I was asked to TO a Bolt Action tournament as part of the Old Guard Games Grand Opening Weekend in Milwaukee, WI. Old Guard Games is the new retail operation from the Badger Games Team and we were thrilled to be a part of the celebration. Let’s take a look at the tournament format:

• Three, 1,000pt games
• Single Platoon – must be a Theater Selector
• Players split into Axis or Allies (12 players each)
• Players split into Team IL or Team WI (12 on Team IL, 11 on Team WI, and 1 on Team IA) to decide Border Wars Champions.

You can review the full Border Wars rules and the Event Packet:

With the event format in mind, let’s take a look at the armies, the missions, and how it all broke down.

The Armies

There were no theme or theater requirements for Border Wars. But we did hold the participants to 12 Allies and 12 Axis players. With Theater Selectors a requirement, we saw a variety of forces ranging from Maquis Partisans from Campaign: D-Day: US Sector to Green Fallschirmjäger with Sturmtiger support from Campaign: Battle of Bulge. We even had Free French in North Africa and a Hungarian Cavalry Troop. I was thrilled with the variety on the Allied side and although 8 of the 12 Axis lists were German, the forces included DAK, Last Levey, Eastern Front, Bulge, and even a Panzer Recon Platoon with eight Schwimmwagens!

The Finnish Platoon on the Allied side was Todd stepping in for a last-minute drop. It actually works thematically if we imagine the Finns as a Late-War force fighting against Germany in Lapland. On another interesting note, three of the four US forces were USMC! Jim and his IJA were spoiled for choice of opponent.

Game 1
Supply Convoy

For Game 1 we did a twist on the classic three objectives across the middle by adding a fourth, moving objective in the form of a Supply Truck making a desperate attempt to cross the table. Players could secure an objective by ending the turn with 3″ of it. Once captured, the objective moved with the squad. The squad would drop the objective if they were destroyed. To capture the fourth objective, a player had to first destroy the Supply Truck and then move into capture range.

I wanted to start off the day with a simple mission. One that most of the players would already be familiar with but with the added twist of the Supply Truck. It also meant we had to provide 12 Trucks! Thank you to both Chad and Ben for letting us raid their motor pool! And a big thanks to Shane for the mission concept and for letting me run with it.

Game 1 Result Breakdown:

• 12 Wins
• 12 Losses
• 81 Order Dice lost

Game 2
VIP

Ok, now we are getting into the unique missions. Players again placed three objectives across the middle of the table. But this time, they also added a VIP to one of their Infantry Squads. The VIP counted as an additional member of the unit, gained any Special Rules the unit already had, and also made the unit they joined Stubborn. Like a Medic, the VIP only attacked in close combat and could not be killed via Exceptional Damage.

Players scored VPs each turn they had a friendly infantry unit with 3″ of an objective at the end of each turn. But those VPs increased if the VIP was within 6″ of an objective and increased again if the VIP was within 6″ of the middle objective. Players could also score VPs by killing the enemy VP in close combat and by keeping their own VIP alive. Players scored no VIPs for killing an enemy VIP with shooting.

Although none of the players had any prior experience with this mission, it ran smoothly. Folks were keen to try something completely new and the VIP mission was met with positive feedback.

Game Two Results Breakdown:

• 11 Wins
• 11 Losses
• 1 Draw
• 79 Order Dice lost

Game 3
Breakthrough

We brought the day to a close with Breakthrough. Another new mission that put a twist on an envelopment-style game. Critically, this mission gave the Officers something to do! Far too often the Lt. in a players’ Platoon is left in the back just giving a +1 Morale bubble. Not with this mission! Careful and clever positioning of a players’ officer was the key to victory in Breakthrough.

Two units from each player started on the table and each started with a Battle Fatigue Pin. This Pin could only be removed if an Officer executed a Rally Order within 6″ of a unit with Battle Fatigue. So you needed to get your Lt up to the frontlines to get your troops back in the action. Players scored VPs for ending the game with friendly units in their opponent’s scoring zone and for controlling the single middle objective.

At the end of a long day of Bolt Action, this third mission forced aggressive play and demanded a final confrontation. There could be no turtling in Breakthrough! Big thanks to John for the mission concept!

Game Three Results Breakdown:

• 8 Wins
• 8 Losses
• 4 Draws
• 102 Order Dice lost

Final Thoughts

Border Wars 2024 was a tremendous success. All 24 player spots were filled and the games ran without issue. It was truly anyone’s game with it all to play for in Game 3. When the dust settled and the results were calculated, Rob S and his Maquis secured Best Overall with Alex W and the USMC close behind with Best Allies. Josh S walked out with Best Axis to round out our top three. Joshua T earned Best Painted with his tremendous Mount Suribachi display board and Jeremy O took home the well-deserved Player’s Choice with the Last Levy defending the Brandenburg Gate. An impressive showing all around!

We track total Order Dice lost to use as a tiebreaker and here are some interesting stats:

• 262 – Total Order Dice lost
• 10.9 – Average Order Dice lost per player
• 1 – Fewest Order Dice lost (CJ)
• 19 – Most Order Dice lost (Ernie)

And we must mention the venue. Old Guard Games is going to a special place. The amount of thought, love, and care that went into the creation of this place is immediately apparent as soon as you walk through the doors. The retail space is gorgeously appointed. The gaming space is like a waking dream. Truly blown away by what the Team has created. Without question, it’s worth your time to make the trip to Milwaukee just to check out the space. Plus, you can consider it recon for AdeptiCon 2025 (the new AdeptiCon venue is only a few miles from Old Guard Games)!

With our first Border Wars on the books, the planning for next year has already begun. Adjustments for next year include:

• Add additional game time. The 2hr15min rounds were just a tad short. A full two and half hours would be better. With all the folks traveling from out of state I compressed the round a bit to make sure we wrapped up at a reasonable time.
• Mulling over the possibility of an event theme (Late-War, North Africa, etc).
• Prepare for Third Edition! Ahh! All our plans may go right out the window when Third Edition drops in Sept. The event will still happen but the format, points, and all that could be very different.
• Possible changes to Paint/Appearance scoring to streamline the judging process. Judging 24 armies between Game 1 and Game 2 is getting to be too much to accomplish.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Border Wars 2024 at Old Guard Games! It was a fantastic day of Bolt Action as we bring a close to Second Edition. I cannot wait to see what is in store for Bolt Action, this community, and Old Guard Games!