Welcome to the Breakout Normandy Tournament Home Page.

PBeM #11 Start Date: February 15, 2018

Contact the GM: Mark Gutfreund: gutfreund15@yahoo.com for further information.

Please look under "Sitemap" at Navigation on the left for key changes to AH rules for the L2 version.

Further down this page are the rules for the next tournament.

Final Standings from BKN PBeM #10

After-Action Report: BKN Final, PBEM tournament #10

In the Final of the 10th Breakout: Normandy PBEM tournament, I faced Jim Eliason, with both of us in the hunt for a 3rd Breakout title. In a rare move for me, I bid *for* the Allies and wound up getting them, facing Jim's Germans (plus 3 supply in bid).

(note: G# indicates a German move and the impulse number, and likewise A# for an Allied move)

D-DAY ran through impulse 5. I opened 4-bridge and the Merville para assault went D1. Bombardments were effective, except at Sword where Air flipped both units that the naval guns had missed. Coastal guns flipped a unit of US 29th Div, a Brit commando, and a spent result caused my 1-unit Utah landing to go D1. At Sword, a +4 assault only did 1 hit. At Juno, a 9:6 assault cleared the beach. A +1 roll on a 12:8 at Omaha D1'd the CA and caused the artillery to retreat. 56/x went D1 at Gold.

(D-Day, daylight impulses:) In A0 the Juno armor contested Bretteville. In A1 armor plus 1 infantry did 1 hit to the Gold CA. In G2 a Magic Bridge seizure attempt missed by 1 pip. In A2, both remaining Utah infantry units rolled 2's while landing, meaning all three infantry of 4th div were D1. In A3 Gold Beach was cleared, and the bridge to Bayeux was seized, which would turn out to be important on June 8th. It took two tries to blow the Omaha/Trevieres bridge. After the remaining Omaha units landed, a -1 roll in A5 would have cleared Bretteville but the dice came up 4:8 to end the day.

JUNE 7TH ran 2-8, with the Advantage lost to successfully re-roll a weather change on A4. With Villers-Bocage vacant at dawn, Lehr units moved to V-B and Aunay to open. A +3 roll for ETF flipped all 3 Caen defenders. Air interdiction stopped 3 of 5 SS units headed for Caen (all on '2' rolls). British air disrupted 1 unit in Caen. In A2, 327/101 needed even dice to clear Utah but rolled -1. In G3 Jim needed a '6' to seize the magic bridge but just missed. WTF then flipped the Montebourg CA and 2 other units there to ensure that even if the magic bridge fell, only the three flaks in Valognes could reach SME and then after passing an air roll. US air flipped the lone defender in Trevieres. A large stack in Juno managed both an overrun in Brettevile and contested Caen with a +5 assault, doing 9 hits. In A4 Sword and Merville were cleared, but the ADV was lost to re-roll overcast. In A5 the Omaha group overran the beach and cleared Port-en-Bessin, but rolled 2:10 at Grandcamp for a failed trifecta. In A6 Trevieres was cleared via a swim assault. In A7 Utah was cleared by a single unit of 90th div. In G8, FA/352 disrupted a 1st Div unit and a Ranger in Trevieres. In A8 the last 29th Div unit landed, passed a coastal roll, and rolled +1 to clear Grandcamp, ending the day.

JUNE 8TH ran 0-3. All of US 1st div was spent at dawn, along with VII Corps after being disrupted landing vs 2 guns during regroups. Jim's opening Nebelwerfer shot missed at Pont L'Abbe. ETF bombed Bayeux, and Air flipped a Lehr unit in Tilly and disrupted Lehr's artillery. In A0 a 15:8 assault on Tilly vs 8 steps would have cleared on a +2 roll (11% chance to clear on roll + re-roll), but the dice came up 3:12, a British disaster! (there had been only a 1% chance of D1 result). In the same impulse, a -1 roll just managed to clear Bayeux over the Allied-held 18/20 bridge. A single attempt to blow the 31/33 bridge missed in G1. After US air bombed Carentan, an assault with 1x 90th and 3x 101st needed even dice to clear SME, but missed by 1. Then Jim's Parastomp needing +1 to clear got a -1 roll, leaving a D2 unit in Pont L'Abbe after an optional retreat. In A2 a single 4th div unit cleared SME. WTF bombarded Carentan, and Jim reinforced from Periers. In A3 with two 4th div units available and only 7 steps in Carentan, a 7:6 assault on Carentan came up 2:4 on the dice to end the day! This caused stacking problems in SME, as only one artillery unit (4th div) would be in SME on the 9th. It was vital that the Brits just barely cleared Bayeux, since with the Tilly disaster, owning Bayeux allowed for access to a D2 unit in Balleroy on the 9th. After refits the Allies had a 21-2 supply advantage despite buying an impulse.

