HOLF Players' Guild Forum

SUMMER GAME FINAL STANDINGS

I am including a screenshot of the Summer Games scoreboard with updated standings through the final round of the five-round tournament. There was no change in the top three in the final round, so the Summer Games concludes with an undefeated victory for the White Company. The Red Band finished second and the Blue Hand finished in third place.

The White Company's victory was complete, not only did they finish without a loss, but they doubled the VP total of the nearest competitors as well. They developed a sound game strategy and stuck to it throughout the tournament, and it paid off with the big win.

2010 Summer Games Final Standings

ROUND FIVE RESULTS
White Company def. Black Legion, Major victory (T3 - Captured Foggia)
Blue Hand def. Yellow Regiment, Major victory (T2 - Captured Varasdin)
Red Band def. Green Guards, Major victory (T4 - Captured Hamburg)

TOTAL CASUALTY NUMBERS (ROUNDED) IN FIFTH ROUND:
T1: None, T2: 24,000, T3: 25,500, T4: 8,500
TOTAL: 58,000*. Total destroyed units: 5
* - does not include shatter losses

ROUND FIVE RECAPS: Bold moves by team captains led to some early payoffs in round five, starting with the Blue Hand. Blue Commanders were able to squeeze multiple Division past and then inbetween the Yellow army and their capital, Varasdin, in T1. This led to an easy taking of the city in T2 despite almost all of the Yellow army still being out on the field but too far away to help.

The White and Black teams both came out of the blocks very quickly, to the point where it seemed both cities would fall in the match. But while White moved into Foggia in T2, most Black forces, already tired from force marches and battles against White skirmishers, were still miles away from the city. In T3, Foggia fell easily to the White Band, and Black Legion thrusts towards Gaeta petered out amidst heavy resistance.

In Germany, the Red Band used a conservative advance against the Green Guards, who kept most of their forces on or very close to their home city of Hamburg. While green achieved some decent success in T2 fighting, and very little action in T3, Red attackers were able to force their way past defenders in Hamburg and slip into the unoccupied city at the end of T4.

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ROUND FOUR SUMMARY

SUMMER GAMES STANDINGS: Updated through round four

The White Company did enough to continue their winning ways in round four. Because the teams immediately behind them in the standings could not keep pace, the White team is now the heavy favorite to win the Summer Games with one round left to play. White can take care of business and clinch the tournament win with a match victory of any kind this round. But even if Black is able to capture white's base this round, the White team will still win the Summer Games unless either Blue or Red achieves a major victory in their respective matches and they are able to make up the large VP lead that the White Company has amassed. The Yellow Regiment, Green Guards, and Black Legion are out of contention for overall victory but are still jockeying for position in the final standings and will play a critical role in determining how the Summer Games play out.

ROUND FOUR RESULTS
White Company (Team #2) def. Blue Hand (Team #4), Minor victory (via T4 truce)
Yellow Regiment (Team #5) def. Red Band (Team #1), Minor victory (determined by VP gain)
Green Guards (Team #6) def. Black Legion (Team #3), Minor victory (via T4 truce)

ROUND FIVE MATCHUPS
In Campania, White Company (4-0, 6 points, Gaeta) vs. Black Legion (1-3. 2 points, Foggia).
In Holstein, Red Band (2-2, 4 points, Bremen) vs. Green Guards (1-3, 1 point, Hamburg)
In Dalmatia, Blue Hand (2-2, 4 points, Laibach) vs. Yellow Regiment (2-2, 3 points, Varasdin)

TOTAL CASUALTY NUMBERS (ROUNDED) IN FOURTH ROUND:
T1: None, T2: 5,000, T3: 34,000, T4: 66,000, T5: 22,000
TOTAL: 127,000*. Total destroyed units: 13
* - does not include shatter losses

ROUND FOUR RECAPS:
Probably the most entertaining round of the tournament so far (from my perspective), there were no major victories in round four. Instead, this was a round for defensive approaches and successes in every match. Two teams that recorded victories never made an attempt at their opponent's base, choosing instead to guard their own city and it's approaches to achieve victory.

