Flames of War - Nationals / GT France Flames of War - Information and Rules

French Grand Tournament 2023 - Nationals 2023
Flames of War Tournament


French GT

The Flames of War France Community is proud to organize once again its Grand Tournament !

The event will be individual, 5-rounds, Late War, 101 points.

16 sits are allotted, with additional 4 available on demand, and the tournament is expected to be full. Players who didn’t manage to secure a sit will be put in waiting list.

The tournament will be held on December 02nd and 3rd 2023, 2 days, with 3 + 2 rounds (5 total), in Bandol (Foyer d’Animation Populaire (FAP) - 133 Rue Perrault, 83150 Bandol, France).

Its entrance fee is fixed at 30€.

The event is open to all.
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Language

The spoken language at the tables is either French or English.
Rules debates or questions must be kept in French or English, so that everybody knows what is going on.

Other players (or else) who come over to watch the game must also speak French or English.
No coaching of any sort will be tolerated, and “coach” will be penalized.
The only time where a spectator can voice an opinion during the game is when a rule is misinterpreted by the players.
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Rules, LFTF, Missions and Changes

The tournament will be Flames of War Version 4 – Late War.

The cut off for the Lessons From the Front, rule changes and the Battle Plan matrix is November 03rd 2023.
Anything published after November 03rd 2023 will not be used at the tournament.
Only the official modifications and clarifications will be accepted in the tournament : there is “forum” nor “Facebook” ruling.
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Players

- The games will be 1 vs 1.

- Each player will field a Force as per Force building restrictions indicated in the Flames of War Rulesbook, and precised by Lessons From The Front, and specifications here below.

- Players will provide their Force using the official Forces.flamesofwar.com website.
Unofficial Formation/Unit/Cards made by players and incorporated into Forces may not be used.

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Individual force composition

- There is a 101 points limit on Forces (which includes Command Cards).

- No Formation may be repeated. This also applies to Formations with the same name and Nation from different Books such as a Panzer Grenadier Formation. If the name is different (e.g. Mixed Tankovy vs Mixed Tankovy (late)) they are separate Formations and both may be used. If the Nation is different (e.g. British Rifle Company vs American Rifle Company) they are separate Formations and both may be used. A regraded formation, such as a German Grenadier Company regraded as a Croatian Rifle Company, still counts as a use of the original Formation (here : German Grenadier Company).

- Only 1 Formation per Force can be built using a Command Card (e.g : British Armored Cars Squadron). This does not apply to Card upgrading or regrading a Formation (e.g : German 116th GreyHound).

- Per Force, up to one Allied Unit and up to one Allied Formation are permitted. All Allies (Formations and/or Units) of a Force must come from the same nationality.

- Command Cards can only be used on Units or Formations from the book the Cards belong to.

- Lists should indicate which Units are benefitting from Command Cards. This must be done manually as Forces does not permit it: build the list on Forces, print/PDF it, state manually and clearly what Card is affected to which Unit (E.G : RPG-Grenades on THIS Soviet-Engineer Unit).

- The Player must bring at least 1 copy of the list being played and show it to their opponent on request.

- Unit cards (or their profile in the book) and Command Cards must be brought along with the list, to make it faster and easier to play (a copy may be used).

- Each Force will use a Battle Plan (Attack / Manoeuvre / Defence), which is selected before the beginning of the Round, when opponent is known.
There is no restriction for the selection of the Battle Plan, which will be revealed simultaneously by both Players at the start of the Round, and used to determine the Mission to be plaid.
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List submission

Lists must be submitted by November 19th 2023 and be sent to: frederic.osio[at]marsh.com

Lists must have the following as the first thing in the list name: Player Last Name, Player First name, Nation, Country of Player, and Gaming Club if any.

Any incorrect list will be flagged, and minimal changes must be done.
If no consensus is reached within 48 hours between the organizers and the player, the organizer reserves all right to impose its version of the lis.
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Schedule

Day 1 – Saturday December 02nd 2023
08h00 to 09h00 – Welcome and Introduction Briefing
09h00 to 20h00 – Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 : Pool Rounds
Lunch will be served from 11h30 to 13h00

Day 2 – Sunday December 03rd 2023
09h00 to 12h00 – Semi Finals & Round 4
12h00 to 13h00 – Lunch Break + Armies on Parade for Best Painted
13h00 to 16h00 – Final & Round 5
16h00 to 16h30 – Results and Awards
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Organization & Attending Fee

- the tournament is organized by volunteers who dedicate their time so as for players to enjoy a good competition and week-end. Please respect them.

- the tournament ticket price is 30€.

