The Glorious 6th of November

Dystopian Wars VA Autumn Event 2011

We had more than a dozen players for our DWVA Autumn Event which included three rounds of a Dystopian Wars tournament with 10 registered players and a 3-way exposition game of Uncharted Seas.

Here are the full rankings for the DW tournament:

1. Andy - Prussians

2. Kyle - CoA
3. Steve - CoA
4. Brian - CoA

5. Dave - KoB

6. John - Prussians

7. Trevor - KoB (with French leanings)

8. Greg - FSA

9. Nate - KoB

And, last but definitely not least, and only a mere 2 points behind Nate....

10. Jack - Empire of the Burning Sun

The first three placed players won store credit, and Andy also took the Best Painted Fleet prize. 

The runner-up for best painted fleet was our winner at the Uncharted Seas event last year, Mike with his incredible Orc ships.

We held our DWVA Autumn Event 2011 at The Game Vault which served as a good central location for players coming from the D.C. area to the north and Richmond to the south.  We used 6 tables which took up half the space in the main room while a group of Hordes players crammed into the back room.  But everyone was on time, we had pizza after Round 1, and we finished close to the time I had projected, everyone staying throughout the 8-hour event and playing in all rounds.  Several new players learned from playing against different opponents, and all seemed to enjoy themselves.

The setting for the event was the Mid-Atlantic, somewhere near Bermuda, where a Swedish scientific expedition had discovered a strange vortex, and the powerful nations of the world quickly dispatched fleets to converge on the area.  The first round involved 400 point advanced recon forces with no support (or cards) moving to photograph mysterious islands and return the intelligence to the main fleet for analysis.

We had a strong showing of Covenant forces with 3 players bringing their Antarctican fleets. 

New player Brian played well, asking plenty of questions, beat each of his three opponents and placed 4th overall in accumulated Victory Points.  The Covenant fleets, all together, scored the most Victory Points between scenario objectives and sinking enemy ships, and won control of the mysterious vortex in the Mid-Atlantic.

We had 3 fleets each representing the Covenant and Kingdom of Britania.  Unfortunately, during the second round when our respective commanders moved their forces to join their main fleets, two KoB forces came within sight of each other and, mistaking each other for enemy forces, opened fire.  Or maybe that one player with the borrowed KoB fleet was actually working to achieve gains for the French....

British fleets clashed again in the third round.  Maybe the proximity of such a powerful vortex corrupted the minds of the fleet commanders, leading them to think they could control the vortex for personal power.  I enjoyed, personally, watching two British dreadnoughts exchange broadsides at nearly point-blank range.

The third round matched the two highest scored players, the Prussians against the Covenant in their arctic camoflage.  The vortex between the 4 mysterious floating domes slowed time so that ships within the area could fire all of their weapons twice as fast; but they had to keep moving as any ship coming to a full stop would be pulled down into the vortex.

Andy eventually won overall, not only winning all three rounds but accumulating the most Victory Points by achieving scenario objectives and capturing enemy ships with his elite Prussian rocket marines.  Having two Dystopian Wars fleets already painted, including ground forces for both, he found something in the Game Vault to purchase with his prize money.

We had two Prussian fleets, but only one each representing the Federated States of American and the Empire of the Blazing Sun.  

The Imperial fleet continued to fight despite losses, first to the FSA, then to the British, and last to the Prussians.  But I thought he played well and stuck through the entire event, and I awarded him the coveted prize for most courageous defeat.  Perhaps the bright red circles painted on the hulls of his white ships declared the defiance of the Blazing Sun sailors, but it also made a good target for opposing fleet gunners.  As a Blazing Sun player myself, I had high hopes for this fleet at the start, and Jack demonstrated good sportsmanship throughout despite his losses.

Meanwhile, off to the side, we had a 3-way game of Uncharted Seas, 600 point fleets of Shroud Mages and Orcs facing each other while a 400 point force of Thaniras Elves moved into retrieve a magic item on the fortress island between all fleets.

The Elven fleet had the wind in their faces and made slow progress toward the island during the first few turns of the game, moving toward the Shroud Mages side of the sea to avoid the Orc cruisers looming off the port bow.

But the main force of the Orc fleet, with the wind on their quarter, moved toward the Shroud Mages and scored some damage with ranged shot. 

The tide turned for the Orcs, however, when the Elven capital ships fired their broadsides to damage all three cruisers while a green dragon circled around to the aft of the cruiser squadron to drench Orc marines in acid.  Near the island the SM ripper sub surfaced and tore a severe hole below the waterline of the Carnage class heavy cruiser (represented by the Skaven ship from Dreadfleet).  In the end the Shroud Mages maintained a full squadron of small ships which maneuvered behind the Orc battle line, but the Elves swooped in to seize the island in the end and win the battle.