Kevin Block-Schwenk
United States
Massachusetts
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I'm a Battleground fan and judge who, rather than travel to a big gaming convention, enjoys putting up some prize $ to bring the action to me!
The Championship Tournament is happening Feb 18-19 2012 at Pandemonium Books at Games in Cambridge, Mass (Cambridge is next to Boston, and is on the subway.). 8 different people will win cash prizes totalling over $1200, as well as medals! In addition, 4 new/casual players will win swag.
This is the second Championship tournament. The first one was last May; we had 12 people, and the $500 first prize was won by someone who had never before been to a tournament and considered himself a newbie!  So everyone has a chance!
Prizes aside, it's a fun atmosphere, a guaranteed 2 full days of gaming for eveyrone, and a unique opportunity to meet other players...not least Chad Ellis, the creator of Battleground, who will once again be there as a player!
Below is a posting of the Announcement on the Your Move Games forum, which has all the details. Hope to see you there!
Kevin a.k.a. Battleground_Judge
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After the success of the Battleground Championship Tournament in Cambridge, Massachusetts a few weeks back, we're going to do it again! ;D
Look for New, Improved things in bold.
I'll be judging it again, and putting up the cash prizes Over $1200 total will be awarded to 8 different people this time, as compared to $800 total awarded to 3 different people last time.
You're welcome. 
The tournament is happening Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012 at Pandemonium Books & Games in Central Square, Cambridge. Same place as last time.
The format will be similar to the last tournament: Swiss on Saturday, cut to final 8 for Sunday (with only those having net winning records being eligible to make the final 8. People who go 2-2 will have to play tie-breaker games vs. each other where only the winner makes the final 8.).
My assistant judge is being trained to play games, so that if we get an odd number of people the odd-one-out will get to play a speed game vs. the assistant judge, which will count toward their record.
In addition, there will be a "Sunday Speed Swiss" tournament, with smaller prizes, to ensure that everybody has 2 full days of tournament gaming! Local players who only want to play Sunday will be able to do so as well. Also, players who are knocked out in the quarterfinals will have the opportunity to join the tournament, and will be credited with "draws" for any round they miss (though there's a chance they won't miss any rounds).
The Sunday Speed Swiss tournament will consist entirely of half(ish)-map speed games, with the army points varying wildly. Details below.
Prizes awarded:
(I'm putting up the cash and the medals. The free faction/decks will be given by Pandemonium/YMG, and are subject to their approval. Perhaps they'll toss in other prizes as well... )
1st Place, Championship: $500 and a "gold" medal
2nd Place, Championship: $250 and a "silver" medal
3rd Place, Championship: $175 and a "bronze" medal
4th Place, Championship: $100
1st Place: Sunday Speed Swiss: $100 and a "gold" medal
2nd Place: Sunday Speed Swiss: $50 and a "silver" medal
3rd Place: Sunday Speed Swiss: $35 and a "bronze" medal
4th Place: Sunday Speed Swiss: $20
1st place new/casual: a free faction ($30 value) and a "gold" medal
2nd place new/casual: a free deck ($15 value) and a "silver" medal
3rd place new/casual: a free deck ($15 value) and a "bronze" medal
4th place new/casual: a free deck ($15 value)
Endurance prize: everyone who completes all 4 Saturday games gets $10 off a $30+ purchase of Battleground stuff at the store. Since the entry fee is $10, this essentially means you get your money back in savings if you buy stuff.
New/casual players are of course eligible to win cash prizes as well as the new/casual player prizes. With the semifinals and finals of Championship happening at the same time as the Sunday Speed Swiss, nobody will be able to win more than one cash prize.
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Schedule:
10:00 AM - tournament registration opens
10:29 AM - tournament registration closes and people are paired for round 1.
10:30 AM start of round 1: 2000 Points, Breaking Point, Open Map.
Games completed & reported by 1:20 (I expect most games to finish much earlier than that, and folks to grab a bite to eat after this game.)
1:30 PM - start of round 2 - 1500 Points, Ticking Clock, Terrain.
Games completed & reported by 3:35.
3:45 PM - start of round 3 - 2000 Points, Total Warfare, Open Map, Secret-and-Simultaneous Deployment, Special Condition.
Games completed and reported by 7:05. (I expect most games to finish much earlier than that, and folks to grab a bite to eat after this game.)
7:15PM - start of round 4 - 2000 points, Ticking Clock, Terrain.
Games completed and reported by 9:35.
9:45PM - start of the tie-breaker speed round (played by only a few people). This will start earlier if possible. 1150 points, Open Reduced Map, Breaking Point. (Under special circumstances this game can be played early Sunday morning, as happened with one game in 2011.)
Sunday Schedule:
Quarterfinals at 10:00 AM. 2000 Points, Ticking Clock, Terrain, Special Condition.
Semifinals: 2000 Points, Ticking Clock, Terrain, Special Condition.
Finals: 2000 Points, Total Warfare, Terrain.
(There will be finals games to determine both first place and third place.)
With the tournament tree set, the semifinals and finals games will start as soon as both players are available. I reserve the right to judge games which are taking too long, but there should be plenty of time.
Sunday Speed Swiss:
90 minute rounds (except for round 1, which is 2 hours to folks can grab lunch) starting at 11:00 AM , 1:00PM, 2:30 PM, and 4:00PM.
