Shambeda Wins Second Union Pacific Title!

The 2024 WBC gathering was another good year for the Union Pacific tournament. The shift from running back-to-back heats, followed by Semifinal and Final to the current format continues to draw more unique players. There were some conflicts for the Semifinal and Final, which we will attempt to resolve next year.

The first heat kicked off with 28 people showing up to play. This was perfect for 7 tables of 4 players each. Luckily, a combination of the copy of the game from the BPA library, 2 from the GM’s, and 4 player copies allowed all participants to play. Any more players and we would have had to turn people away unless they brought a copy of the game with them. With this game being out of print, it is important that players bring a copy of the game, ensuring that all who want to play are able to do so.

The second heat drew 24 players; 10 of these were new participants, raising our count to 38 unique players. This resulted in 6 separate tables of 4 players.

The third and final heat occurred on Friday afternoon with 19 participants, with 5 new players for a final head count of 43 unique players for the event. This resulted in 5 tables of play, 4 boards with 4 players each and one with 3 players.

With 43 players, per WBC guidelines, we are then able to advance 16 players to the Semifinal, which allows 4 tables of 4 players (which is ideal for Union Pacific) with the 4 winners advancing to the Final. There were 15 players with one or more wins plus a player with three 2nd place second place finishes to advance to the Final. Unfortunately, due to conflicts with other events’ Semifinal/Final. One of the advancing players was not able to attend, opening a slot for another player with two 2nd place finishes.

At the conclusion of the Semifinal games, Jeff Mullet, Jeff Jackson, Steve Shambeda, and Richard Meyer advanced to the Final. The Final progressed with ongoing competition for most of the railroads, such that after the second payday the spread between first and last place was only 6 points. Following the third payday, the player order shifted, but the delta between first and last position remained at 6 points. Quite a bit of diplomacy and railroad theft occurred in the final phase, resulting in the game ending with a 16 point spread. The game finished with Steve Shambeda in first place, followed by Richard Meyer, Jeff Mullet, and Jeff Jackson. In fifth place was Chris Meyer, and sixth place was claimed by Bart Pisarik. The blow-out percentages for these player’s second place finishes in the Semifinal were the highest of the 4 tables. On a side note, one of our players new to the game in 2023 returned and managed 2 wins to advance to this year’s Semifinal.

Many thanks to all who attended, showing up with positive attitudes and a desire to enjoy themselves. Hopefully, next year more players can find their way to our tables, allowing them to be exposed to this enjoyable game.