BPA page