Call to Arms Bolt Action Tournament – 10 October 2026

By Kreighton Long

On 10 October 2026, Kalissa Skibicki organized and ran her usual Bolt Action tournament at SETGO’s Call to Arms convention in Williamsburg, VA.  The competitive pool was shallower than previous years with eight players competing versus sixteen players at the same event in 2025 and 2024.  The players who did make it were mostly veteran players who brought their positive attitudes and competitive armies for a day of gaming.

Kalissa’s highlights from the tournament focused on the overall calm, friendly, non-competitive feel to the tournament.  “Everyone just generally played three games, as if the word tournament wasn’t really there.”  New players were welcomed and assisted by the more veteran players they were paired with.

The day progressed smoothly with time tables being respected and players maintaining courteous demeanors.  Geographically challenged participants who do not have opportunities to catch up at local game days had plenty of opportunities to check in on each other and share good news since the last encounters.  Laughs were commonly heard among the din of dice being rolled in dice trays and rules or actions being clarified.

While the crowd was smaller than desired, this did present some worthwhile consequences.  Every player had ample room to lay out their armies and gaming supplies on empty tables that were left clear by David Skibicki to make our lives easier.  I’m sure I was not the only one who appreciated having the extra room. 

In addition, the overall noise on our end of the tournament space was half of what it historically has been which did help to reduce the strain on my voice throughout the day.  Anyone who suffered a sore throat after projecting their voice to be heard in a cramped gaming hall over a full day of gaming knows that discomfort well.

When asked about the lower than usual attendance numbers, Kalissa cited expenses and advertising as potential factors.  Kalissa elaborated stating that some Facebook group admins were late to approve her posts announcing the events with a few approving them after the event occurred.

The Bolt Action tournament was not the only event to find itself with fewer than usual participants.  Attendance decreased convention wide.  Ben Marsh, the South-Eastern Tabletop Gaming Organization (SETGO) Chairman and convention co-director, estimated that attendance decreased from last year by approximately 15%.  Ben elaborated commenting that, “the economy is a big issue, as prices across the board are trending upwards.”

Ben went on to cite other factors to include proximity to the NOVA Open in September and groups of players dropping out of events for various unanticipated reasons (the Warhammer 30K event lost six players to medical reasons the week leading to the event).

A highlight of the tournament for me was the participation of the next generation of table top gamers.  High school age players made up 25% of the total participants — two out of eight is a small data size but still a noteworthy percentage.  When looking around Bolt Action tournaments, it’s easier to find grey-haired veterans than fresh faced greenhorns.  In order for the hobby to continue to grow we need to continue to encourage young players to participate and to feel welcome rolling dice with the old guys.

The day began with a round of Key Positions, Long Edges, and Prepared Positions.  Kalissa rolled for everyone with players competing to capture and hold five objectives.  This was a nice dynamic scenario to begin the day with.

Round two was Hold Until Relieved, Quarters, and Prepared Positions.  I’m not a huge fan of single objective games as both sides collide into a small part of the table.  Fortunately, this was the only one of these missions for the day so the impact overall was minimal.

The last round of the day was Seek and Destroy, Long Table Edges, and Meeting Engagement.  A simple kill more scenario after a tiring day of thinking too hard is typically well received and appreciated by the tired players.

John Birdwell took home the first place prize with his Indian army.  Highlights for the tournament included the variety of armies, how much fun people had, and his own surprise in winning sharing, “I did figure that I may have placed in the top three, but I did not figure that I had won until [Kalissa] told us.”  John’s MVPs were his M3 Stuarts who had contributed the most to destroying enemy units and controlling the battlefield.  Congrats John!

Finishing in second place was Lucas Herold with his Germans.  Lucas’ highlight of the tournament was playing on the amazing tables and having fun talking with everyone at the event.  Lucas’ most valuable unit was the Panzer III G because it managed to kill three tanks consecutively in the third game and eliminated a ton of order dice from his opponent in the second.  Congrats Lucas!

Scott Herold finished in third place with his Italians.  Scott’s highlights included reinforcing the community and plus some proud dad moments.  Scott appreciated having the opportunity to catch up with familiar faces traveling from across the state to compete as well as made new friends.  Scott’s son, Lucas (see previous paragraph), finished in second place and avenged his father by crushing me in the third round after I defeated Scott in the second.  The family honor has been restored!  Scott’s MVPs were his L3 tankettes with double HMGs.  If players ignored them for too long the L3s would inflict serious harm on infantry units.  Ignore them at your own peril!

Earning the Best Painted Army as well as Best Sportsman awards were yours truly.  During the day I was grateful to receive compliments and answer questions about my display board and pin markers.  The pin markers (on the right edge of my display board below) are a fan favorite at events and add some additional character to my army’s theme and appearance.  I’ve made a set for summer Germans, Soviets, British paratroopers, Romanians, and winter Americans which will take to the table with the new year.  You can make your own using or adapting my process here.

Thank you to Warlord Games for sponsoring the event by providing prize support.

Kalissa will host the Bolt Action tournaments at the Siege of Augusta in Augusta, Georgia on 16 January 2027, the Williamsburg Muster in Williamsburg, VA on 20 February 2027, and the Richmond Open at Doswell, Virginia on 1 May 2027.