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Post by Geifer on Oct 24, 2014 17:27:34 GMT
Seems like there might be interest in Bolt Action with some of the guys I play with. Because I know everything, apparently (I didn't know that, but was told with so much confidence that it must be true!), I was volunteered to look into the rules side of the game. Anybody got a good rundown how it works, what rulebooks are there, what is good to have, what is necessary to have? Starter sets? Anything? Zere must be someone here more qualified zan me, ja?  |
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Post by Brassaxe on Oct 24, 2014 17:45:34 GMT
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Post by Geifer on Oct 27, 2014 7:49:34 GMT
Thanks for that. Looks very cool. Watching this I feel like I know the rules enough to actually play a game already. The game mechanics look fun. Two of my friend have gone halves on the Normandy (I think) starter set and we're probably getting together for a couple of games with the box content this weekend. Can't wait.  |
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Post by Brassaxe on Oct 27, 2014 17:14:59 GMT
Hope you have better luck than.... About here what luck i had ran out. In a game that was summed up after watching the japanese take 11 of 13 order dice in a row, it became a battle not to be tabled. Final score a resounding loss of 1-11.  |
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Post by Geifer on Oct 27, 2014 19:41:54 GMT
Considering the army I chose, I should very much hope for such a result... Banzai! |
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Post by paladin7221 on Oct 27, 2014 20:22:16 GMT
You didn't take the Whermacht? For shame, man, for shame.
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Post by Geifer on Oct 27, 2014 21:35:13 GMT
I figured it would be good to have different factions. I think Fallschirmjäger and Waffen-SS already found a home, from what I'm told, and we got a Brit as well. The initiator took Americans so Allies got a bit more representation and me, I always liked the Japanese so I don't mind going with my second choice instead of Wehrmacht. Look at all the neat stuff I get. Banzai charges, swords, pointy bamboo sticks, suicide bombers, villagers with rifles (aka Far East Volkssturm  ), and all of them would rather die than surrender. For someone who can't pass a morale check to save his life, that's a dream come true. Also, pointy bamboo sticks! |
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Post by Brassaxe on Oct 27, 2014 23:54:03 GMT
Personally I'd prefer the idea of Soviet 'Banzai Charges' - in T34s |
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Post by paladin7221 on Oct 27, 2014 23:58:11 GMT
In Soviet Russia, tanks drive YOU.
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Post by Geifer on Oct 28, 2014 8:15:37 GMT
Pft. If you do it, do it right. Tiger Banzai charge is the way to go. Although judging from the points values of Japanese tanks, if I were to bring a Tiger, I wouldn't have an army to go along with it...
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eiglepulper
Aspirant
How to photobomb your cat
Posts: 96 
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Post by eiglepulper on Nov 4, 2014 18:12:05 GMT
I take it that Bolt Action is about to take off in your local area just as it has done in mine, Geifer? In less than five months we jumped from 4 players to almost 20, and our club has just held its first BA Tournament with folks coming to Lisburn from Dublin, Londonderry, Carrickfergus and Belfast. For a small country like Northern Ireland, that's quite a spread. BA is addictive, tactical, and has a good game mechanic in the Order Dice where there is no "First Player does all his movement, shooting and assaulting, then the opponent wakes up and does his." The randomness of which side gets the next dice is one of the things which our former fairly diehard 40k players have found refreshingly enjoyable. The rules are obviously still in their 1st Edition, so there are times when questions arise about things that don't seem to have a direct answer in the rulebook, but a quick email to Alessio Cavatore, or else raise it on the BA Facebook page and tag him and you will often have his attention within the next couple of hours. The email takes a little longer... The best thing about BA is that it doesn't cost the earth to get started. Your friends have done a wise thing and purchased one of the starter sets, but individually it can cost about £100-120 to get a 1k army that is playable straight out of the box including your army book and copy of the rules (Amazon did Kindle editions not that long ago for a ridiculous price). Scenery from other game systems works equally well with BA, so the likes of the Gothic-style of 40k's terrain would do well for say Berlin or Stalingrad, whilst you could also go out and buy from the likes of 4Ground or Sarissa to get some really nice stuff. Gaming aids can either be made from scratch (fences from coffee stirrers seems to be a favourite!) or else purchased from sources online. Pin Markers are essential, and although Warlord produce their own there are several sources online to show you how to make your own. Plus of course there are guys who make them to sell to the gamers. This seller is particularly good; his name is Rob Prince and he will produce pretty much anything you ask for if he's able to. For example, my German army is based on the 5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking', so I asked him could he do some markers for me with the Wiking version of the swastika. Three days later they were on his site ready for sale. Roger |
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Post by Geifer on Nov 5, 2014 10:25:49 GMT
