The Great War

[hwhrhett]

Casual Tournaments: Quest For The Stars - Silver

this is being listed under the banner on top for the great war challenge... this is not a part of that challenge is it?

[Dukasaur]

Casual Tournaments: Quest For The Stars - Silver

this is being listed under the banner on top for the great war challenge... this is not a part of that challenge is it?

No, it's not.

Technical glitch. Should be fixed soon. The Great War tournament that should have launched today is Race to the Sea.

[thelord]

Race to the sea. I'm getting message have already joined another in the series???

[Dukasaur]

Race to the sea. I'm getting message have already joined another in the series???

Fixed. I hope.

[Kid Moe]

wes.jackson24 deadbeats all his games in the final of the Battle of Cer. These are 4 player assassin games. Unlike standard escalating games when the person deadbeats his territories go to neutral and not the end of the world, in assassin game territories do not go to neutral, they go to another player, which causes an unfair advantage for all. This needs to be addressed. A suggestion would be to remake the games with the next player in line, in this case the player who finished 5th would be in the final 4. This is just an FYI.

[Dukasaur]

wes.jackson24 deadbeats all his games in the final of the Battle of Cer. These are 4 player assassin games. Unlike standard escalating games when the person deadbeats his territories go to neutral and not the end of the world, in assassin game territories do not go to neutral, they go to another player, which causes an unfair advantage for all. This needs to be addressed. A suggestion would be to remake the games with the next player in line, in this case the player who finished 5th would be in the final 4. This is just an FYI.

If this was a manually-run tournament, we might have done that. Opening up an autotournament and remaking games is much more difficult.

I understand that you've gotten screwed as a result of this, but it does happen in Assassin games all the time. Someone deadbeats, and the kill you're perfectly set up for is now completely impossible. If anything, I would make a wider suggestion that maybe Assassin games should automatically transform to Terminator if someone deadbeats. That's totally outside of the scope of my powers here, though.

[iAmCaffeine]

wes.jackson24 deadbeats all his games in the final of the Battle of Cer. These are 4 player assassin games. Unlike standard escalating games when the person deadbeats his territories go to neutral and not the end of the world, in assassin game territories do not go to neutral, they go to another player, which causes an unfair advantage for all. This needs to be addressed. A suggestion would be to remake the games with the next player in line, in this case the player who finished 5th would be in the final 4. This is just an FYI.

If this was a manually-run tournament, we might have done that. Opening up an autotournament and remaking games is much more difficult.

I understand that you've gotten screwed as a result of this, but it does happen in Assassin games all the time. Someone deadbeats, and the kill you're perfectly set up for is now completely impossible. If anything, I would make a wider suggestion that maybe Assassin games should automatically transform to Terminator if someone deadbeats. That's totally outside of the scope of my powers here, though.

Since when does this happen?

Last I knew the territories went neutral and the target of whoever deadbeat becomes the deadbeat's assassin's target.

[shoop76]

wes.jackson24 deadbeats all his games in the final of the Battle of Cer. These are 4 player assassin games. Unlike standard escalating games when the person deadbeats his territories go to neutral and not the end of the world, in assassin game territories do not go to neutral, they go to another player, which causes an unfair advantage for all. This needs to be addressed. A suggestion would be to remake the games with the next player in line, in this case the player who finished 5th would be in the final 4. This is just an FYI.

If this was a manually-run tournament, we might have done that. Opening up an autotournament and remaking games is much more difficult.

I understand that you've gotten screwed as a result of this, but it does happen in Assassin games all the time. Someone deadbeats, and the kill you're perfectly set up for is now completely impossible. If anything, I would make a wider suggestion that maybe Assassin games should automatically transform to Terminator if someone deadbeats. That's totally outside of the scope of my powers here, though.

Since when does this happen?

Last I knew the territories went neutral and the target of whoever deadbeat becomes the deadbeat's assassin's target.

Pretty sure they did become neutral. I had him as a target in 2 games as well and agree that it messed up the tournament, but I believe we all had the same problem. These kind of problems happen often in autotournaments.

[iAmCaffeine]

wes.jackson24 deadbeats all his games in the final of the Battle of Cer. These are 4 player assassin games. Unlike standard escalating games when the person deadbeats his territories go to neutral and not the end of the world, in assassin game territories do not go to neutral, they go to another player, which causes an unfair advantage for all. This needs to be addressed. A suggestion would be to remake the games with the next player in line, in this case the player who finished 5th would be in the final 4. This is just an FYI.

If this was a manually-run tournament, we might have done that. Opening up an autotournament and remaking games is much more difficult.

I understand that you've gotten screwed as a result of this, but it does happen in Assassin games all the time. Someone deadbeats, and the kill you're perfectly set up for is now completely impossible. If anything, I would make a wider suggestion that maybe Assassin games should automatically transform to Terminator if someone deadbeats. That's totally outside of the scope of my powers here, though.

Since when does this happen?

Last I knew the territories went neutral and the target of whoever deadbeat becomes the deadbeat's assassin's target.

Pretty sure they did become neutral. I had him as a target in 2 games as well and agree that it messed up the tournament, but I believe we all had the same problem. These kind of problems happen often in autotournaments.

That would make a lot more sense.

Unfortunately auto-tournaments come with this kind of potential disadvantage, but hopefully they can be tweaked as time goes on.

[Dukasaur]

wes.jackson24 deadbeats all his games in the final of the Battle of Cer. These are 4 player assassin games. Unlike standard escalating games when the person deadbeats his territories go to neutral and not the end of the world, in assassin game territories do not go to neutral, they go to another player, which causes an unfair advantage for all. This needs to be addressed. A suggestion would be to remake the games with the next player in line, in this case the player who finished 5th would be in the final 4. This is just an FYI.

If this was a manually-run tournament, we might have done that. Opening up an autotournament and remaking games is much more difficult.

I understand that you've gotten screwed as a result of this, but it does happen in Assassin games all the time. Someone deadbeats, and the kill you're perfectly set up for is now completely impossible. If anything, I would make a wider suggestion that maybe Assassin games should automatically transform to Terminator if someone deadbeats. That's totally outside of the scope of my powers here, though.

Since when does this happen?

Last I knew the territories went neutral and the target of whoever deadbeat becomes the deadbeat's assassin's target.

Pretty sure they did become neutral. I had him as a target in 2 games as well and agree that it messed up the tournament, but I believe we all had the same problem. These kind of problems happen often in autotournaments.

That would make a lot more sense.

Unfortunately auto-tournaments come with this kind of potential disadvantage, but hopefully they can be tweaked as time goes on.

Yeah, the territories do go neutral.

The problem with deadbeats in assassin games is that the person who was the target of the deadbeater generally gets a big advantage, since the deadbeater failed to attack him for three turns. It's not so huge in 7- or 8- player assassin games, but it's huge in 4- player assassin games, as these were. Basically, I think (although I don't know for sure) the winner in each of the games was wes jackson's target.

Still, it's a problem of assassin games in general, not a problem specific to the Great War series or even to auto-tournaments. The only reason I was apologising was that if these were manual tournaments, I might been persuaded to remake the games, but with this being an autotournament it wasn't even an option.

[Kid Moe]

I apologize for typing they did not go neutral, i thought they didn't......I just brought this up to address it now to have a plan for the future, unfortunately for me, by him dead beating it killed me the most......oh well....life happens......it was a good tourny regardless

[stealth99]

Can we please try to include "expiry dates" in the tourney labels, so we can plan around how much time we have to join these things. Given that we have to earn tokens by playing reg games on maps that are limited and getting quite old, it's nice to at least know how much time we have to join. Thanks.

[elonpuckhog]

Can we please try to include "expiry dates" in the tourney labels, so we can plan around how much time we have to join these things. Given that we have to earn tokens by playing reg games on maps that are limited and getting quite old, it's nice to at least know how much time we have to join. Thanks.

If you look in this thread in the current tournies, it lists when it expires.

[shoop76]

Can't we make a restriction that a player must have a certain percentage of turns taken? Probably 97%. There are organizers that ask for this in the community tournaments. This would considerably reduce this problem.

[Dukasaur]

Can we please try to include "expiry dates" in the tourney labels, so we can plan around how much time we have to join these things. Given that we have to earn tokens by playing reg games on maps that are limited and getting quite old, it's nice to at least know how much time we have to join. Thanks.

If you look in this thread in the current tournies, it lists when it expires.

Yes, usually I put it right in the spoiler head of the tournament, although once in a while I forget.

http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=207817&p=4556459#p4556459

I forgot this time, but it's now fixed. Generally speaking, most of the autotourneys have had a 7-day timer. Only a few had a different time.

Can't we make a restriction that a player must have a certain percentage of turns taken? Probably 97%. There are organizers that ask for this in the community tournaments. This would considerably reduce this problem.

That's a good idea. I don't know if it's technically feasible. I'll ask bigWham about it.

[elonpuckhog]

Can't we make a restriction that a player must have a certain percentage of turns taken? Probably 97%. There are organizers that ask for this in the community tournaments. This would considerably reduce this problem.

I'm not sure that fixes the issue, unless you're looking at the restriction before each round begins.

[shoop76]

Can't we make a restriction that a player must have a certain percentage of turns taken? Probably 97%. There are organizers that ask for this in the community tournaments. This would considerably reduce this problem.

I'm not sure that fixes the issue, unless you're looking at the restriction before each round begins.

Don't think it will totally fix the issue, but I think it will severely reduce it.

[Dukasaur]

A new DoomYoshi tournament:
[spoiler=the black sea raid 1500 jan 31st to 1500 feb 7th]The Black Sea Raid

After his famous escape with the Goeben, Admiral Souchon became an Ottoman commander. In late October 2014, he commanded a squadron of battlecruisers, cruisers and minelayers. The Turkish government would not enter the war, but Souchon was charismatic and managed to attract somewhat of a cult following with the Turkish officers. Souchon's fleet began a training exercise, which was in reality a sneak attack. The Ottomans raided Russian ports, trying to capture ships unsuspecting. The main fleet was in Sevastopol, but the major Ottoman victory came on October 29th, in Odessa, where few (if any) damage was taken.

