Operation Roundup Bolt Action Tournament – 20 April 2024

By Kreighton Long

A few weekends back I had the opportunity to compete in a Bolt Action tournament.  Twenty-four players converged on Titan Games and Hobbies in Timonium, Maryland for a day of competitive play.  Operation Roundup was Tournament Organizer Mike Kehs’ third tournament and largest so far.  Mike began organizing tournaments in Maryland to support events for players in his area.  Learning from other TOs, Mike advertised early and often for his event which helped to pull in players from multiple states around Maryland.

Mike’s tournaments aim to provide enjoyable experiences for competitive players, hobbyists, and new players alike.  Mike was supported by two assistants who doubled as judges for the painting competition.  The assistants helped to ensure a smooth event considering it’s size with one stepping in as a ringer to even out the numbers.

Mike kept the players well informed by providing multiple FAQs with his answers to questions he received from players about the tournament pack and the provided scenarios.  Mike’s proactive engagement with his players helped to alleviate pressure the day of and helped to ensure that all the players were coming into the tournament with a common understanding.

For me, the most unique aspect of this tournament was the use of an Odd Dice mechanic.  Each turn the players included two Order Dice of a different color than the two the players were using.  Order Dice were drawn as usual and when the second odd colors dice was drawn the turn ended there and then.  This mechanic helped to speed up the games and helped ensure most of the games concluded before the two hour time limit expired — as all three of my games did.

This mechanic also changed the way players planned their turns.  There was no guarantee that all your units would have an opportunity to activate so players were forced to be more aggressive with their plays rather than waiting until most of the opponents units were activating to strike.  This also created some accidental imbalance as a few players. myself included, watched turns end without any of their order dice being pulled before the second odd dice came out of the bag.  For a more relaxed, fun-focused tournament like the Operation Roundup tournament, this mechanic worked.

The tournament featured a healthy mix of missions and tables.  The first mission was Fog of War where players fought over five objectives after deploying from their own long table edge and the short table edge on their right flank.  The second mission was Supply Drop where players fought for control of the table until three objectives appeared on the table at the beginning of Turn 4.  The first objective was the in the center of the table with the other two at a random distance in opposite random directions of the first.  The third mission was Break Out where the players aimed to end the game with their own units in the players back 6″ while preventing their opponent from doing the same.  Victory points were awarded for enemy units destroyed in all three of the missions.

Kyle Sherrer won the tournament with a total of 81 points using Swiss Pair scoring.  Kyle’s MVP unit was the Hellcat.  Costing 165 points, this 7+ armor, open topped, tracked, recce, and heavy AT gun totting armored vehicle pulled it’s weight knocking out two tanks, a transport, and a bunch of infantry while running around the board being an overall nuisance.  The recce rule helped to keep the open topped, 7+ vehicle alive by backing out of dangerous situations and helped Kyle’s Hellcat to survive all three rounds of the competition.

Leland Jones finished second with 76 in the Swiss Pair Scoring and three wins on the day.

William Eversberg finished third after scoring 69 points.  William’s MVP was his Veteran 105 Sherman.  Playing aggressively and taking advantage of it’s Gyrostabilized Howitzer to ignore movement penalties, the 105 Sherman was able to consistently apply pressure and force his opponents to answer it or perish.

In the first round the Sherman removed an officer and a multi launcher and was generally unanswerable on his left flank.  In the second round it destroyed a “dakka” Stuart and held off a squad of veteran british Paratroopers before succumbing to a flamethrower.  In the final round it destroyed an 88 guarding one side of the board, opening the door for follow-on units to rush into his opponents deployment zone virtually unopposed.

Keep an eye out for Mike’s next tournament this fall.  Location will likely be back at Titan Games and Hobbies unless Mike has the fortunate problem of having too many players for that venue.  The best way to find about his events is on the Maryland Bolt Action Association Facebook Group or their Discord page.  For anyone interested in beginning to run their own tournaments Mike advises getting registrations as early as possible.  Mike offered bonus points for having lists in by a deadline.  Tracking registrations early gave Mike the opportunity to begin assembling prize support and planning tables which helps ensure a successful and well-supported event.

Special thank you to the tournament sponsors: Micro Art Studio, Badger Games, Marauder Industries, Rubicon Models, Game Envy, and Warlord Games.