Weekender: Bolt Action Desert War 101 & An Unexpected Journey!
August 25, 2018 by dracs
We welcome you to a jam-packed version of the Weekender where we're learning a LOT more about the Desert War which will be the focus of our Bolt Action Boot Camp at the end of September.
As well as that we've got lots of exciting news and more to explore from this week so strap in and comment on what has got YOU excited from the tabletop world over the last few days.
Updates
Going back to the thoughts on the Bolt Action Boot Camp, you can get up to date with everything you need to know on The Desert War in a re-run of the article series by Oriskany, our Historical Editor.
We're also running into the final week of our Terrain Challenge for this year. Make sure to check out the projects so far HERE and maybe take on Justin's idea for a smashed up wreckage yard.
Oh, and here's the video that Warren was talking about concerning a certain astronaut.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game Unboxing
Make sure to check back later today (11am BST) as we've got an unboxing of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game and the Battle Of Pelennor Fields set.
Sam also gives us a few little morsels of information on the new version of the rules and what you get in the set.
News
We take a peek at some of the news from this week...
- Otherworld Dragons - Will you be snapping up some of these old-school Dragons?
- Hagglethorn Hollow - Check out this terrain which will be coming to Kickstarter in the near future
- Necrontyr Cities - Grab some of the STL Files from these folks for making an alien world
- Druids Ahoy - Lookout Games talk about their new expansion for Isle Of Skye
...what caught your eye from the news?
Bolt Action Desert War 101
We get stuck into a big discussion with Oriskany, our Historical Editor, about The Desert War and preparing for this epic conflict that will be played out on the tabletop during our Boot Camp at the end of September.
Make sure to check out the re-run of his article series HERE which introduces you to this theatre of war.
Kickstarter
Delve into some awesome projects today from the realm of Kickstarter
- Arkadia: Mythic Greek Setting For 5E - Check out this Greek-inspired setting for your role-playing games
- Power Rangers: Heroes Of The Grid - GO GO POWER RANGERS!
Will you be checking out either of these projects for yourself?
Competitions
We have the winner to announce from our Drowned Earth competition last week. If you heard your name prepare to Claim Your Prize.
We will then get the prize sent out to you so you can enjoy this wonderful game.
Have a great weekend of gaming fun!
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Happy Weekend
@warzan to follow up on last week’s XLBS – you might want to watch the master of RPG horror himself Sandy Petersen (no relation)
https://youtu.be/3o9P9fYrIfo
I will mate! Happy Saterday bud 🙂
Happy Saturday! Happy Weekend! And thanks very much to @johnlyons and @dignity for the great interview! 😀
Great interview @oriskany
Thanks very much, @rasmus – I just wish the color temperature on my TV had worked a little better. Oh well, it was a new idea that was worth a shot.
And no worries, @dignity – the board you and John are working on is great! Just have a think about barbed wire and mines, as we say on the VLOG thread. 😀
And what’s this, @brennon – you want to build pyramids on the table just to annoy me? 🙁 🙁 🙁 I see how it is. I still like the idea of some Roman / Ptolemaic ruins somewhere. Those were all over the place along some of these coastal roads / oases / towns.
Pyramids, ruins…a daring-do adventurer riding a horse out against a band of cultist Nazi scientists. That’ll do 😉
Wasn’t there a certain American professor of history working with the Nazis at that time ?
They were trying to locate something biblical I think …
😉
Screw it. I’m making a point of kit-bashing a BJ Blazkowicz to go hunting Nazis during the Boot Camp 😉
But B.J. Blazkowicz would be in Europe in that timeframe, not Africa … 😉
Expansion content, BJ’s African Adventure. Found it on a Shareware website 😉
I dread to think what BJ stands for!
@limburger – “Didn’t I tell you not to trust anybody, Dr. Jones …”
@brennon – As Historical Editor, I have to make a ruling that B.J. Blazkowicz is allowed only if I get to being “Doomslayer” Marine from the Doom series. 😛
Damn … we’re dooomed now.
Best call in support from our occult division.
Crap … BJ defeated them all. *Eh*
Raise dead and try again ? yeah … that’ll do.
Concur! Gonna miss hanging out with ya at BA Afrika boot camp friend!