Round One: Start with 32 players
That a German admiral caused the Ottomans to enter the war only stresses the importance of naval battles in this war. It also reminds me of the story with Doctor Strangelove
1v1 3 games, 1 on Duck and Cover, 1 on Arms Race, 1 on Random, Esc-Cha-Fog

Round Two: 16 Players continue, score reset
Having a large, mobile force able to conduct surprise raids is an amazing tactic. We have two land maps, in which you can strike at Odessa by coming out from the shadows.
4 4-player games. Fog, Nuclear, 30 rounds, Parachute; 2 on Napoleonic Europe, 2 on WWII Eastern Front

Round Three: 12 players advance
Since the Russians declared war on the Ottoman Empire on Nov 1st, in direct retaliation to these raids, we need to include the WWI Ottoman map.
a)1 12 person Escalating Assassin game
b)2 6-person Flat Rate, Adjacent 30 round games
c)3 1v1 games random settings

The final 10 games determine who wins![/spoiler]

[Dukasaur]

Archive of the auto-tournaments from Sept. 17th to Dec. 24th, 2014:

[spoiler=Battle of Cer, 10 PM Sep 17 - 10 PM Sep 21]Level 2: Battle of Cer 15-19 August:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cer

The Battle of Cer was fought between Austria-Hungary and Serbia in August 1914 during the early stages of the Serbian Campaign of the First World War. It took place around Cer Mountain and several surrounding villages, as well as the town of Šabac.

The battle, part of the first Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia, began on the night of 15 August when elements of the Serbian 1st Combined Division encountered Austro-Hungarian outposts that had been established on the slopes of Cer Mountain earlier in the invasion. The clashes that followed escalated into a battle for control over several towns and villages near the mountain, especially Šabac. On 19 August, the morale of the Austro-Hungarians collapsed and thousands of soldiers retreated back into Austria-Hungary, many of them drowning in the Drina River as they fled in panic. On 24 August the Serbs re-entered Šabac, marking the end of the battle. Serbian casualties after nearly ten days of fighting were 3,000–5,000 killed and 15,000 wounded. Those of the Austro-Hungarians were significantly higher, with 6,000–10,000 soldiers killed, 30,000 wounded and 4,500 taken as prisoners of war. The Serb victory over the Austro-Hungarians marked the first Allied victory over the Central Powers in the First World War, and the first aerial dogfight of the war took place during the battle.

Tournament Format

20 players.

Each round players play 5 games: 2 on the Austro-Hungarian Empire map, 2 on the Balkan Peninsula map, and 1 on King of the Mountains.
Round 1: All games 5-player Standard. All games foggy, to represent the confusion that reigned in the beginning. Spoils flat, nuclear, no spoil, zombie. Forts adjacent, parachute, no fort.
Round 2: No eliminations, all 20 continue. All games 4-player Terminator. All games escalating, to represent the rapid escalation of the battle. Random fog, sun. Forts chained, unlimited.
Round 3: No eliminations, all 20 continue. All games 2-player Polymorphic Trips. All games foggy, escalating, adjacent.
Round 4: Scores reset, top 4 advance. All games 4-player Assassin. All games sunny, no spoils, unlimited.


Cost of Entry: 3 tokens
Prizes 1st Place: 1 Cyan Star, 5 Orange Stars, 1 Battle Medal
2nd Place: 8 Silver Stars, 1 Battle Medal
3rd and 4th Place, 1 Silver Star
-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Black and Aegean Seas 12 AM Sep 18 - 12 AM Sep 22]Alternate History Tournament

Phase 1: Frothing at the Ballast
Millions of Russians went into war. Admiral Andrei Augustovitch Eberhardt had been waiting to use his Russian Black Sea Fleet to strike at Constantinople. Turkey and Russia were not at war yet though, so the boats sat silent.


Phase 2: Third Balkan War?
Both Turkey and Greece had been buying up warships from anyone who would sell them in the years leading up to the outbreak of war. Once again, in the Summer of 1914, the boats sat silent.

Phase 3: The Battle for Cyprus
There would have been no better time for the Greeks to stake a claim for Cyprus. It had a large Greek population. It was officially controlled by the Ottoman Empire but had been occupied by Britain since 1878. However, the boats sat silent.

Phase 4: Triple Alliance
The Greatest of the Battles that Weren't during the early months of the war was an Austro-Italian war against France. As it has been put:
"Had Italy entered the war on the Austro-German side one thing would have been certain. A great naval battle would have occured in the Mediterranean, probably in the Tyrrhenian. Both sides planned for it... the forces would have been evenly balanced." Paul Halpern, The Mediterranean Naval Situation

Many war plans were made. Austria vs Italy; Austria and Italy versus France and vice versa. Yet the boats sat silent.

Tournament Format:
32 Players Bracket (with score reset):
All rounds have standard settings 1v1 with random spoils and random fog
Round 1: 1 game on Soviet Union, 1 on WWI Ottoman Empire, 1 on Random Map
Round 2: 3 games on Peloppenasian War
Round 3: 3 games on Cyprus
Round 4: 3 games on Eurasia Mini
Round 5: 5 games on Random Map!

Cost of Entry: 3 tokens
Prizes 1st Place: 1 Cyan Star, 5 Orange Stars, 1 Battle Medal
2nd Place: 8 Silver Stars, 1 Battle Medal
3rd and 4th Place, 1 Silver Star
- DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Battle of Antivari, 5 AM Sep 18 - 5 AM Sep 22]Level 1: The Battle of Antivari (or the French entering the Adriatic)

Boué de Lapeyrère was a French admiral who bungled the capture of the Goeben. His next orders were to try to trick the Habsburg fleet into a decisive battle by lifting the Austrian blockade of Montenegro. This mission was also a failure - there was no decisive battle.

The best battle of note was the battle of Antivari where the SMS Zenta's captain Paul Pachner became somewhat of an Austrian hero. He went in headfirst against 2 dreadnoughts, 10 pre-dreadnoughts, 5 armored cruisers and 20 destroyers with his light cruiser. This allowed the destroyer Ulan to escape.

Paul Pachner was also instrumental in founding First Vienna FC. Since the last time the Austrians qualified for the World Cup was in 1998 and half of our belligerents are French... map = France!

Tournament Format
16 Players
Round 1 - Everyone gets 4 4-player Standard Games on the France map; Esc, Chained, Sun, Seq, Auto
Round 2 - SCORE RESET Top 4 Advance - Another 5 games,
Cost of Entry: 1 token
Prize: 1st Place - 10 Electric Green + 20 Auburn + 40 Drab Stars and one Battle Medal
- DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Battle of Tannenberg, 10 AM Sep 18 - 10 AM Sep 22]Level 1: The Battle of Tannenberg

The Battle of Tannenberg was an engagement between the Russian and the German Empires in the first days of World War I. It was fought by the Russian Second Army against the German Eighth Army between 26 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army, and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov.

The battle is notable particularly for a number of rapid movements of complete German corps by train, allowing a single German army to concentrate its forces against each Russian army in turn. Because of these rapid movements, the first 2 rounds will feature Fog and Parachute Reinforcements. The third round will not, as the movement of forces will have become clear at that point.

Tournament Format
16 Players
Round 1: 1v1, 3 games total: 1 on Unification Germany, 1 on TransSib 1914, 1 on Random Map. Standard Settings, Parachute Reinforcements, Fog, 20 Round Limit. 8 advance
Round 2: SCORE RESET. 4 player games, 7 games total: All on Eurasia Mini. Standard Settings, Parachute Reinforcements, Fog, 30 Round Limit. Top 4 Scores advance
Round 3: No Score Reset. 4 player games, 5 total: All on Eurasia. Standard Settings, 50 Round Limit. Top score wins.

Cost of Entry: 1 token
Prize: 1st Place - 10 Electric Green + 20 Auburn + 40 Drab Stars and one Battle Medal
2nd Place - 10 Auburn + 20 Drab Stars
- JK1[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand, 12 PM Sep 18 - 12 PM Sep 22]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I#Sarajevo_assassination

On 28 June 1914, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. A group of six assassins (Cvjetko Popović, Gavrilo Princip, Muhamed Mehmedbašić, Nedeljko Čabrinović, Trifko Grabež, Vaso Čubrilović) from the nationalist group Mlada Bosna, supplied by the Black Hand, had gathered on the street where the Archduke's motorcade would pass. Čabrinović threw a grenade at the car, but missed. It injured some people nearby, and Franz Ferdinand's convoy could carry on. The other assassins failed to act as the cars drove past them quickly. About an hour later, when Franz Ferdinand was returning from a visit at the Sarajevo Hospital, the convoy took a wrong turn into a street where, by coincidence, Princip stood. With a pistol, Princip shot and killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.

[bigimg]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Franzferdinand40hel1917.jpg/1024px-Franzferdinand40hel1917.jpg[/bigimg]

The would-be assassins were thoroughly disorganised and the original attempt was ineffective. Only Princip, giving up on the others and acting alone, eventually succeeded.

The first round will include a completely chaotic jumble of randomized settings, to represent the disorganisation of the original assassination. The second round will be more focused, to represent Princip's single-minded decision to complete the mission.

Tournament Format
36 players
Round 1 -- 1 game each, Assassin, all other settings randomized, random map, only the winners advance.
Round 2 -- six players play on seven maps. Best of seven, all games sunny escalating, (Austro-Hungarian empire, Balkan Peninsula, Europe1914, Europe, Europa, Magyarország, Transsib1914)
Cost of Entry: 1 token
Prize: 1st Place - 10 Electric Green + 20 Auburn + 40 Drab Stars and one Battle Medal
-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Siege of Tsingtao 8 PM Sep 24 - 8 PM Oct 1]The Siege of Tsingtao

Tsingtao was a colony located in China that was actually leased to Germany for 99 years due to the murder of 2 German missionaries. Germany built a port and naval base here, and when General Mitsuomi Kamio was ordered to prepare early for a battle on their home soil at Tsingtao, the Germans were taken by surprise. Soon after Japan declared war, they sent in 23,000 troops along with 1500 troops from Britain. The Germans were able to hold their ground for 2 months, but finally surrendered on November 7th, 1914.

The Japanese were applauded for their war tactics during this battle. They launched several night raids and frontal attacks, but this was a very slow battle overall.

Tournament Format
16 players

Round 1:1v1, 3 games total, 1 on Greater China, 1 on Far East, 1 on Eastern Hemisphere or Fractured China (Whichever you guys think is better). Spoils flat rate, no spoils. Reinforcements none, adjacent. Trench. 20 round limit
Round 2:8 move on. Score resets. 4-player games. 3 games total. All on Greater China. No spoils. Adjacent reinforcements. Foggy. 30 round limit
Round 3:4 move on. Score resets. 4 player games. 5 games total. All on Far East. Spoils flat rate. Adjacent reinforcements. 30 round limit
Round 4:2 move on. Score resets. 3 games total, 1 on Greater China, 1 on Far East, 1 on Eastern Hemisphere or Fractured China (Whichever you guys think is better). Spoils flat rate, no spoils. Reinforcements none, adjacent. Trench. 20 round limit

1 token entry
Prizes: 1st place - 3 silver stars, 10 electric green stars, 20 auburn stars 1 battle medal
2nd place - 1 silver star, 5 electric green stars, 10 auburn stars
-G13[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Battle of the Drina, 11 PM Sep 24 - 11 PM Oct 1]Battle of the Drina 8 September to 6 October, 1914:

After victory in the Battle of Cer, the Serbs had the initiative, and they were under diplomatic pressure from the major Allies to attack Austrian forces and help relieve the pressure on Russia. Hence, although local, this battle had wider Allied significance: map Europe 1914, 6-player standard, all settings default.