In Bavaria, the Blue Hand moved South from Muenchen immediately from the start of the match. Meanwhile, while the White Team planned a less direct offensive to Muenchen around key Bavarian river crossings and through nearby mountain passes, orders snafus led to only a handful of White Company brigades moving in T1. But
White rebounded in T2, and found and dealt significant damage to advancing Blue columns in T3. Blue Hand forces took the big hits but expertly slipped away and moved in force into Nuernberg as T3 closed. So trailing in the VP race, but with a sudden (and slight) local advantage at Nuernberg, Blue commanders went for the knockout blow in T4. When the smoke had cleared after heavy fighting, the White defenses at Nuernberg had held, the Blue offensive had been halted in it's tracks, and both sides negotiated a truce rather than send their exhausted troops out for more fighting.

In Dalmatia, the Black Legion tried for a bold strike at the Green capital of Varasdin. But despite some troops getting into great offensive position behind Green lines, the Black team also dealt with significant orders issues in T1 that prevented many troops from moving at all. The Green Guards, hungry for a victory of any kind, took a decidedly defensive approach throughout the round, basically daring the Black Legion to try for Varasdin while they left Laibach virtually alone. When Black did move part of their force into Varasdin in T3, they were met by a larger Green Guards army ready to defend their home city at all costs. Despite being outnumbered, Black launched a number of incredibly costly assaults against the entrenched defenders at Varasdin, losing over 25,000 men in T4 alone in the city with nothing to show for it. Realizing that further fighing was pointless, and that both home cities were safe from further conquest in the match, a truce was hastily agreed to by team commanders.

In the Ukraine, the Red Band was in a very favorable position at the start of their round four match. The Red Team had a distinct advantage in terms of total manpower, and were coming off a big win in round three. Plus they were motivated to keep pace with the game leaders, while the Yellow Team was just trying to get back in the win column. So Red forces pushed forward albeit somewhat cautiously towards Chernigov. But Yellow defenders met the Red Band every step of the way, and inflicted horrible punishment on advancing Red troops in T3 while Yellow commanders left Kiev alone. Ultimately in Chernigov, Yellow Regiment troops scored huge victories in T4-T5 on beleaguered Red attackers, and put themselves in position to jump all the way to second place in the overall standings with a strong closing performance in round five.

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ROUND THREE

Summer Games Standings: Through Round Three

ROUND THREE RESULTS
White Company (Team #2) def. Green Guards (Team #6), Minor Victory (Determined by highest VP gain)
Black Legion (Team #3) def. Yellow Regiment (Team #5), Major Victory - T3 (Captured Erfurt)
Red Band (Team #1) def. Blue Hand (Team #4), Major Victory - T3 (Captured Foggia)

ROUND FOUR MATCHUPS
In Bavaria, White Company (3-0, Muenchen) vs. Blue Hand (2-1. Nuernberg)
In the Ukraine, Red Band (2-1, Kiev) vs. Yellow Regiment (1-2, Chernigov)
In Dalmatia, Green Guards (0-3, Varasdin) vs. Black Legion (1-2, Laibach)

TOTAL CASUALTY NUMBERS (ROUNDED) IN THIRD ROUND:
T1: None, T2: 5,000, T3: 62,000, T4: 38,000
TOTAL: 105,000. Total destroyed units: 4

TURN THREE HEADLINES: Quick results and heavy T3 fighting in two matches, stalemate and minor victory between White/Green in third match; White Company stays undefeated, Black Legion gets first win; White Company holds narrow lead, with Red and Blue nipping at their heels in standings. Black and Yellow are now the darkhorses, and Green is playing role of dangerous spoiler.

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ROUND TWO RECAP

Updated through round two
ROUND TWO RESULTS
White Company (Team #2) def. Yellow Regiment (Team #5), Major Victory - T5 (Captured Hamburg)
Blue Hand (Team #4) def. Green Guards (Team #6), Major Victory - T3 (Captured Erfurt)
Red Band (Team #1) def. Black Legion (Team #3), Major Victory - T4 (Captured Nuernberg)

ROUND THREE MATCHUPS
In Saxony, Black Legion (0-2, Kassel) vs. Yellow Regiment (1-1. Erfurt)
In Ukraine, White Company (2-0, Kiev) vs. Green Guards (0-2, Chernigov)
In Campania, Red Band (1-1, Gaeta) vs. Blue Hand (2-0, Foggia)

TOTAL CASUALTY NUMBERS (ROUNDED):
T1: None, T2: 20,000, T3: 100,000, T4: 22,500, T5: 10,000
TOTAL: 152,500. Total destroyed units: 5

ROUND TWO RECAP
There were plenty of fireworks in all three matches in second round of the 2010 Summer Games, although that's where the similarities ended.

