Commencing
in 2002, the BPA offered the Caesar Award as the crowning achievement of
its many competitions. As they say: “To the victor goes the laurels!”
This honor went to the player who accumulated the most laurels over the
course of the BPA year (including the pre-WBC weekend, mini-cons and PBeM
events) as measured from one WBC to the start of the next.
Laurels were
earned for each of the top six places in every event offered. The level
of points earned for a given event was directly related to the event’s
prize level rating. Thus, the bigger and longer events offered more laurels
to the top players. Century events offered more laurels than Trial or PBeM
events but they all counted in determining the BPA’s top annual competitor.
Every BPA member was automatically entered into this championship hunt.
The more you played, the more chances you had to score. Scoring is automatic
and requires no extra effort by either GM or player. For each event, laurels
were awarded by multiplying the Event prize level times the rank to yield
laurels earned.
Event
Prize Level |
6
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Rank:
1st (10) |
60
|
50
|
40
|
30
|
20
|
10
|
Rank:
2nd (6) |
36
|
30
|
24
|
18
|
12
|
6
|
Rank:
3rd (4) |
24
|
20
|
16
|
12
|
8
|
4
|
Rank:
4th (3) |
18
|
15
|
12
|
9
|
6
|
3
|
Rank:
5th (2) |
12
|
10
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
Rank:
6th (1) |
6
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
A player earned laurels equal to his rank times the prize level rating. For
example:
a) 1776 is worth two prizes. The 4th place player would earn
3x2= 6 laurels.
b) The winner of ASL (six prizes) would earn 10x6 = 60 laurels.
c) The 6th place player of History of the World (six prizes) would
earn 1x6= 6 laurels.
d) The 4th place player of We The People (four prizes) would earn
3x4= 12 laurels.
PBeM tournaments were worth one prize. The winner of any PBeM event would
earn 10 laurels, the runner-up 6 laurels, and so on down the line.
The Caesar was
awarded to the BPA member who earned
the most laurels
over the course of the BPA year without a
sportsmanship
disqualification and was honored as our competitor of
the year—regardless of his/her choice in games.
Event Eligibility: Junior, Teen, and Demo events are not eligible. All other
BPA tournaments (including Trials, mini-cons and PBeM tournments) are eligible.
Tie-Breaker Procedure: Should there be a tie for most laurels at
the end of the BPA competition year, the tie will be broken by reducing the
number of tied players by using the following measures in order until there
is but one remaining:
- Best
Win: number of laurels scored in single best win;
- Wins: number
of event wins;
- Entrants:
number of total participants in scored events;
- Events:
number of scored events;
- Head-to-Head:
most laurels in a common event in which all remaining tied entrants scored;
- Total player
hours in all events played; player hours in PBeM events will be estimated
as if played live FTF; and
- Dice roll.
The Caesar Award
replaces the Classic Ironman in the BPA pantheon of honors. CIM will no
longer be contested. The definition of what constituted an eligible classic
game was too subjective. Now, the entire universe of BPA competitions is
covered by a system that embraces the BPA prize policy and is simple to
score and understand. Moreover, it encourages play year ’round in the BPA’s
many mini-cons and PBeM tournaments as well—bringing everything together
under one standardized scoring umbrella.
Neither short
nor long games are disenfranchised. Euros, wargames, sports and family
games are all covered and given a fairly-weighted, common denominator allowing
all to compete on an even playing field. While critics may contend that
one camp or another has an inherent advantage, all are given consideration
in a compromise solution that best addresses the needs of the entire spectrum
of the BPA games-playing universe. As they say in sports, let’s prove it
on the playing field—and whatever you do—don’t rest on your laurels!
Current Caesar Scoring
The Caesar Award, being a new concept, is very much a work in progress.
As a result of feedback received during the initial year, we made the following
scoring changes.
- The 2003
Caesar Award was based solely on competitions at WBC 2003 inclusive of
its three Pre-Con events.
- The 2004
Caesar Award was based on all BPA events following WBC 2003 until
the end of WBC 2004.
- Henceforth,
laurels will be determined after the competition, based on the prize
level earned by the event in the year in which the competition is held
and will have nothing to do with the number of plaques awarded. Scheduling
bonus levels, membership votes and prior year performance will not enter
into the calculation. This will apply to all BPA events, whether email,
mini-con or WBC. This means, among other things, that email events
may be worth as many laurels as, or more than, their WBC counterparts.
The drawback to such changes is that the simplicity of the system takes
a hit and the exact number of laurels at stake in any event will not be known
until the event ends and the paperwork is completed.
Since the purpose of the Caesar Award is to promote competitive boardgaming
at all BPA tournaments, the award will continue to include all events run
by the BPA and not just those of the WBC except for the transition year of
2003.
Future projects
include a tabulation of all lifetime laurels earned retroactive to the
start of the BPA in 1999—both overall—and for individual events. The latter is
already in place on each event’s report
page.
Caesar Results
|
|
|
Stefan Mecay
2010 – 182
Laurels
|
Stefan Mecay
2009 – 295
Laurels
|
Alex Bove
2008 – 159
Laurels
|
|
|
|
Raphael Lehrer
2007 – 170
Laurels
|
Jeff
Mullet
2006 – 166
Laurels
|
Arthur
Field
2005 – 224 Laurels
|
|
|
|
James
Pei
2004 – 293 Laurels
|
Nicholas
Benedict
2003 – 113 Laurels
|
Marvin
Birnbaum
2002 – 146 Laurels
|