The Serbian attacks on Austrian territory were soon beaten back and the Austrian forces began an offensive. This phase was very much personal and political: Austro-Hungarian commander Oskar Potiorek was emotionally invested in personally avenging the death of Archduke Ferdinand, and he also needed to prevent further Serbian incursions. Map Austro-Hungarian Empire, spoils random, no fog, no trench, and no forts.

After some wide-open combat in the early days, the campaign for both sides soon ground down and degenerated into slow trench warfare. Overall, the Austrians gained more territory suffered slightly fewer losses. Nonetheless, although this was not a clear-cut Serbian victory like Cer, most historians consider this to have been a bigger disappointment for the Austrians than for the Serbs. The Empire was denied the clear-cut victory that it desperately needed and would fail in its primary goal of putting an early end to the Balkan phase of the war. Map Trench Warfare, spoils flat, reinforcements random, trench.
-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=First Battle of Masurian Lakes, 3 AM Sep 25 - 3 AM Oct 2]The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes

The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front during the early stages of World War I. After the destruction of the Russian Second Army at Tannenberg, the Germans moved to exploit their advantage, mauling the First Russian Army and ejecting it from Germany. Further progress was hampered by the arrival of the Russian Tenth Army on the Germans' left flank. Despite more than two-fold numerical superiority and heavily fortified defensive position, Russians suffered a crushing defeat and retreated in disarray with huge losses, leaving 150 guns.


Tournament Format
32 Players
Round 1: 4 player games, 5 games total: Random between Great Lakes, High Seas, Treasures of Galapagos. Standard Settings, Fog, 30 Round Limit. 24 advance
Round 2: No score reset. 6 player games, 5 games total: Random between All Your Bases are Belong to Us, Lunar War, Clandemonium. Terminator, Nuclear, Parachute Reinforcements, Fog, 30 Round Limit. 16 advance.
Round 3: No score reset. 1v1 on Germany, seeded by score in tournament. Standard Settings, 20 Round Limit. 8 advance
Round 4: No score reset. 1v1 on Europe, seeded by score in tournament. Standard Settings, 20 Round Limit. 4 advance
Round 5: SCORE RESET. Five 4 player games on Europe. Terminator, 30 Round Limit. 2 advance.
Round 6: SCORE RESET. 1v1 on Random Map. Standard Settings, 20 Round Limit.

Cost of Entry: 3 tokens
Prizes 1st Place: 1 Cyan Star, 5 Orange Stars, 1 Battle Medal
2nd Place: 8 Silver Stars, 1 Battle Medal
3rd and 4th Place, 1 Silver Star
-JK1[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Fall of Liege 2014-03-09 1300 to 2014-10-09 1300]Battle of Liege

In accordance with the Schlieffen Plan, Germany sent troops through Belgium to attack France along its left (northern) flank. Germany asked Belgium to remain neutral and to let German troops to pass through without a fight, but Belgium refused and prepared to fight. This invoked the British guarantees to Belgium and brought Britain into the war.

The heavily-fortified city of Liege guards several bridges over the Meuse river. It is a bottleneck in the narrow plain between the Maastricht Appendix and the hilly, forested Ardennes region.


Complete description:http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/liege.htm
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Phase 1 (5-6 August): Twelve heavily armed forts guarded Liege. In their first approach, the Germans were embarrassed by the surprisingly powerful defense of these forts, which allowed the 70,000 Belgians to throw back 320,000 Germans.

Tournament Phase 1: The twelve forts hold up progress.
Four 12-player Standard games, Benelux, sunny trench, Escalating Flat Nuclear No Spoils (non-randomly), 20 round limit
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Phase 2 (7 August): Erich Ludendorff came up with a bold plan, personally leading the 14th Brigade through a gap between the forts to bypass their strength and capture the heart of the city.

Tournament Phase 2: Ludendorff boldly bypasses the forts and captures the city.
No score reset. Five 6-player Assassin games, Benelux, foggy no trench, all Escalating, forts Chained, Adjacent, Parachute, Unlimited, None (non-randomly), 30 round limit
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Phase 3 (8-16 August): With the city in German hands, the Belgians in the forts continued to hold out. Massive artillery was used to break down the Belgian forts, including the new Austrian 17-inch howitzers, rail guns, and the infamous Big Bertha. Resistance ended on August 16th. Belgian General Gérard Leman was carried unconscious out of the last fort and with no further resistance possible, surrendered. His heroic defense of the the forts was respected by his opponents. German General von Emmich, who accepted Leman's surrender, said "to have crossed swords with you was an honour!" Spending the rest of the war in prison, Leman returned to a hero's welcome in Belgium after the war and was elevated to a Count.

Tournament Phase 3: With the city in German hands, Belgian resistance in the forts continues. Massive artillery guns reduce the forts to rubble and finally force surrender.
Only the best five players from the first 2 phases advance. Scores reset. Six 5-player Terminator games, Benelux, fog and trench, Nuclear and Zombie (randomly), forts Chained, Adjacent, Parachute, Unlimited, None (randomly), 50 round limit
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Entry cost: 3 tokens
Prizes: 1st place, tournament cup, Great War medal, 1 cyan star, 5 orange stars
2nd place, Great War medal, 8 silver stars
3rd and 4th place, 1 silver star each
- DK[/spoiler]
October 3rd: the first Freemium-friendly tournament in this series!
[spoiler=Mulhouse-Lorraine 1500 Oct 3rd to 1500 Oct 10th]The Battles of Mulhouse and Lorraine

Eleven centuries of conflict over the region known as Lorraine meant that the French were in a hurry to quickly avenge their most recent defeat there. This led to a somewhat hasty attack on the region as soon as war broke out.

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Background

The area known as the Lorraine has been contested between Germany and France for more than a millenium -- eleven centuries, in fact. It is at the very heart of all Franco-german conflicts. Lorraine is part of what was known as Lotharingia, the central core of Charlemagne's Empire. Politically, geographically, and even etymologically Lotharingia is the parent of Lorraine.

The breakup of Charlemagne's Empire eventually led to the formation of two very large nations -- Germany and France -- that became bitter enemies despite their common heritage. It also led to the formation of many smaller nations which were forever getting caught in the crossfire of the conflicts between the two greater ones.

The ancient core of the Frankish nation -- the lands along the Rhine -- were made part of the central kingdom of Lothair according to the treaty of Verdun (A.D. 843). Upon the death of Lothair, however, his nephews in East and West Francia (now Germany and France) sprang forward and stole the land, dividing it amongst themselves in the new Treaty of Mersen (A.D. 870).


More than a thousand years of conflict later (during most of which Lorraine remained on the French side of the border, and sometimes part of an independent Burgundy) France under Napoleon III was crushed by the Prussians in the relatively brief and yet devastating Franco-Prussian war. Lorraine and Alsace were surrendered to Germany.

The humiliation of the Franco-Prussian war was still very much in the mind of both the French public and its officer class. Thus, as soon as war between Germany and France broke out, French forces rushed to quickly recapture the region.

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Phase 1 (historical): The breakup of Charlemagne's Empire eventually led to the formation of Germany, France, and smaller nations in between, which were forever caught in the crossfire.

Tournament Phase 1: Charlemagne's Empire (a.k.a. Holy Roman Empire) eventually became Germany, France, and smaller nations in between.
One 2-player game, Holy Roman Empire, no spoils no fog no trench, 20-round limit
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Phase 2 (historical): During most of the thousand years of conflict, the areas now known as Alsace and Lorraine were mostly under French rule, sometimes independent, and occasionally under German rule.

Tournament Phase 2: For most of the millenium of conflict, Alsace and Lorraine were held by France.
One 2-player game, France1789, flat rate, no fog, trench, 20-round limit
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Phase 3 (historical): The French Empire under Napoleon III crushed by the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War, and forced to surrender Alsace and Lorraine to Germany.

Tournament Phase 3: After a devastating defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, France surrenders Alsace and Lorraine to Germany.
One 2-player game, Unification Germany, nuclear, fog, no trench, 20-round limit
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Phase 4 (7 August): French forces under General Bonneau crossed the German frontier into Upper Alsace, rushing to the city of Mulhouse. The small German forces withdrew and the French entered the town unopposed. They were greeted by the residents as liberators. Wild celebrations spontaneously exploded all over France at the news of the capture of the city.

The emotional way the French felt about this region is well represented by the Marshal Joffre's Official Communique at the time:

7 August 1914
CHILDREN of ALSACE!

After forty-four years of sorrowful waiting, French soldiers once more tread the soil of your noble country. They are the pioneers in the great work of revenge. For them what emotions it calls forth, and what pride!

To complete the work they have made the sacrifice of their lives. The French nation unanimously urges them on, and in the folds of their flag are inscribed the magic words, "Right and Liberty."

Long live Alsace.

Long live France.

General-in-Chief of the French Armies,
JOFFRE

Tournament Phase 4: The French Army liberates Mulhouse.
One 2-player game, France, sunny escalating no trench, 20-round limit
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Phase 5 (9 August): French exaltation was short-lived. On August 9th the German Seventh Army, with large reserves that Bonneau could not hope to match

Tournament Phase 5: The German Army recaptures Mulhouse
One 2-player game, Unification Germany, foggy escalating trench, 20-round limit
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Phase 6 (14-18 August): In Lorraine, the French offensive began a little later, was significantly larger, and faced correspondingly larger German forces.

Tournament Phase 6: The French rapidly move into central Lorraine.
One 2-player game, France 2.1, foggy escalating no trench, 20-round limit
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Phase 7 (18-22 August): With heavy reinforcements, the Germans counter-attack and beat the French back to their starting points. Technically, this becomes a German victory at this point. However, strategically, it is a German defeat. The reinforcements sent to Lorraine were more desperately needed at the Battle of the Marne. Von Moltke's critical decision to send these troops to Lorraine undermined the Schlieffen Plan and may very well have cost Germany the opportunity to knock France out of the war early on. It may be one of the pivotal decisions that defined World War I.

