As soon as Days of Wonder announced that Memoir ’44 would be getting a new Air Pack Memoir ‘44’s expansion, “New Flight Plan,” GM Sam Edelston announced, sight-unseen, that he would use six of its scenarios for this year’s WBC tournament.
In “NFP,” there are three types of planes – bombers, fighters, and fighter-bombers – each with particular ammunition. A special Air Combat deck is used to bring planes onto the board and to give special attacks. In the new Air rules, Flags are treated normally (a unit retreats unless terrain or Nation rules allow it to ignore), and Stars aren’t hits. However, on many of the Air Combat cards, a Star is a hit and/or Flags may not be ignored and/or extra dice are rolled. There also are defensive cards that provide stronger attacks against planes. Unlike the old Air Pack, the new planes can stay on the board indefinitely without being ordered, as long as they’re not out of ammunition. Planes may be attacked directly by ground units, and may be shot down or forced to fly off the board. We used the Air rules only in the late rounds.
As is customary in Memoir, our format was 2-game matches (each contestant plays both sides of the battle), in a single elimination tournament, with a Mulligan round the night before. We don’t bid for sides. Also, when signing in, every player draws a tiebreaker number (with better numbers going to players who bring a game), to be the final decider if a match is tied on all other attributes.
The tiebreaker did decide one result in the tournament. Bring your game if you can, folks!
Our attendance of 52 held steady with last year, which was a surprise, considering WBC’s overall rise in attendance, but may have been due to the new Air rules.
As was the case last year, this year’s field included 9 of WBC’s 14 past Memoir champions. In addition, one of the top European players, Frederik DeBuck of Belgium, came to compete. Frederik is a 5-time past champion in the Memoir Online League, and has won numerous other tournaments, as well.
Frederik also brought special prizes for the tournament: Beautiful, pre-printed maps of the scenarios from the 2019 Memoir tournament in Melle, Belgium, courtesy of the Belgian M44 Club.
And now, on to the play-by-play.
Mulligan Round … Green Devils at Vierville
An all-infantry scenario from Normandy, June 7, 1944. Interesting terrain challenges, with plenty of hedgerows and marshes to impede movement, and four of the nine German units also start behind a Fordable Stream. All units are Special Forces, and the scenario includes a couple of mortars and a machine gun. With a five-row No Man’s Land between the sides, this led to tactical maneuvering in some matches, and standoffs in others.
Of the 17 matches, there were 8 sweeps, 7 splits won by Allies, and 2 splits won by Axis. The Allies won 22 games, versus 12 for Axis, by an average score of 5.21-4.12 medals and 26.47-22.47 figures.
Highlights: We had 35 players for this round, so a Bye was given to last year’s champion, Christopher Miller. The biggest win for Allies was a 6-0 shutout scored by 2005-2006 champ Joe Harrison, followed by 6-1 wins for Jeff Cornett, John Kirk, and 2004 champ Steve Lollis. The only Axis player to win 6-1 was Steve Walker. Two former champions were beaten and ordered to return in the morning for Round 1, as Tim Hitchings swept Jon Manley and Michael Polcen swept Geoff Heintzelman.
Round 1 … Green Devils at Vierville
Same scenario as the night before. 16 matches, with 12 sweeps, 4 splits won by Allies, and no splits won by Axis. The Allies won 20 games and lost 12, with an average score of 4.69-4.38 medals and 28.71-27.58 figures.
Highlights: The tournament’s second and last shutout was turned in for the Allies by newcomer Dan Winnowski, 6-0. Tim Manley’s Allies won 6-1. Biggest Axis wins were 6-1, scored by last year’s 5th place finisher, Caley Roark, and Stephen Shedden. (More about Stephen in a minute.) Tim Manley eliminated ex-champ Jarett Weintraub from the tournament.
Round 2 … Le Dezert - Act I
Normandy battle from July 1944. Allies have 3 armored units and a mobile artillery. Germans have two Panzers, plus a mortar and a bazooka, and all their other infantries are Special Forces. Hedgerows mostly on the German side of the board constrain movement, especially where they hem in an infantry and armor on the German Right flank. In the middle of the board, the Germans occupy a Church that is an objective for the Allies, and Roads run by it from four directions. The Americans start along the back of the board, and have three tanks (against the Germans’ two) and a mobile artillery. This map proved to be treacherous.
