Let’s Play: Bolt Action 2nd Edition Demo Game [Archive Rewatch!]
January 7, 2022 by dignity
Warlord Games are in the studio to show off Bolt Action Second Edition and we thought we'd get stuck into a Demo Game to show it off. Who will win; cast your votes now!
Note: You can NO LONGER Win The Band Of Brother Set
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John will be playing as the British army and Justin is opposing him with the Germans. Who do you think will win, and will you be diving into the Second Edition ruleset?
Let Battle Commence!
A lot of the changes that have been made we had already house ruled them in my local play group. Great job.
Completely agree. We also had some house rules, that went in the direction of 2nd edition. But again, we had the chance to talk to Alessio on the bootcamp and got a good idea from him, were the weakspots of the system are and how to fix them.
First?
better luck next time 😉
Shouldn’t have started to watch the video before remembering to post 😀
I might have to get into BA as it’s the only way I am going to get a game if anything at the minute
Sweet….looking forward to this on my big Tv tonight, see what its like Vs the weird war one 1st edition one..
Sorry, screams earlier edition of 40K with the roll more than 6 on a d6 mechanic. And Justin starts off with lucky anti-tank shot in another game. Bullets do go through bushes IRL.
Last weekend introduced a new player to Bolt Action. We had a lovely game with some US armoured Infantry versus German Heer. The new player was the US and I was Germany. The objective was to take a crossroad in the middle of the table which was flanked on one side by a row of houses with hedges at the back and ruins and stone walls on the other flank. From the start I took a heavy pounding in the first few rounds from a M8 Greyhound opening fire on my Leutnant whom was running along a stone wall and being shot to pieces. The Sherman took out my Hetzer in a nerve wrecking firefight and the remaining Infantry which was now at the backyard of the houses was coming under heavy fire from a M3 Halftrack who was opening up fire and a few US units whom entrenched themselves in the row of houses at the crossroads. Things were looking bleak indeed! But in the last 2 rounds the tables turned suddenly when my panzerfaust took out his Sherman and M3 and my veteran grenadiers assaulted and cleared out the houses one by one. From what started to look like a certain defeat the germans pulled off a victory. It was an exiting game, enjoyed by both and we now have a new player to the group!
Love the cinematic actions and true line of sight of Bolt Action. There just is something about looking down the road on a nice layout and see that Sherman dooming up from behind a ruined building and taking aim on your Hetzer.
Nice intro into what BoltAction 2 will be like and can see the haters and naysayers comparing it to WH40k because of the template use; but I see this change as a good one and not to be compared with other games.
Cry Havoc! and let slip the Beasts of War.
Sadly haven’t got Bolt Action yet so no moments to report on so I’ll just spoonerise a Shakespear quote.
My best bolt action moment was during my second game against the Germans, the first action of the first round was the Puma that opened fire against my sherman firefly. After rolling three 6 in a row my sherman explodes!! The Puma is a great armoured car, but the player was very very lucky 🙂
I’ve a limited experience with Bolt Action but had a great intro game a couple of months ago, my British were thoroughly thrashed by Germans though, the dice gods were against me that day. Couldn’t hit a barn door……nothing changes.
I think my best Bolt Action moment came from my first time playing. I don’t actually own the game but the people at my local gaming club were kind enough to lend me one of their armies for the day at the club and play the game, and what a blast.
My favorite moment from that game came about from me being outnumbered completely. I was US and my enemy was Germany, and from the beginning of the game he had the turn advantage, removing my armour from the battlefield leaving me with nothing but infantry and mortars on the battlefield versus his armoured force backed up with some more Jerry firepower.
He held the initiative for most of the game, taking my units out left and right, and finally, huzzah! the dice swung in my favour and green after green order dice were brought from the bag, the initiative was mine. Pushing and outflanking my opponent, brewing up his tank in a flurry of bazooka fire, without him being able to defend himself was exhilarating as a first time player.
Goodbye goes the you go, I go turn order I was used to. This is what the chaos of WWII should feel like. I suppose my best moment of Bolt Action came not from what happened in the match (unfortunately, everything balanced out and the might of the Jerry firepower shredded up the last of my men, and, by the way, when you feel excited to even LOSE a game, that’s how you know that this game is for you) but from how the game made me feel.
I have watched Band of Brothers, I have watched Saving Private Ryan, but through the kindness of my local club members and through the phenomenal game that Warlord have presented us, I was finally IN the action. I felt it, I could imagine the bullets and shells whizzing past, ripping holes through buildings, followed by the guts and glory of the American infantry charging towards the German defensive line. I was in a miniature band of brothers that day. This game has changed my whole perspective on wargaming, and I cannot wait to finally get my hands on my own army and rulebook.
