So it's been a little while since the last post, but that doesn't mean i have been idle,
Ok ok i have....blame world of tanks!.
But in between screaming about hackers and the usual online gaming abuse. I have sold off most of my gw stuff. I have ordered my force for bolt action, begun work once again on my Pegasus bridge kit and...get ready for this...it's a big one.
HAD A GAME
Yes long suffering reader...i actually played a game down at aftermath.
Needless to say i tried to take lots of pics, but typically for a phone camera, only 2 really came out.
But i have a rough battle report so read on!!!
Bolt Action British Airborne vs Russians 500pts
What can be said. Fantastic game. I plan on lining up the royal artillery and shooting them though.
British force.
2nd lt, extra soldier both with smg's
Forward observer, extra soldier both with smg's
Light mortar team
6 man Infantry section, NCO with smg, 2man LMG team and 3 rifles.
6 man infantry section (as above)
5 man infantry section All members with SMG's
3 man Vickers MMG team.
Russian Force
2nd lt with extra man
3 infantry squads lmg, nco with smg, 7 rifles
1 free squad, 10 rifles
Heavy mortar team + spotter
Mission 1 in the book. The Russians opt to be the defenders and have to stop the British airborne units breaking through and leaving from their table edge.
The Russian deploy covering most of the base line, the heavy mortar set up in some rocks on the left, a rifle section nearby. 2 rifle squads and the hq team set up centrally in and around some woods along with the spotter and the final squad sets up to the right of the woods.
The British move on once the game starts.
My preliminary bombardment lays 1 or 2 pin markers on every squad in the Russian force and accounts for 2 dead soldiers.
My
troops move on cautiously and a few crackles of gun fire erupt as men
of the airborne make a dash towards some woods 12 inches onto the board.
The Russians shift about and make some slow advances. The heavy
mortar obviously got dust in their eyes as they go to ground on their
first order test.
Turn 2.
Some repositioning and small gun
fights erupt but nothing of note. The Russian heavy mortar spots an
infantry section in the open but fails to find its mark. The forward
observer radios for an artillery strike as he spies out several Russian units
clustered together.
Turn 3.
Incoming, the whistle of shells
breaks the cautious silence. shells destined for the Russian lines fall
short. The forward observer falls fowl of his own guns and is wiped out,
a 6 man section anchoring the right flank is summarily blown to pieces.
Every unit except the light mortar takes a minimum of 2 pins, the
infantry section earlier spotted by the heavy mortar gets hit for 4
pins.
Plans buckle.
More gunfire erupts, the heavy mortar team
once again dives for cover, the Brits wrestle with their wits whilst
major Howard screams orders to anyone who will listen.
Turn 4.
The
light mortar spots on a unit behind a wall, the mmg finds the same unit
and puts a pin on it. The smg team fires on the same unit and adds a
second pin. The heavily pinned section attempts to rally and fails. The
command team keeps up its urging of the Brits but things look bleak.
The
Russians put another couple of pins on the heavily pinned section
taking them up to 6 pins. The light mortar team lose the loader. The Russian heavy
mortar spots the heavily pinned section but fails to find its mark.
Turn 5.
The
heavy mortar finally zeros in and wipes 2 men off the heavily pinned
section, more Russian gunfire fells another 2 but the remainder
stubbornly hold position with 8 pins. The Russians sense victory and
move to finish the Brits off.
The vickers opens fire on a squad in
the open and along with the fire of the smg section take it down to half
strength. The command section open fire on a nearby squad for a pin,
the light mortar spots the squad behind a wall again but miss again. The
heavily pinned section tries to rally...and fails...again (3 on 2d6 or less)
Turn 6.
The
heavily pinned section finally succumbs to another mortar round. The
light mortar team get wiped out, the command section gets cut downs on
the edge of a wood. The vickers opens up on the infantry in the open but
only adds a pin. With a final roar of 'up the ox and bucks' the 5 man
smg section charges out of cover and into the infantry squad in the
open. 5 v 5 close combat is joined. Raging at their own artillery and
bad fortune, the paras rip the Russians apart in a single bloody moment.
There the game ended. My first foray into bolt action. My dice
hated me to no ends. My opponent a gent commented that i made no
mistakes and in his opinion the artillery strike ruined the game. I will
be back!
A couple of the pics i managed to take decently
End of turn 1 and the Brits advance onto the board
Turn 2 and things get rocking. In the distance the red smoke of the artillery strike billows out ready to bring pain and death. The Brits have position in the woods and hold the centre and right flank safely
End of turn 3. Out of sight the command team, 6 man section pick themselves up to discover the horror of what had happened. The right flank squad destroyed to a man, the forward observer team KIA...or had the fled the bombardment and escaped back to the Russian lines...spies i tell you SPIIIIES.
Turn 4 and the British 5 man section and vickers mmg team begin a forlorn hope fight back from the edge of the woods.
It was (despite the treasonous acts of the Forward observer) a great first game of bolt action and i look forward to more. My cunning ability to roll 1's continues.
I now plan on buying new dice and making them watch on as the ones i have are melted down in an inferno of hatred!.
