Thank you one and all for an incredible AdeptiCon 2023! Plans for AdeptiCon 2024 have already begun, but please note, with the exception of the event theme (1942-43) all other event info is not final and subject to change. No changes will be made after Jan. 1, 2024.
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 2023 Combat Patrol is The End of the Beginning 1942-1943. It is not required for players to bring armies around this theme, but it is highly encouraged. Give the AdeptiCon Theater Selectors a review for inspiration!
We will do everything possible to ensure themed matchups during the events.
Army Building Requirements
- Instead of using a Generic Reinforced Platoon or a Theater Selector, all players must use the Combat Patrol Platoon.
- Review the AdeptiCon Theater Selectors for inspiration when creating your Combat Patrol Platoon.
- A Combat Patrol Platoon contains units from one Nation selected from the Armies of… and Campaign… books.
- Your force must be formed using a single Combat Patrol Platoon.
- A Combat Patrol Platoon is 450pts max.
- A Combat Patrol Platoon is 8 Order Dice max.
Combat Patrol Platoon
The platoon is made up as follows:
1 Lieutenant (1st or 2nd)
2 Infantry Squads
plus:
Headquarters
0-1 Medic
0-1 Chaplain
0-1 Intelligence Officer
Infantry
0-3 Infantry Squads
0-1 Machine Gun Team
0-1 Mortar Team
0-1 Anti-tank Team
0-1 Sniper Team
0-1 Flamethrower Team
Artillery
0-1 Artillery, Anti-Tank or Anti-Aircraft gun
Armored Car
0-1 Armored Car or Recce vehicle: Armor 8 max
Tank
0-1 Tank, Tank Destroyer, Assault Gun, Self-Propelled Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Vehicle: Armor 8 max
Transport and Tows
0-3 Vehicles: Armor 7 max
Combat Patrol Platoon Special Rules
- No free units or equipment of any kind (free British Artillery Observer, free Soviet Inexperienced squad, free Schützen squad LMG, etc.)
- The Leadership Standard: The Morale level of the Lieutenant must be equal to or greater than the Morale level of the majority of the units in the platoon (rounding up)
- Maximum of 3 vehicles
- No weapons with HE 3” or HE 4”
- Maximum of 1 infantry flamethrower
- No vehicle-mounted flamethrowers
- The M3 Stuart tank is allowed, but cannot be given the additional hull-mounted LMGs
- The M5/M5A1 Stuart is not allowed as it has Armor 9 in the front.
- No IJA Bamboo Spear Fighter Squad (Late War)
- No War Reporters
- No Heroes/Special Characters
- Forces, units and Theater Selectors from Campaign: Korea are not allowed
- Players using a Commonwealth force from Duel in the Sun, Campaign: Western Desert or Campaign: New Guinea, view the Commonwealth National Rule breakdown.
- Any rules, books, updates, etc. published after Jan. 15, 2023 will not be allowed.
- The Sept. 13, 2022 FAQ & Errata will be used for the tournament.
House Rules
- Turret Jam: The Turret Jam rule will not be used.
- Tiger Fear: Tanks that cause Tiger Fear are not affected by Tiger Fear.
- Command Vehicle: Players will declare their Command Vehicle when it is deployed or arrives from Reserve.
- Wrecks: Leave the wrecks of knocked-out vehicles on the table. The wreck counts as Soft Cover. The wreck is not impassible.
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 21, 2024:
3 – 3:25pm – Check-in
3:25 – 3:30pm – Briefing
3:30 – 5pm – Game 1
5 – 5:45pm – Break and Players’ Choice voting
5:45 – 7:15pm – Game 2
7:15 – 8pm – Break: Favorite Table vote
8 – 9:30pm – Game 3
9:30 – 10pm – Scoring and awards
Event Awards
Medals will be awarded to:
- 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 overall score for each player is a combination of:
- Battle – 60 points max
- Appearance – 30 points max
- Sportsmanship – 30 points max
- Theme/Comp – 5 points
Appearance Scoring
Appearance score will follow a rubric:
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, WAAC army lists. This is not to be confused with the overall event theme (1942-43). All army lists submitted by the deadline start with all 5 Theme/Comp points. If the army list contains a force construction more geared towards a 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 (Cavalry, Dakka Stuart, Flamethrowers, Howitzers).
To put it another way, Combat Patrol and Doubles are hobby-first events. 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 3, 2024. Submit to Andrew at ChicagoDiceTeam@gmail.com.
Note on EasyArmy – We all use it, we all love it. But double check those lists against the book.
Players must bring five copies of their list to the event – three for opponents, one for the TO and one for themselves.
Questions?
Contact Andrew at ChicagoDiceTeam@gmail.com with any questions.
Chicago Dice 