Keith Wixson and Seth Gunar get in their annual Successors fix before moving on to other favorites.	Bruce Blumentritt, Craig Melton, Phil Rodrigues, and Francis Czawlytko.

Congratulations to Craig Melton for winning his first Successors championship in 2011 ... and only eleven years after his last championship. Persistence pays! Attendance for this year was up slightly, and made up in enthusiasm and bloodthirstiness what it may have lacked in pure tonnage.

Special recognition is due to 11-year-old Eric Rodgers-Vargo, making his debut in any WBC event. Eric started with Antigonus and Ptolemy, and managed to make a strong run at the Regency win on Turn 3 only to be turned back by a desperation attack from Seth "Baby Crusher" Gunar. Eric proved to be an excellent competitor, hanging tough when things were not going his way, and treating his elders with respect (except on the battlefield, where he mostly kicked us like rented mules). Eric is not only welcome back next year, but downright commanded to so appear on the field of battle!

The Final featured two veterans in the form of Craig and the redoubtable Phil Rodrigues, as well as two relative newcomers in the return of the father/son combination of Bruce and Daniel Blumentritt. As was the case last year, any fear that the filial bond would influence play was dispelled early and often, as the Blumentritt's displayed an historically accurate and utterly Sophoclean willingness to undermine each other at any opportunity.

The finalists agreed to use the Reverse Draft method to select Generals. Craig drafted first to take Antipater, Bruce took Antigonus second, Daniel selected Perdiccas third and Phil got the Crateras/Peithon tandem in the double draft position. Daniel then choose Leonatus on the return as Bruce took Lysimachus seventh leaving Craig with Ptolemy and the Usuper.

Bruce immediately combined both generals to depose Antipater and claim Macedonia on Turn 1 to take a commanding position despite Daniel getting the Silver Shields early.

On Turn 2, with a weak hand and the Usurper tag on him, Daniel considered burying the body in Babylon to let it vanish for 0 points (see the special WBC rules). However, as he was also "Condemned" and had "Hubris" cancel his marriage to "Cleopatra," he took a gamble on securing two much needed Legit Points. Phil held Palestine strongly, so Daniel sent Leonnatus from Caria up to Bithinia to besiege it and ran Perdiccas up that way. But Phil combined Craterus and Peithon into one big force and headed North to block. Meanwhile, with Bruce being thwarted in Thrace by rampaging Independents and 1-CU speed-bumps, Craig quietly took Rhodes, then mugged Leonatus to steal the Silver Shields and the come-back was launched.

Turn 3 opened with Craig back in the Usurper seat, and the gloves coming off. Phil took Craterus to Cappodicia to assassinate Leonatus and won the battle, then stomped on Perdiccas in Armenia to take Alex IV (giving him control of both heirs) and the Body. Unperturbed by the violence in Asia Minor, Craig slowly built VP in Judea, Cyrene, and Crete, plus taking Athens for unchallengeable command of the sea, while losing Lydia to Bruce as his only setback. Craig's land-grab kept him in first place on points and left Phil - who had drawn a lot of blood but hadn't claimed much territory - with no choice but to send Heracles to the Day Care Center in the Sky.

On Turn 4, Phil took Mespotamia and chased Perdiccas' re-formed army back all the way into Media. As Craig was now in striking distance of taking Phoenicia and Greece, the others all suspended hostilities to try and reduce his geographical footprint, but he had the cards and the skill to take back whatever they whittled off. On his last card play he first subjugated the Greek Island and then played Influence Spreads to take two more spaces in Greece, own the province, and win the game on VP.

In time honored fashion, Craig demonstrated the superiority of strategy over tactics, using command of the sea and ruthlessly efficient exploitation of the cards to come back from an early knock-down and win the title of Champion. Kudos and Huzzah!

Other notes:

In all qualifying games this year, tables were allowed to use any of the following optional rules if all players agreed:

1. Attrition: Over-stacked armies must roll on the attrition table, not simply lose 1 CU (used in four of five games).

2. Reverse Draw for Generals (used in 0 games).

3. Rhodes Defense: Any Naval move that ends on Rhodes while Rhodes is marked with an Independent Marker is subject to an automatic Naval Interception from the Rhodes fleet -- the Rhodes Fleet defends at a strength of 2 (used in two of five games)

For the Final, the "Pontic Fleet" card is removed and rule 23.5 is in effect (drafting Seleucus or Eumenes to replace a dead General).

To replace the three cards removed from the deck, I put in three that were ultimately rejected from the re-issue:

"Cleitus the White" - treats a naval battle as though you have a "3" General
"Cavalry Superiority" - get a column shift for control of one of four areas
and "Salavation in the Eleventh Hour," which is a card I have always loved (after all, it did actually happen to Perdiccas).
Thanks to one and all for their attendance and support. Special thanks to Daniel Blumentritt for his excellent reporting on the final game, much of which I have quoted verbatim.

Next year in Pella!

Links
Successors page at GMT: Includes downloadable version of the rule book and this excellent VASSAL module.
Successors (3rd Edition) page at Board Game Geek
Successors (3rd Edition) folder at ConSimWorld

* However, this may prove to be the last year for Successors at WBC. The Board has voted to eliminate from the membership ballot all events which have failed to draw the required minimum participation in seven of its last ten years. Successors, while proving, for whatever reasons, to be a perennial vote getter has failed to attract sufficient players to actually compete repeatedly, and in the final analysis that is what it's all about. If enough players do not participate, the slot is best opened for a more worthy candidate to get its chance in the limelight. It's only path to return in 2012 is via sponsorship.

Ben Campagna is stuck for a move.	Phil Rodrigues and Bruce Blumentritt