Tournament Phase 7: With heavy reinforcements, the Germans counter-attack and beat the French back to their starting points
One 2-player game, Europe1914, sunny flat rate no trench, 20-round limit
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Phase 8 (22-25 August): After some final skirmishes and manouvres, the exhausted troops on both sides settle into a pattern of trench warfare.

Tournament Phase 8: After some final skirmishes and manouvres, the exhausted troops on both sides settle into a pattern of trench warfare
One 2-player game, Trench Warfare, foggy zombie trench, 50-round limit
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Entry cost: 1 token
Freemiums are allowed in this tourney!
You MUST, however, keep one game slot reserved exclusively for participation in this.
Prizes: 1st place, Great War medal, Great War entry token, 1 Silver Star, 20 Auburn Stars
2nd place, Great War entry token, 20 Drab Stars
3rd and 4th place, Great War entry token
--DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Escape of the Goeben, 12 AM Oct 30]Level 3: The Escape of the Goeben

I haven't figured out why there isn't a movie about this yet... If it was an American ship, there would have been 6 movies by now. Here is a decent report on it: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/german-ships-goeben-and-breslau-reach-constantinople.

In short, the Allies should have been able to stop 2 German ships from crossing the entire Mediterranean. They didn't, and this put egg on the face of the Royal Navy.



Tournament Format
64 Players

Encounter 1: The first time the British encounter the Germans, they are not yet at war.

"Goeben must be shadowed by two battle cruisers"

Atlantis map, Foggy, Chained, 8-Player Standard Escalating Games, 5 game load

Encounter 2: The Goeben was able to shell Philipville, in Algeria, by flying in with Russian flags.

Why do the Germans carry Russian flags on board?

1v1 Flat Rate, Sunny; 1 on Africa, 1 on Africa II (2 game load)

TOP 32 ADVANCE
Score Reset

Encounter 3: The Gloucester was ineffective in battle against the Goeben since the RNS had shorter gun range.
Game load: 5 8p King's Court II with No Spoils, Unlimited Fort, Fog, Freestyle

Encounter 4: Goeben escapes the Indomitable and Indefatigable again.
1v1 Poly (4) Circus Maximus, Parachute, Trench, No Spoils, Game Load 2

TOP 16 ADVANCE
Score Reset

Encounter 5: Goeben and Breslau coaling in Sicily
3 4-p games (Italy, Unification Italy, Random), Terminator, Escalating, Chained

Encounter 6: They break the naval blockade! (Really, the British were waiting in the wrong direction)
4 1v1 Games Std Esc (High Seas, Archipelago, Classic, Extreme Global Warming

TOP 8 ADVANCE
Score Reset

Encounter 7: Arrival in Turkey - Will the Germans be bombarded? Will the Turks join the war? Anything can happen

Only one game: 8 pWorld 2.1 No Spoils Game with 50 round limit. Fog is on.

Cost: 7 tokens
Prizes 1st - 1 Yellow, 5 Pink, 2 Battle Medals
2-8 1 Battle Token, 1 Battle Medal, 1 Box of Violet Stars
-DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=The Battle at Heligoland Bight Oct 13 3 PM - Oct 20 3 PM]Battle for Heligoland Bight 28th August, 1914
Entry: 2 tokens
30 Players

This battle is a classic. It was the pawn-queen4 of naval warfare during the first World War. Our tournament will focus on the most classic settings on Conquer Club.

To put things in context - The Royal Navy had for years been the most powerful on the sea. It had to be to protect its mercantile ships which formed the "veins" of the British Empire. No navy known to man can protect all the Oceans all the time. Before the War, the Germans had been busy focusing on expanding their navies (as had all the main powers). They felt confident enough to patrol the North Sea, particularly around the archipelago known as Heligoland.

One day the British ambushed the Germans. The end result was a nearly complete British victory. The Germans responded with pawn-King's bishop4: They were going to utilize their navy extremely carefully from now on, and not stray far from the minefields and coastal fortifications.

Round 1: [RISK like I played as a kid]
6 Player games, Classic, Adjacent, Manual, Escalating. 5 games each.
Top 16 advance. Score Reset

Round 2: [Basic CC RISK]
2 player games, Classic, Escalating, Chained Best of 3
Top 8 Advance, Score Reset

Round 3: [The Early Maps]
2 Player Games, 1 of each USA, British Isles, Europe, Random Fog/No Fog, Random Flat Rate/Escalating, Random Chained/Adjacent
Top 4 advance, Score Reset

Round 4: [Conquest]
2 Player Games, No Spoils, Chained/Unlimited, Fog, 1 of each: Feudal War and Epic, Age of Realms 1 and 2, Peloponnesian War, New World, WWII Poland
Top 2 advance, Score Reset

Round 5: [The other Popular Maps]
2 player games, [Escalating, No Spoils, Flat Rate], [Chained, Adjacent], 1 each of: Doodle Earth, Luxembourg, Route 66, Arms Race, American Civil War, Baltic Crusades, Europe 1914, Midgard, Australia

Prize 1: 1 Battle Medal, 10 Silver Stars + 10 Violet Stars + 10 Electric Green Stars + 8 Credits
Prize 2: Random Box of Violet Stars + Random Box of Electric Green Stars
Prize 3+4: Random Box of Drab Stars

-DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=battle off texel oct 19 0100 to oct 26 0100]Our first all-freestyle event.

Battle off Texel, October 17th, 1914

Texel is one of the Frisian Islands in Holland. 4 German torpedo boats were en route to lay mines when a much superior British force came across them. The battle was extremely one-sided. All the German boats were sunk and all the crew killed or taken prisoner.

This isn't the first time a battle was fought in the waters around Texel. The first time was a much more interesting affair (actually the second of 4 naval battles in those waters). In 1673, the Dutch and French were at war. The British fought alongside the French. In total, 167 warships fought, although not a single one was lost. Since the British were not able to obtain naval superiority, they were not able to land their marines.

[bigimg]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Battle_of_Texel_August_21_1673_%28Slag_bij_Kijkduin%29_-_Nightly_battle_between_Cornelis_Tromp_and_Eward_Spragg_%28Willem_van_de_Velde_II%2C_1707%29.jpg/1920px-Battle_of_Texel_August_21_1673_%28Slag_bij_Kijkduin%29_-_Nightly_battle_between_Cornelis_Tromp_and_Eward_Spragg_%28Willem_van_de_Velde_II%2C_1707%29.jpg[/bigimg]

Texel is featured on the Benelux and Netherlands maps. Holy Roman Empire is from the earlier time period.

1 token, 16 players

Each round is: Best of 1, 1v1, Freestyle, Automatic, Escalating, Chained, Sunny
Round 1: 1914, Germans in Belgium.
Map - Benelux

Round 2: 1673, French and British off the Coast
Map - Netherlands

Round 3: The Netherlands allies with the Holy Roman Empire
Map - Holy Roman Empire

Round 4: Best-of-3 series repeating the previous 3 maps.
- DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=silver helmets 1500 october 26th to 1500 November 2nd]Silver Helmets

(The Battle of the Silver Helmets, also known as the Battle of Haelen)

One of the first battles of World War One, it was also the last battle on earth that was engaged in purely by cavalry troops. The Belgian Cavalry (who fought unhorsed) defeated the German cavalry (who fought horsed) and finally brought home to Europe the lessons that had already been learned in America and Africa, that cavalry charges could no longer be maintained against modern repeating rifles and other weapons.

The name "Battle of the Silver Helmets" came from the hundreds of pickelhaube (the famous spiked helmets of the German army) left laying around on the battlefield. Despite being a relatively minor action, it has gone down in Belgian folklore as a spectacular victory, its reputation probably being substantially greater than its true importance.

Basic account of the battle.
An account with more local flavour.

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To celebrate this cavalry battle, all games will be 6-player no trench escalators, to allow for those big open sweeps that are the closest thing to a cavalry charge that CC can offer. All will have a 20-round limit. We begin with 18 players.

In the opening days of World War 1, German forces entering Belgium were bottlenecked to to south to avoid violating Dutch neutrality in the "Maastricht Appendix".

Tournament Phase 1: German forces entering Belgium had to avoid the Maastricht Appendix.
3 games, one each on Europe1914, Netherlands, and Benelux. Randomly Manual/Automatic, Standard/Assassin/Terminator, Foggy/Sunny, Chained/Unlimited/Parachute.

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Cavalry had been the dominant military shock force since the days of Alexander the Great.

Tournament Phase 2: Cavalry had been the dominant shock force of war since the days of Alexander the Great.
1 game only on Alexander's empire. CC default settings.

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Roman/Byzantine cataphracts, Mongol mounted archers, Numidian light cavalry, medieval mounted knights, Korean Gaemamusa, the Indian Assakenoi with horses and elephants, and the Cuirassiers of Europe's religious wars, all have legendary places in the annals of military history.

Tournament Phase 3: Cavalry has a place in many great historical scenarios.
5 games, automatic, chained. Randomly Standard/Terminator, Chained/Unlimited/Parachute, Sunny/Foggy. Random choice from many maps including 3 Kingdoms of Korea, Mongol Empire, Indian Empire, Conquer Rome, Third Crusade, Tribal War - Ancient Israel, Egypt: Lower, Egypt: Nubia, Waterloo, First Nations North America, France1789, Middle Ages, King's Court, Gilgamesh, Imperium Romanum, Feudal Epic, Feudal War, Castle Lands, Dawn of Ages, Knights, and Japan.

After Phase 3, the field is cut to 12 players.

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Modern Cavalry are considered to have reached their pinnacle under Gustavus Adolphus, the Swedish king who led the Protestant alliance during a major part of the Thirty Years War.

Tournament Phase 4: Gustavus Adolphus perfects cavalry.
1 game, standard, automatic, sunny, randomly any forts, on Holy Roman Empire.

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As long as there was cavalry, there were infantry tactics designed to stop cavalry charges. Greek phalanxes, Roman combined arms integration, medieval pike squares, Hussite war wagons, the Scottish schiltron and the Spanish tercio, were all adaptations that could be used to stop the horsed warrior. Still, cavalry remained a powerful force until modern repeating firearms brought it down. This supremacy of infantry with repeating firearms over cavalry was clearly proven during the American Civil War and during the Boer War. Still, European generals refused to learn these lessons. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, they believed Europe was unique, and wars in American and African 'backwaters' were not worth studying.

Tournament Phase 5: Repeating rifles make cavalry obsolete, but Europeans fail to accept it.
3 games, American Civil War, South Africa 1885, Europe. CC default settings.

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King Albert I of Belgium was considered a modern, liberal, forward-thinking king. He initiated reforms in the Belgian Congo, took his oath of office in both French and Dutch (signalling an end to the second class status of Belgium's Dutch) and travelled the country incognito, learning about the people's concern's and planning more democratic reforms. It is unfortunate that World War I overshadowed his reign and threw his domestic policy on to the back burner.

Tournament Phase 6: The liberal, progressive King Albert I of Belgium was forced to abandon his domestic reforms as war rolled over his country.
3 games, Dark Continent, Benelux, Europe1914. Randomly Assassin/Standard/Terminator, Chained/Adjacent/Unlimited, Foggy/Sunny.

After Phase 6, the field is cut to 6 players.

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The primary aim of the German 4th Cavalry division was to race through Belgium and prevent the Belgians from damaging their railway network, which the Germans were counting on to supply the invasion of France.

Tournament Phase 7: The Germans need to capture the Belgian railway network.
1 game, Rail Europe, Standard, Sunny, Parachute.

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The Haelen region was a quiet, agricultural area dominated mainly by dairy farms.

Tournament Phase 8: The Haelen region was a quiet, agricultural area dominated mainly by dairy farms.
1 game, 4 star meats, Foggy Adjacent Terminator.

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In the slaughter of the German cavalry by the Belgian Horse Guards, Europe was at last to learn the lessons of the American Civil War.

Tournament Phase 9: Europe catches up to America.
2 games, 1 on American Civil War and 1 on Europe. Chained Standard.

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The name "Battle of the Silver Helmets" refers to the pickelhaube left on the battlefield. It is probably suggested by parallelism with the "Battle of the Golden Spurs", the legendary Flemish victory over the French in 1302. This will be an appropriate finale to this tournament.

Tournament Phase 10: The Silver Helmets and the Golden Spurs.
4 games, all on Flanders 1302. Standard, randomly Foggy/Sunny, 1 each of Chained, Adjacent, Unlimited, Parachute.

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Entry Cost: 3 tokens
1st prize: 1 tournament Cup, 1 Battle Medal, 1 Pink Star, 1 Random Box of Auburn Stars
2nd prize: 1 Battle Medal, 1 Silver Star, 20 Electric Green Stars
3rd prize: 20 Auburn Stars
4th prize: 20 Drab Stars
-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=u-boat part 1 nov 2nd 1500 to nov 9th 1500]U-Boat Campaign: Part 1 (Sep 22, 1914)
All the doom and gloom for the Germans was to be undone by 1 U-boat which managed to take out 3 British cruisers.

This is part 1 in the lengthy U-Boat campaign (one could argue that it didn't end until 1944). I have always maintained that if the Germans were merfolk, they could have easily won either World War.

The British cruisers which were sunk were built in the years 1899-1900. In the naval arms race leading up to WWI, this made them antiques.

Entry: 1 token
3 identical rounds (i.e. no eliminations)
4 4-player terminator games with Nuclear Spoils on RandomFrom:[ Alexander's Empire, Ancient Greece, Battle Of Actium, Egypt: Lower, Egypt: Upper, Egypt: Nubia, Imperium Romanum, Peloponnesian War, Poison Rome, Dawn Of Ages] Fog On, Chained/Parachute Forts

Prizes:
1st Prize: 20 Auburn, Random Box of Drab, 1 Violet Star, 1 Battle Medal
2nd Prize: 7 credits
3rd and 4th Prize: 3 credits
-DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=charleroi namur and mons nov 5th 1500 to nov 12th 1500]Charleroi, Namur, and Mons

This group of battles was one of the classic collisions between the German Schlieffen Plan and the French Plan XVII. Like much of the fighting in the early months of WWI, it was incredibly fast. The German First, Second, and Third Armies, rushing forward to capture bridges over the Sambre and Meuse rivers, ran directly into the French Fifth Army, rushing north in accordance with Plan XVII.



The German Second Army under Karl von Bülow struck the decisive blow in the centre on August 21st. The French, who had advanced north so fast that they left their artillery behind, were unable to effectively resist. Despite some heroic efforts, the lack of artillery proved decisive and von Bülow was able to seize Namur and Charleroi and several bridges by the end of August 22nd. Max von Hausen's Third Army was able to cross the Meuse behind the French line, and by noon on the 23rd, the French were in full retreat.

On the left flank, the British Expeditionary Force was able to hold hold Mons for another day, but was also in full retreat by the end of the 24th.

Charleroi
Namur
Mons

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There are no score resets in this tournament. All games count toward the final.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Charleroi

By 20 August, Lanrezac's Fifth Army had begun to concentrate on a 40-kilometre (25 mi) front along the Sambre, centred on Charleroi and extending east to the Belgian fortress of Namur. On his left, the Cavalry Corps of General Sordet linked the Fifth Army with the British Expeditionary Force at Mons. Lanrezac's army of 15 divisions, weakened by the transfer of troops to Lorraine, was confronted by the 18 German divisions from the Second Army (General Karl von Bülow) and Third Army moving south-west.

Tournament Phase 1: 3 German armies faced 2 Allied armies.
Five 5-player Standard games: one each on British Isles, France, Germany, Unification Germany, and Holy Roman Empire. All are flat-rate foggy with a 50-round limit; other settings CC default. Nobody is eliminated.

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The Germans executing the Schlieffen Plan and the French following the already-obsolete Plan XVII, both rushed to establish bridgeheads over the Sambre. It was mainly a matter of marching very fast.

Tournament Phase 2: Capturing bridgeheads over the Sambre was mainly a matter of marching very fast.
Best-of-five 1v1 games on random map with a 20-round limit and CC default settings. After Phase 2, the bottom six players are eliminated.

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With most of the focus being on Charleroi, only one French division defended Namur. The ancient citadel fell after three days.
[bigimg]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/01-Namur-100109_%282%29_JPG.jpg/1024px-01-Namur-100109_%282%29_JPG.jpg[/bigimg]

Tournament Phase 3: The ancient citadel of Namur was poorly defended and fell in three days.
Three Polymorphic games. All are on the Castle Lands map, foggy, with a 20-round limit. Escalating and nuclear spoils are randomly applied; other settings are default. First game is poly-2, second is poly-3, third is poly-4. Two more players are eliminated after Phase 3.

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The attack over the Meuse was led by Max von Hausen and his 3rd (Saxon) Army. On the French side of the river was the 1st Corp, commanded by Louis Franchet d'Espèrey. D'Espèrey later became famous for commanding the Allied campaign in Macedonia.

Tournament Phase 4: French General d'Espèrey, who defended the Meuse, became far more famous later in the war for the Macedonian campaign.
Five 6-player Terminator games on the Macedonia map. Escalating, Flat Rate and Nuclear spoils, Fog and No Fog, Trench and No Trench, are applied randomly, with a 30-round limit. Other settings are CC default. Seven players are eliminated.

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The British Expeditionary Force had been formed during the Haldane Reforms. It was comprised from Regular Army units from all over the British Isles.

Tournament Phase 5: The British Expeditionary Force at Mons was badly mauled but retreated in good order.
Ten 5-player Standard games: one each on England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Indian Empire, Europe1914, Europe, Europa, Benelux and Unification Germany. Escalating, Flat Rate and Nuclear spoils, Fog and No Fog, Trench and No Trench, are applied randomly, with a 30-round limit. Other settings are CC default.

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Entry cost: 4 tokens
Prizes: 1st place, tournament cup, Great War medal, 1 cyan star, 5 orange stars, 30 credits
2nd place, Great War medal, 8 silver stars
3rd place, random box of silver stars
4th place, 1 silver star
-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=trindade Nov 9th 1900 Nov 16th to 1900]

Battle of Trindade

Not much of a battle, but it has some curiosities which I am interested in writing about.

Some background history: At the outbreak of World War I, many passenger liners (called cruise ships today) were converted to auxillary cruisers, or armed merchant cruisers.

The Cunard line, which started in Nova Scotia in 1839 (and still offers cruises today including the historically important Transatlantic from New York to England), had a ship known as the Carmania, which became one of the first of these cruisers.

The Germans were doing the same thing. The ship Cap Trafalgar was also turned into an armed merchant cruiser, but it was also disguised to look like... the Carmania!

There are two tiny islands off the coast of Brazil, where the Germans had a secret base (the plot thickens). Cap Trafalgar was at this base, and its smoke clued the crew of the Carmania. Battle ensued, the base was no longer secret, and the Cap Trafalgar went down in history as the first armed merchant cruiser sunk by another armed merchant cruiser.



Level 1
Cost 2
16 player bracket
Each Round Best of 3, Default CC settings; 1 game on Brazil, 1 on Archipelago, 1 on South America

-DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=maubeuge, le cateau and st. quentin nov 14th 1500 to nov 21st 1500]Maubeuge, Le Cateau, and St. Quentin

After their defeats at Dinant, Mons, Charleroi, etc., the Allies rapidly retreated from Belgium into France. What followed was a series of holding actions known as "The Great Retreat", supplemented by some counterattacks at places like Le Cateau.

These counterattacks all ended with a resumption of the Allied retreat, so they are called defeats. Nonetheless, all of them served a purpose -- allowing Joffre to reorganize the army and prepare to hold the Marne. The time bought in blood by the troops involved in those small actions kept the Retreat from turning into a rout, and ultimately robbed the Germans of an early victory.

Besides their basic strategic unity, these actions also have another thing in common. In each of them, when it looked as if the Allies might accomplish something, the Germans brought railway guns and other heavy artillery and basically bombarded the British and French units to the point of disintegration. The Prussians were early leaders in the logistics of using rails to move artillery, and from the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, to the end of World War II in 1945, no army was quite so expert in that technique. These eight decades were a period where the Prussian (later German) army seemed almost invincible, and when defeated was only defeated by alliances with superior numbers and superior resources.

Unlike other tournaments in the Great War series to date, in this tournament I have not attempted to use maps that are geographically relevant. The fact that most of this combat took place in Belgium or France is not central to what you need to know about it. What you need to appreciate this phase of the Great War is to feel either the rush of power when you bombard your opponent out of existence, or that horrible feeling when he does it to you. What this tournament is about is bombardment, and to that end I have rounded up all the CC maps that feature bombardment.

In the first phase of the tournament you will play on five maps randomly chosen from among the fifteen most popular bombardment maps on Conquer Club. In the second phase, the same, but from the next 15. Finally, in phase three, the 17 least popular.

Then, in Phase four, we will finally come to a geographically relevant map. Another battle where the British, the French, and the Prussians faced each other, although this time in a slightly different configuration. The great battle of Waterloo, fought in 1815 not far from where many great battles would be fought ninety-nine years later.

All three phases will feature a random selection of escalating, flat rate, no spoils, and nuclear spoils. Phase 2 will be all-sunny, phase 4 will be all-foggy, phases 1 and 3 will randomly vary fog and sun. The tournament will progress from 1v1, to Poly dubs, to Poly trips, and finally to Poly quads.