Out of 15 matches, we had 6 sweeps, 8 splits won by Allies, and 1 split was won by Axis. The Allies won 22 games and lost 8, with an average score of 5.40-3.77 medals and 26.25-20.17 figures.
Highlights: Allied 6-1 wins were scored by Peter Eldridge, Jack Morrell, AGM Eric Mosso, and Stephen Shedden. The biggest Axis victories was a 6-2 scored by Caley Roark. Tim Hitchings swept another former champion, Steve Lollis. John Parker eliminated AGM and former champion John Skiba. Stephen Shedden eliminated last year’s champ, Christopher Miller. (Chris’s two brothers were also eliminated in this round.) And in the day’s first matchup between former champions, Chris Kalmbacher eliminated Jon Manley.
(Since all three Miller brothers were out together, they played their own “Battle of the Brothers” mini-tournament with a round robin on the unique three-player Lwow map obtained from the 2018 Dutch Open. The Poles won twice, and the Russians once. Ben won 18 medals to Matthew's 16 and Christopher's 15.)
Round 3 … North of Oosterbeek
The German infantry is buttressed by three Panzers and an entrenched artillery in the middle of the board. British Special Forces paratroops have one vulnerable artillery in their back row. There are plenty of Forest hexes to shelter in. The German back row includes four Hill objectives for the Allies.
We had 7 matches in this round, including 3 sweeps, 1 split won by Allies, and 3 splits won by Axis. The Allies won 5 games and lost 9, with an average score of 4.36-4.86 medals and 19.00-25.58 figures.
Highlights: The biggest Allied win was 6-1, scored by GM Sam Edelston, and a 6-2 was scored by former champion Geoff Heintzelman. Biggest Axis win was 6-2 by David Schneider. In another match between ex-champs, David Schneider ousted Chris Kalmbacher, who experienced severe dice problems. Because we had an odd number of players, Jon Manley came back as an eliminator and lost to Joe Harrison in another battle between past champs. Peter Eldridge ended Tim Hitchings’s magical run in a split match, and David Wolfe eliminated AGM Eric Mosso.
Through three rounds, we had two players with perfect 6-0 records: Joe Harrison and David Schneider.
Round 4 … Battle of La Heuniere
Big tank battle. Americans have 5 regular armored units and a Tank Destroyer, up against three German 4-figure tanks and a Tiger. The Allies also have an artillery in the woods, while the Germans have a sniper. Forest and Town terrain make the tactics interesting, and the Germans have an infantry and their sniper entrenched a 2-hex town in the center that’s a Temporary Majority objective for either side.
Because Peter Eldridge needed to withdraw, we only had 6 players in this round: Three former WBC champions, a three-time runner-up, a 2017 Laurelist, and a champion from Europe. We had one sweep, while Axis won both games in the other two matches. Overall, the Allies won 1 game, and Axis won 5, with an average score of 4.67-6.50 medals and 17.83-22.50 figures.
The two undefeated players, former champs David Schneider and Joe Harrison, met in one of the day’s closest matches: David’s Germans won the opener 7-3, but Joe’s Germans took the nightcap, 7-3, even though David killed Joe’s Tiger on his first hit. Tied on medals, David won the match by a mere 6 figures.
In another close match, David Wolfe’s Germans edged out Geoff Heintzelman’s Americans 7-6 in their first battle. In the rematch, Geoff killed the Tiger early and came back to win by 7-5, for a 1-medal victory.
The third matchup was GM Sam Edelston against Belgian Frederik DeBuck. In the first game, Frederik’s German armor launched a devastating attack that ultimately killed four units on Sam’s right flank, but then he wasted a lot of dice trying to hit one more stubborn American tank. Meanwhile, Sam managed to eliminate all four of Frederik’s armored units, including the Tiger, and he ultimately killed the sniper and took ground into the medal town for a 7-4 win. In the rematch, Sam’s German armor scored two kills against the American Right, and then crossed behind the center town toward the other side of the map to help complete a second 7-4 victory. Frederik was again hindered by dice, as a late Finest Hour rolled only two orders, and 1 hit in 12 battle dice, before Sam Counter-Attacked it for four orders and two kills.
