Jeff Mullet opposes one of the four Langes in the field, Alexander.	Pat Mirk's Union forces resist Barry Shoult's Confederates.
Craig Yope's Confederates charge William Austin.	Alex Bell's Yankees charge Larry Sisson.

First to Three ...

The tournament changed format, returning to the days of 2004. The event has shown a tendency to bog down with players waiting for games to end and the start of the next round. So, four-man pods were used in the preliminary round. Each pod player played each of the other three members in one of three battles, Falling Waters, Glorieta, and Brawner's Farm. The chosen battles were all created by designer Richard Borg and generally play faster, either due to setup or requiring only five flags instead of the normal six. This allowed everyone to play a minimum of three battles and still finish by noon. At least that was the plan. Poor execution of the plan bogged down the tournament at times.

Eleven pods were played and eight players with the best record advanced. There were eight undefeated players, but one declined advancement, allowing Jim Bell to continue with a 2-1 record. Preliminary play did in four former champions with only the former twice anointed Jeff Cornett advancing. The quarterfinal battle was Cedar Mountain, a very different scenario than the preliminary rounds. Each side only receives a hand of three cards. A good amount of terrain and lots of troops made for a long round. The Confederacy may have had a slight advantage and won three of the four battles.

The semifinals consisted of 2008 champ Jeff Cornett's Union vs Patrick Mirk and Joe Powell's Union vs Ben Knight in Savage Station. Savage Station is a little known scenario Richard created for a tournament in 2002. In the first semi Jeff turned turtle and that clearly frustrated Patrick whose dice abandoned him. Jeff dispatched him handily, 6-1. In the second match, Ben's rebels stormed out aggressively and built a quick lead, but Joe was able to weather the storm. When Ben's cards ran dry, Joe took a 6-5 win.

The Final used the classic Gettysburg (second Day) scenario of the original game. It also marked a change. The two previous scenarios were slower paced with lots of maneuvering. This one was quick and bloody, lasting only 30 minutes. After only one turn of movement, the flags began to fall with Cornett able to claim his third BCY title 6-4.

Based on the response this year, next year's event should be based on the reprinted version. More games were played with the new card deck and rules and it should become the "default" for the tournament. Other changes that should also be considered include a different tie-break system; allowing all pod winners to advance; and better organization between the GM and assistants. Most importantly, Game Designer Richard Borg has promised a new set of scenarios for the tournament.

Jeff Lange Sr opposes the rebels of Jonthan Lockwood.	Ian Lange commands the Union against the UK's Peter Eldridge.