Colorado Grand Slam Report
by William Springer
Today was the Colorado Grand Slam...surprising enough, at 10:00 (the scheduled start time) only 9 players were there. We waited another 45 minutes for 6 more players (they forgot the time change) and got started. I had expected more...I guess the time change plus the new location (we never had a tourney in that city before this weekend) threw them off. I was hoping for a weak first opponent, as I always play poorly in the first game. I'm using a Cardassian armada deck. Ironically, Brad DeFruiter has the bye.
Game 1: vs ???
I can tell he's really new, so I take it easy on him, and point out things like seeding AMS after the outpost. I accidentally seeded a space dilemma at a planet mission (oops!) and he's able to solve that mission. I blow up his outpost and chase him across the spaceline (he wormholed the Defiant away) I solve a couple missions, losing 1 point to HtF, and clear out another mission...I'm just about to solve it (have only to bring my personnel over, they are within range) when time is called. :-p
Score: I think 59-30. 1(+24)
Game 2: vs Roger Gardner
We are both playing Cardassian, and both seed a vNor at Mining Survey. He's also using a HQ, and I have an OP. After a little while of reporting, I move a ship over to his HQ, reveal my HQ: Defensive Measures, and blow up his Keldon Advanced. His other ship (Dukat's bird of prey) I Outgun. Then I go after my missions. By the time he can get another ship, the game is over. I think he did score his homeworld mission, though.
Score: 100-30 3(+94)
Game 3: vs John Bergman
John is playing Martok Nor...as it happens, I have 3 Empok Nor dilemmas just for this. Unfortunately, I forget about them and don't seed anything under the Nor. :-p He commandeers and gets some weapons and stuff, then settles down to process ore. He also gets Intruder Force Field at the beginning of the game...he tells me later he was worried about the Dominion attack deck I played last week. I attack and damage the nor, but don't kill anyone because nobody's in Ops. (yup, pulled my anti-armada tactic ;-)) He puts everyone on the ship, cloaks, and takes off. I take my ships after it and play a Tachyon Detection Field to decloak it, after which he pulls it back to his hand. He tries reporting a couple more ships and RRDing their matching commanders (Martok and WSOM) but I blow up one and Outgun the other. Then I kill his OP. He's been trying to Masaka for Amadas for my interrupts, but once there's nothing he can do he plays very quickly (I draw, he draws) so that I can win before time is called. John's a good sport, and I enjoy playing against him.
Score: 100-0 5 (+194)
Game 4: vs Kate DeStephen
Obviously she came prepared for battle...she puts her neutral OP at a Nebula. ;-) She has one of the Rommie HQs as well. She also seeds two vSpace. I seed my 4 combos, then hold back the other dilemmas...as expected, she self-seeds and I seed after her. When she uses Ajur, it takes out one of my dilemmas and her Horga'Hn. Boratus later takes out a couple of my dilemmas. I blow up one of her ships, Outgun another, and one returns to her hand. She attempts, but doesn't solve, a mission and I solve a couple missions. We're running out of time, so we play really fast...she's lost 10 points to a LoP, and I've lost 3 to a Bailiff. She solves a mission and I'm about to solve a 3rd mission when time is called.
Score: ?? 6 (+2??)
Game 5: vs Matt Blackwell
At this point, I am in first place. I run and get a coke, and when I get back we start. Then I discover I'm missing a dilemma.. I get my decklist and find out what I'm missing, and we find it in Kate's deck.. gotta stop picking up so fast! ;-) Matt is obviously playing Bajoran, and we do slow-seed. I get a Common Thief in right before his Orb. Once we start, I begins building up my armada and he gets the Emissary on a landed ship. I commandeer DS9 and start attempting my missions. I solve one, and he solves one. He takes off, moves over, and scans the mission, then beams down a personnel to attempt. He doesn't realize the common thief won't stop the personnel, so he runs into Friendly Fire and is locked out of the mission for two turns. In the meantime, I download the 3rd SCIENCE I need to get past Scientific Method and come over and blow up his ship. I get my people back over and solve the second mission. I play a Colony, and he downloads The Big Picture. I don't want to give him a chance to score more points, so I stick Elim on a ship and move him over to scan the third mission (In case of Scanner Interference) and see a Scientific / Borg Ship / Maglock. I get 5 people there split between 2 ships (it is the mission that requires WEAPONS > 14 at that location to attempt), pass the Scientific, and one of my ships dies to the Borg. (forgot to put Temporal Vortex in my deck...but the Captain's Log and BBSD help) Next turn, the people I left behind score Colony points, then come over, pass Maglock, and solve the mission. Whew!
Score: 100-?? 8 (+2??)
I win!
I get the uncut rare sheet from BB Premiere...Brad Defruiter, in 2nd, gets the uncommons (he had the bye and then lost a game, so we never played) and John Berman gets the commons with third.
That was exhausting! ;-)
by William 'Spock' Springer
spock@wnohgb.com
