Welcome to the Report of our 10th German Grand Melee
On September 26–27, the time had finally come again: 40 brave warriors, forming teams of two, gathered in the tranquil town of Mehrhoog to compete against each other in a team tournament.
Each team member played a faction from the Age of Vikings and Invasions, while the other played a faction from the Age of Crusades and Chivalry. Thus, in each of the five rounds, one team faced another, with the games taking place in the corresponding Age pairings.
Another special feature was that in every round, three scenarios were available to choose from for the two games. The team currently lower in the tournament standings was allowed to choose a scenario and assign it to one of the two Age pairings. The team currently higher in the standings then chose a scenario from the remaining options for the other pairing.
And there was even more of a meta-game: the starting player in each game was always determined by the player who had not been allowed to choose the scenario.
From everything I heard from the players over the weekend, the team tournament format was very well received. Noted – and we will definitely repeat it at a future Grand Melee.
Games
As at pretty much every SAGA tournament I have ever organized or attended as a player, the atmosphere was characterized by fairness and friendliness. There were no hostilities or bad blood, even when, for example, a rule was disputed.
We were once again delighted to welcome several international players from France, Belgium, and England. The shared hobby brings us together.
I always love it when, at least once a year for a weekend, all of our built SAGA terrain gets put to use. Thematically, we had gaming tables featuring ice, desert, and grass environments.
Trophies
After exactly 100 games of SAGA, all the battles had been fought, new SAGA stories had been written, old friends had been reunited, and new friendships had been made.
A total of six trophies were up for grabs. In addition to the top three tournament teams, the award for the Best-Painted Army, and the Berserker of the Year, this year we also introduced an award for the team finishing last – the People’s Champion, in the form of a beautiful portable toilet.
Berserker of the Year
The Berserker of the Year is won by the team that eliminates the most opposing Warlords over the course of all its games without losing its own Warlord.
The tiebreaker is the team that lost the fewest of its own Warlords throughout the tournament.
Just like last year, we once again had two teams tied even after applying the tiebreaker.
Both Team Bärenbande and Oldenhaven Nights had eliminated five opposing Warlords while losing only one of their own.
The decision therefore had to be made by arm wrestling. After a fierce struggle, Team Bärenbande eventually prevailed and claimed the title of Berserker of the Year.
Best-Painted Army
After the final game on Saturday, every Warlord could enter their army in the competition for the Best-Painted Army.
The armies were arranged as advantageously as possible, and each player then had one vote to choose their favorite.
The final ranking from 1st to 3rd place was then determined by a ahem highly qualified jury consisting of my better half and myself.
Once again, there were many beautiful armies on display this year.
And here are the well-deserved winners:
1st Place
Tristan Höver with his Condottieri (Florence)
2nd Place
Valerian Besançon with Franks
3rd Place
René Prokop with Crusaders
Tournament Winners
The People’s Champion award went to the Würfelgötter team. Their prize was new armies, since the ones they had played were quite obviously “broken.”
The outcome of the tournament remained wide open for a long time. Before the final round, only two tournament points separated the teams in 1st to 3rd place, while several other teams were still within striking distance.
This was particularly important because there were no draws in the final round. Draws were counted as defeats.
1st Place
In the end, Team France came out on top.
2nd Place
Oldenhaven Nights took 2nd place.
3rd Place
The team with the magnificent name Paklena Ekipa II: Judgement Day finished in 3rd place.
Conclusion
In the end, I once again want to express my heartfelt thanks to this “awesome” community. You were fantastic!
This entire tournament rests on many shoulders. First and foremost, I want to mention Christian, my good friend and fellow hobby conspirator, who is always there to help, comes up with great ideas, and puts up with me often several times a week. It has to be said – I love you 🙂
Many thanks also to Dworschi, Stefan, Ulrich, and Sascha for their work with registration and data entry, setting up and taking down the venue, filling in as substitutes, and acting as referees.
Another big thank you goes to the catering team consisting of Steffi, Emma, Marie, Rena, Veit, and Raik. You were fantastic.
A big thank you also goes to our sponsors, who provided prizes and items for the goodie bags: Victrix Miniatures, Sarissa Precision, Wargames Atlantic, and PWork Wargames.
Thanks also to the Begegnungsstätte and Michael for their uncomplicated and open-minded support.
See you next year!!!
