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.

Spring/Summer 2022

Though occasional Covid scares have interrupted play once or twice, the club has generally continued to meet weekly. Kings of War remains popular, but other games have come to the fore more often recently.  Bolt Action games occurred even on Friday nights, Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, Mortal Gods and ADLG continued to be played, and Black Powder was played reasonably often. Mordheim made a brief resurgence as well. In July, members of the club began exploring The Horus Heresy driven as much of the club's gaming has been over the last year and half, by 3-d printing. Additionally, club members resurrected the old GW game Warmaster.

Chuck and Mike playing Kings of War.

Chris prepares to fight a Bolt Action game out in the jungle.

Calm and organized, Eric doesn't let orc culture
effect him at all as he prepares to battle in Middle Earth.

Rohirrim fight to keep Rohan safe from Sauron
and Saruman both. 

One of SAG's offshoots, the YHP Bolt Action Club ran a Bolt Action tank game at Your Hobby Place-Fredericksburg.

Burning and pinned Stuarts litter the battle field.

Opposing commanders ponder how best to
control the village crossroads.

The all-tank battle led to careful use of terrain.
He who showed himself first was often brewed up!

Stuarts and Panzers engage at knife-fight distances
amongst the trees and buildings.

James and Ren explore the Civil War through 
Epic Black Powder. 

Chris obse4rves as Eric and Chuck try out
Firelock Game's Oak & Iron rules.

Rob contemplates his next move in Kings of War.

A river crossing for a Civil War  battle
using Epic Black Powder rules.

Ren, James, and Chris all contemplate the strategy
in a Warmaster game.

Chuck in his natural habitat - playing Kings of War!

In Mortal Gods, heroes fight to keep Zeus'
followers from controlling the Arc de Triumph!

Ren, Jeffrey, James, and Eric play Warmaster.

Chris elemental forces advance on Chuck's troops
in Kings of War.

Rob orders his battalions forward as the British 
and French clash in Black Powder.

Chuck turns his Kings of War generalship
upon Ken!

 

Summer 2021 at the Club

 Sadly, I have been quite remiss in my posting for the past few months. I'm determined to break through the blocks and get back to more regular postings, so here is the next post forward. It was a busy summer so there is a decent amount below.

I was happy to get a chance to revisit one of my favorite old rule systems, TSR's Battlesystem 2nd edition. I got to run my longtime army, the Bondswords, in their original game system. It was a simple set up, the Bondswords defending a fortified river against a humanoid horde led by giant, played by Eric. The goal was to help familiarize Eric with the system for future Battlesystem games in the SAG roleplaying off-shoot club. (like the Battle of Saltmarsh)

The Bondswords brace to defend the fortified ford
as their commander, Gildor, flies above the battle 
hurling magic on the advancing horde.

The Bondswords hold the ford as Gildor flies down
the river, raining eldritch death and destruction and
devastating their foes.

We had a lot of other game systems played over the summer. Predominantly Kings of War but also Gunslinger's Paradise, Black Powder, and Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game.

Chris smiles down as his Mexican banditos slaughter
the Duke and his men - Mississippi, Colorado, and
Stumpy in Gunslinger's Paradise.

Uruk-hai and Riders of Rohan battle on the wold 
in Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game.

Mike teaches the finer points of Kings of War.

Napoleonic French and British battle over a
farmhouse using Black Powder rules.

The YHP Bolt Action Club, another SAG offshoot that meets at YHP Fredericksburg, tried to restart its monthly meetings with a refight of the battle of Bir Hakiem in July. We had only a four players and it was more of a generic desert battle then Bir Hakiem (no legionnaires on the board!) but the game was a blast. 

The Afrika Korps advances on on the British left.

The Leichter Panzerspähwagen advances with an 
infantry squad against Tommies in the trenches.

The biggest event over the summer was the club's participation in the "Unmasked & Merciless" Kings of War tournament hosted by Your Hobby Place Fredericksburg in July.  The club entered six players and dominated the bottom of the rankings in the 16 player event. ;) But we had fun, and we were very new to the game. Mike, the tournament organizer, is one of our newest members. It was one of our first experiences with a chess clock for tournament play. I can't speak for the rest but I find it does make the game flow better. One of our members, Rob, brought home the title of "Bloodiest General"! 

Buck and Chris face off in Round 2, Chris managed
to pull the win, 17-4.

Rob and Mike begin their game in round 2, 
which Mike won 17-4.

Chuck makes his move against Alex of "The Aristocrats"
club in round 2. Alex won 18-3.

Ken crosses his arms in satisfaction. he knows he 
will soon slaughter Paul's Bondswords, 19-2.