- it includes : Entrance to the Venue + Food & Drink for Lunch Day 1 + Food & Drink for Lunch Day 2 + Goodies

- at list submission, Players will be asked to select menu (meat/no meat, pork/no pork, vegie/vegan), in all respect of religious/personal beliefs, and food allergy. Please indicate clearly what you want so you can get it.

- additional drinking will be available at the venue at the bar for extra.

- a party will be organized on Saturday night for the players (and their relatives) who want.

- attending fee should be paid on November 3rd 2023 at the latest, by PayPal, to : osio.fred[at]hotmail.fr
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Players Pair Up

- For the 1st day, players will be randomly paired up in Pools of 4 Players.
- In Day 1, the Pooled Players will determine the order in which they will face each other. If no agreement is met, they will be randomly paired up. What matters is, at the end of Day 1, each player must have completed its 3 rounds.

- In Day 2, the Players finishing 1st in their respective Pool will be paired up together, for the Semi-finals (with highest ranked 1st facing lowest ranked 1st). Note : if the tournament attendency is higher than 16, the best 4 1st will got access to Semi-Finals. If the tournament attendency is lower than 16, there will be adjustment to determine the best 4 players of Day 1. The Players finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th (or adjusted as per note above) in their respective Pool will be paired up, using the Swiss Round system, with players of other Pools (with highest non-1st ranked facing second highest non-1st ranked, and so on)
- In Day 2, Round 5, the winners of the Semi-finals will face each other in the Final, and the losers of the Semi-finals will be reintegrated in the Swiss Round system with the other players. All players, but for the players in the Final, will be paired up using the Swiss Round system.

- 2 players can’t face each other twice in the tournament. If such situation happen, modifications will be done to insure each player will face 5 different opponents in the course of the week-end.
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Tables

- For Day 1, each Pool will have a set of 2 tables assigned to it. Players are expected to complete their 3 Rounds on those. Players are expected to play their games on both tables if possible, and agree between themselves on who is playing where. If no agreement is met, tables will be assigned randomly.

- For Day 2, the tables will be randomly assigned for all games, except Semi-Finals and 1st Place, which will use tables specifically assigned.

- Terrain must be discussed before the Round begin between Players so there is no misunderstanding. Players must use the Terrains rules provided by the Flames of War Rulesbook, and agree on Terrains that may be ambiguous. In case of doubt, Players shall call a referee. In course of the game, if there is a difference of interpretation on terrains, the referee called upon will rule on terrain.
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Missions

- The Extended Battle Plans matrix in the Missions Pack pdf will be used to determine which Mission will be played per match-up, according to the Battle Plans selected by players.

- Experimental Missions : the six new missions (Bypass, Counterstrike, Covering Force, Hold the Pocket, It’s a Trap, Outmanoeuvred) will be selected in place of the former missions they are related to (namely : Spearpoint, Counterattack, Fighting Withdrawal, Encirclement, Killing Ground, Outflanked).

- The tournament being 101 points, the Reserves are set to 41 points per Force, unless specifics (such as Local Milita reducing Reserves pool, Deep Reserves…).

- The tournament being 101 points, in Missions where Minefields are used, the number of Minefields available is 5.
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Missions Conditions & Special Rules

- The Victory Conditions of the Missions Pack will be used, with no modification except the below.

- Victory Conditions of the mission Covering Force is modified as follow :

Winning the Game
• The Attacker wins if they end their turn Holding an Objective.
• Otherwise, the Defender wins at the start of their SEVENTH turn after checking Force Morale.

- Special Rule “Strategic Withdrawal” of the mission Covering Force is modified as follow :

At the start of each turn from turn TWO onwards, after checking Victory Conditions, the Defender counts the number of Units (not counting their Attachments and any Independent Teams) and Delay Counters that they have on table.

- Special Rule “Delayed Reserves” (or derivate, such as “Flanking Delayed Reserves”) of all missions with this rule is modified as follow :

At the start of turn 3 and onward, 1 Unit set in Reserves arrives from Reserve (only 1 per turn). Do not roll dice, the arrival is automatic.

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Time allotted for games

1. Each round is expected to last no longer than 3 hours. This includes the time for the setup process.

2. Players shall both have the same number of turns, neither player shall start a further turn sequence (attacker and defender turns) if both their turns are not likely to be finished before the time limit.

3. All players must play fair and avoid slow play. All players are expected to play the game and allow for a fair result in the end.

4. For all Missions, should players are in the situation where :
- 6 turns hadn’t been plaid (7 for Covering Force)
- Victory Conditions are not met
- extra time will allow to properly finish the game, with one or both side(s) having the capacity to met Victory Conditions
Then Sudden Death Method will be enforced.

