The BIG DAY BRIEFING NOTE

The Spring 2017 Big Game is this weekend - Saturday 1st April 2017. This Briefing Note will be available in hard copy on the day itself, but for those faction leaders alerted by able Intelligence Services (or for the merely curious), here is an advance copy. Steal a march on your opponents by taking full advantage....

SPRING 2017 AVBCW (TNG) BIG DAY BRIEFING - “THE COUNTY CUP”

aka “THE APRIL FOOLS DAY MASSACRE”

Sir Alan McGuffin and the Committee of the Hereford Golf Club (which is neither Royal nor Ancient) welcome you to the County Cup Charity Challenge and wish you a pleasant day’s play.

You are “teeing off” from your “home tee”: TEE (1 - 12, number to be drawn randomly on the BIG DAY). Your command figure should be placed on your “home tee” and your attending party of “supporters and well-wishers” should be placed within a radius of 12 inches of your “home tee” before the start of play. If you have not played the Hereford course before, there are six Tees per table, three on each side.

Done that? Then the Club Committee wishes to apologise, but it seems that ONE of your infantry sections (your choice) has failed to appear/sat down for tea/preferred to play cricket. Please remove ONE of your infantry sections (your choice) and place it on the “Spare Units” table before you start your round. By way of small compensation for your loss, the Club Committee hereby grant you one “MY GOLF BUDDY” card (to be provided on the BIG DAY). Please write your (campaign) name on your card and hold it ready to exchange with another player before the start of play - if you choose to do so. Remember, there can only be one winner of the County Cup!

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Special Rules for Today (“the Rules of Golf”)

1.            On your table are a two golf holes (marked with a Flag), each served by a green (which may or may not be surrounded by bunkers and/or water obstacles) and a fairway. Off each fairway is “the rough”, consisting of the usual variety of trees, low hills, scrub and bushes, together with a number of “Special Objects”. In the very centre of your table is a Special Tee (marked 18 or 18A). The Special Tee may or may not be defended by an independent force (“Ben Hogan’s Friends of Herefordshire Golf” or “The Herefordshire Police Watch Committee” or somesuch).

2.            Your Aim is for you first to “capture a Flag” (by placing any of your figures immediately next to it) and then to place your command figure (or most senior surviving command figure) on the Special Tee. By placing such a figure on the Special Tee, and by the magic of Hereford1938”TNG”, your entire force (as then surviving) will be instantaneously teleported to the “18^th Fairway” (separate table) where Sir Alan and his Committee wait with the County Cup. Sir Alan is already - and anxiously - “taking soundings” as to what the Club will do upon spotting a hostile force (or forces) advancing along the 18^th Fairway towards the valuable Cup. Some are in favour of conscripting and arming “Fleet Street’s finest” (so bothersome with their endless requests for interviews) in order to mount a “brave last stand”, while others are in favour of a communal sing-song (“Nearer, My God, to Thee”?) as Lady McGuffin and her ladies hastily manufacture a host of white flags….

3.            Anyway, back to you. It might be jolly difficult to achieve your Aim all on your own. That’s why you have your “Golf Buddy” card. Before the start of play, you have the option of swapping your “Golf Buddy” card with another player, and thereby concluding a temporary “alliance”. Golf Buddies may not shoot at (or otherwise damage) each other’s forces during their “alliance”, and may otherwise co-operate as they might agree. “Golf Buddy” cards are automatically returned at lunchtime (or upon a call from the Umpires). Upon return, you can then take the opportunity to swap again with the same player, or a completely different player, or no player at all.

4.            And here’s “the rub of the green”. If either you or your Golf Buddy (on that turn) have captured at least one flag AND have at least one of your command figures (or most senior surviving command figures) on the Special Tee, BOTH of your forces are instantaneously teleported to the “18^th Fairway” (separate table) where Sir Alan and his Committee wait with the County Cup. Your “GOLF BUDDY” alliance is automatically cancelled upon your arrival on the 18^th Fairway. There you’ll have to battle it out with your erstwhile ally (and perhaps others) - remember, there can only be one winner.

5.            The Club Committee will immediately replace any Flags that are captured. This means that you can capture a Flag from a Green even if another player has already done so. You can also capture a Flag from another player in the course of a victorious melee action (or by picking it up from a deceased flag carrier). The Special Tee may be used any number of times, but after the first occasion, becomes increasingly difficult to do so (Umpire’s Decision on a D6).

6.            “Special Objects” may be investigated by placing any figure in the centre of the objective. Each Special Object has a special envelope telling you the results of your investigation (ask the Umpire). “Special Objects” may only be investigated once (i.e. will be removed after investigation). There may be great advantages in investigating a Special Object (e.g. can you gain a “special Flag” by doing so? or the return of your "Spare Unit"?) but there may also be any number of catastrophic consequences.

7.            The immaculate fairways and greens of the Club count as “roads” for the purposes of this Big Game. Otherwise, the usual “WTDW” terrain rules apply.

The County Widows and Orphans Fund thank you for your contribution to their continuing work.