Bill Sosnicki and Scott Bramley traverse open fields under fire.	Eric Stranger and Peter Pollard renew hostilities over map 2.

The event generated 51 games played during its second year in the Grognard format. Modification of the standard format was made to enable games at each complexity level to be treated as different games played between same opponents. Repeated play of the same opponents at the same level generated only one point per player, but served the purpose of generating bragging rights and AREA points for each. For many players, game play capability changed at each level of the SQL series. Eugene Ricco achieved 'Berserker' status for the second straight year by being the only player who continuously stayed in the Grognard room to play as many Squad Leader games as possible. The different games level yielded 33 SQL matches, 14 at COI level, and four for COD.

Squad Leader started slowly since only four players arrived for the pre-con. However, the number increased each day, culminating with 20 games played on Friday. There were stories of the dice taking the game in some instances, but the real wins were from the solid tactics used by each player. In early week game play, Riccio's Germans swarmed Bill Sosnicki's Russians in the SQL #2 "The Tractor Works" scenario and Paul Milton's Germans repulsed Bill Scott's American attack in WGA Eviction Notice.

After a week of play, four players stood atop the pack. Although the records varied, it is a matter of who you defeated in the Grognard scoring system. Seeding was clarified as #1 fiur-time champ Pete Pollard (68 points), #2 two-time champ Eric Stranger (50), Chuck Leonard and #4 defending champ Andrew Cummins (48).

The first semi-final game matched Pollard's Russians defending the high ground against Cummins' in the COI scenario "King of the Hill". It did not look good for Andrew's troops in the early going. A Russian squad went berserk and held back one side of his advance while his best anti-tank weapon, a PzJg II, malfunctioned. By mid-game though, lady luck had changed suitors. Pete's leaders were leaving him, literally. His commissar left the battlefield a coward, while his best leader went berserk and charged a pack of waiting guns with the expected result. The fighting went back and forth for the last victory hex with the Germans advancing onto it while others took out the T-34 with a demo charge. With only infantry for a counterattack, Pete's forces could not dislodge the Germans from the hill and Andrew advanced to the Final to defend his title.

Stranger's Germans defended the hill in SQL "Tooth and Nail" against Leonard's Russian advance. Eric's left flank broke under the onslaught while his right held with one squad manning a medium machine gun, keeping the Russians at bay. Chuck brought up his T-34's to pointblank range on the German force but the Germans held their ground until reinforcements arrived to deny Chuck and send Eric to the Final where a pair of two-time champions would battle for their third title.

The last game was the SQL "Eviction Notice" with Eric defending with the Germans and Andrew's US troops on the offensive. Eric took an aggressive set up with many of his forces ahead of the central victory location, a multi-hex stone building on board 3. His goal was to slow down the American advance long enough for reinforcements to arrive. However, Andrew's forces were mobile and he used this to his advantage. He pinned down much of Eric's screening force and swung behind them to quickly seize the victory location. Eric's anti-tank gun destroyed one of the US tanks, but it was not enough. Now Eric found his defense role change as he had to mount a counterattack to take back the objective and it proved to be a task for which they were not well suited as Andrew emerged triumphant

The Best Personal Leader Counter extracurricular competition remained entertaining. The main change for this year's competition was that a PLC could only be used once per day and throughout the event the PLC points could only be gained in four matches.

Pete Pollard's PLC was dispatched early in the week by Cummins's German attack in COI Nicemi-Biscari Highway. In so doing, Andrew thus earned his second plaque in the event, the 'Pollard Memorial' plaque for eliminating the previous year's PLC winner. Many other PLCs shared the same fate, leaving only a few to earn this year's plaque. Two were in the running for the PLC plaque going into the last day of play. Scott Brantley earned a promotion for his leader by beating John Sharp in the SQL scenario "Hasty Assault" but it wasn't enough. Eric Stranger's PLC steadily climbed the 'corporate ladder' to earn the best performance for the event. It started in a match as the German player in SQL "Russia 1941" and quickly earned a promotion as the Russians against Sharp in "Guards Counterattack". His best day actually came in defeat during the Final. Somehow his leader survived to fight another day and gained some companion wood for his second place plaque.

Board member Ken Whitesell pushes cardboard with Chuck Leonard.	Andrew Cummins regularly crosses the pond to kick Yank butt.