At least half of games Breaking Point on an open "half map." (Fold the map in almost half. There deployment zone must be 15" wide, and flush with one of the corners.) Points will go 950, 1100, 1250, 1400 . In each case players get 2 Command Actions, minimum 2 Core, maximum 1 Elite of each type. If time allows, we will do 1 or 2 full-map 2000-point games as well as these.
The Sunday Speed Swiss is considered a separate tournament (though one entry fee covers both), so players may play a different faction from what they played in the main tournament. People who are knocked out of the final rounds are welcome to play in the Speed Swiss, though they may end up playing fewer games depending on when they begin (and thereby be less likely to win).
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Special rules:
Special unit, faction, and scenario rules have been put on a google document.
This is in addition to the google document which tracks all Official Rule Changes, all of which will be used.
Terrain and Special Conditions: Both Terrain and Special Conditions are determined as follows: three random ones are presented, then each player "vetoes" one of them. If only one of these is present, it is randomly determined who has to make the first veto; the person has the option to veto, or to make the opponent do the first veto, but if the opponent makes the first veto the opponent gets 1 free foresight.
In the quarterfinals & semifinals, which have both terrain and a special condition, again three of each are presented. Each player gets first veto on one of these. First vetoes are made secretly-and-simlutaneously, as are second vetoes.
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Special Swiss Rule, which applies to both the Championship and the Sunday Speed tournament:
When two people have the same win-loss record, ties are broken by the win-loss records of the opponents, as is standard. However, if two people with the same win-loss record have played each other, and whoever lost that game is currently ranked above whoever won it, the person who lost is moved down in rankings to just below the person who won it.
For example, if 4 people go 3-1: A (opponent record 11-5) B (opponent record 9-7) C (opponent record 8-8) and D (opponent record 6-10), rankings would normally go A, B, C, D. If C defeated A, and B defeated D, then rankings will go B, C, A, D.
If there is a "loop" or other paradox, then nobody's rank changes based on the games that formed the loop. (For example, if in the above example A beat B, who beat C, who beat A, nobody changes position and the ranks remain A, B, C, D.)
This rule only applies when two people has equal win-loss records. For example 3-1 always beats 2-2, even if the person who went 2-2 defeated the person who went 3-1.
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Best New/Casual Player will be determined as follows:
In Championship, only New/Casual players who win at least 2 games will be eligible to win prizes. Place will be determined by who advances the furthest. Ties will be broken by one of the following options:
- record in the Sunday Speed Swiss if both players plan to play in that tournament. If not...
- A tiebreaker game if both players are available & willing. If not...
- Opponent record.
If fewer than 3 new/casual players win at least 2 games, then any unawarded prizes will be awarded based on Sunday Speed Swiss record, where there is no minimum victory requirement.
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Other stuff:
- For both the Championship Tournament and the Sunday Speed Swiss players must choose one faction and stick with it. All armies must be pure faction only--no mercenaries. (Though players are allowed to play "Monsters & Mercenaries" as their faction.) Players may play a different faction in the Sunday Speed Swiss than they played in the Championship Tournament.
- As with the Championship Tournament 2011, many measures to ensure clean games will be practiced: table dice, armies verified by judges, and all units are put in provided felt-backed card holders to prevent them from accidentally moving.
- Also as with the Championship Tournament in 2011, the judge (= me) is considered the final arbiter of both rules and measurements. The judge should be called over immediately to resolve any disagreement or ambiguity related to rules or measurements.
- Registration is $10, which gets you into both tournaments. This is very cheap--players are strongly encouraged to show appreciation by purchasing additional things at the store.
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Once again, i hope that everyone who was there last time will return for more action, and that we see some new people as well!
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Hugh G. Rection
United States
La Mesa
California
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That sounds pretty cool, hope you guys have fun.
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Kevin Block-Schwenk
United States
Massachusetts
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Thanks!
Happy to answer any questions which folks may have.
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Kevin Block-Schwenk
United States
Massachusetts
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Update with yet another prize!
A player has donated a set of custom-made felt-backed card holders & hand-made folding map board. These are now...
The Giant Slayer Prize! 
Only people who do not make the final 4 of Championship, and did not make final 3 [1] in 2011, are eligible to win The Giant Slayer Prize.
The prize will be awarded to whoever defeated the person who placed highest in the main tournament. In the (highly unlikely) event of a tie, it will be awarded based on the 2nd best record of a person that you defeated.
If everyone in the final 4 is undefeated by anyone who didn't make the final 4, this prize will be awarded to the top new/casual player (who doesn't make the final 4).
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Chad Ellis
United States
Brookline
Massachusetts
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Last year's event was amazingly fun. It's also (despite the money on offer) a very beginner- and intermediate-friendly tournament.
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Chad Ellis
United States
Brookline
Massachusetts
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This year's tournament was, if anything, even better than last year. I think we had 15 players, including some fairly new and some who have played for years. I fielded Elves of Ravenwood and came in fourth. I defeated another Ravenwood army in the first round of the top 8, lost to the eventual champion in the semi-finals and then lost to last year's champion in the battle for 3rd-4th!
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Posted Mon Jan 9, 2012 10:17 pm