Couldn’t agree more, @silverfox8 – it won’t be the same without you. 😀 Say hello to Scott for me!
FYI. Scott is getting medevacd to the U.S. today to Walter Reid. Significant heart issues. Will eventually need a heart transplant. Would ask all to keep him in thoughts and prayers.
Very sorry to hear the news about Scott, @silverfox8 . His BoW name is still @weland , right? Scott if you see please know we’re thinking of you and pulling for you! Please stay in touch and let us know how things are going.
Correct. I’ll let him know.
Scott is doing well and feeling much better back in TN.
Awesome news, @silverfox8 and @brucelea! Thanks for the welcome update!
Not good news @silverfox8, please send him all the very best wishes for what lays ahead, from us all.
Will do!
Scott is doing well and feeling much better back in TN.
That’s great news, he’ll have to put his feet up for a while and get some of his mountain of plastic painted ??
Don’t forget to add Cthulhu creatures emerging from the Nile as well…;)
It’s the Weekend!!
Saw the Pellenor Fields box in my FLGS yesterday… Will be (hang on…)
…have just pre-ordered the new Rulebook and Army book as already have most of the models and more.
I think it’s very presumptive of Sam to automatically suggest that the forces of Rohan are the good guys and those from Mordor are automatically evil. I am sure both sides have some redeeming features and in turn some less pleasing traits.
lol
The Dark Lord Sauron is very much a job creator. Think of what all those Orcs would have been doing dossing around before he put together that fighting force.
Cuisine, constantly changing menus. Mostly meat.
Is heroic stab only available in the Japanese version?
Welcome weekender!
The human race is not a zoo,we act more like a virus.we enter an area rob it of all the resources to multiply then move on,we are looking to exit this sphere and infect another planet.
Alien contact is observation to see if a cure for the human race can be found and or a way to contain it.
We are doing a good job of self anihilation so a final solution my not be needed.
Hello Agent Smith, nice to meet you #confirmationthatwereinthematrix
‘We are doing a good job of self anihilation so a final solution my not be needed.’
I thought the numbers were up on humans living on Earth, maybe even as high as they have ever been. Time for another ice age me thinks…. 😀
If we keep going at the predicted( computer perdiction from the 70s which has been accurate to date) rate the human civilisation will cease as we know it by 2040.polution will be so bad we will be killing ourselves with it way before we run out of resources. Then population collapse back to pre 1900 levels through disease famine etc.
I wonder if they factor new things in as we go in pollution reversion?
they don’t, because aliens sabotage the effect of these things.
Them greys be sneaky gits.
yup known galaxy wide as goalposts shifters that lot!!! 😉
I don’t know how much you guys are kidding around, so apologies if I’m taking this too seriously – but recent studies are actually showing that human population growth is slowing and will continue to do so for some time. It may eventually level off.
Latest UN statistical and global demographic studies are pretty sure we will never hit 12 billion.
The cause has to do with countries making the shift from “developing” to “advanced” status, increased educational status, shifting values, enhanced career opportunities for women worldwide, etc.
In countries like the US and the UK, mothers used to have 6, 7 or 8+ children on average before 1850. After the Industrial Revolution, the average fell to 2.5. For “first wave” Industrial Nations, that transition took about 80 years.
Now, countries that are becoming more industrialized are making this demographic transition much much faster.
As more and more countries / cultures make the shift to smaller families, the worldwide “population bomb” is slowing down drastically.
A lot more science and metrics on this topic included in this cute little video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsBT5EQt348
Richard O’Connors captivity and escape in Italy is worthy to be made into a film if it hasn’t already
Yeah, the guy was definitely a bad ass.
I wonder if the Germans used the 88 after seeing some success of the Italian 90mm AA gun being used in an AT role or was it the other way round?
Great question, @torros. To answer your question – it was the “option B” – the other way around. 😀 Italian Cannone da 90/53 started production in 1939, after the FlaK 36 8.8 showed such promise in Spain. Actually started out as a navy AA gun for Italian warships. According to sources, Italian 90mm AA guns were used occasionally in the AT role based on success already seen with the 88. This took place in Africa (infrequently) – more often in Sicily, Italy (where many were appropriated by the Wehrmacht when the Germans took over) and in Russia, where the gun was mounted on an improvised “Semovente” tank destroyer chassis.
