Tag: Experience

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Second Bolt Action Tournament: Spartan 2026

Bolt Action Tournament Spartan 2026

After thoroughly enjoying my first Bolt Action tournament, Skulls 2026, I thought I’d enter a second. In stepped Spartan 2026! A full day of three games was an enticing prospect in itself, but I have found the Bolt Action scene here in Perth to be one of the most welcoming I’ve ever encountered. Win or lose it was set to be a fun event.

Tournament Preparation

I’d fallen in love with Bolt Action at the end of 2025, when Jackson gave me a trial game. Since that moment I’d furiously painted up a Royal Marine Commando army and fought a few games before taking it to a 6 player narrative game and then on to the Skulls tournament. If you want to know what I enjoy about the game please check out the link above.

This time round I wanted to play something different. I’d been collecting an opposing force of German Wermacht to go up against my commandos, and it was finally painted. I have a thing about only playing with painted miniatures. What better way to test the army than by entering it into Spartan. I found the commandos, being all veteran (meaning fewer units), were being outmaneuvered by my opponents. My German collection has much more variety: flamethrowers, half tracks, heavy weapons and plenty of infantry.

Having played three practice games I finalised my list. A very mobile force of heavily armed halftracks with engineer flamethrower squads, panzer grenadiers (2 LMGs), Heer grenadiers and a unit of SMG assault veterans. I even added a small unit of Feldgendarme (military police) to help get my reserves on the board. Added to this was an armoured platoon consisting of a Stummel (howitzer armed half track), 222 armoured car and a 250/9 halftrack.

I hoped that this set up would give me the flexibility to capture objectives while responding to the threats posed by the opposition.

My Heer Grenadiers moved onto an objective

Further Preparation

In addition to my fully painted army I also wanted to contribute a table of terrain for the day. There’s something wonderful about playing a game of Bolt Action on a thematic board with painted terrain, hedgerows etc. So I ordered a set of Normandy inspired mdf buildings from Dark Castle Terrain in Australia and spent all my hobby time prior to the event madly constructing and painting it up.

Despite covering my hands in glue and paint I did manage to get a decent looking table together.

My finished Normandy inspired village

Spartan 2026

First of all I need to mention that the T.O Matt did an amazing job of running this event. It all went very smoothly. Additionally, all the competitors were very friendly with some good banter rippling through the room. There was a big mix of experience levels from the relative novice to the very seasoned. One competitor had only played 2 games previously and still got stuck in.

There were 16 players and 9 incredible terrain tables. The latter of which really caught the eye other people at the venue. In fact, a couple of the onlookers were able to get a demo game in too. So some new converts to the Bolt Action community!

I played three games: Breakthrough (vs Japanese), Nuts (vs German) and Meeting Engagement (vs US). Each one was a nail biter for me, with lots of cinematic moments. However, all three I started strong before losing pretty dramatically at the end. I can honestly say that all the games were incredible fun, regardless of the outcome.

While I didn’t win the wooden spoon I did come second from the bottom. Even so, I walked away with some cool prizes including a Sherman (perfect to support my commando force), some amazing fence terrain printed and painted by a talented local (which will lift my Bolt Action table to new heights) and a very nice spy mini (that I think will form part of a future resistance contingent). Most importantly though I had a great time and feel part of this incredibly friendly community.

Mad skirmish in the ruins, the US took a beating, but not enough to lose the game

Lessons Learned

With three losses to my name, what would I do differently? Firstly, I would have more practice games with my list prior to attending the event. I don’t think I had a full grasp on the synergies of my units, I was getting closer, but still need more practice.

Next, I had written down plans for each scenario. But, every time I got over excited and deviated. While of course plans never hold up to first contact, looking back a bit more sticking tot he strategy could have stood me in good stead.

Lastly, firing units at point blank can be devastating (within 6″) and I want to experiment with that more.

My armoured vehicles attempt to knock out the enemy. Attempt being the key word here.

What a Tournament

What can I say, an on point TO, great venue, thematic tables and super friendly players all combined to make Spartan 2026 an amazing event. As the community here in Western Australia continues to grow I can only see events like this getting better and better. Next month is a huge narrative game based on Operation Sealion, Hitlers planned invasion of the UK. I believe there will be twenty players on one board. Cant wait!

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Nice Marines: Murder Hobos try Diplomacy

There are games that arrive with binders of lore, intricate rules, and the expectation that you will prepare. Then there is Nice Marines by Grant Howitt, a free one-page RPG that asks the simple question: what if genetically engineered space marines tried to solve problems with diplomacy?

