Bolt Action is dead, long live Bolt Action!
Let us celebrate eight years of Bolt Action: Second Edition with one final event! Operation Midnight is a three-game, 1,100pt. Bolt Action tournament. Forces must be a single 1,100pt Platoon with a maximum of 16 Order Dice. Your Platoon must use a Theater Selector.
Operation Midnight is hosted at Old Guard Games at 3132 N Downer St. in Milwaukee, WI on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Old Guard Games will have all the Bolt Action: Third Edition releases in stock! You won’t want to leave empty handed.
Registration – To register for the event, email Shane and Sam at killerlitebb2016@gmail.com with your intent to play. The event is capped at 32 players.
Admission Fee – The admission fee for Operation Midnight is $20. Players can send Venmo (@Shane-Warning), or Zelle (815-954-9567) to Shane when registering to lock in your spot. Lunch will be provided.
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 Saturday, Sept. 14. Submit to Shane and Sam at killerlitebb2016@gmail.com.
Goodbye to Second Edition
Operation Midnight is a celebration Bolt Action. It’s our way of sending Second Edition off into that good night. Bring a list that is cool. Bring something unique. Bring something fun to play with and against. Leave the cheese at home. If there is even a hint of Min/Maxing, get it outta here. Operation Midnight is not that kind of event. There are all kinds of tournaments to bring the noise, but this is not one of them.
Army Building Requirements
- Single Platoon – 1,100pts – 16 Order Dice max.
- Players are required to use a Theater Selection when building their force.
- No Tank Platoons allowed – unless it is a Theater Selector containing only Soft Skin vehicles (17 SS Aufklarungs Platoon (D-Day: US Sector), Arditi X Patrol (The Western Desert), Sowing Mayhem (The Western Desert), BEF Motorcycle Platoon (Battle of France), etc.
- Units and Theater Selectors from all Theater and Campaign books are allowed.
- 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 not counting the Lt (rounding up).
- British Commonwealth – Players using a Commonwealth force from Duel in the Sun, Campaign: Western Desert, Campaign: New Guinea, Campaign: Italy: Soft Underbelly, and/or Campaign: Italy: Tough Gut view the Commonwealth National Rule breakdown.
- The Feb. 28, 2024 FAQ & Errata will be used for the tournament.
The Ban List – These rules, units, and Selectors are not allowed in Border Wars:
- Multiple Nations:
- Lack of Radios – Tank War – p11
- The M3 Stuart is allowed, but cannot be given the additional hull-mounted LMGs (Dakka Stuart)
- Forward Observer (Super-Heavy) – Campaign: Italy: Tough Gut – p157
- Armored OP Vehicles – Campaign: D-Day: British & Canadian Sectors – p107
- Fortifications
- Multinational Forces
- Any Heroes/Special Characters
- War Reporter – Optional rules
- Warplanes – Optional rules
- Campaign: Korea
- Japan:
- Maximum of three IJA Bamboo Spear Fighter Squad (Late War) – Armies of Imperial Japan – p25
- IJA General Influence – Campaign: New Guinea – p116
- Great Britain:
- British Forward Naval Observer – Campaign: D-Day: Overlord – p135
- Maximum of two:
- Gurkha Section – Armies of Great Brittan – p25
- Gurkha Paratroopers – Empires in Flames – p81
- Germany:
- German Schützen Squad – Campaign: The Western Desert – p93
- German Siege Gun Forward Observer – Campaign: Case Blue – p98
- Soviet Union:
- Soviet Naval Forward Observer – Campaign: Case Blue – p93
- Any rules, books, updates, etc. published after Sept. 1, 2024 will not be allowed.
House Rules
- Turret Jam – The Turret Jam rule is not used.
- Wrecks – Leave the wrecks of all knocked-out vehicles on the table. The wreck counts as passible Hard Cover.
- Command Vehicle – Players must declare their Command Vehicle when it is deployed or arrives from Reserve.
- Tiger Fear – Tanks that cause Tiger Fear are not affected by Tiger Fear.
Model Requirements
All models used 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
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 Shane or Sam know and they will get your Grudge Match set for any of the three games.
| Games | Players |
|---|---|
| Game 1 | Joe V v Andrew V |
| Game 1 | John V vs Zak K |
| Game 1 | Zack D vs Jacky L |
| Game 2 | Joe V v John V |
| Game 2 | Zack D v Andrew V |
| Game 3 | Zack D v Giuseppe I |
| Game 3 | Joe V vs Zak K |
Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 28:
10 – 10:25am – Check-in
10:25am – Briefing
10:30 – 12:45pm – Game 1
12:45 – 1:45pm – Lunch Break and Players’ Choice voting (lunch will be provided)
1:45 – 4pm – Game 2
4 – 4:30pm – Break
4:30 – 6:45pm – Game 3
6:45 – 7pm – Scoring and awards
Event Scoring
The overall score for each player is a combination of:
- Battle – 60pts
- Appearance – 20pts
- Sportsmanship – 30pts
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 criteria 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 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.
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, Sept. 14. Submit to Shane and Sam at killerlitebb2016@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 – We all use it and we all love it. But double-check your lists against the book.
Players and Forces
The event is capped at 24 players.
| Player | Nation – Theater Selector | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew V | Germany – Kampfgruppe East HGD |
| 2 | Rob S | Germany – Watch on the Rhine 1944-45 |
| 3 | Dave C | Germany – Operation Watch on the Rhine |
| 4 | Jackson H | Germany – DAK Light Division 1941 |
| 5 | Todd P | Germany – Normandy 1944 |
| 6 | Jacob O | Germany – 12th SS Panzergrenadier |
| 7 | Alex W | UK – Tunisia 1942-43 |
| 8 | John V | UK – X Corp |
| 9 | Joe V | UK – Coastal Defense Reinforced Platoon |
| 10 | Andrew P | UK – Burma 1942-1945 |
| 11 | Josh T | UK – Burma 1942-45 |
| 12 | Tom L | Nationalist Chinese – Fall of Shanghai |
| 13 | Jacky L | Hungary – Hungarian Second Army |
| 14 | Zak K | Poland – Warsaw Uprising |
| 15 | Zack D | Romania – Kuban |
| 16 | Jim B | IJA – Burma 1944 |
| 17 | Jim D | US – USMC |
| 18 | Ian M | US – Operation Market Garden 1944 |
| 19 | Chris M | US – Latewar Armoured Rifle Company |
| 20 | Steven C | US – Cassino 1944 |
| 21 | Giuseppe I | US – Rhineland 1945 |
| 22 | John M | US – Latewar Armoured Rifle Company |
| 23 | Josh S | US – Operation Market Garden 1944 |
| 24 | – | – |
| Ringers | Shane W & Sam Y | |
| Waitlist | ||
| – | – | – |
Prize Support
Prize support is being generously provided by Old Guard Games, Badger Games, Warlord Games and SWAGS!
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
- The Operation Midnight 2024 results are available for review.
Questions?
Contact Shane & Sam at killerlitebb2016@gmail.com with any questions.
Chicago Dice 