Source: THE WAR AGAINST GERMANY AND ITALY: MEDITERRANEAN AND ADJACENT AREAS – CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY UNITED STATES ARMY WASHINGTON, D.C., 1988
Also, US Army / Military Intelligence TM 30-420 Handbook of the Italian Military Forces – 3 August 1943, pp. 225-27. The issue here is that sources THIS CLOSE to the actual time of events often contain incomplete data or inaccurate assumptions / conclusions based on available information at the time.
I was looking at the Bottom camp blog and the box defences and thinking to myself that the Roman marching camp camp never really went out of fashion
Ummmm.That last comment makes it seem like the Romans had units like they had in It ain’t half hot mum
yep lol
Well Caser was a spitting image for Kenneth Williams…
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@torros – you’re absolutely right – In Part 02 of the article series we look at the WDF’s assault on Camp Nibeiwa – an Italian position near Sidi Barrani, Dec 1940 (Queens Own Cameron Highlanders and 7th Bn / Royal Tank Regiment vs. “Maletti Force” / Tenth Army). That Italian camp looks EXACTLY like an old Roman field fort … perfect square, rows of tents, central “streets”, etc.
How is he an ‘expert’ on Sumerian mythology, genetics, archeology etc? He is a pilot. Flat Earth anyone?
he’s an expert in something 🙂
and I don’t get in to flat earth stuff as it’s really important to me to keep the segment as believable and accurate as possible 😉
A Miikhail Bakunin wrote back in 1871 – Does it follow that I reject all authority? Far from me such a thought. In the matter of boots, I refer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or the engineer. For such or such special knowledge I apply to such or such a savant. But I allow neither the bootmaker nor the architect nor the savant to impose his authority upon me. I listen to them freely and with all the respect merited by their intelligence, their character, their knowledge, reserving always my incontestable right of criticism and censure. I do not content myself with consulting a single authority in any special branch; I consult several; I compare their opinions, and choose that which seems to me the soundest. But I recognise no infallible authority, even in special questions; consequently, whatever respect I may have for the honesty and the sincerity of such or such an individual, I have no absolute faith in any person. Such a faith would be fatal to my reason, to my liberty, and even to the success of my undertakings; it would immediately transform me into a stupid slave, an instrument of the will and interests of others.
Powerful quote! Very thought provoking 🙂
I can top that one…
‘Truth isn’t truth’
Rudy Giuliani (21st Century Philosopher?) 2018
😉
Can never rely too much on experts. Even historical ones. 😀 As Nicholas Murray Butler wrote:
An Expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until he finally knows everything about nothing.
But that doesn’t apply to historical war-gaming experts right @oriskany ?
It applies to all people who would call themselves experts. 😐
Great quote!
This the same way you get Doctors presenting radio shows and discussing people’s personal health and psychological issues and passing themselves off as experts because their a ‘Doctor’ while the only doctorate they hold is in something like English Literature or Geography
out of curiosity can you name one? (I’m not so sure here in the UK that gets past the whole broadcasting standards thing)
I was thinking more of America. Or maybe I watched one too many episodes of Frasier
In the US – “Dr.” Oz comes to mind. How many times is this guy been sued?
Dr Seuss?
Indeed, @brucelea – I don’t believe that man’s ever been to medical school.
Not wanting to be “that” guy but the plastic Theoden in Pellanor Fields is the 4th version of him on horseback (third depicting him at the Pellanor) and the third version of him on foot 🙂
Saying that it has got me jazzed to go back to my old Rohan army (50+ Riders 😉 ) and see if I can do anything with the Gondor & Fiefdoms force I was building but never got around to taking paint to…
The 88mm was first used as an anti-tank gun in the Spanish Civil War by the Condor Legion. They also used it as field artillery as the AAA role was minimal by comparison.
Rommel’s debut in North Africa was in complete contradiction of orders from Berlin and Rome – he created a diversion using kubelwagens and trucks with spare aircraft engines to create the illusion that the majority of his forces were in one location whereas he sent the bulk of the real tanks and mechanised forces on a right hook looping in from the south and punching straight across to cut off the opposition. He was helped inadvertently by decryption of German and Italian signal specifically ordering him to hold the line until his full force arrived.
