afrika korps as part of Grognardcon
once more behind the sand dunes ...
Grognardcon is a special
Pre-con consisting of an amalgam of eight of the old classic
hex-style wargames under the watchful eye of GM Bruno Sinigaglio:
Afrika Korps, Anzio, Bulge '81, Fortress Europa, Gettysburg,
Panzerblitz, Panzergruppe Guderian and Waterloo. All
eight use the Free Format scheduling device which allows players
to schedule preliminary games at their convenience. Play as many
or as few preliminary games as you like but only your best three
results in each game will determine the four finalists to advance
to Single Elimination play at the end of the week. Each event
will be turned over it its own GM on Tuesday for reolution in
the normal manner - the only difference is that participation
in Grognardcon gives you three additional days to qualify with
preliminary games in the events of your choice. Play at Grognardcon
is free to all Tribune level members and subject to an additional
fee for all others.
WBC FREE FORM FORMAT. This Tournament uses a Swiss
Elimination format for the preliminary rounds followed by a Single
Elimination format for the four players with the best performances
during the Swiss segment. Entrants may play multiple games during
the Swiss segment, which begins during the PRECON on Saturday,
29 July 2006 and which concludes during the CON on Friday, 4
August 2006. Best performances will be determined as described
below in paragraph 4.
SCHEDULE. The schedule consists of three segments,
GROGNARD PRECON Swiss, CON Swiss and CON Playoffs (Semifinals
and Final).
a. GROGNARD PRECON SWISS. The PRECON Swiss Segment consists of
four daily heats: Saturday 0900, Sunday 0900, Monday 0900 and
Tuesday 0900. The PRECON Swiss Segment continues through Tuesday,
1900 hours, 1 August 2006,
whereupon the CON Swiss Segment begins. Essentially, the PRECON
Swiss Segment simply continues unabated into the CON.
b. CON SWISS. The CON Swiss Segment consists of four daily heats:
Tuesday 1900, Wednesday 1000, Thursday 0900 and Friday 0900.
The Swiss Segment ends on Friday at 2300 hours, at which time
the four players with the best performances during the Swiss
Segments will advance into the Playoffs.
c. CON Playoffs. All games played during the Swiss Segment, which
includes the PRECON Swiss and the CON Swiss, will be used to
determine the four best players. The two-round playoffs begin
Saturday, 5 August 2006 with the Semifinals at 0900 hours.
OFFICIAL RULES: The official tournament rules in effect
will be the 3rd edition (1980) rules, supplemented by the interpretation
of those rules as set forth in the Avalon Hill General
Vol 18, No 1 article by Frank Priessle. Copies of these will
be available for players who need them prior to the start of
the tournament.
LOCATION: The primary location for the GROGNARD PRECON
start of the tournament will be Heritage starting Saturday at
9 AM and in the Marietta on Sunday through Tuesday 5 pm. Regular
CON play will take place in the Marietta through Friday evening.
AREA RATINGS: Although AREA ratings will NOT be used to
determine pairings, All games in this tournament will be AREA
rated. All players without an AREA rating will be given a starting
rating of 5000 for tournament and recording purposes.
PAIRINGS: Pairings in the Free Form system are made with
whomever is available to play during either the GROGNARD PRECON
or regular WBC. Players receive 10 points for each win and 0
points for a loss. Players must play a minimum of three games
to be considered for the playoffs. If there are ties, then strength
of schedule is used. For example, for each game that your top
three opponents have won among them, you receive a bonus of 2
points each. This scoring system gives players an incentive
to seek out the strongest players for matches early on.
SIDE DETERMINATION AND BIDDING FOR SUPPLIES: The following
procedure will be used to determine sides:
1. Each player will hide an AFK piece of the color indicating
the side they wish to play (blue for British, pink for Germans).
They then reveal their choices simultaneously. If the sides selected
are different, play proceeds as normal using the AFK supply table
to determine supplies.
2. If both players want the same side, they MUST BID SUPPLIES
FOR SIDES.
The procedure is as follows:
The players bid a supply handicap for their choice of sides.
The two players will roll a die to determine who begins the bidding,
with the higher die roll being given that choice. If both players
want the German side, the number bid represents the number of
extra supplies the British player can declare "sunk"
in addition to those that are sunk by the supply table during
the course of the game. For example, if the German player has
bid two supplies for the right to play his side, then the British
player has the right to sink any two supplies that the German
would otherwise receive as a result of his supply roll at the
beginning of the turn. (Given the vagaries of the supply table,
this can get really nasty.) If both players want the British
side, then the number bid represents the number of "free
supplies" that the German may get during the game. The German
player may choose to claim these supplies right at the beginning
with his initial setup, or he may use them to nullify any "sunk"
result on the supply table during the course of the game. Once
the bidding has been completed and sides determined, players
should write down any supply handicap that was bid on their 3X5
cards for that game and keep track of the number used.
KEEPING NOTES ON GAMES: On a separate sheet (which the
GM will provide) players should make notes about the distinguishing
features of their individual games so that your friendly GM will
be able to record the noteworthy events for the WBC Yearbook
entry on the AFK tournament. The more material I receive, the
more justice I will be able to do to the tournament players in
the writeup. That should be enough for your planning purposes.
A FINAL NOTE: Although matches are not being timed due
to the GROGNATD PRECON and Free Form tournament format, rule
disputes may still arise. In the event that I am not around
to rule on disputes, or it happens to be a game I am playing
my three Assistant GMs, Bruno Sinigaglio, Randy Heller, and Vince
Meconi will rule on any disputes, or in extreme cases, adjudications
of games. Because of this tournament format, it is in the interest
of all players to play as quickly as reasonably possible.
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