I first came across this game on my favourite actual play podcast Dungeons and Daddies. Definitely worth a listen.

Everyone plays a kick ass, no nonsense murder machine in service to the Emperor of Mankind. Anyone who has walked past a Warhammer store knows the drill. Buzz cut, massive power armour and a very clear view on what action to take against heretics and aliens. Kill them all.

In this game the twist is that the war on this world is over and this team of murder hobos has been left to get the planet ready for the new imperial government that arrives in a weeks time. So no shooting your way out of problems. Diplomacy and tact are needed by these super soldiers who usually do their talking from the barrel of a gun.

Given it was one page of rules and I’d already planned and run Shoot out at Virellion Estate that day I decided to hot the table with zero prep. No maps, stat blocks or carefully balanced encounters. Just a table, some dice, and the kind of players who are keen to lean into whatever crazy concept hits the table.

The day of gaming had been so busy that I hadn’t had a chance to worry about this lack of prep until dinner, when it suddenly dawned on me that I’d be running it…. Here’s how it went.

The Setup: Bureaucrats vs Zealots

To say I didn’t do any prep is a slight over exaggeration. Straight after dinner I sat down with the one page of rules and rolled up the two factions who needed their dispute solved.

  • The Capuleys: bureaucratic administrators, drowning in parchment and procedure
  • The Motags: religious zealots of the Imperial Church, fueled by doctrine and divine certainty

Both had the same goal: Control the Governor’s Palace, and build a statue honouring the war hero fallen Brother-Captain Valek. No deeper intrigue. No hidden twist. Just two unstoppable forces politely trying to outmaneuver each other.

Besides writing a name and two word description for the leader of each faction, that was the extent of my prep.

Making It Work (Because the Rules only give you so Much)

Being literally one page Nice Marines is extremely light on guidance for the games master. So I bolted on a simple structure:

  • Each round = one day
  • Each marine gets one action per day
  • At the end of each day, everyone meets back at base to discuss their next plan
  • The bosses return on Day 5, so everything had to be “resolved” by then

This gave the game a rhythm and clear direction to the players around how to achieve their goals. As we had eight players, it was going to be difficult to keep them all engaged. Having a structure like this meant that no-one hogged the spotlight and there was a clear area for actions and discussion stopping the analysis paralysis that sometimes plagues players.

The Dice: Agents of Glorious Ruin

The core mechanic of this game is beautifully chaotic:

  • Roll low → something bad happens
  • Roll too high → something catastrophic happens

Outright success is an unusual thing to achieve. Only different flavours of disaster.

From this…..

Highlights from the Descent into Madness

I’m lucky in that my players are always up for some silliness. And that is what we got. Here ae some of the highlights from the session.

  • The planet’s communications system was accidentally destroyed during what was meant to be a simple data gathering excercise.
  • The meat farming industry suffered a similar fate, which raised some uncomfortable logistical questions about feeding the population.
  • A political marriage was arranged between the rival families to secure unity…
  • …which led to the murder of the now inconvenient spouses.
    Yes. That escalated quickly. The tone briefly dipped into something surprisingly dark before bouncing back into absurdity.
  • A grand parade featuring jetpacks turned into a skyborne chain reaction of explosions, debris, and heroic overcompensation.

Despite causing irreparable damage to the planet our bred-for-war heroes managed to solve the dispute and prepare the planet for Imperial rule.

to this… Space Kings!

The Emperor Mechanic (House Rule Madness)

We added one rule that, frankly, stole the show. Whenever anyone praised the Emperor, everyone at the table had to immediately praise the Emperor and make the sign of the Aquila.

Last person to do it? They get a black mark.

At the end of the game, whoever had the most black marks would likely be… dealt with… by the Inquisition. This did two things:

  1. Kept everyone constantly on edge
  2. Turned casual dialogue into a reflex-testing panic sport

You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a table of grown adults snap into synchronized religious fervour because someone muttered “for the Emperor” under their breath.

Renowned author Dan Abnett knows the Aquila. He wont be talking to the inquisition any time soon.

An Unexpected Story

What surprised me most wasn’t the explosions or the chaos. It was the story that emerged. No one sat down intending to tell a tale about a forced political marriage spiralling into dark comedy. No one planned the uneasy alliance, the performative unity, or the quiet unraveling beneath it. But it happened anyway.

