Bane of War III Tournament Report

Bane of War III Tournament Report with Mark Bayne As the tournament organiser for Bane of War III, organising such an event can be a bit of a mixed bag, especially when the size starts to exceed thirty players. This was the third year Bane of War was held, and the second year the field exceeded forty players. The excitement was immense from the players I spoke to, and with myself, but the concerns were there as well.  A few amusing dreams (not amusing at the time), insisted that I would forget how to get there, half the players would not show up and none of food would be delivered.

The quantity of information sent via e-mail to such a vast number of people did cause my internet provider to block me as spam several times, but even this could stop me from ensuring that all of the players were well informed of what to expect!

Fortunately, the tournament went off without a hitch, every player arrived on time and the first round began with a perfect mix of Axis and Allied players. What a venue; the museum is very accommodating, allowing us to expand further into the museum than last year.  We also were fortunate to get a perfect mix of infantry and mechanized versus the armoured forces, so all was going better than I could hope. The players really made this tournament, with some driving 15 hours just to take part, not to mention an incredible showing from the local Texas/Oklahoma crew, swelling the ranks to 56 players!

The player roster is available on the Bane of War site (www.baneofwar.com); to give a quick synopsis, we had 6 of the top 12 players (at that time) in the nation and near 27 of the top 100 players; needless to say the competition was intense.  Jacob Mayer, the master’s champion, was holding the top spot after day one with 15 competitors’ right on his heels, there were some amazing games to be had. The USA contingent was in charge, holding 8 of the top 10 spots but the Axis were closing fast.

At the end of the tournament, Jacob Mayer came out on top with Bill Wilcox coming in second.  Jake had one of those tournaments you just have to shake your head at, winning 5 games 6 to 1 and the final 4 to 3, a near clean sweep; quite impressive considering the strength on the competition.

I was very pleased for the assistance provided by the players, the donations from our sponsors Fox Hole Terrain, Great Hall Games, Miniature Building Authority, Dragon’s Lair Austin, Battlefront and Lone Star Historical Miniatures. Every player who participated walked out with at least a blister pack and pack of deployment markers, exceeding the value of the $20 entry fee, and a lucky few took home considerably more!

I am highly anticipating next year’s event, which will expand out further into the museum. The field will be limited to 60 players and will be held on 18-19 January 2014, the weekend before Martin Luther King Day. Be sure to keep up with the latest event updates by visiting Bane of War at: www.baneofwar.com. See you next year! ~ Mark.

The Lucky Few

The Swag

The Gaming Action