On the 7th and 8th, Jim's strategy in the west was to go for the 'Parastomp' of Pont L'Abbe, rather than rush units to defend in Carentan for the 8th and 9th. The upside was that he might shorten the day by killing two Allied units with a big roll in clear weather on the 8th (44% chance), or at least shorten his line with a clearing roll (55%). The downside was that I wound up with a chance to contest Carentan on the 8th (which failed). I also wound up facing a weaker defense in my 2nd attempt to contest Carentan on June 9th, which proved to be vital.

Still, during June 8th regroups I didn't like my prospects of going for "Carentan plus a bocage area" as my best chance at winning. VII Corps would still only be spent on the 9th, which meant the Germans might end the 9th with a large number of fresh units in Carentan. The British had little fighting power, with 5 spent units in the center. And if the Germans blew the 31/33 and/or 28/32, there might be little progress by the Omaha group. I considered pivoting towards Caen with my British Corps artillery, but wound up sticking with Plan A and placing the British Corps in Bayeux and Bretteville, rather than both next to Caen.

JUNE 9TH ran A-6. At dawn an 8:3 assault that needed a -2 to overrun Pont L'Abbe came up -6 to go D1. With the 31/33 still intact, I gave up any last-second pivot to Caen by having V Corps flip with lone fresh defender in Isigny. After a missed 33% demo of the 31/33 bridge, armor and two 2nd Div units cleared Isigny from the Omaha approach. A 6:5 counterattack into Isigny by Lehr armor was then repulsed. In A1, one 90th div unit got the needed +1 roll to clear Balleroy, while another 90th unit took vacant St. Jean. 77th Div blocked holes near St Jean, and the Zone A flaks ran to the center. A +4 assault contested Carentan with 3 hits. An ETF strike on Troarn (with 7th Armoured in the Sword approach) triggered 346th div's move to the eastern flank, and away from the bocage VP areas.

9A3 was a pivotal moment: an even dice bombardment flipped both fresh defenders in Villers-Bocage, but on a 3:3 roll that changed the weather to clear. Jim opted to not re-roll. I would have done the same as it was possible the air strikes wouldn't have done much damage. After Carentan was reinforced, British air disrupted three units in V-B, opening up options to either surround Tilly or possibly even clear V-B. Still in A4, US air vs Carentan got a +3 roll for 6 hits, including 4 new disruptions. In A4 Villers-Bocage was contested from the Gold approach at 11:7. After V-B was reinforced from Caumont, British armor in Bretteville contested Caumont with even dice on a +1 assault. Tilly wasn't contested yet, but its approaches were. In G6 FA/352 disrupted armor and two 2nd div units in Isigny, which took away my plan to win without Carentan. Until then it seemed possible to contest Foret and St Lo on the 10th (surrounding Foret) and to possibly clear V-B on the 10th, or at least by game's end. In A6 I moved FA/1 and a 1st div inf unit to St. Jean (to defend it for the 10th) and got the needed 5+ to seize the Isigny/Catz bridge, as the day ended. After impulse buys the Allies had a 15:6 supply advantage.

JUNE 10TH ran B-9 with two overcast impulses to end the day. After Corps bombarded Tilly, 5 units overran it, with armor plus 2 infantry and the artillery of 51st division racing west to Isigny and St Jean. Jim then blew the St. Jean bridges to Periers, St Lo, and Catz. Naval and Air only scored 4 hits total at Carentan, but VII Corps landed 7 hits. Catz was cleared, and the Catz-Carentan bridge was blown. In G3, Jim ran the Zone E units north, with two D1s early and three units making it to Periers. A *British* airstrike vs. Periers got a deadly +5 roll that was re-rolled to a miss. Field guns whiffed at 5:3 vs Carentan, but disrupted 3 units at Periers. An effective German bombardment vs St Jean deterred an assault attempt vs Periers. Two impulses were used to attempt to repair the Catz/Carentan bridge, to no avail. Overcast allowed Jim to move FA/711 to St Lo and 12/12SS to Coutances. Another US 4th div unit was added to Carentan to provide a divisional integrity for the 11th. After refit the Catz/Carentan bridge was repaired, and the Allies had a 30 point supply advantage.

