Fearless Veteran, 2025

 Other Fearless Veteran tournaments are described here: 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.  

The 2025 SAG Fearless Veteran tournament was excellent. We had six participants, so three games for each of the three rounds, and everyone played a different opponent each game. 

As always, we were playing for the trophy, the winner's name on the Fearless Veteran plaque, and club bragging rights. But this year the trophy was the One Ring, since we were playing the 2024 edition of Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game!

For the tournament we played 500 point forces with any army list allowed, including "legacy" lists. Most of us used Table Top Admiral to build our lists. Each round was a different scenario from the main rulebook, Round 1: Domination, Round 2: Reconnoiter, and Round 3: To the Death! This provided a different challenge for each scneario, holding objectives, getting the table, and destroying enemy forces. We determined final tournament standings by 1. Win/loss record, 2. Points Earned, and 3. Points given up. 

Paul Westermeyer is our Fearless Veteran 2025!

Ken Jacobson presents Paul Westermeyer the One Ring trophy
as the Fearless Veteran of 2025.

1. Paul Westermeyer, Mirkwood Spiders, 2 wins, 1 loss, Pts for/against: 34/18

2. Ken Jacobson, Dale, 2 wins, 1 loss, Pts for/against: 32/14

3. Terrance Johnstone, Ugluk's Scouts, 2 wins, 1 loss, Pts for/against: 32/17

4. James Young, Wood Elves/Rangers of Mirkwood, 2 wins, 1 loss, Pts for/against: 29/21

5. Jake Nedza, Minas Tirith, 1 wins, 2 losses, Pts for/against: 18/39

6. Robert Kendzie, Riders of Rohan, 3 losses, Pts for/against: 5/41

Paul is the first non-repeat winner since 2021. 

Fearless Veterans to date:

2016 - Ken Jacobson  (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2017 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2018 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2021 - Michael Adkins (Kings of War, 2nd Edition)

2022 - Wayne Wiltshire (Bolt Action, 2nd Edition)

2023 - Ken Jacobson (Black Powder, 2nd Edition)

2024 - Michael Adkins (Knights and Terrors)

2025 - Paul Westermeyer (Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, 2024 Edition)

Hopefully, this will be the last time Fearless Veteran is played in December. We are going to schedule the 2026 tournament for March or April hoping to get better turn out with a less busy time of year.

Fearless Veteran, 2024

Other Fearless Veteran tournaments are described here: 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.  

The 2024 SAG Fearless Veteran tournament was a great time. Turn out was low again, but we did get 4 participants, the minimum number needed for our small, friendly, club tournaments, we could have handled 8 players total. 

This year we tried something new, the tournament game was Knights and Terrors (KATS), a fantasy miniature wargame that club member Jake Nedza is writing and developing. KATS is an army level high fantasy wargame which focuses on ease of play, tactical decision making, and broad support for your existing fantasy army. It uses armies painted and build for Warhammer or similar games and it has been reasonably popular in our club. We thought acting as a play-test tournament would help Jake out. 

As always, we were playing for the trophy, the winner's name on the Fearless Veteran plaque, and club bragging rights. 

Michael Adkins was again our Fearless Veteran!

1. Michael Adkins, 3-0

2. Paul Westermeyer, 2-1

3. Robert Kendzie, 1-2

4. Justin*/Jake Nedza, 0-3 

*Jake's friend Justin was only able to play a couple games then Jake stepped in. 

Fearless Veterans to date:

2016 - Ken Jacobson  (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2017 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2018 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2021 - Michael Adkins (Kings of War, 2nd Edition)

2022 - Wayne Wiltshire (Bolt Action, 2nd Edition)

2023 - Ken Jacobson (Black Powder, 2nd Edition)

2024 - Michael Adkins (Knights and Terrors)

The 2025 Fearless Veteran tournament is this week, we will be playing Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game. 

Hopefully, this will be the last time Fearless Veteran is played in December. We are going to schedule the 2026 tournament for March or April hoping to get better turn out with a less busy time of year. 

Fearless Veteran, 2023

 Other Fearless Veteran tournaments are described here: 2017, 2021, and 2022.  

The 2023 SAG Fearless Veteran tournament was great fun! We didn't get as many players as we have in previous years but did get 4 participants, the minimum number needed for our small, friendly, club tournaments, we could have handled 8 players total. We had five players present, but since we had an odd number I sat out to just run the tournament.

This year the game was Black Powder, 2nd edition, 500 points, any Napoleonic Era Army (1780-1815). We played a three round round robin format. Each round was a different scenario, designed for the tournament. They were 1. Set Piece Battle 2. Meeting Engagement and 3. Annihilation (each pretty much fit its title). Players were provided the scenarios in advance and we ran some playtests in the weeks before. The winner was determined by the Win/Loss record, with the first tie breaker total victory points lost and the second tie breaker total victory points gained. It was designed to reward preservation of the player's own troops over destroying enemy troops.

