The Great War

[Dukasaur]

Hi Duk,

I just tried to join neuve-Chappele, and was refused because "player joined another in the series"....I noticed no one else has joined either so perhaps there is a flaw in the system?

Fixed (I hope).

[shoop76]

It worked. I t also has the finals as a best of 11 on classic. Think that's incorrect.

[Dukasaur]

It worked. I t also has the finals as a best of 11 on classic. Think that's incorrect.

Should be fixed now also.

[Dukasaur]

A note about timing.

As you may know, we have since the beginning endeavored to bring this event into real time. In other words, we are marking the 100th anniversary of the Great War, and each tournament was meant to come out on the 100th anniversary of the battle or event it commemorates. In this endeavour we have mostly been unsuccessful.

First, we started six weeks late, so we were behind right from the opening bell. Second, we ran up against the fact that the Great War was "front-loaded" in the modern parlance. The first year was just so eventful. There was an event of some significance almost every day in 1914. Eventually, once the early offensives ran out of steam, a lot of fronts ran into stalemates and became less interesting. We simply could not keep up with the incredible pace of 1914. Thirdly, the fact that I was brutally busy at work this winter and had very little time for Conquer Club also slowed us down.

Anyway, to get to the point, we are finally closing in on our elusive target. You've probably noticed that new tourneys have been coming out very quickly lately. We had Worldwide Warfare Week, where there was a new tourney every day, and since then we've been keeping up with two or three new tourneys every week. This pace is not easy to maintain, but there's light at the end of the tunnel. We expect to finally be caught up and be in real time by June 23rd. That will be the 100th anniversary of the First Battle of Isonzo, and the tournament commemorating that battle will come out on June 23rd.

Until then, there are still five weeks of pushing hard, of putting out two or three new tourneys every week. Everything will change after June 23rd. In the summer of 1915 the war really slowed down. All the action was in the south -- Gallipoli, Italy, and the Balkans were the main centres of activity -- while the really big war zones along the Western Front and Eastern front were almost quiet. We will finally be in real time right around the time that there will be relatively few battles to commemorate.

What this means for you:

1. If you're one of the hard-core fans of this series and have been trying to join every tournament, you have five more weeks of a brutal pace. There are 12 more tournaments to come out in the next 5 weeks. After that things will slow down considerably.
2. If you have been sitting on the sidelines and not joining very many of these tourneys, you don't have much time left to get involved. Right now you still have a lot to choose from. After June 23rd it will be much slimmer pickings.
3. If you've been waiting for more non-tournament activities, I think this is good news. With fewer battles to commemorate and less pressure to crank out more tournaments, I'll be able to spend some time on some of the other activities that we've talked about.

Anyway, I know everyone likes to get a heads-up and see what's on the road ahead.

[mookiemcgee]

Are you already planning a WWI event from 2037-2045?

[Dukasaur]

Are you already planning a WWI event from 2037-2045?

If I live that long, I'll be glad to...

[takman2k]

http://www.amara.org/en/videos/MerYm370 ... 6-minutes/

[Dukasaur]

Our next two tournaments come to us courtesy of [player]waauw[/player].

[spoiler=togoland campaign may 23rd to 30th]Togoland campaign(august 1914)

Acting governor Hans-Georg von Döring could not believe his ears. In accordance to the Congo Act he had sought neutrality accross the Congo Basin. After all, colonialists from all empires had a common goal. To control local populations and keep interdependent economies running. That was of course, until a few moments ago. British officer Captain Barker and the District commisioner from Keta had demanded the surrender of Togoland, one of the most developed colonies in Africa, under threat of attack. They had a mere 24 hours to prepare.

the british and the french make an unopposed attack on Togoland. The germans surrendered Tomé and with it modern rail lines:
Random draw, 3 games, 21 move on, 3 players, standard, auto, escalating, chained, no fog, no trench, map: Rails Africa, round limit 30

Border skirmish at the battle of Bafilo in North-eastern Togoland:
Random draw, 5 games, 15 move on, 3 players, standard, auto, escalating, chained, no fog, no trench, map: Dark Continent, round limit 30

The germans send raiding parties south of Kamina to slow the allied advance. Communications were difficult:
Random draw, 3 games, 10 move on, 3 players, standard, auto, flat rate, chained, no fog, trench, map: Rails Africa, Dark continent, Woodboro, round limit 30,