JUNE 11TH started on impulse 1. The Allies had a 23-factor Double Impulse set up, using 5 units in Carentan and 5 in Isigny. US Naval's opening +3 roll flipped both fresh German artillery, followed by 8 hits from V Corps, breaking open a game that had been in doubt. Jim bombarded Caumont, causing me to take an impulse to reinforce to protect the Advantage, but needing a +4 to overrun Caumont he got even dice. Bombardments at 10:2 by the Americans and 6:2 by the British left 1x D1 and 9x D2 in Carentan. In A5 a Double Impulse needing -8 to clear overran ten units defending the key city of Carentan, with the overrun almost clearing Pont L'Abbe on a +4 roll, putting me at 9.7 VPs and more than enough for victory (9.6). Jim managed to clear Caumont, but with VPs still at 9.6 VPs, he conceded, as the Allies would likely not lose more points and might still capture Pont L'Abbe on June 12th.

Requirements to Play:

• you must be a member of the BPA; the BPA now has a special PBeM membership for only $10; go to http://www.boardgamers.org/bpaterms.htm

• you must allow the game to be submitted to AREA; this will be done by the GM; no chits need be exchanged

• you must own a physical copy of the game (in this case, owning the AH version is sufficient) and have an email address

• you are required to use ACTS to keep a record of the game

TOURNAMENT RULES

Game: The standard one-week game of Breakout: Normandy. In a change from prior tournaments and in order to keep in congruence with the WBC Tournament, the L2 will be the only version being played.

Reserves: Rule 12.53 per the L2 rules.

Victory Points: Rule 22 per the L2 rules

Format: This will be a single elimination tournament. There will be no byes. When one becomes necessary, an Eliminator - an ineligible player - will be assigned as an opponent. The Eliminator cannot advance, but he can eliminate an opponent. All eliminated players and interested latecomers are urged to offer their services as an Eliminator.

Positions three through six will be resolved in the following manner: 3rd place goes to player who lost to the eventual winner in the 2nd last round; 4th place to the player who lost to the runner-up in the 2nd last round; 5th place to the player who lost to the eventual winner in the 3rd last round; and 6th place to the player who lost to the runner-up in the 3rd last round.

Time Limits: Each round will last for 5 months or until all matches have been completed, whichever comes first. There will be no adjudications of games at the end of the 5 months. Instead each player will indicate the amount of time they used to complete their side of the game and the side greater than 2.5 months in total time will be the automatic loser, no matter what the actual situation in the game is. I am hoping that in the spirit of good sportsmanship that players can agree on which player used the most time. If not, each player in a timely manner will submit evidence of how long he took to complete all of his moves. We will now have ACTS to assist in this process.

Playing Officials: Prior to the start of the tournament, two Assistant GMs will be named to assist the GM. Assistant GMs may participate in the tournament as active players and are eligible to play in all rounds and compete for awards and prizes just as any other player. The GM and Assistant GMs will not be allowed to issue rulings on questions or rule interpretations for matches in which they are personally involved.

GM: Mark Gutfreund: gutfreund15@yahoo.com

Asst GM: Kevin Hammond: kevinmst@yahoo.comknmst@yahoo.com

Asst GM: Scott Fenn: fennscott@aol.com

Side Determination: Bidding for sides has always been a bit of a bugaboo for players. I know that I get confused at times myself and I get more questions on bidding than any other area of the rules. We will use the blind bid for all rounds of the tournament.

Blind bidding: You do not have to state a side preference; it will be assumed that you are bidding for the German side. You will then bid a number that represents the number of supply that you are willing to give the Allies to start the game. Thus, the higher the number you bid, the more likely you will get the German side. Conversely, the lower the number, the more likely you will get the Allied side. It is even possible to bid "negative supply" to increase your chances of getting the Allied side.

