SFR, Inc.

[dburkley]

Having missed virtually all of GenCon 2012 last year, it was great to see many new and old familiar faces at the SFR booth and across the tabletop. The Dragon Dice players were all great gamers that were savvy with the game. All brought very different and interesting armies, which made for very challenging and entertaining games.

The Novice events for both Dragon Dice and Daemon Dice appeared well-attended at each session (6+). I put on the Campaigns of Esfah events (which are described under that topic, elsewhere on the forum).

I'm not familiar with what happened for all the events, but I can elaborate on one in great detail: The Dragon Dice World Championship.

Dan Burkley's Dragon Dice World Champion Army at GenCon 2013
1 x Swampland Temple
1 x Swampland Dragon Lair

1 x Death Mage (Goblin)
1 x Necromancer (Lava Elf)
2 x Leopard Rider (Goblin)
1 x Filcher (Goblin)
1 x Trickster (Goblin)
1 x Unicorn (Treefolk)
1 x Fireshadow (Firewalker)
1 x Troll (Goblin)
1 x Dragonlord (Eldarim)
1 x Gold Medallion

1 x Black/Gold Drake
1 x Black/Gold Wyrm

1 x Coastlands Forest minor terrain
1 x Flatlands Forest minor terrain
1 x Highlands Forest minor terrain
1 x Swamplands Forest minor terrain

1 x Black Dragonfoal (Dragonkin)
1 x Red Dragontroop (Dragonkin)
1 x Gold Dragonscout (Dragonkin)
1 x Gold Dragonsentry (Dragonkin)
1 x Black Dragonspy (Dragonkin)
1 x Gold Dragonkin Champion (Dragonkin)

This army is very similar to the army I used to defend the 2010 World Championship and it seemed to have worked just as well to reclaim the title two years later. This rendition uses 15-health of magician-class dice. A number of players that watched the matches picked up on the fact that it includes dice from five races, while most opponents fielded armies from a single race or two races. No one missed the fact that the core of the army is the Goblin contingent, which continued to prove its dominance at the Swampland terrains (and a few other terrains besides the swamps), but its hidden strength is in its diversity

My first round opponent was Jeff Shoemaker, whom I've met before, but never played. He brought a half Dwarf Mage, half Goblin army, including 3 Trolls. I won Initiative and saw we both brought Swampland Dragon lairs for the Frontier, so my choice was easy. Our armies were reasonably matched, so it became a battle of maneuver. Jeff designed his army on the belief that the Dwarven racial spell Explode Stone could be cast multiple times to affect a larger item, like a Medallion - but when he tried to use the spell in that fashion, he was sorely dissappointed to find out that was not the case. I tried to employ Jeff's dragons against him with some success, while the Unicorn performed Yeoman service, dispelling Jeff's dragons and other unpleasant magic for two consecutive turns. The Dwarven mages were also not that effective at preventing my army from changing the faces on his Highland home terrain. I was able to capture an 8th Face and hold onto it, while denying Jeff an 8th Face for a 2 pt "winning draw".

My 2nd round opponent was Nick Coms, a new face to me, and a nice guy. He brought Eldarim Champions, which always look intimidating to me with all those SAIs that could pop up. I won the Initiative and elected to go first. Nick liked the Swampland Dragon Lair over the Highland Watchtower he brought, and selected it - which gave me a significant advantage that rapidly became clear. On my First March at Nick's Home, the Unicorn rolled its Teleport SAI, which allowed me to move it, a Leopard Rider, and the Gold Medallion to the Frontier (plus I eliminated the lone unit at Nicks Home). On the Second March, I now had 27-health vs 16-health and easily won the maneuver roll at the Swampland terrain. The Dragon Lair has mostly melee faces, so I attacked and overwhelmed the Eldarim Champions. A Goblin Cantrip gave me two Stoneskins, which proved to be useful against a Counter SAI he rolled, preventing a big unit from going to the DUA. Capturing the 8th Face Dragon Lair wasn't so advantageous, as an army of Eldarim Champions can put away a dragon in a flash - so I had to resort to magic to eventually eliminate the rest of the Eldarim for a 3-point win.

