victory in the pacific

Updated Nov. 16, 2015

2015 WBC Report

2016 Status: pending 2016 GM commitment

Ed Paule, NJ

2015 Champion

Event History

1991 Dave Targonski 36
1992 Wes Erni 39
1993 Alan Applebaum 36
1994 Dave Targonski 36
1995 Dan Henry 45
1996 Robert Kondracki 46
1997 Ed O'Connor 42
1998 Joe Dragan 48
1999 Alan Applebaum 48
2000 Andy Gardner 50
2001 Dan Henry 48
2002 Dan Henry 50
2003 Ed Menzel 39
2004 Michael Kaye 44
2005 Andy Gardner 32
2006 Ed Menzel 41
2007 Darren Kilfara 39
2008 Charlie Drozd 36
2009 Michael Kaye 37
2010 Andy Gardner 33
2011 Ed Paule 36
2012 Andy Gardner 28
2013 John Sharp 35
2014 Andy Gardner 26
2015 Ed Paule 25

PBeM Event History
1999 Nick Markevich 20
2001 Ed Menzel 32
2004 Rob Flowers 32
2007 Charles Drozd 35
2009 Joe Dragon 42
2011 Michael Ussery 28
2013 Daniel Blumentritt 39
2015 Ray Freeman 28

Laurels

Rank  Name              From  Last  Total
  1.  Andy Gardner       VA    15    498
  2.  Dan Henry          IL    07    272
  3.  Ed Paule           NJ    15    264
  4.  Michael Kaye       CA    13    252
  5.  Ed Menzel          CA    12    250
  6.  Charlie Drozd      IL    15    248
  7.  John Pack          CO    14    150
  8.  Darren Kilfara     uk    09    146
  9.  John Sharp         FL    13    126
 10.  Ray Freeman        CA    15    118
 11.  Michael Ussery     MD    11    118
 12.  Alan Applebaum     MA    05    113
 13.  Jim Eliason        IA    14    108
 14.  Tim Tow            WA    15     81
 15.  Dan Blumentritt    TX    15     70
 16.  Joe Dragan         MI    09     66
 17.  Michael Day        AZ    15     58
 18.  Ted Drozd          IL    15     54
 19.  Rob Flowers        MD    04     50
 20.  Larry Meyers       AZ    09     44
 21.  Pat Richardson     FL    14     36
 22.  Jim Kramer         PA    15     34
 23.  Robert Drozd       IL    13     30
 24.  Bob Hamel          CT    00     30
 25.  Nick Markevich     CA    11     22
 26.  Nathan Zietlow     IA    09     18
 27.  John Strand        CO    02     18
 28.  Eric El Osta       be    00     18
 29.  Philip Watkins     MN    07     15
 30.  Ken Nied           KS    03     14
 31.  David Sherwood     AZ    15     12
 32.  Gregory D. Smith   FL    13     12
 33.  Mark Booth         VA    08     12
 34.  Joe Powell         VA    99     12
 35.  John Lindley       TX    15      8
 36.  Scott Beall        OR    13      8
 37.  John Sharp Jr      FL    03      6
 38.  Casey Adams        MN    00      6
 39.  Brad Solberg       CA    99      6
 40.  Scott Fenn         MD    07      5
 41.  Gregory D. Smith   FL    15      4
 42.  Rob Kircher        RI    13      4
 43.  Bryan Eshleman     NC    11      4
 44.  Ong Meng Soon      my    01      4
 45.  Bobby Clinton      CA    01      4
 46.  Max Zavanelli      FL    99      4
 47.  Dennis Nicholson   NY    99      3
 48.  Vince Meconi       DE    99      2
 49.  Glenn McMaster     on    01      1
2015 Laurelists Returning Laurelists: 3

Ted Drozd, IL
2nd

Charles Drozd, IL
3rd

Tim Tow, WA
4th

Andy Gardner, VA
5th

Dan Blumentritt, TX
6th

Past Winners

Dave Targonski, DC
1991, 1994

Alan Applebaum, MA
1993, 1999

Dan Henry, IL
1995, 200l-02

Robert Kondracki, PA
1996

Ed O'Connor, NJ
1997

Joe Dragan, MI
1998

Andy Gardner, VA
00, 05, 10, 12, 14

Ed Menzel, CA
2003, 2006

Michael Kaye, MD
2004, 2009

Darren Kilfara, uk
2007

Charlie Drozd, IL
2008

Ed Paule, NJ
2011, 2015

John Sharp, FL
2013

Twice champ Ed Menzel vs Ray Freeman

Bob Hamel vs Daniel Blumentritt

Rob Drozd vs 2012 champ John Sharp

GM Charles Drozd and his finalists—a pair of former champions.

