Yankees Triumphant ... and not
just in the World Series
Gettysburg '88 remained a Trial event with a small
following. The format was single elimination with random pairings.
All games used Scenario 6f (the 3-day battle). The initiative
chit was mandatory and all use of other optional rules were left
to the discretion of the players.
Three of the four semi-finalists repeated from 1999 - Allen
Kaplan, Vince Meconi and Bill Place. First time competitor Ken
Whitesell was the other. In one semi-final, Bill Place defeated
Ken Whitesell. In the other, Vince Meconi edged two-time Champion
Allen Kaplan in a repeat of their 1999 Championship match.
Finalists Meconi and Place chose to use no optional rules,
other than the initiative chit. Not using double-range artillery
subtly alters the tactics customarily used. Place, playing the
Confederates, suffered a couple of tough die rolls on July 1st,
and was undermanned going into the second day. However, he maneuvered
extremely well, at one point withdrawing into a redoubt around
McPherson's Woods, and later retaking Little Round Top and hex
I-11 at the other end of the board! Unfortunately for the Rebs,
Meconi's Union "ants" were too numerous by the start
of July 3rd, boasting 20 divisions to the Confederates' seven.
The Union eventually surrounded all remaining Rebel units and
eliminated them. Defending champion Meconi held serve by playing
the Union in every game, after playing the Confederates in every
game last year. Although entitled to a bye as defending champion
by convention rules, Meconi played all four rounds - adding wins
over Ric Manns and Dave Zimmerman in the early rounds.
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