Tourney

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.

By Troy Hill (Photos by the author and Jeff Wiertalla except where noted)

Sixteen players gathered at the Rumble on the Rivers game convention in Fort Wayne IN this past weekend (November 11, 2023) for a three-round, beginner-friendly, Bolt Action tournament.

Many dice were rolled. Many FUBARS did occur (four at one table!), and much fun was had.

So, what happened?

By Troy Hill

For the first time in almost a decade, North East Indiana in the USA seeing the return of a weekend-long gaming convention in November. With the demise of PentaCon earlier this century, the pre-Thanksgiving game con slot has been empty in this part of Indiana.

True, Ft. Wayne Indiana is still home to the Winter Fantasy role-playing convention every winter (WF now run by Baldman Games), but, in my humble opinion, the Fort needs a late fall convention focussed on tabletop miniatures.

And the Death or Glory (DoG) club is hosting just such an event in the same time slot, and at the same location as the now-defunct PentaCon. They’re hosting Rumble on the Rivers at the Grand Wayne Center in downtown Fort Wayne November 10-12, 2023.

DoG has hosted three successful Motor City Mayhem tournaments so far in the greater Detroit area. Their first was in 2021 at the height of the pandemic. Rolling with the state of the world then, they instituted social distancing among tables, and performed temperature checks by on-site medical personnel.

No Dice No Glory is happy to be a part of the event and is sponsoring two of the historical tournaments. What tourneys are going to be hosted?

By Troy Hill

Forces are gathering in the Tri-State area of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio for a full-on offensive of Bolt Action tournaments. As lockdowns eased, game conventions, game days, and especially tournaments have blossomed like dandelions across the world. And gaming tournaments in the tri-state area of the Ohio Valley are no different.

Over the next eight weekends, across three states, players have the opportunity to play in one Bolt Action state championship, and three beginner-friendly Bolt Action tournaments in a variety of convention styles and locals. There may never have been a better time to be a table-top gamer with all of the opportunities available.

If you’re in, or want to come to the Ohio Valley area (Michigan, Indiana, or Ohio) between now and mid-November, you’ll find the details for the gaming below.

Even if you’re not a Bolt Action player, each of these events is held at a convention, from HMGS-Great Lake’s Advance the Colors, to GT style (Michigan GT, and Rumble on the Rivers) events, and even a new kid on the block, Hold The Line. 

Details below:

By Troy A. Hill

On 12-13 August, this Hoosier (aka, Indiana native) convinced his wife to let him travel the seven-hour trip up to Hamilton Ontario, and participate in my first-ever Kings of War tournament. Hosted by Black Knight games, the two-day, five-round tourney had players from New York, as well as many parts of Ontario.

This particular tourney wasn’t just my initiation to Kings of War (KOW) on a competitive level, but also my first experience playing under the constraints of a chess clock. I was worried that I’d face melt-down brain as I watched the seconds tick by, struggling with analysis paralysis.

By. Paolo Paglianti

Almost one year ago, our friend Thrun Last contacted Livio Tonazzo and me: they were organizing the European Team Yankee tournament. Two days of games battling with Leopards, T72s and Harriers – how we could say no? Challenge accepted!

The first step was to choose the weekend. Cornaredo, my hometown, is a perfect spot for international tournaments as it is between Milan and Malpensa Airport: very easy to get here from every corner of Europe, with lots of cheap flights from major cities.

For the same reason, the new “Milan Fair” is very close to Cornaredo, and I needed to find a gap in the almost endless series of shows and fashion weeks, to avoid the spike in hotel costs. The 27-28th of May was one of the few weekends without huge shows and was an immediate choice. Also, May is typically warm but not damned hot, so players could come with partners and families.

By Michael Rafferty

AdeptiCon is back! After a triumphant return last year, the premier wargaming convention is back in Schaumburg, Illinois.

AdeptiCon continues to grow year after year, with new events and larger existing events. Wizards of the Coast will be in attendance this year with their new game Onslaught. No longer contained by only the Marriott Renaissance, the Hyatt Regency will again host several events. Historical events like Bolt Action and Flames of War will be there again, but we welcome A Song of Ice and Fire and Lord of the Rings to the growing AdeptiCon presence at the Hyatt.

But you didn’t come here to read about how we’re growing. You want to know what’s going to be run at the con! Battlefront will be hosting a one-day Mid-War National tournament. This will be a four-round event at 100 points held on Thursday.

By Troy Hill

The game Saga, from Studio Tomahawk, seems to be on a growth curve, and our little corner of Indiana – the NorthEast corner – is no exception. Our game group recently hosted a tournament for the “Age of Melee” at Power9 Games in Fort Wayne Indiana. With twenty players scheduled, eighteen actually managed to make it in that day. A great record for our local group.

Players from as far away as Columbus Ohio, Indianapolis, and Crown Point Indiana made the trek to bring their warbands, throw some dice, and curse the gods of the tabletop when we didn’t do as well as we’d hoped. Despite volunteering to be “ringer” I got to field my Milites Christie and compete, despite two last-minute drops.

By Kreighton Long

Last Saturday, 8 October, I had the opportunity to attend the Call to Arms convention in Williamsburg, VA and compete in the Bolt Action tournament. The tournament was organized by seven-year TO veteran Kalissa Skibicki. Twenty competitors checked in Saturday morning for a day of competitive gaming. The tournament progressed smoothly and after three different scenarios with three different opponents, the tournament came to a successful conclusion.

By Tom Mullane

This past April I turned 39. And when my wife asked me what I wanted to do with my birthday weekend, I told her I had it all planned out. I would be heading down to Maryland to play in my first Blood and Plunder tournament in nearly six months.

Glenn Van Meter, Tyler Stone, and I had been plotting and scheming for months to put on a land tournament at Critical Hit Games in Abingdon Maryland.

The cards had been printed, the terrain had been made, and the invites sent. Heading into the weekend we had 24 signed up but expected a few would drop for the usual reasons. Since I was traveling the furthest, Glenn and Tyler generously told me I could play in the tournament without acting as a TO. (I would not be taking any prize money obviously, because I’m an eagle scout who wouldn’t break the sacred vow we all took as Tournament Organizers).

This tournament I would be bringing my Spanish, to see if my multitude of games getting my clock cleaned might finally pay off. My friends Niguel and Shane get credit as my sparring partners in the lead-up to this Tournament.