Great post and points, @dorthonion !
Rommel also made extensive use of the PaK38 as it was very low and small, light enough to man handle into very well hidden positions from which they could pour flanking shots
This is yet another reason I love games like Panzer Leader. In this game, antitank guns (or all artillery really) is handled by the battery. Anyway, a battery of FlaK 36 / 88s has a defense of 1 – the lowest possible. It’s huge, it’s tall, it’s impossible to hide, and completely exposed. The Pak 40 has a defense of 2, the PaK 36/37 has a defense of 3. All guns are completely unarmored, not enclosed at all, so why does the PaK 36/37 have TRIPLE the defense?
Because you can fit it in the back of a pickup truck, and hide it behind any decent hedge you might find along the side of a parking lot.
88s you can practically see from space. 😀 UNLESS you deploy them carefully in reverse slope positions 1-2 kilometers from your targets, as we discuss in the interview.
@warzan On the subject of Aliens, only two possibilities exist. Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.
@dracs A Necron tomb world will be appearing soon in my table project blog. I’d post a pic here but don’t think we can add pictures to comments on videos?
Could you post a link to the project?
Happy weekend! The Desert Campaign is one of my very favourites,and it’s a superb choice for a boot camp. The range of modelling and gaming potential is phenomenal, and you can get very Hollywood with it too, with jeeps raiding airfields, to sweeping tank charges, to stoic infantry last stands, it’s all there.
Going to have an utterly shameless plug too, as I’ve even written my first book, due out later this year titled ‘Painting Wargames Figures, WW2 in the Desert’
Sounds great, @volleyfireandy – I’ll have to check out that book when it comes it! 😀
Thank you mate! Was a fair whack of work as I’ve tried to cover techniques for everyone, but hopefully it’ll be handy for people!
I could sure use some now on my LRDG 28mm figures … 🙁 Actually, the figures are fine, its the vehicles I’m having issues with.
@johnlyons and @oriskany look forward to seeing a joint review of the book
@johnlyons is totally the hobby expert, @rasmus , as well technical and technological detail of vehicles. I’m more of the tactics, operations, strategy – the history of battles and campaigns.
I’ll take a look at your log! I’ve painted a fair few LRDG trucks, never for myself though, sadly!
I think I FINALLY got those LRDG trucks looking somewhat passable. Might have to hide a few bits under extra pieces of stowage or dustings of sand. 😀
Happy saturday folks
Unfortunately will miss the boot camp as just getting back from hols, but looking forward to seeing what you get up to (love me some Bolt Action!)
HAHAHAHAHA! Absolutely loved the intro 😀
Thanks @oriskany for all the work you’re doing for this bootcamp. I’m sad I couldn’t come this time, but your segments makes it easier to ‘follow along’ 🙂
See you at the xlbs tomorrow 🙂
Thanks very much, @aurorainbag – Indeed we’re doing all we can to make sure this Boot Camp is as much for the global community as the folks actually attending at the studio.
Ooooooh, Sammy boy~
Happy Saturday folks!! Haven’t been around much the last few weeks, did I win anything from the GenCon updates?
Just wonder if Nanty Narking has made to the OnTableTop Radar. It is a retheme of Discworld: Ankh-Morpork and being designed by Martin Wallace.
Great show. First one in a long time I actually managed to watch on saturday. Normally I watch this on monday or tuesday and immediately go on to the XLBS. Now I am kind of sad that I have to wait until tomorrow for that.
Great interview (as always) with Jim. Could listen to you guys wax lyrical (hope I used that phrase correctly) for hours. Why not put on a history show once in a while where you get more deeply into the history stuff. I remember hours lon discussiong with @oriskany and @davepbg on the last Desert War bootcamp. I guess at least some people would be interested in that.
See (hear) you tomorrow.
Thanks very much, @bothi – we have more Weekender segments planned and a live stream where I hope we will be “waxing lyrical” much more about the Desert War, especially it’s larger strategic and operational considerations.
The idea is to get all this background and context covered BEFORE the boot camp, so AT the boot camp we can focus on small unit tactics and the armies in hand.