Round 5 … Hill 170
Our first scenario with Air rules, and the tournament’s only Pacific battle. The British are trying to keep the numerically superior Japanese infantry out of a 6-hill Temporary Majority Objective that’s shielded by Jungle. The defenders have a tank and an artillery to augment their infantry, terrain protection, and sandbags.
Since we had only three matches in Round 4, the highest-ranked loser was reincarnated to play in this semifinal round, giving new life to 2005-2006 champion Joe Harrison. The three other survivors were 2014 champion Geoff Heintzelman, 2016 champion David Schneider, and 2008/2011/2012 runner-up, GM Sam Edelston. Lotta sharks swimming in these waters. Geoff and Sam were well acquainted with the new Air rules. David and Joe received training before this round.
On Board A, Geoff moved the British artillery up a hex to his right-center seam, putting the jungle hexes within better range. Joe’s Japanese came charging up the center, but Geoff had good cards to defend. The Japanese assault on the hill continued, and Joe managed to temporarily neutralize the British majority there. However, the Geoff eliminated one of the IJA invaders for a 6th kill and simultaneously regained the majority, to win the battle, 7-3.
In the rematch, most of the action was on the Allied Left, where there are three exposed Japanese infantries and a British tank. Joe’s Brits moved forward and brought in air support, but Geoff was able to get a couple of medals out of the exchange. At that point, knowing that he needed only two more medals to win the match, he charged the center to get them. Joe won the rematch, 7-4, but Geoff’s one-medal advantage brought him back to the Finals.
On Board B, Sam Edelston’s Allies scored kills on their first three turns against David Schneider’s Japanese, thanks to a pair of RAF bombers and a Barrage that finished off the Mortar in the back-row jungle. But the Japanese fought back with a huge onslaught in the center, eventually seizing majority control of the hill. In intense fighting, the hill changed control three more times in two turns, until finally Sam brought a British infantry from the flank, Behind Enemy Lines, killing a weakened Japanese infantry and cementing an Allied majority on the hill for the 7th medal and a 7-4 win.
In the rematch, Sam brought in a bomber on his second turn, and used Saturation Bombing to immediately eliminate the British artillery. His Japanese moved a couple of flank units into the center, and then Infantry Assaulted with 6 units, killing one infantry. When the British played General Advance, the Japanese Counter-Attacked and brought in a fighter-bomber with “Boom and Zoom,” eliminating the British tank on their right and an infantry in the center. “Pilot Initiative” cards ordered Sam’s fighter-bomber as an extra unit on his next two turns, as well. After many orders and intense battling over the next two turns, Sam’s Japanese ultimately scored their 6th kill and captured the hill objective, for a 7-2 victory and a seat in the Finals. David didn’t lack good cards during the match, but several times he was unable to get hits he needed.
Round 6 … Cherkasskoye
1943 battle between Germans and Russians (no Commissar). The Russians are defended by a row of mines and a row of Trenches. The mines are interrupted by a 2x2 rhomboid of Forest hexes, where a unit can cross over without damage. If the Russians retreat behind their trenches, the German will need to get through some mines in order to target the defenders. The Russian rear has only a few towns to provide cover. Both sides have several tanks, and the Russians have a pair of artilleries in the rear.
It was former champion Geoff Heintzelman against GM Sam Edelston. A rematch of their 2014 Round 4 battle at Gold Beach, when Geoff had won one-medal victory and gone on to win that year’s tournament.
Game 1: Sam’s Russians started game 1 with a bang, using a fighter-bomber with “Tank and Bunker Busting” – 3 dice against armored units – which rolled triple hits against two three-figure tanks and scored two hits on the third targeted unit. On the next turn, a German “Ground to Air Ambush” shot the fighter-bomber down, though Sam’s Russians returned the favor to Geoff’s fighter a few turns later. German armor killed a Russian infantry in each section, as the trench afforded limited protection and Sam didn’t retreat them. Sam brought in a bomber to try for another kill, but the Germans shot it down. A Russian fighter would finish off a 1-figure German engineer before the Germans would eliminate a tank on the exposed Russian right flank for a 6-4 German win.
