Bolt Action - British Airborne - Part 2

Hi there! In our last post we looked at the indomitable Staff Sergeant Harry Walker and the inspiration behind this foray into Bolt Action; those brave men of the British Airborne, the 'Red Devils'...

Through the combination of a comprehensive and well sculpted miniature range and a fast paced, high quality rules set, Warlord has done a great job of carving out a commanding position in the world of table top war-gaming. This is no mean feat.

In a world traditionally dominated by the sci-fi and fantasy offerings of Games Workshop and Privateer Press, Warlord has successfully recruited a swathe of gamers that may have traditionally been quick to quash the idea of investing their hard earned greens in a new game system, least of all one based in a historical arena.

Of course, it goes without saying that Battlefront and their World War II war-gaming heavy weight that is Flames of War, should be given due credit for originally breaking the mold and bringing this particular brand of historical war-gaming to the masses. Owning both rules sets, I am however currently of the feeling that Warlord have kept their foot on the gas harder and have a generally more accessible product. The decision to roll with 28mm minis over 15mm will no doubt be a telling factor in this particular battle...

The 'A Bridge Too Far' supplement is a great source of information
regarding the battle of Arnhem and the troops that fought there...

Anyway, back to Bolt Action. The game has been particular popular with our monthly Gambit Games Club and whilst Brit Paras was always going to be my force of choice, it's been good to watch a few games in progress and talk to gaming mates about what forces they played and what inspired them about the game...

A 500pt list is a good place to start, so along with the Bolt Action rule book, I ordered the 'Red Devils' box set and a 10 man British Airborne Section. This would give me the core elements of an HQ and the minimum requirement of 2 x Infantry Squads. Let's take a look at the minis...

Contents of the two sets...

From clockwise top left: Officers, Two man PIAT Team, Radio Operator & Medic, Vickers Machine Gun Team...

... Rifles, Light Machine Gun Team and SMGs

The minis are excellent. After spending the last few years working with plastic and resin miniatures, it felt quite nostalgic to see so much metal. The sculpts are characterful and crisp and flash levels are at a minimum. The pictures above are of the minis straight from the box, so you can see they are nice and cleanly cast. It's worth noting that Warlord Games have since re-packaged the 'Red Devils' box set, removing the Medic and Radio Operator and adding in a 2 Man Light Mortar Team and water-slide decals. Certainly a good update to the box set. That Radio Operator however, does come in handy for representing a Forward Observer; free pts wise to any British force wishing to take one ;)  

The list itself is derived from the core British list included in the main rule book. There's certainly enough options on offer here, but I'll look to purchase the Armies of Great Britain supplement in coming weeks to expand on the force options available...

The list is based around a fire base of Vickers Machine Gun Team and two Rifle Squads, each joined by a LMG. These troops will look to rack up pin markers on the enemy and provide covering fire to allow the two SMG units to flank, close or press the advantage on weak spots in the enemy line. The Forward Observer will bring the ordnance, whilst the Second Lieutenant inspires his troops as and where required.

I've opted not to include the PIAT Team, which means the force lacks any anti armour capabilities. I'm hoping I won't encounter much armour at the 500pt level... But If I do, I'll either ignore it all together (famous last words?!), or equip some of the boys with a few anti-tank grenades...

This list does aims to take advantage of generating as many order dice as possible, although the small squad sizes could prove to be a mistake as the enemy fire starts raining in...

I'd really appreciate any advice on the list and Bolt Action list building in general - so comment away!

Next up, I need to get the boys cleaned up, based and undercoated, all ready for their denison smock paint job...

Cheers ;)

Bolt Action - British Airborne - Part 1

Harry 'Mick' Walker 1914 - 1997

This is Staff Sergeant Harry Walker. Known as 'Mick' to his mates and Granddad to me. He served in the RAOC Advanced Para Recce Party and fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and North West Europe, most notably as part of the largest airborne operation of World War II - Operation Market Garden.

Tales of Harry's exploits on the bridge at Arnhem, elevated him into legendary status in the eye's of this young grandson and it's the endeavors of Harry and the brave men of Lt. Col. John Frost's 2nd Airborne Battalion that serve to inspire my first foray into the game of Bolt Action...

Harry's medals on display at the Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein', Oosterbeek, The Netherlands

I've been fortunate to make the trip to Oosterbeek to see the annual ceremony to commemorate the Battle of Arnhem and it's a humbling experience. On the same token, it's also a celebration of life and hope, as the veterans (not many left now), their families and currently serving Parachute Regiment troops, meet up and tell stories of bravery, heroism and crazy shenanigans... All of which usually ends up with a fair few whiskies being downed in honour of comrades past and present ;)

The drop re-created each year as part of the commemorations. 

Bloody right.

Harry (left), with Joe and 'Pony' - 1941.

Inspiring stuff. In the next post we'll actually take a look at some minis ;) as we explore the Bolt Action 'Red Devils' box set and begin planning out our first 500pt list 

Cheers.

X-Wing Battles - Mega Photo Drop!

Hi, hope this finds you well :)

I've been sorting through photos from recent games of X-Wing. To be honest with you, the narrative for each battle has been lost on the winds of the warp, but I thought it would be cool to share the pics with you anyway and hopefully they'll tell their own story...

So, set your target locks and pray for crits, as we try to outwit our opponent in some X-Wing gaming goodness. Cheers!