After having lost a quarter of their troops in a railway raid, the germans defend their entrenched position in the Battle of Chra(august 22 1914):
Random draw, 10 games, 6 move on, 10 players, standard, auto, escalating, chained, no fog, trench, map: Rorke's Drift, round limit 30

The germans make haste to withdraw, destroy all wireless communication and electrical equipment on the plateau to finally surrender:
Random draw, 6 game, 6 players, standard, auto, nuclear, chained, fog, no trench, map: Woodboro, round limit 30

-- W[/spoiler]
[spoiler=shaiba may 25th to june 1st][bigimg]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Meso-WW1-2.jpg[/bigimg]

Battle of Shaiba
The sun glimmered on the horizon unhesitatingly drawing down the skies. Lieutenant Colonel Sûleyman Askerî trodded on. The imminent split attack on the Qurna-Basra-Shaiba line grazed his thoughts. They had crossed into british mesopotamia in want of steady supplies and goods. If the Mesopotamian campaign was to succeed, control over the rivers and the fertile land would be crucial. He had brought 18.000 men with him, 4000 regulars and 14.000 arabs and kurds. In his mind he had no doubt they would prevail. The unholy demons would eventually subside against the impending force of Allah's great ottoman army. Shaiba was his objectif. Command needed it cut off from Basra and the more than 6.000 british and indian soldiers on their knees. Tomorrow, on april 11 his bombardment was scheduled to commence simultaneous to Qurna. Bless Allah and may he bestow his glory upon us.

players: 24
entry: premium

Setting up for a split attack on the Qurna-Basra-Shaiba line:
Random draw, 3 games, 24 move on, games: 2 players, poly triple, auto, no spoils, unlimited, fog, trench, map: Battle of Iraq!

Initial bombardments on Shaiba:
Random draw, 3 games, 24 move on, games: 2 players, standard, auto, nuclear, unlimited, no fog, no trench, map: Battle of Iraq!

sneak attack through barbed wires:
Random draw, 3 games, 20 move on, games: 2 players, standard, auto, chained, no reinforcements, fog, trench, map: Battle of Gazala

General Melis counter-attacks the next day:
Random draw, 3 games, 15 move on, games: 2 players, standard, auto, chained, no fog, no trench, map: Battle of Gazala

Scramble back to safety and retreat to Barjisiyeh Wood:
Random draw, 5 games, 10 move on, games: 5 players, standard, auto, no reinforcements, no fog, no trench, map: Battle of Iraq!

The british scour the woods and launch a last bayonet charge to disperse and capture the ottomans:
Random draw, 5 games, games: 10 players, terminator, auto, unlimited, no fog, no trench, map: Clandemonium

-- W[/spoiler]

[Dukasaur]

Togoland should have launched today, but I was busy with a family matter and didn't get it coded in time. I've coded it now and sent it off to BW; it should be launching soon.

[Dukasaur]

[spoiler=shaiba may 25th to june 1st][bigimg]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Meso-WW1-2.jpg[/bigimg]

Battle of Shaiba
The sun glimmered on the horizon unhesitatingly drawing down the skies. Lieutenant Colonel Sûleyman Askerî trodded on. The imminent split attack on the Qurna-Basra-Shaiba line grazed his thoughts. They had crossed into british mesopotamia in want of steady supplies and goods. If the Mesopotamian campaign was to succeed, control over the rivers and the fertile land would be crucial. He had brought 18.000 men with him, 4000 regulars and 14.000 arabs and kurds. In his mind he had no doubt they would prevail. The unholy demons would eventually subside against the impending force of Allah's great Ottoman army. Shaiba was his objectif. Command needed it cut off from Basra and the more than 6.000 British and Indian soldiers on their knees. Tomorrow, on april 11 his bombardment was scheduled to commence simultaneous to Qurna. Bless Allah and may he bestow his glory upon us.

players: 24
entry: premium

Setting up for a split attack on the Qurna-Basra-Shaiba line:
Random draw, 3 games, 24 move on, games: 2 players, poly triple, auto, no spoils, unlimited, fog, trench, map: Rails Asia

Initial bombardments on Shaiba:
Random draw, 3 games, 24 move on, games: 2 players, standard, auto, nuclear, chained, no fog, no trench, map: Battle of Iraq!

