*Clack-shick* - it's the Bolt Action thread!

[Tiny]

So as not to clutter the yakcomp suggestions thread...

My poor DAK faced off against the Italians, various versions of optimised British Army Bren bastard carriers and my Panzer 3 had three MMGs….I’m good with a bit of alternate history / experimental weapon testing

You know the Germans have their own vehicle similar to the Universal carrier... the sdkfz/250 or the larger 251 which also has the option of being a 251/10 with a light anti tank gun... on a transport vehicle.

Also if you want to take panzerfausts, just using the standard German reinforced platoon will allow them for all your units. Not historically accurate but then neither is my armoured car with 2 machine guns in the turret. Bolt action isn't known for its historical accuracy.

Other good, thematic anti-Bren Carrier options include a light / medium howitzer / anti tank gun (my pick would be the medium howitzer plus a spotter for 85 points, although the LG40 light howitzer for 45 points is a bargain, and the regular light howitzer with gun shield for 50 points is great too)... or there's that big 88 you already have.

(You'd never guess I've been working out a blitzkrieg list with no panzerfausts so have already checked all the good alternative AT options.)

 

[Pagumb]

Putting this link here for the Wargaming 3D website. No printer myself but some searching for field kitchen models led to the site which seems to be quite the rabbit hole for all sorts of interesting historical models. Have fun.

 

[Tiny]

Moved from the FYSC thread..

a WW2 skirmish game would be fun.

Bolt Action with 100-150 points and one order die per man instead of per unit. Add some walking fire rule for MGs, some kind of campaign system, (XP, skills, serious injury and a method of replacing fighters after each game) and you're pretty much done.

 

[Stoof]

Make the squad selection a bit band of brothers/dirty dozen ish - you need an officer, but from then on can pick from general infantry (your basic "ganger"), sniper, light/medium machine gunner (medium can't move and shoot), AT rifle/zooka/faust, demolition, light mortar, medic etc etc much like different flavours of ganger in Necromunda.

Do away with weapon teams, but perhaps offer some kind of bonus if another soldier forfeits their own shooting to serve the special.

Green/Inexperienced/Regular/Veteran could be the experience progression.

We could definitely do this.

 

[=][=SW1=][=]

So my mate mentioned starting Bolt Action and I was a little weary of starting yet another game. But it turns out I had 3 boxes of 8th commonwealth troops in the bitz boxes thanks to the interesting head options which never got used.

So it looks like I'm doing an 8th army Indian force. The turban heads were going to be used on a guard project that never happened. So they're getting used with the bodies they came with instead. Interestingly I reckon I'll be able to use the army as a Horus Heresy milita force as a bonus as well. Just need to master painting Asian skin tones now.

Some how I think I can fit 80+ models into a 1,000 pts force of I've read the rules correctly. So that's almost the 3 boxes worth of models I have.

 

[Tiny]

painting Asian skin tones

I used either Vallejo Heavy Skintone, P3 Beast Hide or Citadel Steel Legion Drab as a base (any light pastel brown colour will do). 50/50 Agrax / Fleshshade. Add any light skin tone (I used Cadian Flesh and Elf Flesh) to the base to highlight. I like a mix of skin tones so did a mix of different colours.

You can certainly get a lot of boys (plus a couple of Boys) into an Indian platoon. 50-60 is easily doable even with artillery and tanks.

Free infantry squad from the Indian national Characteristic is nice but means more painting. If you use the commonwealth platoon from the Western Desert book you can also take a pair of 25 pounders which is sweet. Also don’t forget the free artillery observer.

 

[Pagumb]

Baby steps...

Rules First.jpg

• Pagumb
• Nov 22, 2023
• bolt action

Gotta start somewhere...

[edit] Cyber Monday sale allows for purchase of the Italian army book too.

 

[Stoof]

One of us! One of us!

 

[ClockworkOrange]

uno di noi, uno di noi

 

[Pagumb]

One of us! One of us!

uno di noi, uno di noi

A most warm welcome gentlemen. Grazie mille...I thank you.

I can see my Home Guard platoon training against Italian forces loyal to King Vittorio Emanuele III...I need to get a better handle on Il Stoofle's backstory...I'm sure I've imagined reading that Howard Hughes funded a mercenary force equipped by Nikolas Tesla , et cetera et cetera. My mind runneth over with possibilities. As always I lack only space, ability, will and the good graces of my better half.

 

[Stoof]

Il Stoofle's plans involve stirring up dissent amongst colonial troops, flying around the Italian colonies to cause havoc with his small band of Paras aboard their Savoia-Merchetti SM.79. Which I still have to build.

The Colonial Troops and Paratroopers are ready to rock though!

Italian Colonial Troops

• Stoof
• Aug 17, 2023

Italian Paratroopers

• Stoof
• Jun 9, 2023

Refusing to pass order tests and missing every shot at a BoltMeet near YOU!

For Il Stoofle!

