Border Wars is back at Old Guard Games located at 3132 N Downer St. in Milwaukee, WI on Saturday, May 24, 2025 as a part of the Old Guard Games Anniversary Celebration Weekend!

Border Wars is a three-game, 1,100pt Bolt Action tournament. Forces can have up to four Platoons with a maximum of 16 Order Dice. Games will follow a Axis v. Allies format when possible.

Registration – To register for the event email Andrew at ChicagoDiceTeam@gmail.com. Please include whether you are bringing Axis or Allies and if you are representing Team IL or Team WI. The event is capped at 24 players (12 Allied and 12 Axis).

Event Cost – The cost for Border Wars is $20. Players can send PayPal (@AndrewVerticchio), Venmo (@andrew-verticchio), or Zelle (708-207-0679) to Andrew when registering to lock in your spot. The registration fee will be used for prize support and the provided lunch.

Army List Submission – Players are required to submit Army Lists in advance for review. Lists are due by Saturday, May 10. Submit to Andrew and John at ChicagoDiceTeam@gmail.com. Failure to submit Lists by the deadline will result in a tournament score deduction.

---

Hobby First, Wins Second

Border Wars is a hobby-first event. Bring something cool. Bring something unique. Bring something fun to play with and against. Leave the cheese at home. We will be swinging the Banhammer left and right on lists that include nonsense. If there is even a hint of Min/Maxing, get it outta here. Border Wars is not that kind of event. There are plenty of tournaments to bring the noise, but this is not one of them.

Army Building Requirements

• The event will use the latest (currently Feb. 2025) Bolt Action FAQ & Errata.
• Four Platoons max – 1,100pts – 16 Order Dice max.
  • For Germany, forces must be built using Armies of Germany: Third Edition.
  • For the United States, forces must be built using Armies of the United States: Third Edition.
  • For Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and Imperial Japan, forces must be built using the Bolt Action Third Edition Rulebook.
  • For the 12 “Minor Powers”, forces must be built using the Further Axis & Allied Nations PDFs.
• 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).
  • The Morale level of the Command Vehicle(s) must be equal to or greater than the Morale level of the majority of the units in the Armored Platoon not counting the Command Vehicle (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.
• Defend the Fatherland! and By Air, Land, and Sea Platoon Structure – As Border Wars is a Hobby First, Wins Second type of event, strict controls are in place for using Defend the Fatherland! and By Air, Land, and Sea.
  • You may only use one option from these rules in each platoon.
    • Example – A German Rifle Platoon includes a Platoon Commander, two Fallschirmjäger squads, and a light mortar. If you give the Platoon Commander Defend the Fatherland! (Fallschirmjäger) then the light mortar cannot use a different Defend the Fatherland! option. Note that the mortar is not required to use Defend the Fatherland!
  • If any units in a platoon use an option from these rules, then the Platoon Commander must also use that option.
    • Example – A German Artillery Platoon includes a Platoon Commander and a Light Howitzer. If you give the howitzer Defend the Fatherland! (Fallschirmjäger) then the Platoon Commander is required to also use Defend the Fatherland! (Fallschirmjäger).
  • You may only use an option from these rules if your force contains at least one unit of the appropriate type.
    • Example – A German force consists of a Rifle Platoon with a Platoon Commander, two Fallschirmjäger squads, a light mortar, and an Artillery Platoon with a Platoon Commander and a Light Howitzer. The units in the Artillery Platoon are allowed to use Defend the Fatherland! (Fallschirmjäger) but not the other Defend the Fatherland! options.

The Ban List – These rules and units are not allowed at Border Wars:

• Units and Force Selectors from the Bolt Action Compendium are not allowed.
• Any rules, books, updates, etc. published after May 1, 2025, will not be allowed.

---

House Rules

• The event will use the Chicago Dice Bolt Action: Third Edition Community FAQ & Errata.

---

Model Requirements

All models used at Border Wars must:

• Be WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
  • In other words, proxy models are not allowed.
• Minimum three colors
• Based

Any models that do not meet these requirements will not be allowed on the table.

