This past Saturday, Chicagoland Games Dice Dojo hosted the fourth and final Bolt Action 4-Star tournament. To make a long story short, this event was the best Bolt Action tournament since I played in Chicago Dice’s Border Wars event this past spring at Old Guard Games in Milwaukee. (My Italians and I also managed to take home wooden spoon at this past Border Wars event lol, no big deal).
Before I get into the recap, I gotta shout out Shane for putting on a fantastic event. The vibes were some of the best all around, and he really set the bar high for any future BA tournaments. The tables were fantastic looking, the opponents friendly, and the Old Styles were flowing the entire day. The prize support was insanely stacked. (Big shout out to Warlord Games, Kick Ass Mail Order, Dice Dojo, Rubicon, Wargames Atlantic, Terry, and Chicago Dice for sending a ton of great prizes).
This could not have been run more smoothly or been more fun. I’m still buzzing from it.
All of my opponents went in on the special “Iron Coffin” rule that was created for this event, giving players a few extra scoring points for bringing a tank that costs over 300pts and then tracking the most kills by an Iron Coffin Unit. Minor Axis Nations were even allowed access to the Tiger 1 as their Iron Coffin Unit, meaning there were plenty of Italian, Hungarian, and Finnish Tigers rumbling around. The secondary objectives were all fun and not too complicated to track or score. The primary missions were also a big highlight for the event, as they are for all of the tournaments that Chicago Dice puts on.
I ended up bringing a super simple, 10 Order Dice list for my Italian Bersaglieri. Three 7-man squads, each armed with an LMG and rifles, along with a Light Mortar team and my Platoon Commander made up my Veteran Infantry Platoon. My other platoon was a collection of all of my favorite little weirdo Italian AFVs: The Autoblinda AB41 (as my command vehicle), the Semovente 75/18 (aka the Italian StuG), the M13/40 Medium Tank (Slow AND Vulnerable), my Tiger I (on loan of course), and my very favorite: the L3/33 Tankette, affectionately referred to as The Little Bastard. And that’s it. My goal was to stay under 10 OD and I’m happy with the results!
Game 1 vs. Maple’s Soviets
Game 1 was a grudge match, with Maple and I squaring off on an urban, European style table with a mix of ruins and intact buildings, along with a town square dominated by a large church. The primary mission was essentially to get units as close to the enemy’s deployment zone as possible by the end of Turn 6.
Maple brought a scary pair of IS-2s as well as a Forward Air Observer, a few squads of infantry, Light Mortar teams, and a group of SMG-toting infantry in a Lend Lease Scout car. This was my first time playing against Soviets with their new book out, and I was excited to duke it out with my Tiger.
From the very top of Turn 1 Maple and I took turns firing the big guns on our Iron Coffins, with most of them coming up as misses. On the other side of the table, my M13/40 pushed its way up to take a lucky shot at the Lend Lease scout car, scoring a penetrating hit with its Light Anti-Tank Gun, and using the twin MMGs to light up a nearby squad of infantry.
Taking out the scout car in Turn 1 put me in a good spot to push my infantry hard up my right flank and take up positions in a key ruin overlooking Maple’s deployment zone, but still out of reach of the IS-2s. Italian and Soviet Infantry battled in close quarters on the streets and between buildings.
The epic duel between my Tiger and Maple’s pair of IS-2s reached its crescendo after I managed to score a glancing hit on the command IS-2. I then managed to roll a lucky 6 on the damage table meaning the tank was On Fire. Earlier this tank had managed to knock out my Semovente, leaving my Tiger as the lone tank capable of taking on the IS-2s. A few turns of shooting had put a couple of pin markers on this IS-2, caused the crew to fail the forced morale test and bail out of the vehicle. This was Tiger-232’s 2nd overall confirmed kill.
The Soviets had their final Hail Mary attempt to turn the tables when a Ground Attack Aircraft (likely an IL-2 Sturmovik right?) attacked my infantry holed up on in one of the intact buildings. The aircraft was one hit short of collapsing the building I was in, and the bombing run largely only resulted in most of the units on that side of the board gaining a few pin markers. I got out of that one super lucky. If my targeted squad was out in the open they would have been evaporated.
At this point, the game was firmly in favor of the Italians, as multiple units were able to end the game in the Soviet Deployment Zone. I also managed to score my chosen Secondary Objective, Tank Hunter, from destroying one of the IS-2s. Game 1 was a win and after shaking hands we filed out of the basement to grab some lunch from Edgewater Tacos. From here on I was out of the running for Wooden Spoon.