For a good historical overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Retreat

For details of the individual battles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Maubeuge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Le_Cateau
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_St._Quentin_%281914%29
-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=the brutalization of belgium Nov 23rd 1500 to Nov 30th 1500]freemium-friendly



Generally known as the The Rape of Belgium. The term "The Rape of Belgium" is used both in a broad sense to describe the brutal treatment of Belgian citizens under the German occupation of 1914-1918, and in a narrow sense to describe some specific war crimes during the first couple months of the war, in places like Dinant and Leuven.

In this tourney, we will use both 1v1 and Terminator games to represent the slaughter of civilians. Freemiums are welcome, but must reserve a game slot and keep it reserved throughout the tournament.

There was a tremendous amount of misinformation and confusion on both sides, so all games in this tourney will use Fog of War. All games will have a 20-round limit to ensure we keep moving along.

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Phase 1: The Germans General Staff was highly concerned -- probably too highly concerned -- about irregular pro-French guerrillas arising in the occupied territories. French irregulars like the "francs-tireurs" had arisen in the east of France as far back as the Luxembourg crisis of 1867. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francs-tireurs#Franco-Prussian_War

Irregulars like the francs-tireurs of the Luxembourg crisis had worried the Germans since the Franco-Prussian war.
One 6-player Terminator game on the Luxembourg map. Flat rate spoils, fog and trench.

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Phase 2,3, and 4: Massacres of citizens took place in Aarschot (156 dead), Andenne (211 dead) and Tamines (383 dead).

Tournament rounds 2, 3, and 4: Aarschot, Andenne, and Tamines
Each represented by a 1v1 game with Escalating spoils, no trench. Aarschot, an old city dating to Roman times, will be represented by the Conquer Rome map. Andenne, a town which according to legend was founded by Charles Martel, will be represented by the Middle Ages map. Tamine, one of the seven towns comprising Sambreville, will be represented by High Seas (the seven seas representing the seven towns.)

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Phase 3: Dinant. Dinant is a stunningly beautiful little town of medieval origin.
[bigimg]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Dinant_reflected.jpg/1024px-Dinant_reflected.jpg[/bigimg]
It is hard to imagine this stunning postcard-perfect view being the scene of a heinous war crime. http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/dinant.htm

Although the town fell to von Hausen's troops on 23 August the occupation was not initially peaceful. German soldiers who were repairing the town bridge were allegedly fired upon by local inhabitants. In retaliation therefore the German authorities rounded up 612 men, women and children and shot them together; the youngest victim was a three-week-old baby.

Tournament Phase 5: The lovely town of Dinant was the scene for a most unlovely massacre, in which 612 civilians were slaughtered.
One 5-player Escalating Terminator game on the Castle Lands map.

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Phase 6: The above atrocities occurred mainly in Walloon (French-speaking) Belgium. The next (and far largest) took place in Leuven, part of Flemish (Dutch-speaking) Belgium. http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/louvain.htm

Occupied therefore by the Germans the city was relatively peaceful for six days until 25 August. On that date German units to the rear of the city were attacked by an initially successful Belgian force advancing from Antwerp.

Panicked, those German troops under fire withdrew to Louvain, which in itself caused confusion to German soldiers stationed in the city. Shots were heard amid fearful cries that the Allies were launching a major attack.

Once it became clear however that no such Allied attack was underway or even imminent, the city's German authorities determined to exact revenge upon Louvain's citizenry, whom they were convinced that contrived the confusion that day.

The German form of retaliation was savage. For five consecutive days the city was burnt and looted. Its library of ancient manuscripts was burnt and destroyed, as was Louvain's university (along with many other public buildings). The church of St. Pierre was similarly badly damaged by fire. Citizenry of Louvain were subject to mass shootings, regardless of age or gender.

Tournament Phase 6: Resistance at Leuven prompted the massacre.
One 7-player manual-deployment game on the Netherlands map.

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Phase 7: The town's Catholic University was sacked, and thousands of priceless manuscripts perished in a library fire.

Tournament Phase 7: Thousands of manuscripts were destroyed when Leuven's Catholic University was sacked.
One 1v1 game on the CCU map. No Spoils, trench.

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Phase 8: Despite world outrage, the Germans remained unrepentant. http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/louvain_germanstatement.htm

Louvain - Official Statement by the German Minister of State, Addressed to the United States Government by Gottlieb von Jagow

Long ago the Belgian Government had organized an insurrection of the people against the invasion of the enemy. Some stores of arms had been established, and upon each gun was the name of the citizen who was to use it.

Since the Hague Conference it has been recognized, at the request of the little powers, that an insurrection of the people is in conformity with international law, if weapons are carried openly and the laws of war respected.

Such an insurrection, however, could be organized only to combat an enemy who invaded the country. At Louvain, on the other hand, the city had already surrendered and the population had then abandoned all resistance. The city was occupied by German troops.

Nevertheless the population attacked from all sides the German garrison and the troops who were in the act of entering the city, by opening upon them a murderous fire. Because the attitude of the population was obviously pacific these troops arrived at Louvain by railroad and autos.

In the present case, then, there is no question of a measure of defence in conformity with international law, nor an admissible ruse of war; but it was a traitorous attack on the part of the civilian population.

This attack is the more unjustifiable because it has been proved that it had been planned long before and was to have taken place at the same time as the sortie from Antwerp. The weapons were not carried openly. Some women and young girls took part in the combat, and gouged out the eyes of the wounded.

The barbarous acts of the Belgian people in almost all the territories occupied by the German troops have not only justified the most severe reprisals on the part of the German military authorities but have even compelled the latter to order them for safeguarding the troops.

The intensity of the resistance of the population is proved by the fact that it took our troops twenty-four hours to overcome the attacks by the inhabitants of Louvain.

In the course of these combats the city of Louvain has been destroyed in large part by a conflagration which broke out after the explosion of a convoy of benzine, and this explosion was occasioned by shots fired during the battle.

The Imperial Government is the first to deplore this unfortunate result, which was in no way intentional. Nevertheless, because of the acts of the francs-tireurs, it was impossible to avoid such an outcome.

Moreover, any one who knows the conciliatory character of the German soldier could not seriously assert that he has been led to act in such a manner without serious provocation.

Under these circumstances the Belgian people, who respect neither right nor law, bear all the responsibility, in conjunction with the Belgian Government, which, with a criminal nonchalance, has given to the people orders contrary to international law by inciting them to resistance, and which, in spite of reiterated warnings by the German authorities, did nothing, after the capture of Liege, to induce the people to take a pacific attitude.



This kind of attitude seems to have endured throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. Consider the war in Iraq for obvious examples.

Tournament Phase 8: The portrayal of local militias defending their homes as criminals has become a recurring theme since then.
One 5-player Terminator map on the Battle For Iraq! map. Nuclear, no trench.

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Phase 9: Outrage over the war crimes in Belgium backfired on Germany. It was one of the main issues that transformed Britain from a reluctant to an enthusiastic participant in the War. The thousands of dead Belgian citizens became hundreds of thousands of live British lads lining up at the recruitment offices.

Tournament Phase 9: British outrage over the Rape of Belgium brought a wave of enthusiastic soldiers to British recruitment stations.
One 6-player Terminator game on the British Islands map. Escalating, Trench.


THERE ARE NO SCORE RESETS IN THIS TOURNAMENT. ALL WINS COUNT TOWARD THE FINAL RESULT.
-DK[/spoiler]
The first great French victory

[spoiler=Marne]http://www.carto1418.fr/anim-marne-mini.php

La première bataille de la Marne, souvent identifiée comme « la bataille de la Marne » a eu lieu du 5 septembre 1914 au 12 septembre 1914 entre d'une part l'armée allemande et d'autre part l'armée française et le corps expéditionnaire britannique. Cette bataille doit être distinguée de la seconde bataille de la Marne, qui se déroula en juillet 1918 .

Au cours de cette bataille décisive, les troupes franco-britanniques arrêtent puis repoussent les Allemands, mettant ainsi en échec le plan Schlieffen qui prévoyait l'invasion rapide de la France en passant par la Belgique.

Les combats se déroulèrent le long d'un arc-de-cercle de 225 kilomètres à travers la Brie, la Champagne et l'Argonne, limités à l'ouest par le camp retranché de Paris et à l'est par la place fortifiée de Verdun. Ce champ de bataille est subdivisé en plusieurs batailles plus restreintes : à l'ouest les batailles de l'Ourcq et des deux Morins, au centre les batailles des marais de Saint-Gond et de Vitry, et à l'est la bataille de Revigny.

Les armées allemandes faillissent plusieurs fois casser les lignes des armées alliées, et enfin, les armées alliées gagnent l'occasion d'exploiter un trou entre les deux armées principales allemandes et de forcer les allemands à faire un repli en s'installant sur les rives de l'Aisne. Mais, alors que les armées franco-britanniques mirent alors un terme à l'avancée irrésistible des armées allemandes commandées par Moltke, elles ne purent ou ne surent exploiter cet avantage en repoussant ces armées hors du territoire français - les troupes françaises sont trop épuisées et affaiblies pour se lancer dans une poursuite.

sempai

The World War I battle commonly known as the Battle of the Marne, which was fought at the beginning of the war in early September 1914, was actually the first of two Battles of the Marne - the second was fought at the end of the war in July 1918.

The first Battle of the Marne was an attempt by a coalition of French and British forces to stop the "Schlieffen Plan" - a German attempt to invade France from the north by way of Belgium - and was actually composed of five concurrent battles waged along an arc of French territory 225 kilometers (140 miles) long - east of Paris, west of Verdun, and spanning the French regions of Brie, Champagne, and the Argonne.

Across this area, over the span of a week, five battles were fought:
the Battle of the Ourcq, the Battle of the Two Morins, the Battle of the Marshes of Saint Gond, the Battle of Vitry, and the Battle of Revigny.

The Germans came close to breaking through Allied lines several times during the week, but the Allies were able to exploit a gap between the two main German forces, and the Germans were eventually forced to retreat to the banks of the Aisne river. The Franco-British troops, however, were too weakened and exhausted to pursue their adversaries and force them out of France entirely

[bigimg]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Battle_of_the_Marne_-_Map.jpg[/bigimg]

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Phase 1: With the collapse of Plan XVII, the German expectation was that the French would be on the verge of collapse. Marechal Joffre, however, had been busy reorganising the French Army. Quite possibly one of the most underrated and under-appreciated generals of all time, Joffre kept a cool head in the midst of disaster, and by the time German troop neared Paris he had moved sufficient reserves from east and west to the centre that for the first time the Allies had numerical superiority in a region.

