Gary Dickson takes time off his usual pursuit of pushing panzers to stop the elephants of Steve Worrel - unsuccessfully it seems - as Worrel finished 4-1.	Grant LeDue and Lyman Moquin are among the many "journeyman" competitors in the event without HRC titles who pose a threat to even the best players.

This year's field of 50 players provided by most accounts the best competition in the history of the tournament, with no easy games, plenty of highly-ranked players including seven former champs, plus a tough group of veteran mid-ranked players who have honed their skills sufficiently to threaten even the top players. Even the less-experienced "rookies" brought their best "games" to bear on the well-known targets.

For a second year, a Messenger Intercepted rule change was offered as an option, if both players agreed. The rule, making it less likely the Event would work later in the game, was adopted in only 20% of the games. An optional Syracuse rule, turning it into a Must Play Event, was only taken up in three games. Given the lack of interest, these experimental options will not be offered in future years.

Bidding PCs for sides resulted in an average Bid of 1.1 for Carthage, up slightly from last year. In 16 of the 70 games, no PCs were bid, while the bids for Carthage went to 3 in six games, to 2 in 25 games, and to 1 in 16 games. There were seven bids of 1 for Rome.

42 players were present for Round 1, with Rome taking 11 of 21 games. Thereafter, however, Carthage outscored Rome in the each of the four remaining rounds, including a healthy 6-2 thumping in the plaque determining fifth Round. In all, Carthage won 41 of 70 games (nearly 59%). Carthage was sacked four times, Rome twice (including a stunning Turn 2 siege). 80% of the games lasted long enough for Africanus to arrive (the short games split evenly), and 41 of the games went the distance to the end-game province count. Of those wins, nine were by a tied province count at the end of the game.

The Syracuse Alliance occurred in just over half the games (three times forced early by optional rule), with Rome recovering Syracuse 40% of the time. Philip allied in 65% of the games, then broke the alliance in 40% of those contests. Rome could not claim unfair deals, as she received the Messenger card 73 times to Carthage's 58. Of those occurrences in Turns 8 or 9, the eventual winner received the Intercept 12 out of 22 times, indicating that perhaps its late arrival factors in only a few outcomes. Hannibal died 18 times, while Africanus died 17 times.

Last year's champ, Keith Wixson thumped his early competition to meet top-AREA-ranked James Pei in Round 3. Meanwhile Pei escaped with slender 9-9 victories in both of his early matches. Against Wixson, Pei paid two PCs to play as Carthage, then used two early Intercepts to move on Italy, trading away Spain, but forcing resignation upon the Turn 7 formation of the Syracuse alliance.

Last year's runner-up, Kyle Greenwood advanced in Round 1 by virtue of a final card conversion of E.Numidia, and then won in Round 2 despite his opponent playing the Messenger Intercepted on Turn 9. His third-round opponent, Grant LaDue, played his best tournament yet, defeating former champ, Jim Heenehan, and then Scott Marcotte in Round 2 by a single province. Greenwood's Romans benefitted from Intercepts twice and then sacked LaDue's Carthage on Turn 6.

Eric Brosius and Randy Pippus marched through a healthy group of veteran opposition to meet in Round 3. Pippus benefitted from late arrivals of Syracuse and Philip to secure a 10-8 victory.

Highly-ranked 2004 champ, Chris Byrd faced Stuart Tucker's island strategy with Hannibal and Africanus going toe-to-toe at Oristano, Sardinia, with no retreat, in an even battle that determined the fate of the war. Byrd won and advanced over Seth Gunar to play Andy Latto in Round 3. Latto defeated past champs, Pete Reese and Tom Drueding onlt to meet Byrd - yet another bygone champion. Latto used an Intercept to have Hannibal re-invade Italy a second time on Turn 6, only to lose a battle and then get cornered by Byrd's Major Campaign, leading to his resignation on Turn 7.

Lyman Moquin and Paul Gaberson waded through some of the weaker ranks to face each other in Round 3. Moquin managed to trap and annhilate all of Gaberson's Consuls, including Africanus, resulting in a Turn 6 resignation.

With five undefeated players remaining for Round 4, Grant LaDue (as the 2-1 player with the most tournament points) was called upon to help thin the herd --which he proceeded to do by leveling Moquin's city of Carthage on Turn 4, by virtue of Longus succeeding on three of four siege rolls. In the matchup of unbeatens Chris Byrd and Randy Pippus, Chris had Hannibal rampaging around Italy until forced out on Turn 7, but the damage had been done, leading to a 11-7 victory. In the Pei-Greenwood matchup, Kyle's Romans lost five successive battles during Turn 5, leaving Rome without armies and in no position to recover from the PC losses.

Round 4 ended with 13 players still with plaque hopes in a position to end with four or more wins. Win and taste victory; lose and go home with just memories of what could have been. The tension was high in the waning hours of Sunday night's final round. With places second through sixth all being held by players with four wins, the strength of schedule (based mostly on AREA ratings of opponents defeated during the weekend) would determine final laurel counts. What was certain for each 3-1 player was that loss would lead to a respectable 3-2 record among the also-rans, but no plaque.

Randall MacInnis made swift work of Latto by killing Hannibal in the Alps on Turn 1 (gaining third in the process). Pippus sent the entire Roman army to besiege Carthage on Turn 4, but Steve Worrel's Truce staved off defeat long enough to bring up an army to destroy the Romans and gain their resignation on Turn 5 (and 2nd place in the tournament). Moquin lost Hannibal on Turn 4, failing withdrawal rolls and then getting double enveloped, but Carthage fought on and managed in subsequent turns to destroy four of Greenwood's Roman armies, and won by a 10-8 count (for fifth place).

