While the club President has more news to add, he has recently sent in his report of Rallypont 08

Rallypoint 34 was the Hamilton Immortals Annual Historical Tournament. It was held at Melville High School and for the sixth consecutive year we ran the largest Early War Flames of War event in New Zealand. Our NZ NatCon has had an Early war competition for the past five years. It has morphed through a first year where Phil (from Battle front) turned up and got to try some things out with the points on the tentative lists. Then over the next three years we developed and ran the 1941 German Invasion of the North Island of New Zealand Campaign and for the last couple we have run a 6 game 1500 point event on 6 x 4 tables. Throughout the time we have used the lists that Phil originally wrote and revised almost 10 years ago and that of late that have been hosted by Simon McBeth on the BF Forum. When BF does EW we have offered to host the NZ BF EWGT if they want to run one.

Rallypoint also involves Napoleonics (1st Volley) and Fields of Glory.

Mark Thorp and his Swiss. Mark won the first ever FoW held at a NZ NatCon, at Christchchurch in 2002.

A local game store, Mark I, provided sponsorship for the event. Chris, the owner, likes our deal so we get to give away $750 worth of store vouchers, enjoy the Sunday afternoon 15% discount and the club supplies free sleeping bag accommodation on mattresses on the school Marae (NZ Maori word for a communal sleeping area) and breakfast. Most people also like the $30 entry fee. Last year we instigated a physical award for the overall winner of each genre, the Rallypoint Medal, which is a WW2 era coin hung on a Waikato(that’s our province) coloured ribbon, wear it the year after you win it and get a $10 discount on your entry fee. Also being a member of the club, gets a $10 discount off your entrance fee. Yes, this year’s winner is looking forward to paying $10 to play in Rallypoint 35 on 14-15 November 2009. And everyone got a minimum of a $20 store voucher this year.

There were 22 players this year. The biggest group were from the Immortals (11 so we just made up half of the field) the other half were people from all over the North Island; Hutt Valley, Wellington, Wanganui, New Plymouth, Napier, Gisborne, Tauranga, Tokoroa and Auckland.


The field: Extreme right sitting on the stage: Ian Cameron, Extreme right standing: Backslide Daniel Maguire (winner BF LWGT), Mascot front and centre: Rob Shirley – that’s me, Sitting on stage (green shirt) Paul Mounsey (winner Rallypoint 08), Sitting on stage to Paul’s right Tony Davys (winner of three BF NZ GT’s), Centre Kneeling in my black Marder T-Shirt Andrew Shepherd, 2nd and 3rd left Kneeling Mark and Andrew Stanton (winner Rallypoint 07) – see that medal.

Our umpire was Tony Davys (thank goodness I didn’t have to play him as he knows what he is doing on a FoW gaming table, this year he has won three tournaments (including BF MWGT) and come 2nd in another). We played four matches on the Saturday and just two on the Sunday, as the Hutt Valley guys did have a six and a half hour drive afterwards. It was pleasing to see that four of the players were Under 17 year olds with Issac heading the youngster’s field at 8th overall. And all of the youngsters are planning to be at ValleyCon in January. It’s our club trip in 2009 – free club polo shirts for Immortals who attend.

We played six different missions; Roadblock, the new “Hold the Line” which we played at the NZ BF LWGT called “No Retreat”, Fighting Withdrawal, Breakthrough, Encounter and Free for All.

My own tournament went pretty well; after an absolute drubbing in the first round. Andrew Shepherd, from Hutt Valley, and I have been playing grudge matches in a lot of first round matches in tournaments for the past couple of years. We play for a T-Shirt that I bought when I was playing in Leviathan (Sydney) in 2006. Now I play exclusively German and my club mate Daniel (Backslide on the forum) would always give me a bit of stick because I take Marder’s in a lot of my forces. When we play he usually wins and gives me the “Whose your Mother?” flak, except it comes out as “Who’s ya Marder?”, and at Leviathan there were these T-Shirts with “Who’s ya Marder?” on them. So I just had to have two. Anyway I play Road Block with Shep and he turns up with a Mark II German Army, and so do I, except he is Confident Trained and I’m playing Confident Veteran. He gets to keep the T-Shirt (mumble, mumble) as 1-6 to is pretty decisive. I was the attacker on the road.

Last round Mark Stanton versus Andrew Shepherd, Strek versus CT Mark II’s

But I recover with 5-2 against young Michael, (Note to one self as defender in a Breakthrough, you need to read MRB Pg 206 Point 5 – DUH!) and then 6-1 results against both Jono and Nick to end day 1. Cripes Day 2 and I’m playing off with the leader, club mate Paul (he who was 2nd in the BF MWGT and who won Taranaki Wars). Hey Encounter Turn 1, wow, I can roll 4 bogging checks and get 2 ones. Its turn 3, I’m on his objective, he gets no reserves, 3 Mark II’s in concealment (lost 1 already) plus CO, no reserves, my big smile, 7 Honey Shots needing 5s to hit against front armour 3, 2 dead, fail Platoon Motivation, fail CO motivation, ARRRGGGGHHHH, he wins 4-3.

Round 5 Paul saving a 25 lbr (again) the church objective and the remains of my tanks at the church. In the photo Al’s son, James, who ended up on the same Battle points as dear old Dad, is playing in the “top of the young guns” match on the next table over.

Last match, playing Alastair in FFA and he has Strek everywhere, and I get a 5-2 win.

Alastair Mundell playing Andrew Stanton in Round 5.

Hmm, could do well here. Blow me down, Shep (winner Call to Arms) gets a 6-1 to draw for top with Paul. Both score maximum for sports. Then they dice off to win the event, low roll wins, first attempt 4 and 4, and then slippery Paul rolls a miserly 2 to a 3 from Shep. We have a winner.

I had a lot of fun and the feedback is that we can expect the mob back next year. Unfortunately the school is charging us $10 per night per person for the accommodation next year. Mark 1 has confirmed they wish to continue sponsoring us. I suppose its not surprising as bye the time I had locked a number of people had been, invested and were on the road and I still ended up 9th in the queue to buy some more toys, a couple of StuG boxes are always handy.

Armies I faced included Sheps monster armoured Mark IV’s at 5-3-1, Jonos Brit Valentines 6-5-2 and Nick’s French Somuas with 4-3-1. My Panzerjager I’s with AT 7 really didn’t have too much hope with them. Non-players of EW need to know that the usual front armour is 3 and the usual AT rating is 7. It was great to see the variety of forces, and next year I have hopes of playing a German Cavalry list.

Results

			General		Sport	Total
	1	Paul Mounsey		27	30	57
	2	Andrew Shepherd		27	30	57
	3=	Mark Stanton		26	30	56
		Rob Shirley		26	30	56
	5=	Ian Rawley		25	29	54
		Jono Seal		24	30	54
	7	Andrew Stanton		22	30	52
	8=	Isaac Henderson		22	29	51	Young Gun
		Rowan Coker		22	29	51
		Philip Porter		21	30	51
	11=	Alistair Mundell		20	30	50
		James Mundell		20	30	50	Young Gun
	13=	Marlin Fisher		20	29	49
		Nick Booth		19	30	49
		Lance Knighton		19	30	49
	16	Kris Bristow		22	26	48
	17=	Daniel Maguire		20	27	47
		Simon Taylor		17	30	47
	19	Alan Bainbridge		16	30	46
	20	Micheal Hamilton		16	29	45	Young Gun
	21	Ian Cameron		14	30	44
	22	Ashley Reid		12	30	42	Young Gun