After eight years as an event, last year Princess Ryan's Star Marines was bumped from the approved list—at least for the adults. That did not stop 18 adults and teens from showing up at the junior's event to run their own unauthorized, ad hoc but greatly amusing tourney. This year, they got to come back for real thanks to the membership vote and new legacy rules which thinned the competition, and while there was only one plaque (as it had to start life over as a 'trial' event), they fought hard for it - and they brought their friends.

31 people played which made it the largest rendtion of this event since its debut ten years ago. The players included all six of the 2004 laurelists. Of those 31 gamers, ten were girls - and all of them pretty at that, thus definitely either giving the lie to (or proving the exception to) the rule that girls, especially pretty girls, don't play boardgames. Well, they play Princess Ryan—and they win!

Princess Ryan also seems to be a real family game, in more ways than one, as the list of players included 13 members of six families.

Many of the winners of previous tournaments (both adult and senior) were present, including the ever popular and always amusing Paul "we got thwacked" Bolduc, the charming and helpful Christina Hancock, that grand black guardess Erica Kirchner, the legendary Hennings siblings (Nick, Karl and Alex), the high-spirited Collinson girls (Ashley and Angela), the very crafty and deep-thinking Rebecca Hebner and the only centurion in the Frattalli household, Christina.

GM Mark McLaughlin instructs some raw recruits for the Star Marines.	Christine Frattali lends a hand supervising some raw troopers.

 Princess Ryan's Star Marines Junior

20 pint-sized star marines showed up for the Juniors version of Princess Ryan's Star Marines, allowing Rebecca Melton to gather genuine Junior Wood as the hero. The other standouts were:

2nd - Jack Doughan

3rd - Dan Collinson

- all of whom fell just short of rescuing the princess. But as everyone who plays Princess Ryan's Star Marines knows, "It's better that way."