Sneak attack through barbed wires:
Random draw, 3 games, 20 move on, games: 2 players, standard, auto, chained, no spoils, fog, trench, map: Battle of Gazala

General Melis counter-attacks the next day:
Random draw, 3 games, 15 move on, games: 2 players, standard, auto, chained, no fog, no trench, map: Battle of Gazala

Scramble back to safety and retreat to Barjisiyeh Wood:
Random draw, 5 games, 10 move on, games: 5 players, standard, auto, flat rate, no reinforcements, fog, no trench, map: Battle of Iraq!

The british scour the woods and launch a last bayonet charge to disperse and capture the ottomans:
Random draw, 7 games, games: 10 players, terminator, auto, (no spoils, esc, flat, nuclear) unlimited, no fog, no trench, map: Clandemonium

-- W[/spoiler][/quote]
Made some changes.

[BUDMAN]

why are freemium games so extremely rare?

[Dukasaur]

why are freemium games so extremely rare?

It's difficult to write good tournaments for fremiums, with their game restrictions. If a tournament is any more than 1 game per round, you find that freemiums either don't join it or don't reserve enough game slots to fulfil their obligations, but 1 game per round is a very restrictive format.

Still, I'll keep trying. I know you've been very good about following this series despite being fremium. I wish there were more like you. I'll have some more coming up.

[waauw]

why are freemium games so extremely rare?

You can always ask Dukasaur to write one yourself. That should guarantee a freemium tournament.

[Dukasaur]

Tomorrow, an all-Polymorphic bracket marks the first Canadian victory:
[spoiler=second ypres may 28th to june 4th]Second Ypres

There are five notable things about the Second Battle of Ypres:

1. As the German strategy for 1915 emphasized the Eastern Front, Ypres was the only major effort the Germans made on the Western Front in the entire calendar year.
2. (As all Canadians learn in school) this was the first battle where the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought under its own commanders, instead of as a mere auxilliary to the British Expeditionary Force. Thus it was a milestone in the creation of Canada as a distinct nation and not just a colony.
3. With 1 and 2 putting Canada and Germany on a collision course, Second Ypres marked the first time that a former colony defeated a European power on European turf.
4. The initial German attack marked the first major success for poison gas, almost annihilating two French colonial division. Poison gas had already been used (for instance, as we noted, during the Battle of Bolimov) but until Ypres it had mainly been a failure.
5. Second Ypres was where Lt. Col. John McRae wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields", the best-known and most quoted poem of the Great War.

I thought of several ways of combining the above facts in one tournament, but after days of pondering, I've decided that "In Flanders Fields" deserves its own tournament. This will happen on December 8th, which will be the 100th anniversary of the poem's publication. This tournament, therefore, will ignore the poem and just follow the battle itself.

Sometimes, I have very little to add to what has already published, and this is one of those occasions. I very strongly suggest that you follow the link below, and read a very clear and coherent account of the battle on firstworldwar dot com:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/ypres2.htm

For comparison, I also offer the wikepedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Ypres

This will be an all-polymorphic, straighforward bracket tournament. Spoils throughout will alternate randomly between nuclear and zombie -- nuclear to mark the tremendous devastation caused by the gas attacks, and zombie to represent the stench of death in its wake. Fog in all phases will represent the great confusion. Trench will be applied randomly -- although this battle was fought in the trenches, it was actually quite fluid and rapidly-changing, and at times not very typical of trench warfare.

Phase 1: Ypres was Germany's only major 1915 offensive in the West.
3 games on Unification Germany, Poly Dubs

Phase 2: The first gas attack fell upon troops from Algeria and other French African colonies.
3 games, 1 each on Eastern Hemisphere, Dark Continent, and France, Poly Trips

Phase 3: British and Canadian troops were rushed into the gap.
5 games, 1 each on England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Canada, Poly Dubs

Phase 4: The heroics of the Canadians established their reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
7 games, 1 each on Montreal, Vancouver, Golfe de St. Laurent, Northwest Passage, Great Lakes, First Nations North America, and North America, Poly Quads[/spoiler]

[kkelly]

I can't seem to join any tournaments in this series anymore due to a "Player is not allowed to enter this tourney due to Entry Rules: Membership=P, Templates:!2722, Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" error.

What is the new "Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" rule? Does that regard attendance/percentage of turns taken?

