Is it time for a reorganisation of Bolt Action?

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  • June 5, 2021 at 9:27 am #185628
    Enquiring_Mind
    Participant

    Hi everyone, just to say I really like Bolt Action, it is the wargame I play the most (by far). This is not a criticism of the rule set or of Warlord Games.

    I’ve just received my copy of D-Day, the American Sector. From my read through it looks interesting and I’ll be playing with certain elements in my games – although I play the Eastern Front more.

    But I have noticed a few things, in no particular order:

    1). We’re getting quite a bit of repetition, rules for Chaplains and Intelligence Officers are being reprinted in multiple books.

    2). Numerous units in various books look perfect to be used together, I’m going to use the Fallschirmjäger as an example.

    The Green Fallschirmjäger squad in the Battle of the Bulge supplement.

    The Fallschirmjäger scout squad and Fallschirmjäger HQ in the D-Day US Sector supplement

    Couldn’t they be used in other Fallschirmjäger forces?

    The Green Fallschirmjäger Squad represents those with rushed training so might not be appropriate for Normandy. Guidance would be useful!

     

    3). Then there’s units which have the same name but different profiles.

    The Feldgendarmerie, have three different profiles.

    Battle for France: I assume is the early war version.

    Battle of the Bulge: I assume is the later war western front version.

    Road to Berlin: I assume is the later war eastern front version.

    Again, some sort of guidance on these sorts of things.

     

    4). Some theatre selectors now are requiring extra books. The example of the Defence of Paris Theatre Selector (pg104 of the D-Day American Sector book). Admittedly, it is a specialised selector.

    To play it you need five books:

    The rulebook

    The German Army book

    The D-Day American Sector supplement

    The Battleground Europe book

    The Battle of the Bulge supplement

     

    Do we need some sort of reorganisation?

    Do we need a new set of Army books?

    What would be included in them?

    I’m interested to hear what people have to say on this on

    June 5, 2021 at 12:28 pm #185630
    Nat
    Participant

    The word you are looking for is consistency – something the organic nature of the game is missing.

     

    the issue is simple, it’s not written as a pickup war game….each campaign book is written separately (and not by the same people) and looked at separately.  So if the author thinks that a unit or equipment should be portrayed differently they redo it (see trenches, dragons teeth etc).

     

    basically yes the game needs a v3 with all current units and equipment updated.  To do it In such a way as not to invalidate the campaign books I wouldn’t include any TLs in the main rule book or army books.  Then if a new campaign book is done it’s a case of written to match (or alter from*) these books, if there is a unit or equipment not covered then the new unit is errated into the ‘armies of….’ book.

     

    *ie if Stalingrad was written like this you’d put a comment – ni unit may take panzerfaust options.

    if doing an early war book you’d say remove x (late war equipment) option

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Nat.
    June 5, 2021 at 2:37 pm #185633
    richard zamudio
    Participant

    I have read this post with interest! However, what is a TL? It is probably obvious, but not to me.

    June 5, 2021 at 9:42 pm #185635
    Nat
    Participant

    TL = theatre list

    Aka the theatre selectors

    June 8, 2021 at 3:21 am #185650
    SteveT
    Participant

    It is a bit of a pickle, as with any game that evolves. They really should have included a lot more of the common rules (like some terrain and weather stuff) in the rulebook. And take out all the  basic army lists in it, nobody uses those.

    Hopefully this will all be in v3…

    But I think people are not going to be happy at forking out for a whole new set of Campaign/Army books.  Making an army that is spread about several books is not so much of a problem I find; it is not something you need to do against the clock.  But trying to remember in-game which book has the rules for “cover in rubble” is quite annoying!  I guess the amount of editing and publication work needed means that won’t be happening anytime soon, especially, as others have said, so many different people were involved.

     

     

     

     

    June 10, 2021 at 12:31 am #185657
    Christoph Hintze
    Participant

    A new Bolt Action player here, but what it seems. to me, to be needs, is not so much as a new rules edition, but a regularly updated index that references all the books.

    Just my two cents worth.

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