Bolt Action Combat Patrol is a 3-game tournament of small battles between recon elements. Each round is only 90 minutes and games are played on a 4×4′ table. Effective Combat Patrol forces will find the right balance of speed and firepower.
The theme for AdeptiCon 2025 Combat Patrol is Well Hello Third Edition! There are no restrictions on theater, time or place. Players are encouraged to embrace the new options in Third Edition.
Army Building Requirements
- A Combat Patrol Force is:
- 1-3 Platoons max.
- 500pts max.
- 9 Order Dice max.
- A Combat Patrol Force is constructed using one of the Nations from either the Third Edition Rulebook or a Further Axis & Allied Nations PDF. Units, Platoons, rules, etc. from any Armies of book and/or Compendium are not allowed.
- The February 2025 FAQ & Errata will be used for the tournament.
Combat Patrol Platoon Special Rules
- The Leadership Standard – The Morale level of the Platoon Commander(s) must be equal to or greater than the Morale level of the majority of the units in the platoon, not counting the Platoon Commander (rounding up).
- Artillery Platoons are not allowed.
- Engineer Platoons are not allowed.
- Forward Artillery and Air Observers are not allowed.
- Company Commanders are not allowed.
- The Extra Selection rule for US MMGs and Soviet ATRs is not allowed.
- No weapons with HE 3” or HE 4”.
- No vehicle-mounted flamethrowers.
- Three vehicles max.
- Armor 8+ max.
AdeptiCon Combat Patrol & Doubles House Rules
- Both Combat Patrol and Doubles will use the Chicago Dice Bolt Action: Third Edition Community FAQ & Errata.
Event Format
Players will participate in a total of 3 games. Each game will be 90 minutes long. Match-ups will be predetermined for Game 1. The Game 2 and Game 3 match-ups will be based on Battle Points. Axis vs Allies match-ups will be made whenever possible.
Schedule
Thursday, March 27, 2025:
3 – 325pm – Check-in
325 – 330pm – Briefing
330 – 5pm – Game 1
5 – 545pm – Break and Players’ Choice voting
545 – 715pm – Game 2
715 – 8pm – Break and Best Battlefield voting
8 – 930pm – Game 3
930 – 10pm – Scoring and awards
Event Awards
AdeptiCon Medals will be awarded for:
- Best Overall – Player with the highest total points.
- Best Appearance – Player with the highest Appearance score.
- Best Battlefield – Table with the most Best Battlefield votes.
- Player’s Choice – Player with the most Player’s Choice votes.
- Best Allies – Player with the highest Allies score, that is not Best Overall.
- Best Axis – Player with the highest Axis score, that is not Best Overall.
Event Scoring
The 110 point maximum overall score for each player is a combination of:
- Battle – 60 points max
- Appearance – 15 points max
- Sportsmanship – 30 points max
- Theme/Comp – 5 points max
Appearance Scoring
Appearance score will follow a rubric:
Note on Commissioned Armies – If you did not paint your army (if your army was borrowed or painted via commission) you must notify the TO. These armies will still receive scoring, but cannot win Best Painted or Players’ Choice.
A note on display boards – Maximum display board dimensions are 36″x24″. Armies may be displayed directly onto tables, but no display board points will be awarded. A table is not a display board.
Sportsmanship Scoring
Be gracious in victory and defeat.
Operating on the assumption that all players are good sports, opponents are automatically granted 10 points for Sportsmanship for each game. If opponents turn out to be less than good sports, players need to report it to the TO’s table, before the start of the next round, using the following categories and examples as a guideline. Keep in mind; everyone gets a little salty now and then, forgets (or misplaces) their tape measure once in a while, temporarily forgets how a rule works, or changes their mind about a decision, etc.
Salty Attitude: Complain a lot. Constantly ask to see your rules—even for basic things. Act put-out if you ask to see their rules. Do not communicate intentions or establish agreement with regard to movement, line of sight, etc. Are impatient, dismissive, curt, etc.; sore losers or ungracious winners.
Unprepared for Play: Show up very late. Haven’t read the tournament rules. Haven’t read the mission description. Don’t have the majority of the things needed to play the game (have to borrow a lot).
Incompetent Play: Unable to execute the core rules of the game without frequent referencing or coaching. Spend inordinate time looking things up (i.e. do not have materials prepared, marked, or printed for quick reference)
Questionable Play: Not quite cheating, but not aboveboard either. ‘Generous’ measurements or movement. Frequently take back movement or other decisions after they are in process. Not clearly distinguishing between similar units. Not keeping track of scoring. Abuse ‘playing by intent’ by failing to establish what their intent is, but taking advantage of what it ‘could have been’.
Sportsmanship Deductions: In all cases, the judge(s) will decide whether the described behaviors are Minor, Major, or Extreme instances.
- Minor instances will be minus 1-4 points each.
- Major instances will be minus 5-9 points each and a visit from the TO.
- Extreme instances will be minus 10 points and a visit from the Head TO.
Theme/Comp Scoring
Theme, also referred to as Comp, is a soft check against hyper-competitive, Win At All Costs army lists. Each army list submitted by the deadline is automatically granted 5 Theme/Comp points. If the army list contains a force construction more appropriate for a WAAC competitive event, points will be deducted. Examples of a deduction include:
- Inclusion of an Inexp. Indirect Fire weapon when the rest of the force is Reg. and/or Vet.
- Inclusion of an Inexp. Transport/Two when the rest of the force is Reg. and/or Vet.
- Unit spam (Flamethrowers, Howitzers, etc.).
To put it another way, Combat Patrol is a hobby-first event. Yes, we are all playing to win, but not at the experience of the opponents experience.
Army List Submission
Players are required to submit Army Lists in advance for review. Failure to submit Lists by the deadline will result in a points deduction. Lists are due by Sunday, March 2, 2025. Submit to Joe at miboltaction45@gmail.com.
Note on EasyArmy, 2nd in Command, and Warlord Games List Builder – No matter what app or website you use to build your list, double check your points against the Rulebook and Minor Nation PDFs.
Players must bring five copies of their list to the event – three for opponents, one for the TO and one for themselves.
Questions?
Contact Joe at miboltaction45@gmail.com with any Combat Patrol questions.
Chicago Dice 