[Dukasaur]

I can't seem to join any tournaments in this series anymore due to a "Player is not allowed to enter this tourney due to Entry Rules: Membership=P, Templates:!2722, Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" error.

What is the new "Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" rule? Does that regard attendance/percentage of turns taken?

Yes, that is correct.

Due to a lot of complaints about deadbeats in the games, we've created a minimum turns-taken rule and set the benchmark at 96%.

I realize this isn't a perfect solution, but it's better than nothing.

[Dukasaur]

As of now, there are still 5 spaces left in the current iteration of the Attempt to Force the Narrows tournament. This is the last iteration of said tournament, so get in there while you can -- it will not re-iterate again.

Attempt to Force the Narrows is about the second naval attempt to secure the Dardanelles. Meanwhile, with the imminent failure of the Navy, the Dardanelles campaign momentum shifts to the Army and the landings on Gallipoli. We already had a commemoration of the landings themselves, with the ANZAC DAY tournaments, and now we get the first tournament based on the fighting after the landings.

Here is DoomYoshi's latest, which will be launching at this time tomorrow:

[spoiler=battles of Krithia May 31st to June 7th]The Battles at Krithia (Apr 28, May 6-8, Jun 4, 1915)

24 players start

The French and British were to land in unison on the beaches at the southernmost tip of Gallipoli. The French were to hold a front, while the British performed a pinwheel rotation around the front, sweeping up victory.

Round 1: April 25
Three beaches were taken by the British. On two beaches, heavy casualties were suffered. However, a third beach was abandoned (and the next 2 objectives). Unfortunately, the soldiers had no orders to advance or to fortify, so they just evacuated the beach. The British have a very distinct method of what to do with no orders given. It is the phrase: "if it moves, salute it, if it doesn't move, paint it white". The Russians have a much more useful variation which translates to: "dig a trench from here to evening". Trench digging is generally more useful than painting things white when on contested territory.

Some similar looking territory is found in San Marino.
5 games, 4 player Terminator, San Marino, Trench, Flat Rate, Adjacent, Fog

Round 2: April 28
Operation Pinwheel (not the real name) was doomed to failure. For one thing, the terrain isn't an even chessboard. Some troops had to scale ravines and mountains, while others faced heavy resistance. Instead of one smooth, advancing arm, the British army became isolated pockets of troops outflanked completely. This is not a recipe for success.

5 games, 8 player Terminator, 4 Star Meats, Escalating, No Reinforcement, Fog

Round 3: May 1-5
The ground-artillery was almost out of ammunition. The navy still had some, but were hoarding it for the next attack on Constantinople. Little did they know that victory was going to be measured in yards, rather than cities. Aerial reconnaissance had not yet figured out the fortifications of the Ottomans. What bombardment did happen was mostly wasted (unless you think blasting rocks into smaller rocks is a worthwhile exercise).

5 games, 8 player Terminator, Feudal Epic, Escalating, Chained, Fog

18 players continue

Round 4: May 6-8
The new plan of the Allied forces may seem similar to the last plan. Everyone is to advance one mile. The french are then to hold a front, while the British begin yet another pinwheel. The advancement of the mile is what proved to be difficult. After the first day, some troops had almost advanced 400 yards. During the dark, they slept and the entire process was repeated twice more. The furthest advance was never more than 600 yards, and still nobody knew where the Ottoman trenches were. One third of allied combatants died in this battle.

5 games, 2 Players, Trench Warfare, Trench, Nuclear, Adjacent, Fog

15 players continue

Round 5: Late May
Hunter-Weston, the brilliant designer of operation pinwheel and the broad daylight advance into entrenched forces, went from Major General to Lieutenant General, presumably for something unrelated to these battles. The tide seemed to be turning for the British. They were advancing their trenches by night-time stealth missions, and more troops were arriving daily. However, the Ottomans were also advancing their trench system.

5 games, 5 Player Terminator, WWI Ottoman Empire, Flat Rate, Parachute, Sunny

12 players continue

Round 6: June 4
The Third Battle had more realistic plans. Instead of taking the regional centre, they were hoping to advance to the Turkish trenches, take them, and then establish new trenches 500 yards further. Only one of the fronts managed to reach the opponents trench, but had to retreat after a Turk counterattack. In the end, the trench and front had advanced 200 yards. This is classed as a major British victory.

