The commander of the Anglo-Allied Hanoverian Brigade smiles to himself as he listens to the brief speech given by the young, French Lieutenant Wencz. Never one to judge an officer solely by his rank, or certainly by the army to which he belongs, the veteran warrior senses a hidden promise in this young Frenchman.
Ah, another young man of potential, wasting his talents in service to the Corsican fool! , he sighs to himself and he watches the Lieutenant depart in a flurry of salutes to his beloved country, and the Empyreal Ape that temporarily sits on its throne. Still, there is the possibility that he will actually survive the field against the Austrian Oberst Manka, he thinks to himself as he glances at his brief for reassurance that he does indeed have a blank Anglo-Allied Enlistment Form near at hand. After all, it is always best to remain prepared for any exigensy.
The Lieutenant Colonel's thoughts are interupted as the beautiful bar maid, Helga, approaches his table with a wry grin and a purse full of coin. "It seems that you have managed to make a new friend", she says as she places the purse on his table.
"So it would seem", replies the blue eyed, German soldier as he smiles at the vision of beauty standing before him. "You know Helga, drinks are all the more pleasant when they are purchased with French coin."
A toast to the SON Tournament Team:
Scott "The Rat" Clawson - Who laid out the initial webpage for the tournament and who long served as my most loyal Hanoverian Lieutenant. 
Scott "The Mad Prussian" Ludwig - Who agreed to host the tournament webpages on his server and visibly improved the Round 1 Pairings page which I had created. 
"Naked" Al Amos - Who is, even now, designing the scenario for the next round of play. (I hope he is honoring my request that any units I command will remain completely invisible throughout the tournament.) 
Ken "Sir Muddy" Jones - Who has proven to be an invaluable consultant to me in putting a tournament together and making it work. Also for so generously agreeing to perform some scenario design work should the need arise. 
Raise a glass to these fine men, and a toast as well for every officer who has agreed to participate in this contest. Cheers gentlemen! I thank you one and all, and sincerely hope you have fun. 
And a special toast to you Lt. Wencz. I have a feeling about you, and my instincts do not often lead me astray. Thank you for your fine compliments and best of luck in your fight with my Austrian brother-in-arms. If you cannot be victorious in your struggle, may you at least emerge unharmed from the fray! And if you do manage to best the good, Austrian Oberst, well, in that case, I have some new paperwork that we will need to discuss upon your return. 
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