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Nick Benedict claimed his second Here I Stand title at the 2025 World Boardgaming Championships, edging Michael Dauer on a tiebreaker after both players finished the final with 26 victory points. Benedict, playing the Hapsburgs, secured the win with a decisive Turn 5 play of Master of Italy, earning two critical points by controlling Naples, Venice, Genoa, and newly acquired Florence. It was Benedict’s seventh consecutive appearance in the Final, a streak dating back to 2017, and his second championship after winning first in 2015.
Dauer, who led the Ottomans, took second place on the tiebreaker. England, played by Yannick Poirier, finished third with 22 points, followed by Ed Rothenheber (France, 20), Paul Grosser (Papacy, 19), and Llew Bardecki (Protestants, 15).
This year’s event drew 39 players, the strongest showing since 2019—and featured ten Heat games, including one three-player match. Winning Powers across the Heats were: Ottomans (3; Aaron Lipka, Brian Littman-Smith, Jacob Dyer), Hapsburgs (3; Dauer, Marvin Birnbaum, Benedict), Protestants (2; Justin Rice, Llew Bardecki), France (1; Steve Koehler), and England/Protestants (1; Poirier in the three-player game).
Dennis Mishler served as coach for our Tuesday night newbie game (won by Dyer as the Ottomans).
Semifinal victories went to Benedict (Protestants), Dauer (Hapsburgs), and Poirier (England).
Across the nine six-player Heat games, the average victory point totals by Power were: England (22.3), Hapsburgs (21.6), France (20.8), Protestants (19.6), Ottomans (18.8), and Papacy (17.1). Average order of finish tracked similarly, with Hapsburgs and England tied (2.8), followed by France (3.0), Protestants (3.8), Ottomans (3.9), and the Papacy (4.8).
Final Game Recap
Turn 1 - The major moment came at the very end of the turn when the Ottomans attempted an early strike on Buda. Dauer marched without spending a command point to control Szegedin, then rolled just one hit on 14 dice, his army was wiped out, and Hungary remained unaligned. England declared war on Scotland, with France intervening, but couldn’t finish the siege of Edinburgh. The Pope burned Carlstadt and Bucer, and the Protestants ended the turn at 0 spaces.
VPs after Turn 1 were Ottomans 10, Hapsburgs 13, England 11, France 15, Papacy 22, and Protestants 0.
Turn 2 - The Ottomans regrouped, building troops and taking Rhodes from the Knights. The Hapsburgs sent Magellan to the New World and he found the Pacific Straits but failed to circumnavigate. England successfully took Edinburgh. France had the biggest impact of the turn: taking Florence and benefiting from Sack of Rome, which the Protestants played on their behalf. The Pope shook off the loss of St. Peter’s points and cards to burn Tyndale, scoring seven hits on ten dice, leaving the Protestants space track at 0 again.
VPs after Turn 2 were Ottomans 10, Hapsburgs 15, England 13, France 15, Papacy 23, and Protestants 1.
Turn 3 - A relatively quiet round. Dauer finally took Buda. The Hapsburgs built troops and discovered the St. Lawrence. France conquered the Aztecs—without the help of Smallpox. But the biggest shift came from the Protestants, who surged from 0 to 22 spaces and launched the Reformation in earnest.
VPs after Turn 3 were Ottomans 16, Hapsburgs 19, England 15, France 19, Papacy 18, and Protestants 6.
Turn 4 - The Hapsburgs and Ottomans made peace and formed an alliance. Working together, the Turks declared war on the Pope and captured Ravenna and Rome, while the Hapsburgs took Venice. England celebrated the birth of a healthy Edward. France circumnavigated and attempted a Scottish raid on York, but it fizzled. The Papacy lost all its keys but managed to burn Olivetan and played Michael Servatus, pushing its permanent VP total to seven.
VPs after Turn 4 were Ottomans 20, Hapsburgs 21, England 18, France 23, Papacy 16, and Protestants 19.
Turn 5 - A long and pivotal diplomacy phase set the stage. The Hapsburgs, Ottomans, and England formed a three-way alliance. In a crucial deal, Benedict convinced France that the best way to prevent an Ottoman runaway was to trade and give up Florence in exchange for Metz. That trade added Florence to Benedict’s Italian holdings and turned his play of Master of Italy from one to two victory points, enough to bring his total to 26 and secure the title on tiebreakers.
Final Scores were: Hapsburgs 26 (1st), Ottomans 26 (2nd), England 22 (3rd), France 20 (4th), Papacy 19 (5th), and Protestants 15 (6th).
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Rice, Justin [6th Year]