550 - Bolt Action Painting Chart Update

Five-hundred-and-fifty, eh? Woo-hoo!

I figured it was about time that I should explore and update my painting chart for Bolt Action in 28mm, especially as I'm trying to curtail any and all expansion at the moment. 

That fourth section is annoying me (the one that's all four colours and yet still one man short!), but I've reconciled them to being a section of odds and sods, and the engineering equipment doesn't detract from their ability to fight as riflemen.

As it happens, I also just realised that with plans for THREE mortars (one more than a conceivable 2-platoon list could legitimately field), the loader of my 2" mortar could in fact act as a 10th man for 4 sect...

I do so wish that the always fun but not very punchy 2" mortars could just be fielded as part of a platoon without taking up the 'support' slot...

- Drax.

549 - Bolt Action Character Reinforcements

Like wot it says above, I've made a start on a few Bolt Action reinforcements.

[Above] The engineers and flamethrower team (front row, left-right) I've had for a while, but the observer models are part of my booty from the 'UK Gathering' Tabletopbattle tournament last month. 

They really are all lovely models, and exceedingly characterful: I'm looking forward to painting them, but I'm not 100%  sure about the recessed bases they cam with. Usually I'd use 25mm metal washers for the metal minis, but I'm trying to be less OCD with the way I go about my Bolt Action, after almost two decades of painstakingly identical 40K basing.We'll see.

[Flamer team, above] These chaps are properly tasty, rules-wise. Fluff-wise, I'll probably get them a jeep to ride in, as that's what the 11AD flamethrower teams had. Fast, but unarmoured. 

[Engineers, above] Sadly, the Brits don't have any rules for using engineers in combat roles, but I'll use them as spare bods in squads whenever I need them. That kneeling guy with the wire cutters? - I reckon he'd make a rather brutal-looking Number 2 for my medic!

[RAF observer and two others, above]. Currently, my Arty observer is actually played by a senior officer model, but I quite like him doing that, so I might just keep things that way. We'll see.

Hmmm...

I've got a £10 voucher for Warlord Games burning a hole in my pocket right now, and as it has to be used by the end of the month, it almost certainly will be. D'oh.

Cheerio for now, and happy gaming,

 - Drax.

548 - Bolt Action - Carrier Patrol Vs Paras 700pts

Well, the title says it all.

Last Friday, having to drive home to Pompey, I detoured via my new club in Torquay to play a quick game of Bolt Action.

"Carrier Patrol - Advance!"

I'd planned to play 750pts against some nasty SS, but it morphed into a 700pt game against Alex's lovely paras. As he had a fluffy para force and I'd planned to try out a fluffy carrier patrol, we decided that the 'point defence' mission (or whatever it's called) would suit. 

Recce photo taken by a PR Spitfire IX. The paras dug in to the central bridge objective. 

As it happened, and as they cancelled each other out, for simplicity we both decided to leave our free artillery observers at home, although my preliminary bombardment still went usefully ahead.

There was not much of a plan to my shambolic advance.

It went to a hard-fought draw, although I was starting to edge ahead by the end.

This is me, "edging ahead". That carrier was hit by a flamethrower. Gits. Still, I was contesting.

A handful of interesting lessons were learned though, viz,:

That's a LOT of pins on the one vehicle...and its passengers.

• If 'hidden' units don't do anything, they're pretty much impossible to kill. Cowardly, patient, well-camouflaged, well-dug-in gits that they are.
• If a unit is being pinned to buggery in its transport, it can't just get out and peg it. Having to pass an order test is difficult with five pins.
• I'm glad I opted for the 'Vengeance' special rule.
• Flamethrowers are bastards. Don't forget they can move and then fire. D'oh!
• A five-man squad of Toms in a Universal Carrier is neither fish nor fowl. Luckily I've remembered where to find the Warlord article with optional rules for using units of multiple transports (written, it seems, with carriers specifically in mind) - not that I would've changed anything for this game, as they were supposed to be operating independently.
• As this was a game for trying stuff, I took a medic along. Waste of time. He just sat in a carrier with the OC, but he couldn't have treated anyone without dismounting. 
• On the other hand, I tried out my (as yet unpainted) 3" mortar. It was ACE! I loved it, and I may-or-may-not be trying to work out ways of having another mortar whose crew can swap between the Warlord 3" model and the Mad Bob Minis 4.2" model. Watch this space.

Alex was - as ever - a most gentlemanly opponent and a joy to face across the table. 

By the end, I was starting to not fancy the chances of those remaining paras against the two machine guns without and the squad within.

Happy days, eh?

Cheers!

- Drax. 

547 - Playing Catch-up: A Cornucopia of Posts (Pt 4: X-Wing Mini-Campaign)

This is the last of my catch-up compendium, and a combination of a lack of pics, a lack of memory and a lack of sleep right now means I'll keep it short.

On our previous engagement (the one prior to my last post), DS was keen to field his other new toy...

...so out came his Gozanti-class Cruiser. Specifically, the good ship Vector.

In short, 

• It looked awesome,
• We played the three-game escalating mini-campaign which came with the ship,
• I lost each game,
• The first through bad luck,
• The second through terrible manoeuvring and,
• The third because - as usual - I ignored the mission in order to do something more fun (viz. blowing up the Vector with a vengeful Y-Wing),

DS flew as well as ever, and brilliantly (due to the requirements of the third mission) we actually got to experience - in true Original Trilogy style - a flight of TIE Bombers systematically bombing asteroids. 

To the right of the Vector, you can see the two TIE bombers after their bombing run. Brilliant!

Just beautifully cinematic!

- Drax. 

PS: I played a swift game of Bolt Action tonight, so that'll be up soon...