5 games, 6 Player Terminator, Gallipoli, No Spoils, Chained, Fog

Some notes about technology: most of the British were still using pith helmets at this point, the Brodie not really coming into circulation yet. Some armored car advances were attempted in the third offensive, but in general everyone had to walk at the enemy machine guns. Lord Kitchener replied to the news of the casualties by promising to send more troops.

-- DY

http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/krithia1.htm
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/krithia2.htm
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/krithia3.htm[/spoiler]

[morleyjoe]

So many great events, and still struggling to get tokens, no matter how many games I join....

[Dukasaur]

So many great events, and still struggling to get tokens, no matter how many games I join....

Yeah, it's been a lot of tourneys lately. Kudos to you for keeping up!

If it helps, I've started some more of the 12-player Australia games and invited you in. These are really reliable token-droppers.

Anybody else who needs a token, don't be shy:
Game 15698560
Game 15698561
Game 15698562
Game 15698563
Game 15698564

[Dukasaur]

We've had several tournaments in this series that allowed freemiums. Tomorrow, June 4th, for the first time we will launch a tournament that is only fro freemiums.

For freemiums only:[spoiler=Eski-Hissarlik june 4th to 11th]Eski-Hissarlik (may 1st 1915)
Wary Liman Von Sanders sighed. Not one year ago he was both German officer and diplomat at the Ottoman court. Now he found himself in charge of Ottoman forces, still away from beloved Germany, disallowed to return. Perhaps a punishment for not convincing the Ottomans to join the war sooner. In a brief glimpse he studied the Ottoman war ministers' letter. A surprise attack on British-French forces to finally push them into the sea and end their Gallipoli campaign.

players: 24
requirements: freemium (mandatory freemium)

21 battalions march out under a late evening sky:
Random draw, 1 game, 16 move on, games: 6 players, standard, escalating, unlimited, map: The Solar System, no fog, no trench, round limit 30

Initial bombardments on the british-french position:
Random draw, 1 game, 8 move on, games: 2 players, standard, nuclear, no reinforcements, map: WWI Gallipoli, no fog, trench, round limit 30

Attack allied defensive positions:
Random draw, 1 game, 4 move on, games: 3 players, assassin, escalating, chained, map: AOR1, fog, trench, round limit 30

British Royal Navy and French Senegalese arrive in time to turn the battle:
Random draw, 1 game, 2 move on, games: 2 players, standard, escalating, chained, map: D-Day Omaha Beach, no fog, no trench, round limit 30

May 3rd another failed attempt by Liman Von Sanders:
Random draw, 1 game, games: 2 players, standard, flat rate, chained, map: AOR1, fog, no trench, round limit 30


http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/eskihissarlik.htm[/spoiler]

[NCPFL]

How do we sign up and does it allow us to go over the four game limit as I am still in the big tournament that has me tied up with three games this round. Thanks!

[waauw]

How do we sign up and does it allow us to go over the four game limit as I am still in the big tournament that has me tied up with three games this round. Thanks!

On the left of the tournament description you'll see the requirements to join the tourney, in this case 1 great war token - cannon and 5 violet conquer stars. Only when you have such tokens and stars available can you join the tournement by clicking the 'join'-url. To check what tokens and stars you have go to the 'Inventory' tab.

And no it does not allow you to surpass your 4-game limit. You'll have to keep a spot open at all times as long as you're still in the tournament. The Eski-Hissarlik tournament only has 1 game per round to make it as freemium-friendly as possible.

[Dukasaur]

How do we sign up and does it allow us to go over the four game limit as I am still in the big tournament that has me tied up with three games this round. Thanks!

At the top of your Central Command page, click on the Great War box. You'll see the currently-open tournaments. Select Eski-Hissarlik, scroll down to the button that says "Join".

[kkelly]

I can't seem to join any tournaments in this series anymore due to a "Player is not allowed to enter this tourney due to Entry Rules: Membership=P, Templates:!2722, Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" error.

What is the new "Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" rule? Does that regard attendance/percentage of turns taken?

Yes, that is correct.

Due to a lot of complaints about deadbeats in the games, we've created a minimum turns-taken rule and set the benchmark at 96%.

I realize this isn't a perfect solution, but it's better than nothing.

Why not set a minimum score too? How is having someone who misses turns in a tournament different than having someone who takes bad turns?

