Okay! We're finally here. Kudos to the 19 competitors who are in for the NZVT. We are a go!

What follows is the two groups (The Core and The Outer Rim) and the players in them. I have randomly assigned players (good ol' Excel!) and created the groups from there. We have 9 weeks to complete the Group Phase (ending on Monday July 6) and then we will move into the Knockouts. (I have adjusted the length of the Rounds because if we don't get done by then, the knockouts will be right in the middle of GenCon... and we don't want that!) At the halfway point - Friday June 5 - the top player in each group will automatically advance into the Top 8, regardless of where they finish. Also, due to the Konrad system, we will count your best 6 games.

You play your games when you can - you are in charge! - and when you have finished your games, write the results up here AND LET ME KNOW. Remember: 200pts, faction and fringe, Restricted maplist, you can run different squads for different opponents, 75 minute games. You can check out this page to see the original writeup and rules: http://www.bloomilk.com/Forums/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16976

Group A: THE CORE
atmsalad
Amadeus
Darth Moore
Darth Rattlehead
Dr Daman
Echo24
jen’ari
Johnnyb815
thereisnotry
UrbanJedi

Group B: THE OUTER RIM
Darth O
Flying Arrow
kezzamachine
Mando
Minijedi
spryguy1981
theultrastar
TimmerB
UrbanShmi
Weeks

Teams are:
Team Champion Echo24, thereisnotry, Weeks
Team Awesome Dr. Daman, spryguy1981, theultrastar
Dark Lords of the South atmsalad?, Darth Rattlehead, kezzamachine
Team Long O Darth O, Mando, Flying Arrow
Team ITGS2BFun UrbanShmi, Urbanjedi, and TimmerB123
it is still not too late to register in teams if you want to - I'll close it soon though!

And that is it. See you in 9 weeks! (and constantly during)

So - just so you are clear! - you now organise your own games against the other players in your group. You have about 62 days left to play as many games as you can! Go, go, go!

Who is gonna be first?

Yeah, i got the ok from Darth O. So me, FlyingArrow, and Darth O are now officially Team Long O

Just to clarify, we are scheduling games against players in our own team right? So 9 games total, one per person in our group (either A or B) correct?

Outer Rimmers - I'm up for a game anytime before 6:30pm central today or tomorrow.

Btw - is there a link to the latest SWM module for vassal? I don't think I have the latest sets or maps

Mando - are correct. Play everyone in your own group. If they're in your own team, that is bad luck... but at least you know your team will be getting points!

Well me and Mando decided to play a game. Turns out it was the first of the NZ Vassal Tournament. It has been over a year since I have played standard minis. I was a little unsure on how I would do. Mando is a very solid player so I knew I needed to bring my A game. I decided to run all fringe, Darth Jim's Frosty Con squad, so earlier in the day I chatted with Jim, asked him what was some stuff he brought in with Lobot, what map he ran, things like that. So thanks to Jim for all his advice.

http://www.bloomilk.com/Squad/147158/embolical-karrde---frostycon-ny-regional-2015-winner
I brought in Ponda and an Uggie with Lobot

and Mando ran:

http://www.bloomilk.com/Squad/138007/iron-shakels

Mando won map, and went with Bothan Spynet. I set up first and took left. First round, nothing happened. I took Gambit, Mando didn't. 2nd round, nothing really happened. I captured Gambit, Mando did as well. 3rd round, I think Mando held gambit and I didn't. Nothing really happens here. Mando may have killed an uggie of mine? I'm wanting to say. I think he was up by 3pts. My strategy early on was to pick a spot with Ponda, load up, and lure him to come to me, so I controlled the game on my turf. Which is what happened. I think it was end of the third or 4th before the fighting really started.

I don't remember exactly the order of how things went down. I know Mando killed my Klat Assassin with Amphistaff, I took down Shedao Shai. I think Mando got another uggie of mine, he got Embo down to 30hp I believe. I killed Minos. He took down Ponda. And then I was able to get Sha'kel. End of the game I had 130 something on Gambit, I think Mando had 50 something, maybe 60. Mando may have a better idea of what the score was at the end.

I had two big crits in the game, one on either Shedao or Minos can't remember which one, and another on Shakel. Both crits killed the piece I was attacking. So I had some good fortune in my game. I was able to protect my pieces with Ponda and Talon's Ce. Once the Vong had to come down and play in Talon's Disruptive field, I was able to put some damage on them.

Mando is a great player. He played his squad well. Class act through the entire game. Anyways, 2pt win for me.

You might say: "Mando is tu meke. He played ka rawe."

Tu meke, Mando. Tu meke.

I could possibly play. What time?