Event Format

We will be following strict Axis v Allies for matchups. Team IL v Team WI matchups will be made whenever possible.

Grudge Matches

Have a grudge to settle? Want to challenge an old friend to battle? That’s what this event is for! As long as both players agree, let Andrew know, and he will get your Grudge Match set Game 1.

Schedule

Saturday, May 24:
10 – 10:25am – Check-in
10:25am – Briefing
10:30 – 12:45pm – Game One
12:45 – 1:45pm – Lunch Break and Players’ Choice voting (lunch will be provided)
1:45 – 4pm – Game Two
4 – 4:30pm – Break
4:30 – 6:45pm – Game Three
6:45 – 7:15pm – Scoring and awards

Event Scoring

The overall score for each player is a combination of:

• Battle – 60pts
• Appearance – 15pts
• Sportsmanship – 30pts
• Theme/Comp – 5pts

Battle Scoring

20pts for a Win, 10pts for a Draw, 5pts for a Loss, 0pts for a Withdrawal.

Appearance Scoring

Scored against a list of criteria. Points are awarded in each category including Painting, Basing, Display Board, and Bonus (Conversions, Weathering, Decal/Freehand):

Sportsmanship Scoring

Operating on the assumption that all players are good sports, opponents are automatically granted 10 points for Sportsmanship for each game. If it turns out that a player’s opponents are less than good sports, players need to report it to the TO, 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 (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 that is 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/Tow when the rest of the force is Reg. and/or Vet.
• Unit spam (Cavalry, Dakka Stuart, Flamethrowers, indirect fire, etc.).

To put it another way, Border Wars is a hobby first. Yes, we are all playing to win, but not at the expense of the opponent’s experience.

Awards

Prizes will be awarded for:

• Best Overall – Player with the highest total points.
• Best Painted – Player with the highest Paint score, that is not Player’s Choice.
• Player’s Choice – Player with the most Player’s Choice votes, that is not Best Painted.
• 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.

Army Lists

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 Saturday, May 10. Submit to Andrew and John at ChicagoDiceTeam@gmail.com.

You should bring four copies of your list to the event. One copy for you and one for each opponent.

Note on EasyArmy, 2nd in Command, and Warlord Games App – No matter what app or website you use to build your list, double-check your points against the Rulebook, Armies of, and Minor Nation PDFs.

Players and Forces

The event is capped at 24 players – 12 Allies and 12 Axis.

	Player	Nation	Team
	Allies
1	Jim D	United States	WI
2	Dave C	United States	IL
3	Ben T	United States – Army	IL
26	Kevin C	United States	IL
5	Dexter W	Great Britain	IA
6	Tony S	United States	IL
27	Rob R	Soviet Union – Stalingrad	IL
8	Adam W	Great Britain	WI
25	Zak K	Partisans	IL
10	John M	United States – Armored Infantry	IL
11	Jeff M	Great Britain – Commandos	MI
12	Jacky L	Great Britain	IL
	Axis
13	Kris K	Germany	WI
14	Shane W	Germany – Fallschirmjäger	IL
7	Russell R	Germany	IL
16	Terry D	Finland	IL
17	Ernie O	Germany	IL
18	Abe W	Germany – Volksgrenadier	WI
19	Dave F	Italy – Bersaglieri	IL
9	Chris M	Italy – Arditi Camionettisti	WI
21	Todd P	Germany	WI
22	Andrew P	Finland	WI
28	Jesse C	Germany – Kursk	WI
24	Ian M	Germany – Gebirgsjäger	WI
The Ringers	Andrew V & John V	–	–
	Waitlist
29	–	–	–
30	–	–	–

Prize Support

Prize support is generously provided by Old Guard Games and Badger Games.

Community

Join the Chicago Bolt Action Facebook Group, the Dice Dojo Historical Minis Discord, and the Old Guard Games Discord for updates, hobby progress, list discussion, and questions.

---

Previous Results and Event Packets

• The Border Wars 2024 and 2025 results are available for review.
• The Border Wars Event Packets are available:

Questions?

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