As always, we were playing for the trophy, the winner's name on the Fearless Veteran plaque, and club bragging rights!

Ren maneuvers his Prussians against James in the Set Piece 
Battle scenario, round 1. 

On the left, Rob's French face Ken's Russians in the
Set Piece Battle scenario, round 1.

In the meeting Engagement scenario, Ren's Prussians fought Rob's
French while James' Austrians face Ken's Russians. 

Prussians versus French.

James maneuvers his Austrians against Rob's French
juggernaut in the Annihilation scenario, the final round. 

Ren contemplates the winning moves of Ken's Russians
in the final round.

The Prussians and Russians clash on the brown fields
of eastern Europe.

Final Standings

Rank, Player, List Nationality, Wins-Losses

4. James, Austrians, 0-3

3. Ren, Prussians, 1-2

2. Robert, French, 2-1

1. Ken, Russian, 3-0

No tie breakers needed.

Ken is our Fearless Veteran for the second time!

Ren awards Ken the Fearless Veteran 2023 trophy.
Ren had carefully hand panted the trophy himself. 

The 2023 trophy, & the wall plaque.

Fearless Veterans to date:

2016 - Ken Jacobson  (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2017 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2018 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2021 - Michael Adkins (Kings of War, 2nd Edition)

2022 - Wayne Wiltshire (Bolt Action, 2nd Edition)

2023 - Ken Jacobson (Black Powder, 2nd Edition)

In 2024 the Fearless Veteran tournament is yet to be chosen!  Mortal Gods? Warhammer Armies Project? Blood & Plunder? We will see which games are most popular by the end of the summer!

Fearless Veteran, 2022

Other Fearless Veteran tournaments are described here: 2017, & 2021

The 2022 SAG Fearless Veteran tournament was a resounding success!

This year the Game was Bolt Action, since it came in a close second in last year's vote. Lists were limited to 850 points, any tank or Infantry list dated 1943 or earlier with no vehicles with armor 10+. The three rounds were played with the following missions: 1. Key Positions 2. Double Envelopment and 3. No Man's Land. Rankings were determined by win/loss record, with total victory points as the tie breaker.

We ended up with  8 players, a respectable showing for the club. It was only natural that most of the players were also occasional players with the YHP Bolt Action club, a SAG offshoot. 

 Jeffrey's "Black Death"
1942 Soviet Reinforced Platoon

Allen & his "Meatball Worshippers"
Italian Paratroopers

Paul's DAK list - Panzer IIs, Infantry, and a PAK 38

Allen & Stephen fight in the desert.
In the background, Ken and Josiah fight to control a European village.

Wayne's DAK fight James SAS in round 1.

Paul's DAK clashes with  Jeffrey's Black death
for control of the central objective.

Stephan contemplates his next move against Allen.

In round 2 Stephen faces Ken's Brits in the desert.

James' SAS takes fire in the forest.

In round 2, Allen's Italians face Jeffrey's Soviets 
over a French farmhouse. 

Jeffrey's Soviets and Josiah's Italians
 battle through the village in round 3.

Stephen's Big Red One fights Wayne's DAK 
for the title of Fearless Veteran
in a hard fought draw.

The final battle was a draw, leaving us with two players tied for the most wins, neither with any losses. We had to resort to the first tie breaker to decide the victory - Victory Points earned in the tournament total. 

Final Standings

Rank, Player, List Name, List type, Wins-Losses-Draws, VPs

8. Allen, "Meatball Worshippers", Italian Paratroopers,  0-3-0, 5 VP

7. Jeffrey, "Black Death", 1942, Soviet Reinforced Platoon, 1-2-0, 9 VP

6. James, "SAS", British SAS, 1-2-0, 17 VP

5. Josiah, "Italians", War in Africa '43, 1-2-0, 19 VP

4. Ken, "Brits", British Infantry, 2-1-0, 14 VP

3. Paul, "Paul's DAK", DAK Armor Platoon. 19 VP

2. Stephen, "US 1st ID in Sicily", 1st ID (Sicily), 2-0-1, 24 VP

1. Wayne, "German", 1942 DAK, 2-0-1, 32 VP

Wayne is our our Fearless Veteran for the third year! 

Ken, our first Fearless Veteran (2016), once again performs 
the duty of crowning the next Fearless Veteran:
Wayne!

Fearless Veterans todate:

2016 - Ken Jacobson  (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2017 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2018 - Wayne Wiltshire (Flames of War, 3rd edition)

2021 - Michael Adkins (Kings of War, 2nd Edition)

2022 - Wayne Wiltshire (Bolt Action, 2nd Edition)

In 2023 the Fearless Veteran tournament will be played using Napoleonic Black Powder rules. It should be a blast!