509 - Bolt Action Battle Report Part 2 - Reflections (+6MMRPC)

Hullo!

Supplemental to my last post [link], here are a few more pics (from my opponent's perspective) and my post-match analysis...such as it is...which are also my first 'post- Bolt action' thoughts.

I shall intersperse the pics - with captions - throughout, for the sake of variety. My notes are transferred verbatim from my 'Seventh Book of Arcane Scribblings' (see here and here):

John's right flank as he assaults, featuring an his sniper (by the building, centre-table); MMG; Divisional AT Gun; Naval Infantry (the 'Black Death', with light bases); T34/85, and some normal infantry on the right).

Feedback Notes: First Bolt Action (28mm) Game, 30/05/15:

Mission: 'Envelopment' - 1000pts - Defending

• Preliminary bombardment is nasty on the receiving end
• 6pdr got in a sneaky wee shot right across the board to hurt the T34 twice!
• My arty bombardment was BRUTAL - pinned 4 units and destroyed MMG
• --> this effectively stalled his attack on my left flank

Facing them, the five rifle-armed Toms holding my left flank. There's an MMG in the window too ;-)

• Remember LOS! Twice my units got in each other's way. 
• Remember 1" firing lanes too...
• Star Player: my PIAT-armed universal carrier, which did a lot, but in particular destroyed his two-man flamethrower team with two 6s followed by two 5s! Yay!
• ALL of my carriers did very well: they pushed up with LMGs blazing very effectively

These chaps lost one man on my right flank.

• Sniper was rubbish, but drew fire well

• OC ran forward and finished off the last man of a squad with his SMG
• One of my half-sections - by mutual agreement - launched an illicit carrier-borne assault over a hedge...and won!
• PIAT team in carrier did get close enough to use it, but fluffed.

The Black Death. Very hard to kill.

• Veteran infantry (like the Navy Boys) are very hard to kill. Very.
• Cromwell positioned itself well, and shot well enough
• MMG team in building did very well
• Don't be absent-minded with dice! - I was TERRIBLE for this: distractedly picking up orders dice left, right and centre.

The carriers bring the fight to the Russian left...

• Light A-T guns are actually a lot more powerful than I realised. This seems a little simple for Late-War, but I guess it makes sense within the straightforward rules mechanic.
• Light mortars are super-good - especially with smoke! 
• Smoke sticks around very well in Bolt Action...

...and to the right,

• In 'reserves' missions, carriers are great to tow-on the 6pdr and lug the MMG into position. I know this, because I also got in two-and-a-half turns of another game in which I was able to do just this.

Verdict?

Awesome opponent; awesome game.

= win.

Cheers!

- Drax.

PS: 6MMRPC: Time is tight, as I knew it would be, but I've started getting some proper paint onto those Orks...Yay!