The difference between the bids is divided by 2 and then subtracted from the higher bid with fractions rounded up. So if player One bid 50 supply and player Two 30 supply, player Two would get the Allied supply with 40 in the "bank". These points can only be used for buying impulses and not for refitting units.

Another example: player #1 bids -10 supply hoping to get the Allies; player #2 bids 20 supply. The difference between these bids is 30 (try thinking of this as being on a number line); 30 divided by 2 is 15; 20 minus 15 is 5. Player #1 will get the Allies and have 5 SP in his back; player #2 will be the Germans with no supply in reserve.

Matching: Matching in every round will be completely at random. A random 4 digit number will be assigned to each player. These numbers will be sent to both assistant GM's for verification. Starting with the player with the lowest number, that player will be matched with the player with the next highest number, and so forth.

Computer Aides: All players are encouraged but not required to use computer aides. These aides facilitate speed of play, especially during refit and regroup phases, and can represent a permanent record of what has previously occurred in a game if a dispute should arise. Among those available are VASSAL ; one advantage of VASSAL is that it is operating system neutral and therefore workable not only with Windows but also with Macs and Linux. Cyberboard only works with Windows and you have to be able to find a module of each particular game, although this is usually not a problem. Lastly there is Aide de Camp. If there is any discrepancy between the computer board and the physical board, such as counter values or map features, the latter always prevails.

Mistakes and Illegal Moves: First, the Internet Die Roll Error Handling Convention will be the default method of deciding disputes. Players can agree to use their own, but I think these are sensible. In addition, if a dispute arises, the decision of the GM in consultation with the assistant GM's will be final and the GM reserves the right to disqualify a player for deliberate or repeated illegal moves. In short, players should make every effort to work these things out for themselves and, then and only then, consult the GM.

• 8.13 will be enforced as follows. If a mistake is made, the player who received the illegal move has only two choices: either accept that move in all of its parts and aspects or have the offending player completely redo the move from the start. So if the allied player is executing a movement impulse with three parts, it is not possible to reroll just one part. The entire thing must be redone. If it is the refit, it is either the whole refit or none of it; if regroup, the whole or none of it. I would encourage players to point out an opponent's error if they are willing to do so. That is merely good sportsmanship. The above applies only to disputes. Obviously this doesn't cover every problem, but it will be the guiding principle for myself and the assistant GM's.

End of Your Turn: You should make it clear to your opponent when your turn has ended. Again, according to 8.13, once your opponent has moved one of his units, or a die has been rolled, it is not possible to change any part of your move. In some cases, it will be obvious that an impulse has ended, such as a naval or air bombardment. However, in cases where there happen to be multiple fresh units in the activated area, it may not be obvious to your opponent that you have ended your move; so please try to do this in the interest of faster play. This may also come into play if you have experienced a very adverse die roll (of course, in actual play this hardly ever happens) and are contemplating using the Advantage. If you have a quick response opponent, you may wish to indicate to him that you are considering using the Advantage before he can fire off a move to you and that you need a little time.

Internet Dice Rollers: It is permissible to use the honor system to roll dice, use playing cards, or use chits to decide random events as long as your opponent agrees. Most will want to use one of the internet dice rollers. Among those available are ACTS. One advantage of using this site (which is free) is that it sends an email of every activity to both players and also keeps a log of all those activities. Even if you are using a computer aide, this can be handy if there is a question about a previous move or dice roll.

Internet Die Roll Error Handling Convention:

• Too many drs: use the ones you need discarding the rest. Do not reroll.

• Not enough drs: use the ones you got and send for the rest.

• If not specified, Attacker dr(s) first, then Defenders

• No response from die roller: Best not to send for a second die roll. Wait about 24 hrs, if the drs still haven't shown, the original sender will notify the original receiver to send for the drs. When the receiver is notified he is to roll because of missing drs, and the receiver has yet to receive those drs, the receiver will send, and at that instant the original senders drs will not be used, even if they come in.

• Multiple die roll requests: Use the drs the receiver got first.

• If one gamer gets die rolls and the other doesn't and the email addresses were fine : use those dr's. Whoever got the dr's should forward them to the other gamer so he may inspect the email addresses, and if all is OK, use those drs.