My 3rd round opponent was the 2011 World Champion, Ken Williams. I never played Ken during the 2011 World Event, but did meet him during the 2011 Battlefest. Ken is a great guy and a savvy player. We shared a little "smack talk" before the start of the World Event, and when we sit across from each other, he tells me he designed his army with me in mind and that its going to be something I'm going to have to think about. He's right - it's a 32-health Phoenix army with an Ashbringer and a Sunburst with a Coastland Tower Home and a Wasteland Vortex for the Frontier. Ken has only the Ashbringer for his Horde army, so I win the Initiative with my 18-health Horde army, but now I really have to think about this. If I go first, I can see the two armies doing the Firewalker terrain-flight to jump from Coastland to Wasteland, and then shooting me at any opportunity to try to score on his Seize SAIs. It's a combo I can't see an effective defense against with this army I'm bringing to the table, so I choose the terrain and ditch the Wasteland Vortex in favor of the Swampland Dragon Lair. Ken says he knew I would do that, and then says "Dan, what are you doing to me?" as he tries to figure out his first turn. This turned out to be quite a "Cat and Mouse" game, where he would score on a missile action with Seize, but I would be able to get it back within 2 turns with a Gold Medallion TSR or the Troll's Regenerate. With only one blue-colored terrain, the Phoenix army can't go anywhere it wants at will, but it's far from helpless. An all-Phoenix army is surprisingly resilient in a melee, but I eventually knock off one, and later another, due to an occasional Smite SAI I roll (rolling 20-25 damage won't hurt it). Ken keeps the two magicians as a separate army, which reliably casts a Windwalk every turn. With the magians' help, Ken actually takes the Swampland Dragon Lair, but the very next turn I'm able to take it back, despite the Windwalk and double-maneuvers for the 8th Face (and that's because the Gobins get double-maneuvers at the Swamp). The slow attrition from the melee attacks finally drives off the army, and then I'm able to split into two armies to start a bid for a second 8th Face, adding some Dragonkin to the army at the Dragon Lair. Ken fights to the end, but the Goblins won't be denied this time, and go on for the 3-point win. A truly memorable game against a remarkable army and a remarkable player.

In the 4th and final round I face Chris Berger, another new face. He's a nice guy, but quiet. He has Frostwings, half of them with Bulls-eye SAI, so they like to fight quiet too. His terrains have lots of missile icon faces, but when I barely win the Initiative, I feel I have to take my Swampland Dragon Lair. This game turns out to be just as much a "Cat and Mouse" game as the one against the Firewalkers. The Frostwings are able to score a lot of maneuvers, but thanks to the Goblins at the Swampland, I'm able to capture an 8th Face. Now it becomes a battle of attrition as I use magic to pick off a unit every turn (or sometimes every other turn). It backfires when I try to use two dragons, and the 2-health Frostwing magicians magically transform into an army of mostly 3-health Devastators from all the promotions after killing off the dragons. Some of the Bulls-eyes score, and the Troll and some magicians go into the DUA, but the Gold Medallion eventually brings the Troll back 2 turns later, and the Troll helps bring back some others - and because of this, I can win the battle of attrition using spells versus missiles and stick it out for a 3-point win.
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Daniel Burkley
US National Champion (DEXCON 2007, 2009, 2010)
World Champion (GENCON 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014)
Battlefest Champion: DEXCON 2008, 2011, GENCON 2009, 2010 (co-champion), 2011, 2017)
"No Magicians": GENCON 2008
"Single Race": DEXCON 2008, GENCON 2010, 2011, 2014 (co-champion), 2017

[Jens]

Congratulations from germany Dan !!!!

[Drachenwurfel]

Congrats!
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All gone

[ddicerc]

Four Worlds, 3 Nats? And you skipped some events in between? I don't know, Dan, sounds like you're making an argument for Greatest Dragon Dice Player Ever.

Old-timers: How'd you like to see a game between Dan and Mark Wiker (once Mark got up to speed on the new rules)?
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Steve "DDice" Braun
The Diceman's Gaming Pages: http://ddicerc.weebly.com
2014-2015 U.S. National Champion
(Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...)

[shoesan]

Congrats Dan. A well-earned victory and a great recap!
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Shoe

[chuckpint]

GenCon sets new attendance record!

http://www.gencon.com/press/postshow2013
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You can never have too many dice.
First Place at the first ever Daemon Dice sealed starter tournament.
Battlefest tied for first GenCon 2012
Single Race Champion GenCon 2008-2009, Sealed Box Champion GenCon 2007,2009,
My collection is 21,500 Dragon Dice, 20,000 Daemon Dice, and others (too many to count).