Carnage in Cardiff – A Konflikt ‘47 Tournament Report!

With Konflikt ’47 now out in the wild, we thought it was high time for a tournament! Competitive play is a huge part of our Bolt Action community, and we’re really keen to see Konflikt ’47 grow in the same direction. Before we can dive into grand tournaments and international best-on-best competitions, though, there’s the small matter of the first K47 tournament. Enter the man of the hour – Konflikt ’47 playtester and veteran TO Phil Brewer – who took the reins for the inaugural event, hosted at Firestorm Games in Cardiff. Tell all, Phil!

PB – Once the release date was announced for the new edition of Konflikt ’47, I knew that I wanted to run an introductory event as soon as possible, introducing players to the game I’d been helping bring to life over the previous months. A plan was hatched with Josh Carpenter from South Wales Warlords, Cardiff’s Firestorm Games provided the perfect venue, and the date was set for Konflikt ‘47: A New Beginning!

Fourteen players brought their lovingly prepared armies to duke it out across three rounds, with tables representing the ruinous remains of the towns and cities of Europe, the barren landscapes of Syria, and the lush jungles of the Far East.

Forces of the Axis, British Commonwealth, Empire of Japan, and the United States were all represented (I can only assume the Soviet Bloc commanders were having trouble coaxing their Ursus to venture into the Welsh capital!), with a wide range of units and different builds on display.

Making full use of the Army Special Rules and both new and existing models, the Automated Infantry of the Commonwealth leaned heavily into their Computational Systems, the mighty .50 cal and the re-rolls from the Arsenal of Democracy punished those players facing the United States, and masterful tactical trickery was on display from the Ghost Attack squads and Type 6 light walkers of the Empire of Japan. Axis players, meanwhile, fielded everything from the new Stahltruppen and Vogelspinne, to perennial favourites in the form of Totenkorps, Shreckwulfen, and the mighty Wotan!

We wanted to ensure this was a learning experience for the players, rather than launching straight into a classic matched-play format. We used a ‘jump to the left’ system from round to round, which, coupled with generous timings, allowed for players to feel their way into the game. This meant that players could check through rulebooks as required and, whilst playing to win, work cooperatively with their opponents as they got to grips with how the Rift mechanics and core rules worked.

The three missions required players to create balanced forces, capable of bringing down opponent’s units, taking and holding key objectives, and having the manoeuvrability to work their way around the tables. This was also the perfect opportunity to introduce players to the different deployment types and deployment zones, resulting in three varied but ultimately balanced missions.

Alongside the games, we welcomed many visitors to Firestorm Games who were ‘Konflikt curious’, with the opportunity to watch the rounds, discuss the game with the players and TOs, get their hands on the new miniatures, and run through demo games to get a flavour of the rules.

As regular Bolt Action players and TOs in the UK, it was especially pleasing for Josh and myself to meet a number of players who aren’t regulars on the Bolt Action events scene, alongside some familiar faces, and those entirely new to Warlord Games, who have been attracted to Konflikt ‘47s new system, miniatures, and lore.

There was plenty of prize support to go around, with every player leaving with Konflikt ’47 goodies, and the following scooping up the main prizes on the day:

• Best Axis commander: Ash

• Best British Commonwealth commander: Mike

• Best Empire of Japan commander: Matt

• Best United States commander: Daniel

• Best Themed army: David, with his very imaginative and evocative write up of his Kampfgruppe Eisenfaust Axis force

I’d like to say a huge thank you to my co-host Josh, who handled both the logistics in the build up and assisted on the day with rules queries, the South Wales Warlords for the professional manner in which they run their events, as well as Firestorm Games – one of the very best gaming venues in the UK.

Keep an eye on the South Wales Warlords Facebook page, as well as Firestorm Games’ events page and the Warlord Games events page, for more Konflikt ’47 events in 2026! This is only the very beginning, and there’s a lot more glory to be won on the battlefield in the future.