DeWitt Captures Second Title!

Nineteen field marshals representing four nations (Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S.) assembled to see who the rightful heir to Napoleon was.

The first match of the Swiss qualifying round pitted players against each other in the 1808 “Rollica, 2nd French Position” scenario. The battle featured a French force defending a ridge, with British and Portuguese troops advancing via three separate valleys. Each pairing played the scenario twice, with the players switching sides for the second game (home and home).

The scenario proved to be quite even. The French won 9 games, the British won 8, and there was one draw.

The second match was “Clash at Proderone,” an 1809 fight between French and Austrians over control of a town. Like the first match, this was a home and home faceoff.

The Austrians won this battle, 8 games to 6. Fair enough—they won the battle historically.

Match # 3 was the 1809 “Battle of Alcaniz”. Historically, the French were cut down by strong Spanish artillery units mounted on a ridge. In the scenario, French players can be overconfident, charging their superior infantry against the Spanish guns, only to be chewed up (think WWI).

In our tournament, the French performed as well as the Spaniards, with an equal number of wins.

The last match of the qualifying round featured the afternoon engagement of the “Battle of Halle,” an 1806 victory by the French over the Prussians. Unlike the previous matches, this scenario was only played once by opponents, with players bidding banners to play the French. Also, the field had narrowed to six players.

The Prussians won two games to one for the French.

The parity between the French and their opponents in the scenarios indicates that the main determining factor in game results was the experience of the winners versus the losers.

At the end of the Swiss round, the Semifinal qualifiers were Brian DeWitt, undefeated with a 4-0 record, plus three qualifiers with a 3-1 record, Joe Harrison, Geoff Heinzelman, and Ed Kendrick.

The Semifinal was a fight for the Village of Borodino, part of the largest battle of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. (cue “1812 Overture”)

The winners of the Semifinal were Brian Dewitt, the 2022 champion, and Joe Harrison, the 2023 champion. This set up a clash of titans which was presaged by a narrow fourth match win by Brian over Joe (8-7).

The final scenario was the “Battle of Orthez (French Right)” an 1814 clash between the British and French.

Joe led Brian for most of the game, but Brian stayed within striking distance.

After a long drive for the game-winning eighth banner, Joe declared victory. However, Brian wasn’t finished, asking for a recount.

Upon recounting all the destroyed units, it was discovered that, sure enough, Brian had won. Both players had neglected to count one of Brian’s earlier scores (combat fatigue will do that to gamers).

Joe, though disappointed, showed great sportsmanship in accepting the turnaround and Brian’s win.