@bothi the real question is are we going to get another one of @oriskany ‘s cool campaign maps to help everyone figure out where and when all these boot-camp battles are taking place.
That actually depends, @gladesrunner – on whether enough people are interested in participating.
In any event, it wouldn’t be quite like last time since (a) we don’t want to repeat ourselves – no matter how successful the last campaign was, and (b) Bolt Action is a smaller-unit game (your force usually a couple squads or a platoon, as opposed to reinforced companies or even a small battalion-sized battlegroup like for the last desert boot camp.
So I have a few ideas on how to run this, IF enough people are interested (6-10 at least). It would be a little different than last time, a little more “zoomed in” and closer to the actual battlefield.
Unfortunately I won’t make it this time. To much family stuff. But I hope enough people get interested as the map really was one of the highlights for me on that Bootcamp. It just sewed the narrative together and it felt like the battles “meant” something.
But you definitaley would have to change the scale. Of the map and maybe even the time. Having smaller engagements played over the weekend maybe condensed into a single assault on a specific position. With some scouting going ahead, followed by fights platoon vs platoon and trench fighting, climaxing in a big battle displaying the final charge on the defenders HQ.
One drawback would be, that one side has to be the defender most of time (besides some counter maneouvres). I’m sure you’ll find a way. Looking forward to it.
@bothi – IF we do this … a big if … I was imagining something like a zoom in between strictly 15th Panzer Division vs. 7th Armoured Division. Of course these are the two most famous divisions of the desert war (possibly exception of 9th Australian). Both these divisions had infantry regiments attached, so we could focus on British rifle battalions vs. German Schützen regiments, that way we have the Bolt Action infantry well covered, and if a tank or two, or an armoured car, makes a surprise appearance, we’re well within the context.
The whole campaign map would be just these two divisions, the campaign would take place over maybe 48 hours (borderline “real time” for the boot camp).
@warzan channeling his inner Gandalf while @dracs channels his inner Leroy Jenkins.
?
On we are the aliens: isn’t that a subplot from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? ?
They needed gold? They didn’t happen to be at war with Mondas at the time did they?
?
On aliens out there: you missed a possibility Justin; they could be less advanced than us and could still be in their Stone Age.
Surely proper old school metal in a mini would be lead? ?
If you want to see the inside of a Necromunda Tomb World Sam, you could always run a campaign for the Deathwatch RPG (or the Black Crusade module which features one towards the end). I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say I’d love seeing you doing a 40k version of Critical Role. 😉
The Nazis didn’t find the Ark of the Covenant in a ruined temple, they were digging in the wrong spot; Indiana Jones found it in a burried temple and the Nazi nicked it off him.
If you like Greek mythology, I highly recommend Stephen Fry’s ‘Mythos’ on Audible.
If nostalgia has funded the Power Rangers that much, just imagine how well a G1 Transformers Kickstarter. ?
While I think that Warren was referencing the movie 300 when he said he wanted Justin to be the spartan boy and he the spartan teacher (and thus wants hit Justin) I think if he looked up the real history and interaction between student and teacher in Sparta,,, he wouldn’t have made the comment. 😉
Having looked it up @dignity it looks like that RPG just got 100x worse (more interesting?) for you mate 😉
Gonna be one of those ‘Trust your GM’ games me thinks lol 😉
Were back to heroic stabs again aren’t we?
The more I see of Warren’s interaction with Justin, the more I’m certain BoW needs a human resources department.
I think that’s Warren’s job
nope @dignity is the HR dept 😉
By that you mean he’s the one that burries all the bodies for you don’t you @warzan ?
?
Great Weekender and really enjoyed the Desert War discussion with Oriskany, curious does he have a Youtube channel?
Thanks very much, @helcarexe – not yet, but I am seriously putting together resources (better cameras / mikes, software) to start working on one.
You would do great making a channel
Thanks very much, that’s very encouraging! 😀
The Dinosaurs in the first Jurassic Park are Brachiosaurs which have a different neck vertebrae structure and are still believed to graze from treetops and the like different from the Apatosaurus or Brontosaurus dinosaurs which likely fed on green vegetation in wetlands. Brontosaurus still exists. The issue was two similar dinosaurs were given the same name and it was not until the 1980’s that paleontologists realized they were different species so the one that was discovered first kept Brontosaurus and the other dinosaur was changed to Apatosaurus.
