All Combat Patrol rules are DRAFT and subject to change. Rules will be finalized not later than Dec. 1, 2026.
When you go home and people ask you what you did in the war, you won’t have to explain. They won’t know where Burma is.
– Army Commander, Lieutenant General Sir William ‘Bill’ Slim
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 event theme for AdeptiCon 2027 Combat Patrol is Forgotten Fronts. Whether the sweltering jungles of the China-Burma-India Theater, the frigid and frozen north of Lapland, or the burning deserts of Iran, there are countless lesser known battles, theaters, and engagements worthy of exploration. Use this event to shed light on these Forgotten Fronts as your prepare for AdeptiCon 2027.
As always, this theme is not mandatory, but heavily encouraged. We can’t wait to see the army compositions and display boards you come up with!
Army Building Requirements
- A Combat Patrol Force is:
- 500pts max
- 3 Platoons max
- 9 Order Dice max
- You must use the Third Edition Armies of book to build your Combat Patrol Force for:
- Germany
- United States
- Soviet Union
- Imperial Japan
- Italy
- Great Britain
- British Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, East Africa Command, India, New Zealand, and South Africa)
- You must use the Further Axis & Allied Nations PDFs to build your Combat Patrol Force for:
- Belgium
- France
- Poland
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Norway
- Romania
- Finland
- Hungary
- Partisans
- The Netherlands
- Units, Platoons, rules, etc. from The Bolt Action Compendium are not allowed.
- The latest FAQ & Erratas will be used for the tournament (Jan. 2026 and Oct. 2025).
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 limited to a maximum of 2 Artillery units.
- Forward Artillery and Air Observers are not allowed.
- Company Commanders are not allowed.
- Maximum of two Infantry Flamethrowers.
- No vehicle-mounted flamethrowers.
- No weapons with HE 3” or HE 4”.
- Three vehicles max.
- Armor 8+ max.
Note on laser pointers and pre-measuring
Using laser pointers to determine Line of Sight is not considered pre-measuring. Players are allowed to use laser pointers to check LoS at any time. Any player using a laser pointer is expected to allow their opponent to use it as well.
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, April 8, 2027:
1-1:25pm – Check-in
1:25 – 1:30pm – Briefing
1:30-3pm – Game 1
3 – 3:45pm – Break and Players’ Choice voting
345 – 5:15pm – Game 2
5:15 – 6pm – Break and Best Battlefield voting
6 – 8:30pm – Game 3
8:30 – 9pm – Scoring and awards
Event Awards
AdeptiCon Medals will be awarded for:
- Best Overall – Player with the highest total points.
- 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.
- Best Appearance – Player with the highest Appearance score.
- Player’s Choice – Player with the most Player’s Choice votes.
Players can only win one AdeptiCon Medal. If a Player earns multiple AdeptiCon Medals, they will have the option to choose their award.
Event Scoring
The 100-point maximum Overall Score for each player is a combination of:
- Battle – 60 points max
- Sportsmanship – 30 points max
- Theme/Comp – 10 points max
Battle Score
For each game, Battle Scores are 20pts for a Win, 10pts for a Draw, 5pts for a Loss, 0pts for a Withdrawal.
Secondary Objectives
Instead of using total Order Dice killed, we will use Secondary Objectives to break any ties in the final standings. There are the same four Secondary Objectives available each game. At the end of the game, add up all the Secondary Objectives scored, and write down your total points. Secondary Objectives have no impact on the outcome of the game. You can win a game without scoring a single Secondary Objective. You can lose a game but score them all.
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 10 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.
- Look, we all know it when we see it.
To put it another way, Combat Patrol is a hobby-first event. Yes, we are all playing to win, but not at the expense of the opponent’s experience.
Best Apperance
Best Appearance scoring is optional. Players must self-nominate if they would like to be considered for Best Appearance. You will only receive an Appearance Score if you notify the TOs during check-in. If you do not notify the TOs to paint judge your Force, you will not receive a score.
Appearance / Paint score will follow a rubric:
Note on Commissioned Armies – If you did not paint your force (if it was borrowed or painted via commission) you must notify the TO. These forces cannot win Best Appearance or Players’ Choice.
A note on display boards – Maximum display board dimensions are 36″x24″. Forces may be displayed directly onto tables, but no display board points will be awarded. A table is not a display board.
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 Monday, March 2, 2026. 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 your book and 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 