First game of Bolt Action

These past few weeks I have been busy painting British 14th Army and some Japanese to fight against them. I also had a session this past weekend making jungle terrain from aquarium plants and cake decoration palm trees and some rather spiffing buildings from cork tiles and an old towel taking inspiration from Matakishi's Tea House.

Close-up of the new buildings

I had not got all my Japanese painted in time so there are only sixteen of those done plus eight base-coated and another twenty or so just in grey primer so please excuse these - I really don't like using unpainted figures but I was keen to get my first game of Bolt Action underway.

I roughed up two forces of approximately 700 points each:

British:

• 1st Lieutenant plus Platoon Sergeant
• Artillery Forward Observer
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Thompson, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Thompson, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Sten, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Sten, Bren gunner & loader, 7 Riflemen with Lee Enfield
• Vickers MMG with three crew
• Flame Thrower with two crew

Japanese:

• Rikugun Choi
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Type 100, M99 gunner & loader, 8 Riflemen with Arisaka
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Arisaka, M99 gunner & loader, 8 Riflemen with Arisaka
• Rifle Squad: NCO with Arisaka, M99 gunner & loader, 8 Riflemen with Arisaka
• Type 89 light mortar with two crew
• Type 89 light mortar with two crew
• Type 92 MMG with three crew
• Sniper with Type 97 and observer

Adie and I would play the British while Quinton and James took the part of the Japanese.

We randomised the Point Defence scenario and then randomised that the Japanese would be the attacker.

Today's battlefield

The preliminary bombardment was quite effective with two rifle sections taking two and three pins respectively while the Vickers took a casualty and three pins.

British squad holds some light jungle

The Japanese advance got underway with the light mortars covering the advance with smoke rounds. The British artillery observer played a blinder. Plotting his bombardment in front of the Japanese advance he then subsequently rolled a one allowing the Japanese player to place it amidst two Rifle squads and the observer himself. One of the Rifle squads rolled a six and then lost seven men and took six pin markers.

The Japanese sniper earned his keep, taking out the ineffective Vickers and then polishing off the Flamethrower team.

A Banzai charge by three remaining Japanese from a Rifle section cleared the British Rifle squad off of one objective, while another by two remaining Japanese killed off my Platoon HQ and carried another objective.

Vickers MMG deploys on a rocky outcrop

Eventually the Japanese were on all three objectives and things were looking good for them, but some judicious shooting meant that they were shot off of two objectives. In the end the game was a draw, but the Japanese had lost two Rifle sections and the British had lost their HQ, Vickers, two Rifle squads and the Flame thrower, so a small win in the end to the Japs.

All in all an enjoyable game with a rematch scheduled for Thursday.

Another shot of the buildings

More shots of the village

Rifle squad advances through the village

A few Japanese, sorry about the 'ghosts'

Rifle section clears the village