V3 for Victory Bolt Action Tournament - 22 November 2025

By Kreighton Long

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to compete in a Bolt Action tournament organized by Jesse Marcelo at Your Hobby Place in Alexandria, VA. This was Jesse’s third time as Tournament Organizer since hosting his first tournament last year in an effort to help grow the community. Each player was permitted a 1100 point list not to exceed 20 order die.

The mood of the event was friendly and light-hearted. All three of my opponents were a pleasure to play against with no absence of good humor and laughter while we worked through the three, two hour rounds. What I overheard throughout the day was that most of the players were congenial and friendly — minus one exception that the TO dealt with quickly and quietly. Overall, it was an excellent atmosphere for both green and veteran players alike.

Jesse’s highlight of the day was seeing 22 enthusiastic players show up for a day of gaming. The payoff of seeing first-hand months of preparation pay off with the start of the first round made it all worth it. In addition, the sense I gathered talking to other players was that this was likely the largest Bolt Action tournament in Virginia this year. Congrats Jesse!

As a TO, Jesse has learned the value of being transparent with the participants. Having a concise rule packet with clear list requirements, round breakdowns, and schedule for the day has eliminated some issues he faced when he first began.

Moving forward, Jesse admitted he needs to find a dedicated assistant TO for future events. Managing 22 players was more than enough for one person after the planned assistant TO needed to jump into a game to balance out the numbers.

The first round was a game of Supply Grab where both players attempted to secure the five objectives set along the table’s center line. The secondary objective was Priority Target where players designated an enemy unit before the game began and could add two points to their score if they destroyed the designated target.

The second round was the infamous Demolition. In Demolition, players attempt to end a turn with infantry or artillery units within 3″ of the base. I have yet to win or lose a game of Demolition but this is a good choice for TOs to help a few players stand out from the pack. The secondary objective here was Key Positions where each player set a secondary objective on their half of the table — the capture of one granted one point and the capture of both granted three.

The third round was Seek and Destroy where both players attempted to destroy more enemy units than they themselves give up. The secondary objective was Fix Bayonets where the player who launched the most close quarter and tank assaults received an additional three points to their total.

Aaron Kamakawiwoole earned the first place finish with his Polish army based on the historic 21st Vistula Ulhan Regiment. Aaron was the only player at the event to win all three of his games which made it easy for the TO to determine the champion.

Aaron’s Polish army. Photo by Aaron Kamakawiwoole.

Aaron’s most valuable unit was Jezyk, the first TKS Tankette he owned. Jedzek pinned down a Tiger in Round One, protected an objective in Round Two, and destroyed three units in Round Three. This little TKS Tankette punched above his weight class and put in the work needed to lead Aaron to victory.

The highlight of the tournament for Aaron was when his 7TP tank shrugged off a hit from a Tiger tank after his opponent rolled a one to penetrate. The 7TP tank couldn’t hit the Tiger, even at Point Blank range, so it couldn’t destroy the Tiger, but the fact that it survived a crushing hit from the Tiger was pretty remarkable.

Aaron’s MVP — the TKS Tankette Jedzek. Photo by Aaron Kamakawiwoole.

A second highlight was a bit of quick thinking. In the third round, Aaron baited his opponents OT-34 and accompanying tank riders into engaging a few sacrificial units in order to tie them down while the rest of his army overwhelmed the remainder of the Soviet forces. The trade off worked in Aaron’s favor as it helped him secure a clean win to earn the title of Champion. Congrats Aaron!

I barely squeezed out a second place win after my kill count put me ahead of a three-way tie for second where all three players finished 2-0-1. I chose to bring my Romanians for a change of pace after playing Italians the rest of 2025 and surprised myself with their performance.

My cavalry arrive in the first game and ensure a clean win after my forward artillery observer (foreground) ruined my opponents day.

My most valuable units were my two cavalry squads. Romanian cavalry are not allowed to charge enemy units which would have been devastating the way the three games progressed. Instead, I used them as a mobile reserve, as their special rules intend them to be, where they played key roles securing wins in the first and last game and sparing me a defeat in the second.

While the first game was largely a done deal by the time my cavalry arrived on the table, they did play a role in cleaning up a few enemy units that ultimately helped put me ahead of the three-way tie. In the second game, Demolition, my opponent was in a position to destroy my base after a strong outflank maneuver, my cavalry arrived to help drive them off my base, earning a hard fought tie.

My opponent succeeded in calling in three airstrikes in the second game. Here one of his aircraft destroys my Tacam and suppresses my front line.

My third game, Seek and Destroy, was a close one as both sides knocked off units. The secondary objective in that game awarded three points to the player who attempted the most close quarter and tank assaults. My opponent did an excellent job of chasing that secondary objective in an attempt to get ahead, and for a little while, was set to take the game. The arrival of my cavalry from outflank and reserve resulted in the elimination of two enemy units and succeeded in close assaulting an enemy unit, giving me a third of my own and offsetting my opponents secondary objective advantage.

In conclusion, while my cavalry were not as hard hitting as my forward artillery observer, a close second for most valuable unit, my cavalry came in clutch when I needed them to and set me up for success.

Tom Slook’s Best Painted Army. Photo by Jesse Marcelo.

The winner of the Best Painted Army award went to Tom Slook for his HBO’s The Pacific inspired Americans. Tom focused on weathering his vehicles using enamel products and oil paints and eventually settled on a formula using dust and mud effects from Ammo and AK. “Enamel weathering was a massive leap of faith and at multiple points I felt like I ruined my paint job, but I trusted the process and best painted was the reward!” Congrats Tom!

A wide variety of nations were represented with the US and Germans dominating the field and minor nations such as Finland and Poland also represented. Graphic by Jesse Marcelo.

Armored platoons made up the majority of secondary platoons. Of note is that artillery platoons were the most seldom taken platoon option. Graphic by Jesse Marcelo.

Additional data provided by Jesse Marcelo.

Prize support for the lucky winners. Photo by Jesse Marcelo.

Thank you to Micro Art Studios and Wargames Atlantic for sponsoring the event with prize support. Thank you!

You can find Jesse’s next tournament at Your Hobby Place Alexandria approximately six months from now. Keep an eye out for that one and I hope to see you all there!