Doubles Event Rules

All Doubles 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 Doubles is a three-game tournament of chaotic combined arms warfare. In Teams of two – each player will have their own set of Order Dice – players must work with their teammate as they fight to control the battlefield.

The theme for Bolt Action at AdeptiCon 2027 is Forgotten Fronts. Whether in the sweltering jungles of the China-Burma-India Theater, the frigid north of Lapland, or the burning deserts of Iran, countless lesser-known battles, theaters, and engagements are worth exploring. Use this event to shed light on these Forgotten Fronts as you prepare for AdeptiCon 2027

As always, the 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

  • Teams must be composed of nations that allied during World War II. A Team cannot be Germany and Great Britain. A Team can be Poland and Great Britain. Both Players on a Team can use the same nation.
  • A Doubles Team is constructed using the nations from either the Armies of books or a Further Axis & Allied Nations PDF.
    • You must use the Third Edition Armies of book to build your Doubles Team for:
      • Germany
      • United States
      • Great Britain
      • Soviet Union
      • Imperial Japan
      • Italy
      • British Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, East Africa Command, India, New Zealand, and South Africa)
      • France
    • You must use the Further Axis & Allied Nations PDFs to build your Doubles Team for:
      • Belgium
      • Bulgaria
      • Finland
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Norway
      • Partisans
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • The Netherlands
  • A Team is 1,600pts max. Players can split the points between forces however they wish.
  • A Team is 20 Order Dice max. Players can split the Order Dice between forces, however they wish. Remember, each player will have their own Order Dice in the bag.
  • A Team is comprised of any number of Platoons.
    • At least one Player’s force must include a Rifle Platoon.
    • The other Player may replace their mandatory Rifle Platoon with a Recce Platoon or an Engineer Platoon.
    • Maximum of 1 Armored Platoon per Team.
    • Maximum of 1 Artillery Platoon per Team.
  • Forward Observers – A maximum of 1 Forward Observer (Air or Artillery) per player.
  • The Leadership Standard – The Morale level of the Platoon Commander(s)/Command Vehicle 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). The Morale level of a Company Commander must be equal to or greater than the Moral level of the majority of the units in the entire Force, not counting the Company Commander.
  • The latest FAQ & Erratas will be used for the tournament (Jan. 2026 and Oct. 2025).

Team Considerations

  • Officers – The Officers in each player’s force only affects the units in that force (Morale bonus, Snap To). Meaning that Player A’s Platoon Commander grants no Morale Bonus to Player B’s units.
  • Transports and Tows – Transports and tows can only transport units in that player’s force. Meaning that Player A’s unit cannot ride in Player B’s transport.
  • Medics – Medics in one player’s force only affect the units in that force.
  • Spotters – Spotters (and Spotting via Forward Observers) in one player’s force only affect the units in that force.
  • Best Appearance Consideration – For a Team to be considered for Best Appearance, both players’ forces must be within 100pts of each other (the max split is 850pts – 750pts).

Note on laser pointers and pre-measuring
Using laser pointers to determine Line of Sight is not considered pre-measuring. Laser pointers are allowed 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 three doubles games. Each game will be 2hrs 45min long. Axis vs Allies match-ups will be made whenever possible.

Schedule

Friday, April 9, 2027:

  • 815 – 855am – Check-in
  • 855 – 9am – Welcome and Operation Briefing
  • 9 – 1145am – Game 1
  • 1145am – 1pm – Break and Player’s Choice voting
  • 1 – 345pm – Game 2
  • 345 – 445pm – Break and Best Battlefield voting
  • 445 – 730pm – Game 3
  • 730 – 8pm – Scoring and Awards

Event Awards

AdeptiCon Medals will be awarded for:

  • Best Overall – Team with the highest total points.
  • Best Allies – Team with the highest Allies score, that is not Best Overall.
  • Best Axis – Team with the highest Axis score, that is not Best Overall.
  • Best Appearance – Team with highest Appearance score.
  • Player’s Choice – Team with the most Player’s Choice votes.

Teams can only win one AdeptiCon Medal. If a Team earns multiple AdeptiCon Medals, the Team will have the option to choose their award.

Event Scoring

The overall score for each Team 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, Doubles is a hobby-first event. Yes, we are all playing to win, but not at the expense of the opponent’s experience.

Best Appearance

Appearance scoring is optional. Teams must self-nominate 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 Doubles Force, you will not receive a score.

Appearance scoring follows a rubric:

Bolt Action Appearance ScoringDownload

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.

Note on Display Boards – The maximum display board dimensions are 36″x24″. Forces may be displayed directly onto tables, but no Display 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 Sunday, March 7, 2027. Submit to Andrew and John at ChicagoDiceTeam@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, Armies of book, and Additional Nation PDFs, and FAQ/Errata. We consider the books/PDFs to be the single “source of truth” for unit entries. If there is a difference between the books and the list builder, we always consider the book to be correct (taking into account FAQ/Errata changes).

Teams must bring four printed copies of their list to the event – three for opponents and one for themselves.

Questions?

Contact Andrew and John at ChicagoDiceTeam@gmail.com with any questions.

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