 

[Tiny]

Italian Paratroopers

• Stoof
• Jun 9, 2023

Refusing to pass order tests and missing every shot at a BoltMeet near YOU!

For Il Stoofle!

That's not an Italian halftrack!

 

[ClockworkOrange]

You know I’m sure some dastardly German DAK lined him up against a wall and machine gunned him to death! Probably even a press photo of the act somewhere.

 

[Pagumb]

You know I’m sure some dastardly German DAK lined him up against a wall and machine gunned him to death! Probably even a press photo of the act somewhere.

I'm sure that was proven to be a "lugenpresse" attempt to dim the glory of Il Stoofle's shenanigans.

 

[Tiny]

Played my first Tank War game last night. Great fun and a very different game to the usual reinforced platoon.

No photos as usual sadly, but realised why nobody really takes big tanks in the normal game. Too hit or miss and they struggle to make their points back.

Despite knocking out a Churchill AVRE in turn 2, my Tiger I proceeded to do nothing but a few pins on a Sherman IIA for the rest of the game. He tanked a bit of fire, though nowhere near as much as the luckiest Marder II ever assembled who despite paper thin armour shrugged off no less than five anti-tank hits from a Sherman, a 6 pounder and a Cromwell.

Even so, I still took an absolute hammering from the Brits who sensibly murdered all of my infantry making objective grabbing impossible.

 

[Stoof]

nowhere near as much as the luckiest Marder II ever assembled who despite paper thin armour shrugged off no less than five anti-tank hits from a Sherman, a 6 pounder and a Cromwell.

Not the same tank that I spent far too much effort trying to kill at Firestorm Games was it? A Matilda, armoured car and AT gun plinking away at him fruitlessly. Man, I hate that guy

 

[Punktaku]

My FLGS is having a Bolt Action Eastern Front event soon. Good thing I cannot be tempted by anything!

 

[MusingWarboss]

Played my first Tank War game last night. Great fun and a very different game to the usual reinforced platoon.

No photos as usual sadly, but realised why nobody really takes big tanks in the normal game. Too hit or miss and they struggle to make their points back.

Despite knocking out a Churchill AVRE in turn 2, my Tiger I proceeded to do nothing but a few pins on a Sherman IIA for the rest of the game. He tanked a bit of fire, though nowhere near as much as the luckiest Marder II ever assembled who despite paper thin armour shrugged off no less than five anti-tank hits from a Sherman, a 6 pounder and a Cromwell.

Even so, I still took an absolute hammering from the Brits who sensibly murdered all of my infantry making objective grabbing impossible.

Bolt Action might not be the best ruleset for large tank battles, it’s always seemed like it was better with the traditional troop unit and occasional big thing approach.

Maybe get hold of “What a Tanker!” By Too Fat Lardies for dedicated tank on tank action?

One of the beautiful things I’ve seen about historical games is that the player seem much more open to swapping rules for campaigns, or just mixing rules because they prefer bits from several. You don’t get that in the GW gamer crowd.

 

[Tiny]

Not the same tank that I spent far too much effort trying to kill at Firestorm Games was it? A Matilda, armoured car and AT gun plinking away at him fruitlessly. Man, I hate that guy

Nah, that was the StuH. An actually good tank. The Marder is just a massive AT gun on a crappy little open topped thing. It’s the thing that blew up the sniper tower in the last battle of Saving Private Ryan.

Bolt Action might not be the best ruleset for large tank battles, it’s always seemed like it was better with the traditional troop unit and occasional big thing approach.

It was enjoyable enough although we played on a fairly open field so there wasn’t much movement from the tanks, but despite that, things didn’t really die that quickly. It would work much better in either a dense urban environment or a completely empty table where infantry need to use the tanks for cover IMO.

 

[Stoof]

I had an good afternoon yesterday playing BA like an actual gamer might, crazy concept.

Naturally I thoroughly hobbled myself with a fluffy Italian list against an actual effective US Airborne list.

Things went about as well as expected...

As usual, tank engine wouldn't start so the sod took three turns sitting still at the side. My MMG team took a single pin, FUBARd their orders and ran off the table. The Dakka Wagon unloaded fifteen dice of machine gun fire into a squad of US infantry - twice - and only killed one guy.

Then things started to go poorly...

A P47 thundered in and took an immediate dislike to the Dakka Wagon and supporting infantry.

Thomas the Tank Engine tried to run over an entire squad of Colonial troops (Perils of fighting in an active train yard).

And then the US Armour turned up when I no longer had anything to hit them with.

One glimmer of sunshine - a whole squad of Veteran US Airborne charged one of my regular Infantry squads... And were promptly wiped out. My brave fellows only lost two men. The Yanks must have mocked their expertly waxed suave moustaches or something.

Il Stoofle therefore considers this battle to have been a glorious victory. He didn't want to meet that downed American pilot anyway, probably had terrible taste in wines.