The Blue Hand and Green Guards both focused on achieving a quick major victory in their head-to-head match. And already by the start of T3, both teams were poised to occupy their opponent's capital. In tremendously heavy fighting, Blue AND Green attackers took control of the cities. But Blue defenders were able to wrestle control of Kassel back from the occupiers before the turn had concluded, and held on for the T3 major victory.

An interesting and entertaining match between the Red Band and the Black Legion started with the Red Band getting the early jump on their Legion counterparts as they moved around the critical fords in the area and headed towards Nuernberg. But the Black team responded and put themselves in position to seriously hurt the attackers outside Nuernberg in T3. Instead, the Red Band was able to deftly escape the big fights, and their undersized army slipped around the defenders to move into Nuernberg itself. They occupied the city in T4, and a determined Black attempt to keep the game alive came up one tactical hex short as the turn (and this match) ended.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Regiment and White Company both started off quickly in their match, to the point where it seemed their contest might end early as well. Both teams captured their rival's home city in T3...and held it for T4...and into T5. But already with a significant advantage in VPs, the White Company was able to force the Yellow team into a pivotal and decisive battle in T5 and retake their home city at the same time for a major victory.
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ROUND ONE RECAP

Updated through round one of the tournament.

ROUND ONE RESULTS
White Company (Team #2) def. Red Band (Team #1), Major Victory - T3 (Captured Kassel)
Blue Hand (Team #4) def. Black Legion (Team #3), Major Victory - T4 (Captured Bremen)
Yellow Regiment (Team #5) def. Green Guards (Team #6), Major Victory - T4 (Captured Nuernberg)

ROUND TWO MATCHUPS
In Saxony/Central Germany, Blue Hand (1-0, Kassel) vs. Green Guards (0-1, Erfurt)
In Holstein/North Germany, White Company (1-0, Bremen) vs. Yellow Regiment (1-0, Hamburg)
In Bavaria/South Germany, Red Band (0-1, Muenchen) vs. Black Legion (0-1, Nuernberg)

Round one GA summary

The Summer Games first round was defined by a pair of come-from-behind wins and an all-out slugfest in the third match.

The wild results started with a White Company major victory in T3 despite losing nearly 10,000 more men and finishing with less victory points than their Red Band opponents (even after the final city capture). The White Company jumped towards the top of the standings with their early win and got some all important R&R while other teams were battling it out in T4. They will face off against another victor, the Yellow Company in their next match in Holstein. The still (virtually intact) and imposing Red Band army, ironically, probably finds itself in better shape than any other side (including winners) as they prepare to rebound against the Black Legion in Bavaria next round.

The fireworks continued in South Germany in T4, with Yellow Regiment commanders erasing an even greater VP deficit than their White Company counterparts by manuevering for the capture of Nuernberg and a major victory in the standings. The Green Guards, who had enjoyed the lion's share of the military success in the early stages of the match (T2/T3), were nonetheless unable to stop multiple enemy corps from slipping into the Nuernberg area at the end of T3. Meanwhile, their own forces could not get within range of Muenchen. The overmatched Green Guards Nuernberg garrison was wiped out early in T4 and Yellow Regiment forces occupied and held the city for a major victory and two points in the standings. The Yellow Regiment will have a pivotal early matchup against another first round winner, the White Company in their upcoming Holstein match. The tough-luck loser Green Guards will try to rebound against the Blue Hand in Saxony next round.

But in terms of all out action, the battle for Bremen/Hamburg in North Germany was second-to-none. From the opening bell, both sides went head to head in the heaviest fighting of the round. Eventually, Blue Hand forces were able to gradually push the front towards the Black Legion base at Bremen in T2 and T3. And by the end of those pivotal turns, Black Legion commanders were unable to get enough of their units in position to either completely defend their beleaguered home base or significantly threaten the Blue Hand stronghold at Hamburg. The Blue Hand outslugged the defenders and captured Bremen in T4 for the two-point major victory. The Blue Hand will look to keep up their winning ways against the Green Guards in Saxony next round, while the Black Legion will try to even their record in Bavaria against the Red Band.

Round one casualties, not including shatter losses (T1: None, T2: 55,000, T3: 28,000, T4: 26,500). Unofficial destroyed units: 18