Rematch: Sam’s Germans, on their second turn, used “Tank and Bunker Busting” to again wipe out a 3-figure tank. Geoff’s Russians advanced an infantry from the Trench into the Forest, giving him a toehold to attack from, and effectively taking it away as a potential offensive position for the Germans. He hoped to follow that with more units in the Forest, but cards and circumstances didn’t permit it. Meanwhile, Sam sorely wanted to remove some of the mines, but, perversely, with a great hand that included both Armor Assaults, Firefight, Barrage, and Medics – he had no good way to move the engineers two hexes to the minefields. On a fifth-turn Assault Left, two of Sam’s Panzers rolled onto mines to attack the Russian infantry, killing a unit, but enduring some casualties themselves, as well.
Two turns later, Sam played one of his strangest Finest Hours ever: He rolled only three infantry orders, defused mines with two engineers, and retreated a 1-figure infantry out of the Forest and away from the invading Russian unit, instead of rolling any dice. Geoff responded with an Attack on that flank, bringing in a fighter, and completing two kills, evening the score at 2-2. Sam had four 1-figure units on the board, but he used an Armor Assault to get two of them out of the plane’s range, and the Russian fighter flew away. A German Barrage eliminated a Russian tank in the rear, giving Sam a 4-3 lead. After a Russian TFH that ordered two units but got no kills, Sam played Attack Center and brought in a fighter with “Rake the Enemy.” Two Panzers eliminated a no-retreat Russian armored unit, and his plane’s 3 dice against a 1-figure back-row infantry were successful.
Historically, most champions in this tournament have won it in their first 1-2 years competing. Even though this was his 8th time earning Laurels (a record matched only by two-time champ Joe Harrison), Sam’s victory came in his 12th try. John Skiba and Jeff Cornett have earned Laurels 4 times.
MULTI-PLAYER OVERLORD GAMES
In addition to the tournament, as usual, we had five multi-player Overlord games in the schedule. These are always a highlight, because many players only have a chance to play them at conventions. They also tend to be a source of great battle stories. As always, we had a mix of elementary and advanced Overlords; the elementary ones are particularly great for bringing in inexperienced players.
Thursday afternoon: Rzhev
Christopher Miller commanded the Germans and played Center. Steve Smith played on his Right, and Matthew Miller on his Left. Jon Manley commanded the Russians and played Center, with Eric Paperman on his Left and Sam Edelston on the Right. On his second turn, Chris sent a spare Panzer to Matthew on his left, and the following turn Matthew fired at Sam with a Move Out … and then the onslaught began: On three consecutive turns, Matthew was given Assault Lefts (7, 8, and 7 units, respectively) for a total of 5 kills. After that, Sam tried to advance a 2-figure tank to get a shot at a 1-figure German armor, but with two hexes of movement on the frozen river, it fell through the ice. Matthew’s next turn was a Direct from Headquarters, for two more infantry kills, and that was followed by a second DHQ, where he took the medal town. Slaughter on that flank 8 kills and an objective versus 3 kills by the Russians.
The map is an Overlord version of the standard-size Official scenario. The Russians have a large force on their baseline, with exposed infantry on the flanks, but plenty of armor and artillery in the forest-filled center. Commissar rules are in effect. It tends to be a very challenging map for the Russians.
There was also a bloody attack against the Russian Left, but Jon had given Eric some much needed sandbags, which limited the damage. The Russians lost only two units there, while eliminating three German units. The Russians also killed two infantries in the center. Final score: 15-7 in favor of the Germans.
Bonus game: Sword of Stalingrad
John Skiba commanded the Russians and played Center. Eric Mosso played on his Left, and John Parker on his Right. Tim Manley commanded the Germans, with Lee Waters on the Right, Ben Miller in the Center, and Chris Kalmbacher on the Left. A large German force emerges from terrain and tries to take control of the city. Urban Combat Cards are used in this battle.
The Russians held their own in the center for a while, and both flanks seemed to be steady. But soon their Left was in trouble, and their Right took several losses. Then, a German TFH ordered 10 units, and the Russian center was hit hard. The Germans followed that up with Infantry Assault for their right and Assaults in the center and left. A continuous stream of good German cards kept up the pressure on all fronts. The battle for the center hills went badly for the Red Army. In addition, the Russians missed several key rolls on weak units, and what should have been kills ended up just flagging those targets out of danger. John played Barrage three times during the battle, eliminating a weak Panzer and center artillery, and also scored an early kill on an artillery on the German right. The Russians also had to roll for initiative 15 times, compared to just 4 times for the Germans. The Germans pushed forward in the center, applying pressure to all three sections of the battlefield. The Germans played another TFH late in the game, killing off 3 units in the center and taking a lead of 15-11. John had Infantry Assault ready to go in the center, but losing three infantries before he could play it removed much of the sting. The Russians could only kill off one more unit before the roof fell in. Two kills against the Russian Left sealed the 17-12 German win.