It seems that when you strip a game down to almost nothing, what fills the space is player ingenuity. And in this instance, morally questionable wedding planning.

Final Thoughts on Nice Marines

Nice Marines was amazing fun to run and from what I gather to play. However, it does rely on the following, which may not be every groups cup of tea.

  • Improvisation
  • Player creativity
  • A willingness to let things go completely off the rails

If you need structure or definitive rules, it will frustrate you. However, if instead you enjoy improvisational craziness and your group has a spare couple of hours definitely give it a go.

Praise the Emperor. Quickly now.

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How Often Should You Play Dungeons & Dragons?

rustic december calendar page with vintage style

One of the questions that quietly haunts many gaming groups is simple: how often should you play Dungeons & Dragons? I once met “that guy” who was very militant in his thinking. Weekly was the right answer and fortnightly at a push, anything else was unacceptable to his rather limited world view. But let’s be realistic there isn’t a universal answer. Like choosing a class or rolling up a character background, the right cadence is deeply personal. It depends on life, work, family, enthusiasm, and how much space everyone has in their schedules. Over the years, I’ve played at several different rhythms, and each one has brought its own flavour to the table.

The Golden Age of Weekly Games

Many moons ago when I was an undergraduate at Edinburgh University we played every Sunday night at GEAS. It was a sacred time slot. We all attended come hell or highwater.

Weekly play has a kind of magic to it.

The story stays fresh. Everyone remembers what happened last session. Plot threads remain tight, character relationships develop naturally, and momentum builds quickly. Over a typical ten-week university term, our party could accomplish an astonishing amount. Dungeons cleared, villains defeated, mysteries unravelled. It felt like living inside a novel that advanced a chapter every week.

If you can manage weekly sessions, you are fortunate indeed. It’s the closest thing to an uninterrupted narrative flow. But life has a habit of filling Sundays.

The Fortnightly Campaign

These days, my main game runs every two weeks.

The story takes a little more effort to remember. We always begin with a quick recap while we settle in and character sheets appear. But the trade-off is worth it. A fortnightly rhythm fits comfortably around work, family commitments, and the other obligations that quietly accumulate in adult life.

Because the group can maintain consistency, the campaign still thrives. Our adventures tend to run one to two years, which gives the story plenty of space to breathe. Characters evolve slowly, reputations grow, and the world responds to the party’s actions over time.

It may not have the relentless momentum of weekly play, but it has something equally valuable: sustainability.

The Monthly Table

For a long time I also ran a monthly game.

Monthly sessions have their own rhythm. The longer gap means there is usually a bit of catching up at the beginning. Notes get checked, stories retold, and memories nudged back into place. But there is a surprising benefit for the Game Master.

More time between sessions means more time to prepare. Encounters can be polished, storylines carefully woven, and worlds expanded without feeling rushed. I even had time to build specific terrain pieces for the more involved encounters.

My friend Rich now runs that monthly slot and does it brilliantly. His sessions are tight, focused, and enormous fun. The only real side effect of monthly play is that campaigns stretch out over longer periods. What might take a year in a weekly game can take several years to complete.

But if the table is enjoying itself, time is hardly the enemy.

The Quarterly Experiment

Finally, there is the most unusual cadence I run: a quarterly game of Imperium Maledictum.

I really wanted to run the system, but I simply didn’t have space for another regular campaign. So instead of forcing a traditional structure, I borrowed inspiration from cinema.

Each session runs like a film in a franchise.

Think of something like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Characters grow over time, relationships deepen, and the setting slowly evolves. But each individual story is self-contained. You can enjoy a single adventure without needing to remember every detail from the previous one.

The result is a campaign that feels episodic. Every few months the characters reunite for another dangerous mission in the grim darkness of the far future. It works remarkably well for a group with limited availability.

Play at the cadence that works for you and your friends

The Real Answer

So how often should you play Dungeons & Dragons? for a start ignore “that guy” I mentioned above. Instead:

As often as works for you.

Weekly games create powerful narrative momentum. Fortnightly campaigns balance story with real life. Monthly sessions allow thoughtful preparation and long-form storytelling. Quarterly adventures can feel like cinematic episodes in an ongoing saga.

There is no wrong schedule.

If you gather every week around a battered table with maps and miniatures, you are lucky indeed. But if your group only manages a few long sessions a year, that is just as valid.

Because the real magic of D&D isn’t the frequency.

It’s the moment when friends gather, dice tumble across the table, and for a few hours the world becomes a place of dragons, danger, and shared imagination.