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.