Under the Schlieffen Plan, the Germans intended to take Paris if it was weakly held. If Paris was defended in strength, however, the plan was to bypass it to the east and crush the French army in a great pincer movement toward the Swiss frontier.

Paris was defended by General Manoury's Sixth Army, plus substantial garrison troops and artillery commanded by General Gallieni. Observing the German detour to the east, Gallieni concluded

"If they do not come to us, we will go to them with all the force we can muster."

On September 5th the Sixth Army, supplemented by most of the field-mobile elements of Gallieni's garrison hurled itself across the Ourcq River. Von Kluck's First German Army had its communications cut, several artillery batteries captured, and had to withdraw in some disarray.

Tournament Phase 1: General Gallieni's bold gambit in striking across the Ourcq River forced von Kluck's First Army to withdraw.
Six 6-player Terminator games will be played. The use of Fog will help enhance the complexity of your decision-making, as it did in real life, and the use of Escalating spoils and Unlimited reinforcements will model the need to be bold and aggressive in seeking the enemy.

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The Germans still hoped to achieve a breakthrough against the Sixth Army between 6 and 8 September. The Sixth Army was reinforced on 7 September, by 10,000 French reserve infantry ferried from Paris, including about 6,000 men from the Seventh Infantry division who were transported in a fleet of Paris taxicabs requisitioned by General Joseph Gallieni, military governor of Paris.[13][14]

Between six hundred and a thousand taxicabs and drivers were assembled on the evening of 6 September on the esplanade of Les Invalides. They were mostly the Renault AG1 Landaulet model, with an average speed of 25 kilometres per hour (16 mph). Within twenty-four hours, they transported the battalions Villemonble and Gagny, about six thousand soldiers and officers, 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the front at Nanteuil-le-Haudouin. Each taxi carried five soldiers, four in the back and one next to the driver. Only the back lights of the taxis were lit; the drivers were instructed to follow the lights of the taxi ahead. Most of the taxis were demobilized on September 8 but some remained longer to carry the wounded and refugees. The taxis, following city regulations, dutifully ran their meters. The French treasury reimbursed the total fare of 70,012 francs.[15]



The use of taxis to ferry the troops to the front represented the first instance of large-scale motor transport of infantry.

Tournament Phase 2: For the first time, a large number of troops was transported by motor-car, the famous "taxis de la Marne".
You will play in five 8-player Standard games, nuclear foggy no trench. In keeping with the motor-car theme, they will all be on the Conquer 500 map.

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One of the most important elements underlying the Allies success was the extensive use of aerial reconnaissance and the ubiquitous French balloons.

Tournament Phase 3: Balloon reconnaissance helped the Allies keep track of German movements.
Three 7-player Standard games on the Steamworks map. These games will by Sunny, to represent the effectiveness of reconnaissance, with all other settings to be randomized.

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Phase 4: With von Kluck off balance, Joffre was anxious to quickly exploit the gap in the German lines. He persuaded the British to attack despite their misgivings, supported by the First French Army. The BEF attacked in the region known as the Two Morins, after two small rivers known as the Petite Morin and the Grand Morin. This attack broadened the gap between the 1st and 2nd German Armies. The right flank of the 2nd Army begins to give way.

The way that the two Morins tended to bottleneck movement in their area suggests ancient battles in the region of the Tigris and Eupharates. Although separated from the Marne by 5000 years, the Gilgamesh map will do well to illustrate the problems in this zone of the the battle.

Tournament Phase 4: The Grand and Petite Morin are reminiscent of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Five 6-player Standard games on the Gilgamesh map, default CC settings except for some random patches of Fog.

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Phase 5 and 6: The battles in the centre and the east were slightly less significant than the battles on the western flank, but they were every bit as fierce. Ferocious battles raged in the marshes of Saint-Gond and the village of Sézanne. General (future Marshal) Foch began his rise to fame at Saint-Gond. Further east, Revigny was captured, while back-and-forth fighting raged around Vitry-le-Francois. At the extreme eastern end of the line, the Germans broke through at St. Mihiel, and the General Castelnau prepared to retreat. He was ordered to hold another 24 hours at all costs, and sure enough before the end of the 24-hour period the German reserves in his area had been withdrawn to the west, saving his position.

Tournament Phase 5: The French resisted fiercely along the entire line, from the marshes of Saint-Gond to Vitry-le-Francois.
Four 8-player flat rate foggy trench Terminator games on the France 2.1 map will represent the resilience of the defense in this phase.
Tournament Phase 6: There were some German successes, at Revigny and at St. Mihiel, but they were short-lived.
Four 6-player escalating sunny no trench Terminator games on the Europa map.

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Less than three months after the shootings in Sarajevo, the Central Powers' great offensive was grinding to a halt. France had survived the German onslaught, the Schlieffen Plan lay in tatters, and the German Chief of the General Staff, Helmuth von Moltke, was utterly despondent.

For three days after the Battle of the Marne, von Moltke was paralysed with self-doubt, and junior officers took over running his command. Eventually the Kaiser replaced him with von Falkenhayn, citing Moltke's ill health. The degree of Moltke's nervous breakdown has always been debated. Different authors have pegged it as anything from minor indecisiveness to complete catatonia, and everything in between.



History has painted Moltke very unkindly, as the man who took the brilliant Schlieffen Plan and made a mess of it. How true this is remains uncertain. The Schlieffen Plan was written in 1905. In 1905 Russia was getting her ass kicked by Japan and was at its lowest point in 300 years. In 1905, relations between England and Germany were extremely cordial and England was expected to remain neutral in the war. Between 1905 and 1914, Russia pulled itself out of its slump and became vastly more dangerous, while relations between Germany and Britain soured badly. The infallibility of the Schlieffen Plan was largely a myth painted by Nazi revisionists 30 years later. The fact that it continues to be repeated as fact is evidence of the incredible staying power of popular myths.

Still, if the Schlieffen Plan did have a chance of succeeding, Moltke's changes certainly doomed it. He pulled much strength from the all-important right wing of his invading army to reinforce Alsace and Lorraine. The Schlieffen Plan anticipated allowing the French Army to rush forward deep into Lorraine and strand itself far from Paris. By beefing up the defenses of Lorraine, Moltke ensured that French reinforcements like the 3rd and 4th Armees would be available at the Marne.

Whatever Moltke's faults were, self-delusion was not one of them. Having lost the Battle of the Marne, he understood that Germany now faced a war which, regardless of how it ended, would be long and gruesome. His role in bringing it to be was too much for him to bear.

Tournament Phase 7: Having lost the Battle of the Marne, von Moltke suffered a nervous breakdown.
Seven 8-player games on the 8 Thoughts map, Foggy Escalating, with randomized reinforcements and randomized trench.
-DK[/spoiler]
A new freemium-friendly tournament:
[spoiler=Bita Paka dec 7th 2100 to dec 14th 2100]Bita Paka

In the great colonial expansion, New Guinea had been claimed by three powers: Holland, Germany, and Britain. The approximate borders of their relative domains are shown here:


A radio station at Bita Paka was essential to German plans in the sparsely-settled colony of Kaiserwilhelmsland. At the beginning of the war an Australian expedition was organised to seize it and in fact the whole German colony.

The best account of this expedition is here: http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/bitapaka.htm Rather than engage in extensive plagiarism when I have little to add, I would rather just refer you to the link, which is very clear and concise.

The fall of Bita Paka led to the loss of the colony, and Germany's already-dim prospects in the Pacific were all but completely extinguished.

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This is another in our series of freemium-friendly tournaments in the Great War event. Every round in this tournament is one game only. Freemiums will be able to participate by keeping one slot available for this tournament. Please don't forget! If you fail to have a slot available when the next round starts, you will not be included in that round!

All games in this tournament feature the "traditional" settings of six-player Standard, Automatic deployment, No Fog, No Trench, Escalating Spoils, and Chained reinforcements. They also have a 30-round limit, but with these settings it should never be needed.

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Phase 1: Germany was late to enter the race for overseas colonies. Compared to major colonials powerhouses like Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, and Holland, its holdings were paltry very much the scrapings at the bottom of the pot.

Tournament Phase 1: Germany was one of the last European nations to acquire overseas colonies.
Eastern Hemisphere.

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Phase 2: Kaiserwilhelmsland had the smallest share of the island of New Guinea. The rest of the island was held by the Dutch in the west and the British in the south. Eventually the German and British portions became the modern nation of Papua New Guinea.

Tournament Phase 2: The German colony on New Guinea is now part of Papua New Guinea.
Classic Cities: Pot Mosbi

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Phase 3: The tiny little radio station at Bita Paka had originally been planned as a larger and more high-powered station. The outbreak of war in 1914 put a halt to those plans. Large or small, it was one of the few radios in the Pacific and essential to German plans.

Tournament Phase 3: The tiny radio station at Bita Paka was key to German communications.
Woodboro

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Phase 4: British dominance in the region was really dependent on Australia. The colonies of other nations consisted of tiny little communities of expatriates and much larger populations of natives who had no particular interest in seeing their colonial overlords thrive. On the other hand, Australia (and New Zealand) were legitimate nations, already self-governing, with populations who saw themselves as British overseas citizens and were very much committed to the Imperial cause.

Tournament Phase 4: Australia was key to British Imperial power in the Pacific.
Australia

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Phase 5: The HMAS Sydney led the the small naval flotilla in support of the Australian landings. We will represent the ship with the city it was named after.

Tournament Phase 5: The HMAS Sydney led the naval flotilla in support of the landings. We will represent it with the city she was named for.
Classic Cities: Sydney

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Phase 6: The tiny German garrison was supplemented by native Papuan troops of doubtful loyalty. The Australians had little trouble overwhelming the first troops they encountered. Resistance got more determined as they got closer to the radio station.

Tournament Phase 6: The tiny German garrison was supplemented by native Papuan troops.
Classic Cities: Pot Mosbi

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Phase 7: Three lines of trenches had to be overcome with artillery bombardment on the path from the landing grounds to the radio station.

Tournament Phase 7: Three lines of trenches had to be overcome.
Trench Warfare

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Phase 8: At last the Australians reached the radio station. They had planned to use it themselves, but the Germans had done a thorough job of demolition to prevent the equipment from falling into enemy hands. The Australians didn't manage to rebuild the station until 1916.

Tournament Phase 8: The Germans had demolished the radio station to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Woodboro

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Phase 9: The German colony surrendered after the fall of Bita Paka. However, German soldier, adventurer, and explorer Hermann Detzner continue to resist and carried on a guerilla war until the Armstice.