Options to the Rescue ...

52 games were played during the 2015 Rising Sun Pre-Con, a 10% decline from last year’s figure. Even more alarming was a nearly 25% drop in attendance.  This year saw the introduction of the “Menzel Option” as an acceptable modification; and it turned out to be a huge success as it was the most popular set of optional rules throughout the event.  The Menzel Option contains the now virtually standard optional rules that prevent a USN disaster on Turn 1 and further modifies the second edition rules by limiting the IJN Pearl Harbor raid force to the historical six carriers and only two rounds of air strikes.  Throughout the game players are allowed to simulate the west coast repair facilities by removing a damaged ship from the board and bringing it in the following turn with the reinforcements.  Finally, since the USN often finds it’s reinforcements trapped on Turn 3; an “escape” rule was introduced.  The modifications prevent the USN player from being penalized by things outside of his control.

Overall there were 12 unique adjustment sets that were used throughout the event while only five games were played without any options.  Menzel option games saw bids for both sides ranging from 1.5 POC to play the IJN to 2.0 POC to play the Allies.  For those games that did not use the Menzel option; bidding was again for the IJN, with the highest bid of 8.5 for the IJN.  The IJN winning % dropped from last year’s 70.9% to 56% this year.  The Menzel option resulted in an IJN winning % of 53.3%.  

There continues to be a lively debate as to whether standardizing the various optional rules currently in use would be a benefit or a detriment to the long term health of the event. Currently the tournament rules allow players to negotiate optional rules that can be used only if both sides are in agreement.  The Default rules if players cannot agree is a game using unadjusted second edition rules.

Another topic that came up recently was the length of the game. With next year’s venue shift and the elimination of pre-cons; several players expressed concern that the increased competition for player time might necessitate the shortening of the event from three days to two.

After five swiss rounds; the top eight spots were determined by Tournament points; with strength of schedule only being used to determine seeding.  Ted Drozd, Charles Drozd, and Ed Paule all had four wins and were the top three seeds.  Tim Tow, Andy Gardner, Daniel Blumentritt, Jim Eliason, and Mark Smith each had three wins to round out the top eight.  

There were no upsets in the quarterfinals this year; as #8 Smith’s IJN conceded to #1 T. Drozd’s USN after four turns.  #7 Eliason’s IJN also conceded to #2 C. Drozd’s USN after four turns. #3 Paule’s IJN had a mathematical lock on #6 Blumentritt’s USN after seven turns.  #4 Tow’s USN defeated #5 Gardner’s IJN in a game that went the full eight turns.

In the Semi’s Paule bid 8.5 POC for the IJN vs. C. Drozd and managed to stop every USN invasion.  The game came down to an IJN LBA shot vs. a USN Marine on Turn 7; the Marine was sent home, securing the game for Paule.  In the other bracket Tow bid 3.5 POC for the IJN vs. T. Drozd but was forced to concede at the end of Turn 5.

The Final thus pit 2014 runner-up Ed Paule against Ted Drozd.  Ed got the IJN for 8.5 POC and would not be denied as he finished 7-1 with the IJN and won his second VIP WBC title.


Play By Email 2013-15

A field of 28 entered the eighth BPA PBeM VIP tournament. 26 games later, with the Cinerellas eliminated, the titans waged war over the cardboard Pacific for final victory. Michael Day (third seed) accepted a bid of 8 from 4th seed Ray Freeman and took the blue forces. Things looked grim for the Allied navies after Pearl Harbor fell, but a daring move on Turn 5 in the South Pacific opened a hole in the perimeter and left Ray thinking he needed just one more patroller (to augment the mere 16 he'd used). Together with maintaining control over Attu, the USN stayed in it doggedly through the final turn. The climactic battle for the Japanese islands—with the USN just needing to deny control—came up short. Thus Ray's Japanese emerged triumphant by the 3 POC margin secured by controlling the Japanese Islands.

Join the action on Sept. 15, when the air raid sirens will sound again over Pearl Harbor as our 9th tournament kicks into action. See http://www.gameaholics.com/vitp_tournament.htm for details.

GM Charles Drozd [6th Year] NA
charles_drozd@hotmail.com 847-845-1136

2015 Previews | View the Icon Key | Return to main BPA page