Dystopian Wars Virginia Team Tournament

We had several players cancel at the last minute to prepare for the oncoming storm, but we had 7 players show up--Zach played his first game during round 2 and I teamed up with Kyle in the final round so everyone could play.

This is my favorite situation captured during a game between FSA and French naval fleets; a French Battleship and Carrier loom above a lone surviving frigate--broken, 1 HP remaining, and it has already activated.

DW Flag Decals for Registering Players

One more day left to register for the DWVA Autumn Event at the Game Vault on Sunday, October 28th and get one of these DW flag decals.

Players registering with me by Sunday, October 7th can pick up a free 5x8 inch flag decal the morning of the event.

Deadline for registration is October 21st or 16 players, whichever comes first.  Contact me on the Spartan Games forum or at ManBattleStations.com to register, or leave a comment below!

Registering for Next DWVA Event

WHAT:  A special team-based event. Players must register as a 2-player team or individually registered players will be matched with other individually registered players. The rounds will be linked in a mini-campaign with victory declared for the leading team at the end of the event.
WHEN:  Sunday, October 28th, starting at 10:30 am.
WHERE:  The Game Vault, Fredericksburg, VA
FORCES:  750 point force compositions; at least 1 force per team is Naval Core and 1 force per team is Armored Core.  Players may bring multiple force compositions as long as the 2 basic requirements are met.
COST:  $5 per registered player.

(Format details follow)

Historicon Afterthoughts

I attended Historicon the other week and it was the first gaming convention I had ever attended.  In fact, it was the first convention of anything I had ever attended since I accompanied my father to the Cow Palace in San Francisco Bay Area a few decades ago for a gun show.

I can't really put the experience into words.  Except that I distinctly remember many hours spent in my grandfather's basement when I was a young boy and paging through model railroading magazines, picturing in my mind what it might look like with scale equivalent model soldiers marching across the train tracks featured in all those magazine photos.  And at Historicon I saw those faded childhood fantasies brought to life on several score of tables.

Historicon 2012

I had never attended a gaming convention before this weekend's Historicon 2012.  I almost attended last year, but with the new venue only 30 miles from where I live this year I had no reason not to attend.  I decided to try to experience the full range of the event, from participating in games to hosting a demo event for Dystopian Wars.  With loaned models and help from local DW players we provided a basic run through of the game for 2 sets of 4 players, and plenty of others stopped by Saturday morning just to see what was going on and pick up some flyers.

Later that day I spotted some familiar models incorporated into a scratchbuilt model of an airship for a Victorian Martian scenario.  Great stuff all around.

The Glorious 3rd of June!

Sunday, June 3rd, at The Game Vault in Fredericksburg, VA
1st Round: 600 Point Naval Core Force
2nd Round: 600 Point Armored Core Force
3rd Round: 900 Point Force--Land, Sea, & Air!

Players matched by random draw.
STAR cards in play for all rounds.
Force organization for Tournament Game according to pg. 42 DW rules.

DWVA Spring Event

Our DW event this past Sunday, the first of April, was attended by 10 registered players and, despite, my "last-minute" adjustment to the scoring system, was enjoyed by all (and I learned a few things for the next event in June).

Joe won with the most accumulated Objective Points over two rounds of play (the first round involved team-based scenarios), and the alliance between FSA, CoA, and KoB carried the day.  We had a 3-way tie for 2nd place, and Andy "Ruckdog" won the popular vote for "best-painted force" along with the trophy for most epic defeat and our Garbage Scow Captain title.

Tournament in Ten Days

I'm making the final edits in the scenarios, putting together some more buildings and bridges, getting the word out, and thinking about what I want for the next Dystopian Wars event.  For the DWVA Spring Event, only ten days out now, I mostly wanted to set up a day of some fun games for both experienced and new players.  At least two players planning to attend only own a naval starter box while several others have more than a thousand points in naval and armored models each, so I wanted a format which would welcome the new players while still providing some variety for the more experienced players. 

Demo Games Day

My friend Shades organized a demo games day at a local game store and I ran Uncharted Seas while Ruckdog ran Dystopian Wars, representing Spartan Games among a half dozen "alternative" tabletop games (read: no GW, PP, or Flames of War).  We saw a good turnout and intend to do another event along the same lines again in the near future.

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.

DW Tournament

Place: The Game Vault, Fredericksburg, VA

Date: Sunday, November 6th
Time: Dice roll at 11am
Cost: $5
Prizes: 1st Place: 50% of all entry fees, 2nd Place: 30% of all entry fees, 3rd Place: 20% of all entry fees

Because of the demand for something including Uncharted Seas, I'm also going to run a multi-player scenario for Uncharted Seas starting at noon.  Only DW players will pay the $5 entry fee and be eligible for victory winnings for the DW event.  The "best painted fleet" by secret ballot, however, will be open to both DW and US players.

Naval Clash in the Bermuda Triangle
Fleets from all corners of the globe clash in the Bermuda Triangle in search for and take control of a Sturginium Gate rumored to be recently discovered in the area.

Winning Conditions:  Three rounds will be resolved between random pairings by lottery of players and their respective fleets.  Accumulated Victory Point scores from all rounds combined will determine first, second, and third place winners.  Each player will participate in 3 different scenarios against opponents.  Late players may be allowed to participate, but only in remaining rounds.

Fleet composition:  400 and 800 point fleets according to Tournament Game specifications according to DW rule book page 28.  In each fleet there must be at least 1 squadron each of Small, Medium, and Large.  Painted models are not required.  Different fleet compositions may be used in each round, and the 400 point may be part of or completely separate from the 800 point force.  Please bring a copy of your fleet lists to share which include ship and squadron point costs as a courtesy to your opponents.

Special Conditions:  This is primarily a naval engagement; land units may be included in fleet lists, but deployment and area of operations for land units will be severely limited by the few islands involved in scenarios; include steam tanks with your force at your own risk.

Air Support:  The contested area is far out to sea, beyond the range of Tiny Flyers from land airstrips.  Bombers are within range as well as Tiny Flyers attached to carriers.  But no 10 free tokens of Tiny Flyers are allowed in any rounds.

Victory Points:  VP will be counted according to enemy ships destroyed and damaged beyond 50% in addition to bonuses for completing objectives according to respective scenarios.  Scenario objectives will be revealed at the start of the respective rounds of the tournament.  Each registered player starting the tournament on time will be able to participate in all three different scenarios.

Registration:  Pre-registered players on the DWVA forum will receive a custom badge at the start of the event.  Register at:  http://www.etcinversus.com/dw/forum/

Special Prize:  Also, we'll have a secret ballot among all players for the best painted fleet, DW or US, and I'll personally buy a paint pot of the winner's choice and award a certificate suitable for display in the admiral's quarters.