Tournament Phase 9: Hermann Detzner carried on guerilla resistance in the interior of New Guinea until the Armstice.
Pirates and Merchants

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Phase 10: In many, many ways, the Bita Paka mission was a foreshadowing of the events of WWII. The British dependence on Australian troops, the Australian dependence on the Coral Sea transport corridor, the German (later Japanese) dependence on the big base at Rabaul, the importance of local spotters, rangers, irregular troops, and tribal auxiliaries, and the difficult treks through the interior of New Guinea were all elements that were seen again in the second World War.

Tournament Phase 10: Many elements seen in the WWI battle for New Guinea were seen again in WW II.
WWII: Australia

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Phase 11: These elements helped shape the political landscape of the Australia and Oceania today.

Tournament Phase 11: These elements helped shape the political landscape of the Australia and Oceania today.
Oceania

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Entry Fee: 2 tokens
Freemies allowed: yes. Must keep 1 game slot reserved to participate.

Prizes
First place: Tournament Cup, Battle Medal, 20 creds.
Second place: Battle Medal and random box of Electric Green Stars
Third place: random box of Drab Stars.
-DK[/spoiler]
The beginnings of the great Trench
[spoiler=first Aisne 1500 dec 14th to 1500 dec 21st]First Aisne

After defeat at the Marne, the Germans fell back to the Aisne River. The Allies have been much criticized for not exploiting the Marne victory better. It has been theorized that a vigorous counteroffensive could have completely smashed the German armies and would have led to a quick end to the war. One can never be certain what would have been.

As it happened, the Allied advance was slow and methodical, and the Germans were able to entrench themselves solidly at the Aisne.

For a more complete account of the battle, see: http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/aisne1.htm

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Phase 1: After their defeat at the Marne, the Germans rapidly retreated. A vigorous Allied response might have liberated all of France, but instead the Allies advanced cautiously and the Germans were able to entrench along the Aisne.

Tournament Phase 1: After defeat at the Marne, the Germans retreated to the Aisne.
Three 8-player games, France 2.1, default CC settings.

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Phase 2: The German defensive line along the Aisne was the beginning of large-scale trench warfare, and the classic picture of World War I that we know today.

Tournament Phase 1: The German line along the Aisne was the beginning of large-scale trench warfare.
Five Polymorphic Dubs games, Trench Warfare, Flat Rate, Fog and Trench

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Phase 3: Those trenches largely defined what the Western Front in WWI was to become.

Tournament Phase 3: Those trenches largely defined what the Western Front in WWI was to become.
Five Polymorphic Trips, Europe 1914, Germany, France, British Isles, Benelux, randomized spoils, randomized fog, Trench.

Entry 3 tokens.
-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=the defense of the realm act 1500 dec 17 to 1500 dec 24]The Defense of the Realm Act

The Defense of the Realm Act was passed in 1914, giving the British government extraordinary powers to control various activites that were seen as potentially impacting to the war effort. Authoritarian measures under the Act included censorship of the press and even private mail, the power to requisition lands and building for military needs, prohibitions on public bonfires (which it was felt could be beacons for Zeppelin raids) and curtailing "wasteful" activities such as drinking.

Starting with a single paragraph in 1914, DORA grew throughout the war, and by 1918 was a Byzantine maze of rules and regulations.

Anti-war activists protesting the act went to jail in many cases. The first was John MacLean, the Red Clydeside activist. Many others followed. Socialists and anti-war activists were the most common DORA resistors, but civil libertarians of all political persuasions felt the act was despotic and largely a needless invasion of rights.

The situation is hardly unique. The debate about whether the needs of war justify suppression of liberty has gone on since ancient Athens and it continues unabated today.

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Phase 1:

The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 1914, four days after it entered World War I. It gave the government wide-ranging powers during the war period, such as the power to requisition buildings or land needed for the war effort, or to make regulations creating criminal offences.

DORA ushered in a variety of authoritarian social control mechanisms, such as censorship:

"No person shall by word of mouth or in writing spread reports likely to cause disaffection or alarm among any of His Majesty's forces or among the civilian population"[1]

Tournament Phase 1: The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom early in the war.
One 1v1 game, British Isles, default CC settings

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The trivial peacetime activities no longer permitted included flying kites, starting bonfires, buying binoculars, feeding wild animals bread, discussing naval and military matters or buying alcohol on public transport. Alcoholic beverages were watered down and pub opening times were restricted to noon–3pm and 6:30pm–9:30pm (the requirement for an afternoon gap in permitted hours lasted in England until the Licensing Act 1988 was brought into force).

Tournament Phase 2: Numerous everyday pleasures of the common man were restricted or prohibited.
One Polymorphic Dubs game, Madness, default except zombie spoils and fog

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Phase 3: Numerous activists went to jail for opposing DORA. For the most part they were anti-war activists opposing (obviously) the war and socialists opposing the government in general. However, civil libertarians of all political persuasions, left, right, and centre, felt that DORA was a draconian usurpation of power. The powers given to the military were somewhat circumscribed in 1915 amendments. However,

The regulations issued by fiat to enforce the Defence of the Realm Act proved to be as dangerous threat to civil liberties as the Act itself. Indeed, even after the 1915 legislation limiting the jurisdiction of military tribunals, the military still exercised tremendous power over civilians. The regulations permitted military commanders to ban anyone from a specified area, forcing the individual to move to another part of the United Kingdom. Another regulation authorized the military to raid any house or office to search for printed material that could "cause disaffection" from the war effort. Printing presses seized by the military during a raid could be destroyed to ensure that they were not used to produce seditious literature.

http://newpol.org/content/traitors-spies-and-military-tribunals-assault-civil-liberties-during-world-war-i

Tournament Phase 3: Many activists went to jail for opposing DORA's authoritarian rules.
One Polymorphic Trips game, Supermax Prison Riot, nuclear spoils, parachute reinforcements, fog and trench

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Phase 4: The argument about whether the needs of war justify suppression of liberty has gone on since ancient Athens and it continues unabated today. World War I has been portrayed as a war between the (mostly authoritarian) Central Powers and the (mostly liberal and democratic) Allies. And yet, the liberal democracies for the most part abandoned their ideals with the outbreak of war and one after another adopted dictatorial powers to prosecute the war. In that sense, while the Allies eventually prevailed on the battlefield, they lost the very thing they originally set out to defend.

Tournament Phase 4: The open, optimistic, liberal society of Western Europe was betrayed by the very states that claimed to champion it.
One Polymorphic Quads game, Orient Express, flat rate, adjacent and foggy.

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-DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=the Christmas Truce Dec 24th 2120 to Dec 26th 2120]The Christmas Truce

[bigimg]http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/graphics/xmas_pc_ger_l.jpg[/bigimg]

When war broke out in August of 1914, most pundits (and recruiting officers) were predicting that the war would be over before Christmas. As Christmas approached and the war showed no sign of reaching an end or even slowing down, troops on both sides began re-assessing their prospects. Stuck in cold, muddy trenches, assaulted by the stench of unburied dead, tired and homesick, soldiers were hungry for a bit of civilization amidst the brutal reality of war..

For a really good, detailed account, I refer you once again to my favourite source, firstworldwar.com:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm

The Christmas Truce occurred mainly in the British sector of the Western Front. Isolated instances of truce were observed in some areas of the French sector, but for the most part the war was too bitter there. Hatred between the Germans and the French ran deep, whereas between the Germans and the English (allies for hundreds of years) it was a new and artificial thing. Officially, both the British and German high commands forbade fraternization with the enemy, but many senior officers disagreed with the prohibition and made little effort to enforce it.

In the spirit of Christian generosity, this tournament features full amnesty for free members. You will be able to join this tournament and play all your games even if you have no slots available. (When used, however, your slots will not regenerate until your games are done.)

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Phase 1: The Christmas Truce of 1914 was happened all along the Western Front, but it happened more in the the areas held by British troops than in the areas held by French troops. Troops came out of their trenches, collected their dead from the areas between the lines, sang Christmas carols, and in many cases ate meals with and exchanged gifts with members of the enemy army.

We will play on Flanders to mark the area in question, Trench Warfare to represent the state of the war, England, Scotland, and Germany to mark the opposing forces, Age of Merchants to represent gifts (such as tobacco, liquor, and fruit) that were exchanged, and Halloween Hallows to represent the burial of the dead.

Tournament Phase 1: The Christmas Troops emerged almost spontaneously among the war-weary troops at the end of 1914.
Seven 5-player games, random fog, escalating spoils. Maps Flanders, Trench Warfare, England, Scotland, Germany, Age of Merchants, and Halloween Hallows.

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Phase 2: Initially the truce was simply an armed and hostile ceasefire to collect one's dead and wounded from No Man's Land, but as Tannenbaumen appeared along the German lines a wave of nostalgia and homesickness transformed the truce into a social event.

Tournament Phase 2: The appearance of Christmas trees along the German lines triggered a wave of sentimentality.
Seven 8-player Terminator games, foggy flat rate, on Christmas map.

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Phase 3: In most places the Truce only lasted one day, but in some places it lasted several days, and in at least a couple isolated locations the Truce held until New Year's. In the places where the Truce outlasted Christmas Day, soccer games broke out between Boxing Day and the resumption of hostilities.

Tournament Phase 3: Spontaneous pick-up soccer games broke out in some areas.
Two 4-player Dubs games, foggy no spoils, on the two World Cup maps.

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Phase 4: The feelings of good will were short-lived. By the end of the year the world was definitely still at war.

Phase 4: The feelings of good will were short-lived. By the end of the year the world was definitely still at war.
Seven 6-player games, sunny nuclear, random trench, on the Europe, Europa, Europe1914, Classic, World 2.1, Doodle Earth, and France 2.1.

Entry fee: 2 tokens + 4 Violet Stars
-DK[/spoiler]

[GallantPellham]

played 3 trans sib games, won 2, my opponent got 1 at the beginning of the game? what gives mate, please explain.

[iAmCaffeine]

played 3 trans sib games, won 2, my opponent got 1 at the beginning of the game? what gives mate, please explain.

Are you referring to the tokens? They're random, sometimes you get one at the beginning of a game, sometimes at the end, sometimes not at all.

[GallantPellham]

thanks

[robellis00]

Quick Question: Will you be adding WWI Ottoman Empire map to the list of maps that drop tokens? It might be a good addition to bring some new life to that list of maps. Thanks.

[Dukasaur]

Quick Question: Will you be adding WWI Ottoman Empire map to the list of maps that drop tokens? It might be a good addition to bring some new life to that list of maps. Thanks.

Yes. Coming soon. I would say no less than two weeks and no more than a month.

[stealth99]

Thanks for including the Dates for new Tournaments guys. Much appreciated.