Operation Spring Bolt Action Tournament – 24 May 2025

By Kreighton Long

On 24 May, 25 players assembled at Bazooka Games Westminster for a 1000 point Bolt Action tournament.  The tournament was organized and executed by Mike Kehs who had to move the tournament to a new location due to unforeseen circumstances.  The new location featured a separate room with sufficient space for all the players and tables and was mostly-set aside for the event.

A few tables of various other games occupied the tables in the back.  A variety of quick dining options in the area appeared to appease the players as everyone came back after lunch refueled and ready to roll more die and move toy soldiers around well dressed tables.

Mike’s tournaments continue to draw larger crowds each time. Being a TO has made Mike more familiar with the rules as he is often responding to calls of “TO!” from across the room to clarify or settle rules disputes. There were a lot of repeat players which is a reflection of the well-earned expected quality of Mike’s tournaments.

As competitive as his events are, veteran players are welcoming to new players and Mike often sees veteran players taking the opportunity to mentor new players.  In addition to all these highlights, Mike loves to see the reactions of players when crazy stuff happens on the table such as a FUBAR at the worst possible time or a lucky 6 from a mortar that takes out a key unit.

From my perspective as a player, the event progressed smoothly with no notable interruptions or catastrophes.  Either they did not occur or Mike and his assistant TO did a commendable job making sure no one noticed.  Ample prize support was awarded to the winners as well as served as door prizes to be raffled off to participants between rounds.

The three missions of the day were Seek and Destroy, Pin Grid, and Breakthrough.  In addition to the player pack being provided well in advance of the deadline to submit lists, copies of the scenario rules were placed in player bags.

The player bags included a number of items that facilitated smoother gameplay and enhanced the players’ experience to include the player score sheets, a pencil, a note card to label armies for the painting competition, super glue for any miniature mishaps, pain-killers for all the standing and nervous pacing around tables, a bar for Mike’s tournament veterans to add to their badges, raffle tickets for door prizes, a secret mission card, as well as other odds and ends that are currently eluding my memory (sorry Mike!).

The secret mission card was a nice addition to the tournament as players could score points for their overall tournament results by completing their secret objective.

The first place finisher was Joe Lint with his Italian force.  Joe took advantage of this tournament to experiment with more armor by taking double tank platoons.  While Italy is not known, in Bolt Action or historically, as an armored powerhouse, there is no shortage of cheap and effective units to choose from when building armored platoons.

Joe’s most valuable unit at the tournament was the company commander.  This unit can have an immense impact on the battlefield with its 12″ radius and +4 morale bonus.  Joe recommends this unit to anyone looking to create a competitive list.  The company commander is vital for open-topped vehicles, allowing them to disregard pins and ensure they activate consistently.  His second most valuable unit was the M41 Carro Comando equipped with an HMG.  At 65 points, this unit is an incredible bargain.  Congrats to Joe!

The second place finisher was Leland Jones.  Leland has accumulated a wealth of experience from the diverse cast of players at his local gaming group in Southern Maryland which has helped to catapult him towards the top of the rankings.  Operation Spring was Leland’s fourth time attending one of Mike’s tournaments and each time Leland has been able to tailor his force to fit the tournament scenarios as provided in the player pack.  As a Bolt Action player, Leland has only ever played Soviets, as he calls them the “‘Swiss Army Knife’ faction of Bolt Action“, and has accumulated a wide variety of units to fit any challenge. 

While his army did not dominate tables when it came to kill counts, only eliminating 12 enemy units throughout the day, it did a phenomenal job of securing objectives and earning wins.  The Soviet army that Leland brought this time around was a historically accurate Soviet Reconnaissance company mounted on motorcycles and half-tracks armed with primarily SMGs.  The transport/SMGs combination allowed his small infantry units to get into position first and begin punching above their weight.  Congrats to Leland!

The third place finisher was Dakota Herson and his Hungarians.  Operation Spring was Dakota’s first Bolt Action tournament with 3rd edition.  Dakota brought a wealth of experience playing Hungarians from 2nd edition and successfully made adjustments for the new edition winning all three of his games.  Flamethrowers continue to be a mainstay of his Hungarian list with his flamethrowers destroying or pinning out enemy units in all three of his games.

Dakota’s Nimrod SPA helped carry him to victory in all three games.  In the third game the Nimrod SPA destroyed an enemy halftrack and it’s officer passenger and damaging another squad riding along.  The Hungarian special rule of preventing enemies from outflanking helped shape the battle space in Dakota’s favor as he took full advantage of his armies capabilities.  Congrats to Dakota!

Jeff Whitlock earned the certificate and prizes for Best Painted Army with his Japanese.  Jeff was humbled to win best painted as there were so many unique armies at the event.

The winner of the coveted Wooden Spoon award was Anthony Burger who traveled from Ohio to join us in Maryland.  Anthony finished the day 0-1-2 after tying against a Finnish force in the first round, taking a loss to Greeks, and tying against a German force.  Lessons learned included focusing fire on officers to earn kill points and to limit opponent’s snap to activations.

In addition, Anthony felt that taking large tanks may not have been the best option for a 1000 point tournament as he was outnumbered in each game by at least three order die. Despite going winless on the day, Anthony had a trio of fun games and walked away with a British airborne army box, Bofors AA gun, and several gift cards for his troubles.  Better luck next time Anthony!

Thank you to the event’s sponsors: Warlord Games, Rubicon Models, Osprey Publishing, Badger Games, MicroArtStudio, Game Envy, Marauder Industries, and Tofer’s Miniatures.

Mike’s next tournament will be the 2025 Maryland State Championship in early to mid October.  He is also considering a narrative event before the championship if he can pin down a theater and the game mechanics.

Happy gaming!