Sudden Death Method
- player A (player who had the first turn) does all Motivation/Morale Tests (if Force is broken: game ends with player B victory)
- player A moves with maximum TWO units (note : removing a unit by Strategic Withdrawal does not count as moving a unit)
- player A shoots with maximum TWO units
- player A assaults with maximum TWO units (player B does Defensive Fire and Counterattack as normal)
- player A checks Victory Conditions
If Victory Conditions are not met, player B proceeds to his turn, using Sudden Death method.
Repeat until each player have played 6 turns (7 for Covering Force), or before if mission ends with a Winner and a Loser.

Players can ask for a Referee to monitor their Sudden Death.
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Points scoring system

- At the end of each game, Players will note their respective score :
• If one player matches its Victory Conditions, it will be declared as the Winner of the Round, and its opponent as the Loser of the Round
• If neither player matches its Victory Conditions, the Round will be declared as Draw.

- The tournament will use the following Scoring System:
• Winner of the Round : 3 Big Points
• Draw of the Round : 1 Big Point for both
• Loser of the Round : 0 Big Point

- On top of this scoring, Players will calculate their Standard Flames of War scoring. The winner gets 8 points, the loser gets 1 point, and this is then adjusted according to how many platoons the loser manages to kill, and if any important historical figures are killed in the game. For Draws, both players are considered Losers for the calculation of this scoring.

- Additionally, Players will keep track of :
• How many Units they effectively Destroyed (notes : a Unit failing a Last Stand check is counted as Destroyed ; a Withdrawing Unit that is not in Good Spirits will also be treated as Destroyed)
• How many Units they effectively Lose (notes : a Unit failing a Last Stand check is counted as Lost ; a Withdrawing Unit that is not in Good Spirits will also be treated as Lost)
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Ranking

- Players are ranked using:
• First the Big Points
• Then the Standard Flames of War 8-1 system
• Then the number of enemy Units destroyed
• Then the number of own Units lost
If there is still a tie between players, the player coming from the furthest away from the tournament location will prevail.

- This system will also be used in case of Draw in the Semi-finals and Final.

-At the end of Day 1, all the Players finishing 1st of their Pool will be qualified for Semi-finals (note : can be amended if attendency is higher or lower than 16 players).

-At the end of Day 1, all the Players finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th of their Pool will be ranked separately for the reminder of the competition. (note : can be amended if attendency is higher or lower than 16 players).

- At the end of Round 4, both winners of the Semi-finals will face each other, to determine 1st place and 2nd place.

- At the end of Round 4, all players but for the finalists will keep on competing to determine 3rd place and below.
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Awards

The following awards will be allotted :
• 1st Place (winner of the final)
• 2nd Place (loser of the final)
• 3rd Place (highest non-finalist player)
• Best Painted
• Best Sport
No player will receive more than one award.

Additionally, each player will receive goodies.
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Rules/Issues Resolution

1. Players should first consult the Rulebook, and the LFTF. Go over the rules/issue step-by-step together to see if a solution can be found.

2. If this doesn’t work, call over a Referee to resolve the rules/issue and have each player explain the situation and show the relevant section in the rules.

3. Referee’s decision will be full and final.
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Referees & Penalties

1. All players are expected to play fair and with sportsmanship.

2. Fair play will be rewarded, and un-sportsmanship sanctioned.

3. Referees will be selected amongst the players (3) and the organization (1) : this is to insure availability and knowledge of the rule on the spot, to resolve rapidly conflicts during games. Please note that time spent by the referees in referring will be added to their own gaming time.

4. Proven cheating will be sanctioned by loss of the game by the involved player, conceding victory to its opponent. Cheating twice will be sanctioned by expelling of the concerned player.

5. Any punishable by law behavior (such as racism, bigotry, violence…) will resolve in immediate expelling of the concerned player.

6. Referees are entitled to enforce further penalties if they consider that player have behaved inappropriately.
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Models

- All models on tables need to be painted and WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). This principle may suffer exceptions if need be and if there is no confusion for the opponent. For instance: a Ferdinand can be an Elefant (as the difference is really minimal), but a 45mm Gun can’t represent a 76mm Gun. Official sizes of the models and basis must be respected.

- Players are invited to speak before the tournament in case of doubt of eligibility of a model. Before deployment, in case of conflict on models with your opponent, refers to “problem resolution procedure”.
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Image Right

- During the event, pictures of games, armies, and players, can be taken by the Organization and published on internet (Social Networks, Battle Front website, etc.). This is not intended to blow your cover with your loved one (whom you tell you were abroad working…) but simply to participate in the living life of the Flames of War Community.

- If you don’t want your game, army, or face (or whatever) to be photographed, please say so, no pictures will be taken, no issue with that.