Bob Jamelli (left) tests WBC's first ten-time champ.	GM Matt Burkins (right) in opening round action.	Steve Packwood (left) on the way to his tenth 1776 title.

1776 was unable to duplicate its attendance zenith of last year and fell to a mere 11 players. The format remained the first nine months of the Campaign Game with all optional rules except hidden and decoy counters. The players bid the number of strategic towns (out of a total of 24, including Montreal and Quebec) that the British player must control on the last turn. Bidding has crept up to 14-15 towns with victory often decided by a single town.

The field included a number of new faces, as well as two previous champions: Rod Coffey and Steve Packwood. Greg Tanner, in his first WBC, lost in the mulligan round but rebounded in the first and second rounds to obtain a place in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, his American forces, through overly cautious play in the South Central region, were unable to deny Rod Coffey's well-orchestrated offensive the 14 towns Rod needed to win.

The final game saw 1996 champion Rod Coffey bid 15 towns to play the Redcoats versus nine-time champ Steve Packwood, who had initially bid 14. During the first quarter, the British moved 3BR from Boston into the South. The British also managed to destroy the Continental Navy and removed this possible threat to unescorted transport fleets. The Americans pulled 4CA from the forces at Boston and entrenched them outside New York. The purpose of this move became clear during the Spring interphase when the Americans occupied every strategic town in the Middle States except New York, thereby trapping the 4TM that the British had to bring in there. However, this weakened the American forces at Ticonderoga, where a forced march by TM and Indians captured a supply after destroying an escorting CA and supply unit.

In the next quarter, the British moved 1BR to Halifax in order to bring in reinforcements there. The reinforcements then got moved by sea to threaten more strategic towns. In the second interphase, the British had inadvertently neglected to occupy a strategic town in the Deep South and had an insufficient garrison in Boston, which allowed the Americans extra supply units in the Deep South and New England. In the last quarter, the British moved strong forces into the South Central area from the Middle States and from the sea, while the Americans tried to remain centrally positioned. The final British reinforcements landed at Charleston and fanned out through the Deep South. In the final turn, the British controlled 17 strategic towns (South Central, Deep South, plus six other towns). The Americans tried four forced marches, only one of which worked, that liberated one strategic town in a 3:1 attack. The Americans overran a screening unit in the South Central area, thereby allowing a daring bateau raid that liberated Norfolk, as well. American forces also captured Newport, thus denying the British the 15 towns needed for victory and giving Steve Packwood his 10th Centurion laurels.

2003 PBeM RESULTS:

Jan Orband of Belgium faced Doug Pratto of Massachusetts for the first ever BPA 1776 PBeM championship using the first nine months of the campaign game and the Boardgamer's Guide leader rules. Doug bid 13 towns to play the British in an exciting, but relatively bloodless, game of maneuver and counter-maneuver. Both players showed a superb grasp of using troops and terrain to block their opponent. Small, well placed British forces impeded American reinforcements to Charleston in March. In May, after Charleston fell, small American forces then impeded British expansion out of the city. The British maintained a few BRs aboard ships at all times, thereby forcing the American to spread his forces thin in order to counter this constant threat to his coastal towns. By August, the American had formed four main blocking forces: Greene in Albany, Arnold in New England, Lincoln in South Carolina, and Washington in Virginia. Although the British player controlled the 13 towns he needed for victory at the end of his September turn, the wily American found a back door into Alexandria and overran the British garrison. Coupled with seizing Newport, Jan Orband reduced the British to 11 victory towns and became the champion.

Others earning laurels in the 20-player event were:

2nd: Doug Pratto, MA
3rd: Stan Buck, MD
4th: Jim Engler, MD
5th: Stu Bieber, WI
6th: Rod Coffey, GA