Game 2 Vs. John’s Toonkrieg Hungarians
My second game was against John and his ToonKrieg Hungarians. We fought on Shane’s fantastic Winter German Airbase, complete with model airplanes of late-war experimental German rocket and jet planes. This is a favorite of mine, as I was lucky to play on it for my final game at Border Wars. I think I have at least 20 pictures of this table on my phone.
John brought the most interesting list of the day, with a solid compliment of Hungarian cavalry, armed with Panzerfausts, along with 3 Nimrod Self-Propelled Anti-Air Guns, and a Toonified-Tiger 1. This mission solely focused on kills, with varying points based on squad size, armor value, etc. I also chose Tank Hunter again for my Secondary.
In short, Game 2 was almost a total rout for my Italians. John positioned his Nimrods and Tiger smartly, and advanced his infantry cautiously into rifle and LMG range. He held his cavalry in reserve for the majority of the game, waiting until just the right moment to spring them into action to panzerfaust my Tiger, and make an attempt at an already shaken M13/40. John is an excellent Bolt Action player and a solid tactician. I on the other hand really struggled to make use of my infantry and light AFVs as the Nimrods and Tiger all posed a threat to my Armor 7 and 8 vehicles as well as my infantry. My Semovente even managed to retreat off of the table after failing a very unlucky morale test. I essentially spent the last two turns leaving my remaining infantry with their Down orders to try to deny the last few points.
A tough loss for the Italians, but as ever John was gracious in victory and certainly earned his place in the top table for Round 3. He expertly piloted his Hungarians during this round, and really got me thinking of how I could add cavalry to my Italian list at some point.
Game 3 Vs. Adam’s Commonwealth South African’s
With my record at a respectable 1 – 1, and the Wooden Spoon comfortably out of my reach for this tournament, I prepared myself for the final match of the day. After playing against 2 fantastic opponents, I had the real pleasure of being pitted against Adam’s Commonwealth Forces. This was my first time playing Adam in Bolt Action, and it was the perfect way to end a fantastic tournament. Adam is a great opponent and a great guy to chat with. Sam, who was on Assistant TO duty, also hovered near our table and offered some jokes and comments while we were playing. The Brothers Match for 1st place between John and Andrew was also happening on the table next to our, and it was fun to listen to their match.
This table was Normandy themed and featured a couple of really fantastic looking buildings from MicroArt Studios. I really want to pick some of this up if they are at Adepticon this year. The mission tasked us with holding the objective, an airplane wreck that crashed on a random board position in Turn 4, by the end of the game. This mission was so fun, as we both carefully positioned ourselves to try to grab the objective once it appeared.
Adam brought a really solid list, utilizing the news Guards rules from the Armies of Great Britain book to shake pins that my light tanks and LMGs were dishing out. He also deployed his 25pdr Artillery piece in a great location allowing him to target most areas of the map, and keeping my infantry hidden for most of the game. My Tiger and his Churchill spent most of the game trying to knock each other out, to little effect.
The game was so close, and nearly swung firmly into Adam’s favor after a mid-game appearance of a British Humber Scout Car. The Humber shot its way out of reserves and down a road towards a group of houses my infantry were huddling around. The primary mission could only be scored with infantry so I knew I needed to take out this Scout Car before it got within close range of my infantry. I repositioned my Semovente and crept up with the M13/40, trading shots with the Humber for a turn before I managed to immobilize it safely out of reach of my infantry. This was such a close call and made for a wildly intense showdown.
On the right flank my Autoblinda and Tankette pushed hard against Adam’s infantry, causing them to fall back from positions taken near the gas station. After 5 turns of spitting out MMG fire, my L3/33 was finally destroyed by the Churchill. The Little Bastard did his job tying up the Commonwealth troops and throwing out pin markers.
When turn 6 came around Adam and I were both in position to claim the down airplane and secure victory. It was a mad dash to the center of the board, where Italians and South Africans engaged in a brutal fight over the objective. My platoon leader bravely fell to British sniper fire, but my Bersaglieri fought on, beating back a bayonet charge from Adam’s veteran infantry. The final push by Commonwealth forces to tie the match failed in the very last roll of the game, securing an Italian victory. What a phenomenal game, with impeccable vibes, laughs, and plenty of beers. Thanks again Adam!
In Closing
My Italians managed to pull off 2 wins and 1 crushing defeat. Landing me in (I believe) 5th place. My Tiger 1 did a good amount of work in Game 1, and I was happy with how my Italians looked on the board. Like all Chicago Dice events, the prize table was STACKED, meaning I went home with the new Victrix Late War Germans. I am planning on mixing them into my Normandy-era German Fallschirmjagers, and I’m really excited to build the new plastic weapons teams. All in all, a fantastic event with good friends. Thanks again Shane!
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