We'll see if it takes off, but currently we have four regular players and a fifth one who will likely join us. Who knows where it goes from there? We're even lucky to have an even Axis/Allies spread so far. My local store doesn't stock Warlord Games stuff, though, so I'm not sure how that figures in. It's certainly easy to get into an army and I think I went the expensive route already, but for 150€ I can make an army of Japanese well in excess of 1000pts (Banzai box plus a Shinhoto Chi Ha, and I have an interest in elite infantry - that adds up quickly). With starter boxes Americans and Germans are cheaper if you like Shermans and Panthers. Three of us got our first games in on Saturday. I gave the game a quick try myself but mostly played dice fairy for the owners of the starter set armies, a very fun way to spend my time indeed and observe the game without requireing me to divert attention to tactical decisions. I did get a good impression of the game, I'd say, and I really like the game mechanics. The order dice are definitely a great element, and I like suppression a lot as well. Pinned inexperienced troops are a pain to get back in the fight. Also outflanking inexperienced troops will sooner find the way to the nearest pub than the tabletop.  The included ruin was not a lot of terrain and it was a good thing I cobbled together a couple of walls and fences (though without coffee stirrers, I had to split popsicle sticks in half ) the previous evening. This game benefits from good terrain and what I think really lacked in the test games were a couple of LOS blockers. Everyone could always shoot everyone else. We do have one guy who is into modeling quite a bit and I'm hoping for him to head terrain building, as we decided on Italian and late Pacific war for our terrain and armies. Stuff could look really great, and as much fun as it is playing 40k at my local store, the terrain there is sadly lacking. I'm going to check out 4Ground and Sarissa, thanks for that. We used different dice for pin markers (and and cardboard box cover with cloth to pick order dice), it was all very improvized. Those flashy dice bags Warlord sells are a pretty good idea, actually. As for pin markers, me, I'm going to see what is left on my infantry sprues and maybe build my own if I have enough good stuff. Or make a marker and instant mold the hell out of it. I certainly hope Bolt Action takes off here. It's such a nice game. |
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Post by Brassaxe on Nov 5, 2014 18:16:48 GMT
Also outflanking inexperienced troops will sooner find the way to the nearest pub than the tabletop. Drink? Fight? Always a tricky one , The included ruin was not a lot of terrain and it was a good thing I cobbled together a couple of walls and fences (though without coffee stirrers, I had to split popsicle sticks in half ) the previous evening. This game benefits from good terrain and what I think really lacked in the test games were a couple of LOS blockers. Everyone could always shoot everyone else. We do have one guy who is into modeling quite a bit and I'm hoping for him to head terrain building, as we decided on Italian and late Pacific war for our terrain and armies. Stuff could look really great, and as much fun as it is playing 40k at my local store, the terrain there is sadly lacking. I'm going to check out 4Ground and Sarissa, thanks for that. Looking at that demo game and Ghostwalkers Pegasus Bridge, the terrain does make a serious impact on the game, don't know what your budget is on scenery but working on the assumption that the less you spend on trees, the more you can spend on troops, I've put up an old pic showing some I knocked up years ago on the off-chance it may help.  The ground is a load of carpet tiles that were being thrown out (free is always best) which could be cut into contours and raised on papier-mache (paper/plaster/PVA glue mix) slopes covered in sieved yard sweepings whilst the plaster was still wet. If you make sure that all the 'level 3' lumps sit on top of the 'level 2' lumps which will sit on the 'level 1' lumps without overlapping the sides then some decent sized ridges or hills can be available as required (and can stack inside each other for storage). The trees were made out of bits of sprue bent, twisted, glued and then covered in Milliput bark. The 'leaves' were made from roughly hacked up bits of steel wool sprayed matt black, covered in PVA glue and dipped in flock - if the wool is just pushed onto the tops of the 'branches', it can be removed for moving troops through woods. I certainly hope Bolt Action takes off here. It's such a nice game. It's probably got a better chance than 40k, although you could try it out with a couple of 750-1000 pt armies and see how it works for that (and let us know how you got on with it :  |
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Post by ghostwalker on Nov 5, 2014 18:28:16 GMT
Warlord games forum is a great source for info to be honest.
Scenery can be as expensive or cheap as you want it. I have my board and all in thats about £4-500 worth of work. But i have seen plenty of boards made from nothing more than coffee stirrers, carpet matts and a heat gun.
The army costs can vary too. My british airbrone cost a couple of hundred quid as i wanted certain figures and its entirely metal.
My fledling german army would struggle to be £100 as its nearly all plastic.
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Post by Stretch on Nov 5, 2014 19:47:42 GMT
I was looking at this as an alternative to 40k so I've been following all of your posts with some interest.
The question now is:
British airborne (the patriotic choice) or the German PanzerGrenadiers (the bolt action version of the rhino rush)
Answers on a postcard please
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), and all of them would rather die than surrender. For someone who can't pass a morale check to save his life, that's a dream come true. Also, pointy bamboo sticks!
