Steve's Fieldworks-DFW Irregulars: 20mm Bolt Action Learning Games Infantry and Armor

Steve Bidwell and I played through a couple of Bolt Action games to get a feel for the mechanics and rules yesterday. We played on an 8x6 table (Rat Palace standard table configuration) with minimal terrain features other than undulating terrain and a ruined factory type of building section.

Steve's and Rusty's collections are 20mm (1/72 scale). The lines Warlord promotes are 28/30mm. I like 20mm for this system as I really don't have have a large table to play and could host two separate games at the same time or link two separate games into a linked scenario. Steve B. told me these rules were primarily tournament oriented. I'm going to rant a moment since this is my blog. I don't play tournaments. I don't care to put on my "game face" anymore to beat the crap out of my opponent either by outhinking them (not very likely in my case) or beating them with rules. I found myself playing quite intensely during tournaments in the 80s and early 90s. I've mellowed and my giveacrapometer just doesn't. I find rules that are "lighter" on complexity and allow me to carry on a conversation with fellow gamers (BS'n), and drink a couple of fermented beverages are preferable to an evening of all out total mental war on my opponent. Crap happens when one gets older right? Now to the games...

We played a 2v2 squad level game with the infantry. Germans v U.S. The U.S. had to deal with a couple of Hannomags that transported the German scout team. I was a dummy and didn't bring any bazookas. I definitely will next time. The game was a hide and seek game for both sides. We'd both get and give small numbers of casualities. One thing we did learn is that pinning markers add a big toll. One has to pay the piper to move by counting pin markers when wanting to move or do any action. As per Black Powder, when a unit gets two or more markers (poker chips yesterday), it's time to try and rally them. In a small squad level game, that's just not always possible. The U.S. army has a definite shooting advantage with their high numbers of Garands, BARs and the odd Thompson. One has to play run and gun in support with the other squad. I like that in these rules. The takeaways from this infantry game?

20mm might work for me better than 28 for skirmish or small force level games.
Buy some supports-HMG, Bazooka or bulk up the units to the max with grunts.

The armor game was quite different. I am used to playing Flamers of War. It was refreshing to see a smaller scale armor game where each tank was a separate unit. In an FoW game, folks like to put their armored units hub to hub. Sometimes they're even painted!! Bolt Action armor is a different animal. Tanks sighted and shot usually brewed up unless the Dice Gods were not in their favor.

We played 7 tanks per side to get a quick peek. The Germans crushed the U.S. in about 5 turns. Steve Bidwell did some fast reading and most of these games are set at 6 turns. I died in an appropriate manner. The game was fast. We saw a preview of Bolt Action's "Armor Only" game. Didn't see enough to give the reader more than "it looks quite familiar". Not like FoW. Just familiar. The takeaways from this game:

Don't play armor only. Tanks and armored vehicles/softskins are meant to be brought in small bites in an infantry support role. I've not seen how Panzergrenadiers work in Bolt Action. They should be deadly against leg infantry. Right now the rules for armor only are a bit boring.
Keep armor purchases real. Light armor such as Stuarts, an occasional Sherman, Mark IV, BT7 or T-34 can be offset by the AT available for the infantry (bazooka, panzerschreck and faust, AT guns of moderate calibers).
Do buy some artillery and AT guns. HE is fun

Time to get some Japanese 20mm. I've got time this summer break. Soft plastic doesn't bother me at all. I paint 54mm soft plastics.

Here's some pics: