Dean & Conor’s First Bolt Action Tournament in 2025
Greeting and salutations! Dean here with an after action report where this month, Conor and I attended our first Bolt Action tournament of the year! I have done a seperate blog post about my army which you can read here if you are interested! In short, I took the Japanese Special Naval Landing Force based on the defenders of Tarawa, while Conor brought his beautifully painted SS.
This event was hosted by the Solent wargamers, by member Andrew who put on an excellent day (including getting us a load of pizza) The atmosphere of the venue was great, and everyone was very welcoming. A club I would be more than happy to attend in the future (and play more events in Andy).
I played against three lovely opponents, one being Mr Phil Brewer of the Tabletop Tommies! Unfortunately for me, his experience won the day in that game but I managed to overcome a difficult British armoured force in Hold Until Relieved and a Veteran IS-2 in Capture and Control! My limited anti-tank did its best to pin vehicles, making them ineffective when my opponents needed them. My infantry squads boasted sharpshooting and actual bullets compared to the nerf darts they usually bring, and my light howitzer got its first few hits! The main star of the show was my air observer, calling in Mitsubishi Zero strikes which crippled opponents' heavy lifting units while also covering the board in pin markers! I left the event with 2 wins and 1 loss! Not bad for a historical force that actually won me most historical! If you read my previous post, you’ll know this is what I aimed for and according to Andrew, I have set a high bar for the next one.
I have played a few events now locally and have found them to not be much different from the regular gaming days we do each month. Obviously, these are more grass root level but I prefer that as a semi-experienced player. I can still play multiple games while having fun at the same time as that is what the hobby is about! If you haven’t tried events, go for it! They are a good day out if anything, and for those of you who have, what’s your best moment? Have you also picked up awards for painting, playing or research? Let us know as we would love to hear!
A massive thank you again to Andrew and the team at Solent Wargamers for having us! A great day ran by great chaps! Here’s to the next one!
All the award winners! Well done to all.