[Dukasaur]

I can't seem to join any tournaments in this series anymore due to a "Player is not allowed to enter this tourney due to Entry Rules: Membership=P, Templates:!2722, Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" error.

What is the new "Rounds/Rounds Begun < .04" rule? Does that regard attendance/percentage of turns taken?

Yes, that is correct.

Due to a lot of complaints about deadbeats in the games, we've created a minimum turns-taken rule and set the benchmark at 96%.

I realize this isn't a perfect solution, but it's better than nothing.

Why not set a minimum score too? How is having someone who misses turns in a tournament different than having someone who takes bad turns?

Personally, I don't disagree with what you're saying. However, it seems that bad play is accepted without too much agitation, while deadbeating drives people nuts. I honestly don't know why this is. If some guy wants to deadbeat and give me free points, I have no problem with it, but do a quick search of either the forums or people's ratings or game chat, and you'll find that deadbeats seem to drive people absolutely nuts.

I don't pretend to understand all of what motivates people. I just try to respond to it.



Starting today:
[spoiler=gorlice-tarnow june 14th to 21st]After the terrible beating the Central Powers had taken at Przemysl and Lodz, the Russian star seemed to be rising, and the Austro-Hungarian army seemed to be on the verge of total collapse. The German High Command could not let their primary ally die, so they shifted their strategic emphasis for 1915 from the Western Front to the Eastern Front. With the aid of substantial German reinforcements, the Austro-Hungarians were able to recover.



General August von Mackensen was given command of the entire front, creating a unified command for both German and Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front. The Gorlice-Tarnow offensive began as merely an operation to relieve some of the pressure on the badly-mauled Austrian force in the Carpathians, but it exceeded its expectations and soon became a total rout of the Russians. All the progress the Russians had made during the fall and winter was undone, all of Poland was returned to Austro-German control, and the Russians left behind 250,000 dead and 750,000 prisoners.

Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorlice%E2%80%93Tarn%C3%B3w_Offensive#Battle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Retreat_%28Russian%29

35 players begin.
The first three rounds of the tournament will honour the various combatants:
Round 1: 5x5 player Escalating games on Unification Germany representing the five German Corps. 30 players continue.
Round 2: 6x6 player Nuclear games on Austro-Hungarian Empire representing the six Austro-Hungarian Corps. 28 players continue.
Round 3: 7x7 player Flat Rate games on Transsib1914 representing the seven Russian Corps. 20 players continue.
All of the above will be Terminator, random Sun/Fog, random Chained/Parachute, no Trench.

Scores in the first three rounds will be cumulative. After round 3 they will reset.

The next three rounds will all be on the WWII Poland map. The WWII battleground in this area overlapped much of the same territory as was fought over in the WWI version, and the German victory was equally lopsided. Since the same map is used for all three rounds 4, 5, and 6, the difference between the rounds will be in game type.
Round 4: 3 Polymorphic games (Poly 2,3,4) No Spoils, Foggy, random Chained/Parachute, no Trench.
Round 5: 5x5 player Standard games, Zombie spoils, random Sun/Fog, random Chained/Parachute, Trench.
Round 6: 7x5 player Assassin games, Escalating spoils, Foggy, random Chained/Parachute, no Trench.

Scores from rounds 4 to 6 will be cumulative. After Round 6 the top 8 players will go into an elimination bracket. The next three rounds 7, 8, and 9, will all be 1v1. They will feature a random selection from many of the maps that have been used on various Eastern Front Great War tournaments so far;

• the four maps used in the first six rounds of this tournament, of course, but also
• Eurasia Mini from Tannenberg;
• Germany, Europe, Great Lakes from Masurian Lakes;
• Austerlitz, Balkans, and WWII Eastern from Lemberg-Galicia;
• Siege from the First Przemysl tournament;
• Antarctica from Lodz;
• Age of Realms II from Bolimov;
• Stalingrad from Second Przemysl, and last but not least,
• Baltic Crusades and Baltic States, neither of which we've used until now but probably should have...

Rounds 7, 8, and 9 will each have a random pick of nine maps from the above 17. All will be 1v1 games, with random Sun/Fog, random Chained/Adjacent/Parachute, random Escalating/Nuclear/Flat Rate, and random Trench/No Trench.

-- DK[/spoiler]

I will lower the attendance threshhold to 95%. Lower than that there's not much point in having a rule at all.