Bolt Action: Order Dice Drawn in Anger

by | Jan 22, 2014



Hey folks, long time no type.

I've actually played a game of Bolt Action!

You can also hear @GreatRedout and I ramble about this lovely game on Old Man Wargaming on Hitting on 3s #39, though for the feint of heart and bowel stop after our segment. Or if you want a really shitty story that will bring tears of laughter, keep going.

This past weekend I played a game of Bolt Action, my Brits against some East Front style SS.

I took two artillery observers, two regular squads with LMGs, a Cromwell, a sniper, a mortar, and 2 Para squads with some SMGs. All lead by a 2nd Lt.



Chris had a large Grenadier squad, a large SS squad with some assault rifles, a mortar, a sniper, a Puma, a Panzer IV, a medic, lead by a 1st Lt, all veteran, except the vehicles.
Chris actually won the LRDG podcast painting competition in the single miniature category. Here are some more of his great looking Germans. 




We rolled up Hold Until Relived, and decided the cute little farm house was the objective. I got to deploy all of infantry, and Chris deployed one of his SS squads and his medic in the farm house. 
Early Game

My first two dice went to using my artillery observers. Nothing was in range so it was just a lot of maneuvering on my part. I took some pot shots at the building, what few 6s on 6s I did hit with were stopped by the protection of the building. 

Lesson learned, when in a building you have to go get them unless you've got big HE or a flamethrower. Maybe I need to invest in both. I think a Crocodile would be nice. 

At the beginning of the turn we began rolling for my two(I need more!) artillery barrages. In a delightfully British showing the first pounded the house and put pins on the squad and tank, the second was delayed. 
Chris started to get his reserves, bringing on his tank, mortar, and great coat squad. He had splashed a few pins around, and I couldn't get my middle squad moving toward the well defended house for a couple turns. Even though they ended up being the last punch, they had to wait for the tea to brew we determined. 
I also got my Cromwell, and Chris got his command squad who he hurried to support the middle with a morale bonus of +2. My tank totally missed his tank. And his mine. 



Turn 3 the action started to heat up. I got both my outflanking Paras pretty early in the turn, one squad took out the the German mortar, and the other took out the German sniper who had killed my sniper first turn. 

I may have been closing in on the objective slowly but surely, but Chris's Puma outflanked and knocked out my Cromwell and machine gunned my mortar squad. Neither had been doing much good, but they were a significant chunk of my army. I'll have to look into an outflanking armored car for sure, the Staghound seems nice. 

Turn 4 Chris decided he needed to take care of the Paras coming around the sides. So he ran into close combat with his great coat squad sporting a few SMGs and assault rifles. 
"They don't like it up 'em Sir!" 

Finally it all ended with my middle squad finishing their tea and, thusly fortified, running into the house to give Jerry what for. Winning the game for me. 


It was a great game and I'm glad I finally got to put my toys on the table. I really want to assemble another couple squads of troops, and put together a few squads of the Commandos I've got, having veteran troops outflank was pretty effective. Even small squads. 

I need to look at more heavy weapons and HE to get to dug in troops, or tanks.