Battle Report: Bolt Action First Game

Jon L. invited me over for a game of the new Bolt Action WWII rules. Quick summary: I really enjoyed playing the rule set. I like a simple set of rules. BA is not overly complicated - it isn't even complicated. It definitely reminds me of earlier Warhammer rules. Which makes sense because there is a connection there. :)

We played Americans versus Germans. I got to use some of my Warlord Bolt Action figures that Rod Stafford had painted for me. I took the Americans and Jon took the Germans. We were playing for capture of the crossroads you see on the right of the picture.

This is the end of the first turn. I made a mistake. You can see my Airborne in the middle, flanked by an element of Rangers. I meant to run the Rangers to the right. Not sure what I was thinking.  I have my AT gun set up on the hill. I am running my Stuart forward. Both to guard the left flank.

This picture shows my right flank. Bazooka team in the building for overwatch on the crossroads. MG team was heading for that right building. In retrospect, I should have run the jeep with MG farther out to the right.

Here is a view of Jon's Germans. Infantry into the woods. His AT hiding and taking up an overwatch  position. Infantry moving up my right flank. He's got a halftrack and a 222 armored car in the back.

End of turn two: I try to correct my Ranger mistake. This too was a mistake. I should have committed. He who hesitates is lost. Rangers into the woods. Stuart pushes up the flank.

Jon brought the 222 up and the Stuart hammered it and took it out of commission.

My right flank bogs down in a hurry. Jeep was taken out by the infantry. I manage to get the MG team into the small building. Jon also has a sniper in the building in the top right of the picture.

So - Jon tried a series of charges on the Stuart. Maybe as many as five over the whole game. This one was ineffective.

The red are suppression/pin markers. Any shot that hits in an "order" results in a pin mark that has to be cleared via a morale check in the opponent's next turn. You can see the makers piling up on Jon's unit. They took fire from the Stuart, the 3 man officer unit and the Rangers.

Back to my right flank. I've managed to move my Airborne to light cover. They are taking aim at the unit in the building opposite them. My bazooka took out the motorcycle/sidecar with MG. Again...mired over here. The Airborne is just going to get whittled down by the sniper, the infantry unit and the half track which will show up soon.

The Haunted Tank as we started calling it, finally succumbs to a charge. Many panzershreks either whizzed by or stuck into the side without detonating. It finally had to give up the ghost. That Stuart did a lot of damage though.





I conceeded. I was done. Jon took out my truck, so I couldn't move my AT gun. My right flank, the infantry that was pinned had about a dozen pin markers on it. Going nowhere fast. Bazooka team didn't make it. HMG team got shot up. I had a lot of momentum and quickly lost it. I couldn't capitalize.

I look forward to playing again. I need to build out these armies/forces. I will be buying the Bolt Action rules.