Friday, après-tournament: Firefight at Neffe
It’s a family affair, as Ben Miller commanded and played Center for the Allies. Matthew Miller on his Right, Christopher Miller on his Left. John Skiba commanded the defending Germans and served as Left Field General. Joe Harrison played the Center and Right sections.
From the Winter Wars expansion, Winter Weather and Reduced Visibility rules are in effect. (Reduced mobility, and only Grenades are hits in ranged attacks.) Winter Combat Cards are used, too.
The Allies had strong cards for both the center and right including two Armor Assaults. But John also was dealt four Recons, and wished to keep his hand size at the max while collecting additional Combat cards. He ended up playing Recons on his first three turns before unleashing Joe against the Allied center and left. The Allies made steady progress on their right, and John played for time in order for Joe’s offensive to gain steam. John soon lost both his forward Panzer and Tank Destroyer, as the Allies closed on his weak forces. But Joe made good progress on the Right, as well as gains in the Center. A key time came when the Germans played an Assault Center, hoping to kill off what was left of the Allied forces there. In fact, if Joe had average luck, the battle might have become a rout, but poor rolls by him kept the Allied hopes alive. John had Armor Assault in hand, and thought both Panzers and a Tank Destroyer would be able to be ordered in their next turn, but some lucky Russian rolls left the Germans with only the Tank Destroyer. The Germans still led, 10-7, but things did not look good on any German flank after the Allies went ahead 11 to 10. Axis retook the lead as the Tank Destroyer killed off the Center artillery. But the Allies were able to do more damage. Now with the battle in the balance, the German Right fell back, and their Center was in shambles. The matter fell into John’s hands on the Left. He had taken many losses, and had given up much ground. But a last-ditch push with his last Panzer and a few infantries decided the matter, as he eliminated two infantries to take claim a close 14 -12 win.
Saturday morning: Canal de la Haute Colme + The Bourbourg-Brouckerque Line
This is the Free French Army Overlord made up of two standard-size maps in the Equipment Pack expansion, and hence the double-length title. A German mixed force with plenty of armor and artillery tries to take out a French force of infantry supported by artillery. First time we ever tried this one.
Eric Mosso commanded the French, with Steve Smith, Eric Paperman, and newcomer Franklin H. under him from left to right. John Kirk commanded the Germans, with David Brooks, Caley Roark, and Chris Kalmbacher playing from right to left.
The critical element in this battle proved to be three Allied artilleries positioned in a single section, which were given a Firefight, followed by an Artillery Bombard. The Allies came away with an 11-9 victory.
Saturday afternoon: Counterattack at Carentan
Part of our commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Mortars, bazooka, and machine guns abound, along with some Allied Tank Destroyers and a German Mobile Artillery. The Germans also have some special, scenario-specific “Assault Gun” tanks. The Allies can bring in reinforcements, beginning on their third turn.
The Allies were commanded by Jon Manley, supported by Steve Smith, Ben Miller, and Matthew Miller from left to right. They were opposed by the Heintzelman family: Geoff commanding, with his brother and two nephews in support: Gunnar on the Right, Martin in the Center, and Erik on the Left. Because the relatives hadn’t played a lot of Memoir, Geoff’s strategy was to give them the biggest cards possible on every turn, let them roll as many dice as possible, and help them have as much fun as possible. His Germans were first to reach the necessary 13 medals, but the scenario requires them to capture two objectives, as well. So, with the score close, Jon’s Allies played a Barrage and two Behind Enemy Lines cards to snatch the game victory by the anomalous score of 13-13. However, as the two nephews got up from the table, they told their father that they need to play Memoir more often – so in the meta-game, Geoff won big.
Saturday evening: D-Day Landings: Operation Neptune.