Also, Kris, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for allowing me to borrow your army that day, I owe this all to you.
Best Bolt Action moment came just recently in a game a fortnight ago. British vs. Germans with me playing my favorite late war Red Devils list. Called in artillery support through my FAO in turn one. Before turn two the barrage hit the point I wanted it to be, with two German 10 men infantry squads within 12″. Rolled two sixes in a row and with all the hits these created wiped our more than half of each squad and my opponent failed his morale checks. 20 kills within one round…well after all the game turned out to be a draw. Another great thing about Bolt Action imho, almost no game’s ever lost before the last die is rolled.
Justin can look serious? :O First I could not recognise you @dignity on the photoshoped picture. 😛
I really enjoyed watchng that game! The rule tweaks make sense. Well done guys!
The vid certainly shows the superiority of Chain of Command, you wouldn’t get Shermans charging down an AT unit that wouldn’t even be visible that’s for sure.
I’m pretty sure that’s something only a newbie like me would have done in Bolt Action.
It was never going to end well and TBH it shows.
Keeping those tanks back would have delayed showing the new rule changes.
We have a pretty active bolt action scene in San Diego, so we have a lot of tournaments. A few tournaments back, I was playing as my Soviets, I have NO air defense and I went up against two American Armies (in two different games) each with double airstrikes. 4 airstrikes were called and 4 airstrikes screwed up and destroyed 4 of their own tanks/units. Clearly the spirit of the Workers protected the Red Army that day.
Well….a second Edition is reason enough to get into the game at last 🙂
The standout moments for me were using heavy artillery to wipe out ridiculous amounts of infantry, I do think the new rules with templates are more sensible but I’ll no longer be able to cackle as 5 men take 15 hits!
Hi guys,
With regard to the question on what I think of the rule changes, and if there are any additions. I like the changes, esspecially for the officers and co-drivers firing vehicle weapons.
Personally we never play with the rule that empty transport are removed when somebody says boo. That is in my view a bit of a strange rule, and I fully understand John’s look when it happens in the video. We have a co-driver gunning people down, but one german runs up to them and they are out of the game, that is just odd.
I thought the rule for empty transports was very strange also at first. After giving it some thought I can see that this is a good way to keep the transports to their intended job. The transports could be abused somewhat as mobile armoured MG nests otherwise, something that regular infantry would struggle to deal with in numbers. The mobile MG nest is more of an armoured car role, with force organisation rules keeping the number in check. Having said that, I have no experience playing the game, yet 🙂
Like what they have done with 2.0.. also like what was done with K’47.
My friend and I picked up the Tank Fury set each and swapped tanks around a while back. I’ve gone Allied and he’s gone Germans. I have number of shots and he had high armour. While we have fun playing (Always more fun than i remember when we haven’t played for a while) I can’t help but think it feels a little too weighted in favour oh high armour. The germans can put out tanks that most allied tanks need straight 6s to chip the paint on, and infantry laregly seems to be pointless if theres tanks on the table. Its a very fun game, and I loved it when my 6 shermans had a dice spike early in a game meaning he was down a tank before he could shoot so with my 6 models vs his 3 I was always going before him and taking down or pinning his tanks before they could do anything. Likewise I hate it when I end up in situations where I need dice spikes to achieve anything.
I haven’t gotten into Bolt Action yet and am eager to explore with the new edition. If I win the Starter box, that would be a great moment to springboard into the hobby!
ok this looks good. I like the look of the Tank platoon John was using as there was not to many infantry to paint up.
Can only put 5 men into a carrier, so two carriers, ten guys, an observer and a commander, the rest is allllllll armour! 😀
keep in this way, the game is one of my favourites !
Better than watching movie..! I was really enjoying this video again gents, do MORE 🙂
@chez
Always great to see you as umpire!
@johnlyons
Clearly you can now justify the acquisition of yet more Sherman Vs!!!
@diginty
Very proud of you, Sir! You’ve led the Fallschirmjäger Regiment 6 to their first broadcasted victory!!!
Let me know if you -in the light of BA2 and Konflikt ’47- want additional units for them painted up 😎
Looking forward to your next gaming video chaps, well done all!
Do I really need justification? It’s like someone asking me “How many sugars do you take in you tea?” Keep adding until that cup is syrup!