In the title game, former champions and Nest of Spies teammates Pei and Byrd slugged it out with Probes in Gaul. The key turning point came when Byrd sent Marcellus after Mago in Corsica, only to be thrown back into the sea. A desperate invasion of Africa came up short, with Pei securing a 10-8 victory, and leaving Byrd in fourth.

Joe Appel's Carthaginians ripped through Kurt Mericli's Romans, causing a suit for peace on Turn 6, but by virtue of having missed Round 1 of the tournament, had the weakest strength of schedule of all the four-win players, and thus ended seventh, out of the money. By this strange fate, the coveted sixth-place, sand plaque fell into the hands of perennial contender Stuart Tucker, who managed to survive a harrowing ninth turn with barely any Carthaginian CUs to defend against the invasion of Spain. In a strange set of Campaign flanking maneuvers, Hannibal sailed to the North Iberian coast and Hasdrubal won a last battle along the Ebro, but still had to survive a battle casualty die roll to be able to flip a PC and secure the 9-9 victory. After countless seventh places in previous years, Tucker finally pulled in the Sand (and a fez), with a strength-of-schedule weaker than four and stronger than one.

Final Tournament Ranking:
1. James Pei, 5-0, all Carthaginian
2. Steve Worrel, 4-1, 3 Carthaginian wins
3. Randall MacInnis, 4-1, 3 Roman wins
4. Chris Byrd, 4-1, 2 wins with each
5. Lyman Moquin, 4-1, all Carthaginian
6. Stuart Tucker, 4-1, all Carthaginian
7. Joe Appel, 4-0, 3 Carthaginian wins
8. Grant LaDue, 3-2, all Roman wins
9. Keith Wixson, 3-2, all Roman
10. Randy Pippus, 3-2, 2 Roman wins
11. Andy Latto , 3-2, 2 Roman wins
12. Kyle Greenwood , 3-2, all Roman
13. Paul Gaberson, 3-2, all Carthaginian wins
14. Kurt Mericli, 2-3, all Roman
15. Jim Heenehan, 2-3, Carthaginian wins
16. Larry Luongo, 2-2, all Roman
17. Eric Brosius, 2-1, all Carthaginian wins
18. Gary Dickson, 1-3, all Carthaginian
19. Lance Roberts, 1-2, Carthaginian win
20. Brian Mountford, 1-2, Carthaginian win
21. Ben Gardner, 1-2, Carthaginian win
22. Scott Marcotte, 1-2, all Carthaginian
23. Roderick Lee , 1-2, Roman win
24. Bill Edwards, 1-1, Carthaginian win
25. Chris Senhouse, 1-1, all Carthaginian
26. Michael Ussery, 1-1, all Carthaginian
27. Glenn McMaster, 1-1, all Roman
28. Charles Hickok, 1-1, Roman win
29. Seth Gunnar, 1-1, all Roman
30. Patrick Richardson, 1-0, as Carthaginian
31. Jim Doughan, 1-0, as Carthaginian
32. Michael Shea, 1-2, all Roman
33. Thomas Melton, 0-2, all Roman
34. Kevin Wojtaszczyk, 0-2
35. Craig Melton, 0-2, all Roman
36. Henry Richardson, Jr., 0-2
37. Philip Yaure, 0-2
38. Matt Bacho, 0-1, as Roman
39. Nels Thompson, 0-1, as Carthaginian
40. Martin Sample. 0-1, as Roman
41. Pete Reese, 0-1, as Carthaginian
42. Tom Drueding, 0-1, as Roman
43. Bob Hamel, 0-1, as Roman
44. George Young, 0-1, as Roman
45. James Terry, 0-1, as Roman
46. Mark Yoshikawa, 0-1, as Carthaginian
47. Bob Woodson, 0-1, as Roman
48. Daniel Blumentritt, 0-1, as Carthaginian
49. Jon Anderson, 0-1, as Roman
50. Christopher Yaure, 0-1, as Roman

Kyle Greenwood fell a little short of his impressive 4-1 debut last year.	The Master is still the master, as Chris Byrd had to acknowledge in Round 4.

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Defending WBC Champ Keith Wixson bested a field of 14 to win the four-round Swiss tournament with a perfect score. He defeated in order Bill Edwards (as Carthage), Randy MacInnis (as Rome), Michael Mitchell (as Carthage), and Marty Sample (as Rome). His biggest scare was in his Round 4 match against Sample. After wiping out two Roman armies sent by Wixson to Africa, Sample got a little overconfident and attempted to deliver the coup de grace in Italy when Hannibal attacked a large army under Fabius on Turn 5 near Rome. Fabius won a decisive victory, destroying half of Hannibal's force. With the appearance of Scipio Africanus on Turn 6, Hannibal was forced to abandon Italy and return to Spain. With very heavy losses up until then, Wixson hunkered down after that and consolidated his lead. A large Carthaginian army attempted to force its way into Sicily late in the game but was lost at sea. Wixson ended up winning 10 provinces to 8.

There were a total of 18 games played with each side winning nine. Ten games were relatively close and went the distance (six were Roman wins) and five were blowouts ending with a resignation (three were Carthaginian wins). Rome and Carthage were each sacked once and one game ended with Rome suing for peace (no more PCs). Nine players bid to play Carthage (seven bids of 1 PC, one bid of 2 PCs and one bid of 3 PCs). Seven players bid to play the Romans (two bids of 0, one bid of 1, one bid of 2 and three bids of 3). There were two games without bids.