Tournament Results

   Well, this is going to be short because it's late and I am tired, and there are no pictures because I was too busy trying to play to take photos. Sorry about that, because there were some really nice looking minis on the tables.

Game 1: Victory, 5-2

   The mission was Fighting Withdrawal." I played against a guy with, I think, pretty comparable skill level (mediocre). He was running an Italian tank company, so I was the defender. I made some mistakes, the biggest of which was forgetting to place an ambush of anti-tank guns the turn before his tanks assaulted my infantry in the objective. My air support made a big difference in the end, causing enough casualties in the last turn to force a company morale test, which he failed. There were lots of assaults, and my Indians proved how tough they are when defending the trenches.

Game 2: Victory, 4-3

   The mission was "Breakthrough." Again, I played someone of roughly equivalent skill level, and again I defended. This mission is not one of my favorites. It was a blue on blue situation as well, with the 'enemy' being an American Armoured Rifle Company. This victory was largely on the strength of his dice failing him on a couple of key points, mainly with two major units being pinned or bailed out, slowing his momentum. They did still wipe out my tank platoon in the second turn. I had fun bringing my Indian Pattern Carriers into his backfield, shooting up his nasty 105mm artillery. He also had some difficulty with his reinforcements bogging down in a wood, preventing them from bringing enough firepower onto the infantry platoon defending the objectives. My artillery was helpful, and air support made a difference again. I held a platoon in reserve one or two turns too long, and I forgot to move my portees again, which cost me that platoon (and made it 4-3). Honestly, I won this one by the skin of my teeth - time ran out and he was denied a 5-2 victory which he probably would have had in the next turn or two.

Game 3: Loss, 1-6

   The mission was "Dust Up." I played against Chris Jackson, a nationally ranked player running a German Armoured Pioneer Company. I got creamed. He played a very clean game, and was a great sport. I both made some serious mistakes and had some terrible luck. My air, for example, never came on the table the entire game. Eight turns, eighteen dice, and not one came up 5+. Also, my delayed reserves were very delayed. I lost before the first turn, however, as I had NO effective anti-tank on one flank, the very spot where his reinforcements would come into play. Additionally, he was ready for dug-in infantry with a platoon of SP guns with the "Bunker Buster" special ability (SiGs). In the end, Chris won 'Best General' in the tournament, for his scores in win/loss.

Results:

   I came in somewhere in the middle of the pack. I don't know what my actual placing was out of the sixteen players, as only about the top five were announced. I did get a $25 gift certificate for bringing a table, which helped offset the $35 entry fee. I won't be doing that again, though, as I heard several people complain about the table I set up. They felt that the North African desert was 'too open', with a village in the center of the table, a couple of largish rock outcrops, a palm grove, railroad, road... Fine. I won't bother to pack it up and drag it across town next time. Sound a bit childish of me? Probably. But it was incredibly rude on their part, when most of them didn't bring anything to help. I think this is my last FOW tournament. I've never really enjoyed them much, but I got lured into this one by a chance at part of the $1,000 worth of prize support. My lackluster performance, the expense of playing, the hassle getting stuff in and out and setup and taken down, the rude comments about what I did bring, and how tiring it is to play for almost 10 straight hours (only had 30 minutes for lunch because first game ran long)... offset by meeting a few new people (not that I played against anyone new - I've faced all three of my opponents before) and winning a minor prize. Just not enough reward. I should have stayed home and set up something to play against a friend down here.