The D-Day Landings expansion came out five years ago, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the invasion with a set of six pre-printed Extended Breakthrough maps – one for each of the five landing beaches, and “American Airborne” on the far right. The six maps, collectively, require four 8-foot tables. We had a full 12-player game.
Sword Beach: Sam Edelston (Allies) was loaded with power cards, battling against Tim Manley. His third-turn Infantry Assault ordered 10 units in the center as a prelude to a Close Assault with 7 units, which completed 3 kills and captured the Right beach. Three turns later, on a Finest Hour, Sam had one die roll worth four medals: It killed the last German infantry guarding the Center beach, and he took ground into the town, gaining a medal for his third Town Control: one point for the kill, two for the Beach, and one for the towns. Final score on this map was 20-5.
Juno Beach: John Parker’s Allies had a similar abundance of great cards, as he gained early beach controls en route to a 13-5 win against Jon Manley.
Gold Beach: Joe Harrison’s Brits and Ben Miller’s Germans tussled over the beach for a while. Germans had lucky dice at first, but the Allies eventually broke through in the center and took the lead in medals. Axis reinforcements were too far away, and the last Germans up front made a heroic final charge that failed epically and netted no extra medals. The Allies prevailed, 11-6.
Omaha Beach: Steve Smith’s Americans made good progress on his right after a Recon Barrage took out John Skiba’s entrenched German 88s. John had killed off a Ranger, Supported Armor, and artillery on that flank, and an infantry in the water in the center. But the American drive stalled a bit, as they got some infantry onto the Center hills, but no further. An Allied Finest Hour only ordered a tank and one infantry, but still took out two German units. The Germans would regain the Center and Right beach control medals as John’s Supported Armor rolled up to the beaches. In total, US lost 9 units, including a Center artillery and several units on their Left flank, but the Germans lost 11. Close battle, with Allies on top, 13-11.
Utah Beach: Christopher Miller’s American infantry was able to quickly clear Lee Waters’s German defenders from the beach, thanks to good cards that included Infantry Assault, Firefight, and Their Finest Hour. Several infantries proceeded inland to assist the American Airborne next door. The American armor, however, stayed behind to interdict the Germans’ reinforcements that arrived. The game was over before the Germans could break through and retake the beach. This map wound up as a 12-8 American victory.
American Airborne: Eric Paperman’s Americans successfully parachuted in an artillery to strengthen their position near Ste Mere-Eglise, along with aid from the Allied infantry that stormed off the beaches at Utah and French Resistance that came out of the woods. In the end, Matthew Miller’s Germans were able to gain a decent number of medals, despite getting badly shot up and suffering from a lack of reinforcements. The Allies won this board, 9-7.
Final score of the whole endeavor: Allies 78, Axis 42. The battle took about 3 hours – surprisingly quick, but much aided by the cards on the first two beaches.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The GM wishes to thank AGMs John Skiba and Eric Mosso, as well as Geoff Heintzelman, Jon Manley, and John Parker for their help in the tournament room and at the pre-tournament instructional demo … with additional thanks to Eric and John S. for leading some of the Overlords. Special thanks also to the Belgian M44 Club and Frederik DeBuck for providing the Melle tournament maps. Thanks, as always, to Richard Borg for creating this wonderful game (and for helping with this year’s scenario selection and some Air rules questions), and to Days of Wonder / Asmodee for continuing to support and expand it. And special thanks to the organizers of WBC for allowing us to make this North America’s premiere Memoir ’44 event year after year.
And finally, a personal note from the GM: “This year, I had the extraordinary honor of being named 2018 GM of the Year, thanks to the recommendations of our M44 participants and a vote of the BPA Board. It’s an honor that you can’t compete for – others bestow it on you – and that makes it incomparably more meaningful than simply winning a tournament. Because the M44 tournament uses different scenarios every year for both the tournament and the multi-player ‘demo’ Overlord games (and a new expansion with its new rules last year, and many years), we have an extra layer of planning and logistics, so I truly feel that this honor belongs in part to the people who help in the planning and running the M44 activities. For 2018, that was Geoff Heintzelman, Eric Mosso, John Parker, Johan Vanhuyse, any other helpers I’m forgetting, and especially my perennial right-hand man since the beginning, John Skiba. Thank you, everybody.”
Sam Edelston [10th Year]
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