Kudos to you @warzan for being a boss who can list off all the names of the people on the team off the top of your head.
What you didn’t see was the clackerboard thingy with ‘Take 616’ on it.
?
I know. Or the cue card taped to the wall, or the hours of memorization beforehand. 😛
But it’s hard for anybody to roll through such a large number of names, unless of course, they care.
And I’ve have had more than enough bosses to know that caring is not as common as it should be. 🙂
Ha ha, it’s calling by the right name is the issue 😉
It’s the old parental trick of running down the list until the right head turns around. XD
He’s been calling me @cassn for days now
Is that why you’ve started growing some scruff on your chin recently? Or are you just trying to have a who can grow a beard the fastest race with Justin? ‘cause that’s a race you’re gonna lose mate, and you’ll lose the title of prettiest member of the crew some people have awarded you. ?
I think that’s a bit more freudian than simple confusion over names… 😉
@oriskany talking of appropriating enemy equipment, we captured some Iraqi M109’s during the Gulf War, and realised they were newer than the ones we had. So they were shipped to Germany as British artillery pieces, and my unit got some brand new spanking M109’s, rather than some which had originally served in the Vietnam war, lol. Ironically when we got back the new AS90’s started being phased in to replace the old M109 guns..lol
Yeah, Iraq took a lot of US Military equipment in the 1980s during the 1980-88 Gulf War with Iran. Iran was of course one of our big “enemies de jour” at the time, so anyone who was fighting Iran, especially a relatively secular Sunni leader like Saddam, was our ally at the time.
Ironically, during the 70s the opposite was the case. The Shah of Iran was one our big allies, and so took delivery of HUGE piles of American military equipment, including F-14 Tomcats. Four upgraded Spruance-class destroyers were also built specifically for Iran, but after the Fundamentalist Revolution in 1979, those were re-appropriated by the US Navy as our “Kidd” class destroyers. Once the Shah was out and Khomeni was in, Iran went from being one of our big client states to one of the top enemies on our shit-list, so Saddam started getting these weapons for his invasion of Shatt al-Arab.
Fast-forward to the 1990s, of course, and Saddam / Iraq is again on our enemies’ list. Its amazing anyone can keep track of this. Shows how bewildering Middle East politics can be, and just how badly we in the West misunderstand the demographics, religion, politics, and power struggles really at play in the region.
lol are you guys being affected by the work going on did they spill glue this weekend ?
Happy weekend!
happy weekender folks loved the mindmeiter on everyone the bolt action weekend is going to be brilliant as the all do love the table’s your making for this one.
There is a very good semi-politic, X-file game,Conspiracy X, though set in modern times it wouldnt take much to adapt it to ancient Sumeria
Happy weekend,
@warzan @oriskany Jim’s article series are great but for me its easier listening to our Historical editor. Have you considered putting these great sources of info into a podcast? i could then listen whilst walking the dog, painting or generally chilling with a large Rum lol
I definitely support the large rum, @wolf320f – drink enough of it and some of what I say might actually start making sense. 😀
People have been asking a lot about podcasts and YouTube channels, or a Channel like the one Caesar has for his cartoons. I’m definitely interested, I’ve been interested, and discussions around this have come up before. We just have o figure out how to make it work within the context of BoW / OTT.
Also, I might have to buy some better cameras / sound equipment, and get a little more savvy in general about these kinds of media outlets.
Love the deep dive into Bolt Action possibilities.
Thanks very much @lee337 and very much appreciate the kind words in your recent status update. 😀
Wow, I won! Thank You guys! 🙂 About the Brontosaurus. When I was a child, I read a book about dinos countless times, it is Life Before Man from Zdenek V. Spinar. I read it so many times, that the pictures and descritions of different dinos just stuck into my head and the Brontosaurus was the first that came into my mind 🙂
Happy Saturday all! Great show as ever. Love the Hagglethorn Hollow stuff, and that video is just fabulous, two people with such an absolute love for what they are doing. Power Rangers was just after my time really, so never got into it, but my wife is a huge fan, so I suspect we might end up backing that KS.