Game Report: Bolt Action 20mm - 17.11.2012

Last saturday I played another game of Bolt Action. Some fellows of my old 20mm wargaming group visited me and we wanted to try how the rules work with smaller miniatures. Furthermore we have been developing our own ruleset sine 1995 and are still looking for new ideas.

Unfortunaley our main German collector and scenary builder was unable to join us. So we were limited to my very small pool of terrain and Axis troops. Therefore the board was realy simple and nothing compared with the great scenery we played the week before.

However we made the best of it and fielded the following troops:

Axis (mixed Italian and German troops):

• Infantry squad (regular) with SMGs, rifles and a light machine gun
• Infantry squad (regular) with SMGs, rifles and two light machine guns
• Command squad lead by Hauptmann (Captain) von Mamelstein (regular)
• Command squad lead by Sottotenente (2nd Lieutenant) Pacelliano
• Medium machine gun team (regular)
• Medium mortar team with spotter (regular)
• Sniper team (regular)
• SdKfz. 7 with 37mm Flak (veteran)

Americans:

• Infantery squad (twelve men) with SMGs, rifles and a BAR (regular)
• Infantery squad (twelve men) with SMGs, rifles and a BAR (regular)
• Command squad lead by 2nd Lieutenant Peterson (regular)
• Command squad lead by 2nd Lieutenant Masterson (regular)
• Forward air observer Captain Heinzen and his team
• Bazooka Team (regular)
• Medium machine gun team (regular)
• Medium mortar team with spotter (regular)
• Sniper team (regular)

Both forces were around 700 to 750 points.

The missiom resembled the one from the week before:

The secure their advance the Americans sent a vanguard which was ordered to establish an outpost within a large building overviewing the main road of the village (marked with a yellow 1 on the map). The German and Italian had to defed their position and stop theAmerican advance.

Our humble gaming board.

The place where the major events will take place.

The deployment of both forces was very careful. While I acted as umpire the two players became familiar with the unknown ruleset and made their first, hesitant moves. The Germans built up their defensive position while the Americans advanced towards the field in the center of the battlefield.

 

The American forces preparing to advance.

And the defenders stumbling through the ruins to find a defensive position.

The Americans used the bocages as cover and managed to gather all their forces at the edge of the field. But they hesitated to pass it because we defined it as "rough ground" which disallowed any running. A decision which influenced the further game so much that I wouldn't define such a large area as rough ground again unless it's broken with some pathways.

Finally both forces reach finish their positioning and prepare to clash at each other.

Bacage-hopping finished. The Americans are facing their mission goal.

On the other side German Hauptmann von Mamelstein surveys the battlefield.

An acrimoknious firefight arose and especially the Axis troops took several casualtis and pinned markers.

The American snipers were able to disable their German counterpart. But they were helpless against the incoming machine gun fire one or two turns later.

To enforce their success the Americans ordered an air strike which hit the Germans inside and around the southern building rather hard. Only with going down they prevented lethal damage to their tattered units. After this first aire strike hit very well the Americans ordered a second plane to come in and wanted to seek the decision of the game by air superiority.

But they relied too much on their Air Force. Once again a green rookie piloted the second incoming aircraft and took the false aim. He attacked his own forces and caused severe damage. Totally confused the American commander took the next turn to rally his troops to get rid of the many pinned markers.

At once the Axis were used this moment of inattention and launched their countercharge. Their medium mortar routed a stricken, American unit and the Flak-halftrack laid fire on the Browning medium machine gun team. The German light machine guns rattled and at the end of the turn the Americans has their back to the wall.

Altough they tried to regroup one more and were even able to destroy the halftrack, they had to retreat finally.

The last survivors are forced to retreat.

Altogether it was a relly nice and entertaining game. The momentum swung to amd fro and in the end the misled air strike was the deciding element. The Bolt Action rules worked well with 20mm miniatures although it was a bit unfamiliar with those small figures and the long ranges in the beginning. However the only thing I would change -besides using some better scenary- is not to define a terrain piece as large as the field as "rough ground".