Bolt Action Boot Camp: Saturday

Things get warlike with everyone getting their armies on the table for their first few learning games of Bolt Action so make sure to tune in for more throughout the day...

Warren talks us through how to make Rubble Mix for the Bolt Action Boot Camp Boards

The guys get their hands stuck in and start making sure the tables look awesome...

The troops learn the basics of using their infantry and take to the battlefield while Alessio shows off the perfect way to hold a dice...

If you want to check out more about Bolt Action and learn with us here at the Boot Camp then check out the Demo Game Warren had with Alessio & Chez...

Soviets and Germans clash around spitfires and gliders on our Allied airfield board.

We talk through some of our plans for the day and Warren answers the burning question...why isn't he in uniform?

With the first games well under way, fighting has broken out across all manner of terrain, from the shells of ruined buildings to the tops of trains.

If you're following along today then you'll want to check out the second part of Warren's Bolt Action Demo Game below...

We step outside and meet Dixie The Jeep brought in by John's Father for the day!

The whole lot of us came down from the studio to have a closer look at Dixie. Alessio and Warren in particular seemed to have a lot of fun!

John runs us through the finer details of this awesome American Jeep named Dixie that came in today. It's great to see something like this still running...

Pulled pork sandwiches for the hungry troops including some 'actual' hungry soldiers...

We're checking out the kit of the British Paratrooper!

The recruits start to work on their army lists and bring them up to around 700/750 points where some vehicles get involved...

Now it's time to get on duty with the awesome looking Fallschirmjager uniform...

The tanks have been chosen and the units are hitting the tabletop as everyone gets started with their second game...

We chat with Sven about his Japanese and how he's feeling after one game as he goes into the second...

It's time for a Battle Report as the Boot Camp recruits get stuck into their second game. Once again we head to the airfield table, where Ryan's (Ryanpowe2587) British are facing off against Philip's (Rahmich) Japanese in a 700pt Top Secret scenario game.

The first activation went to the Japanese and Philip used it to run his suicidal anti-tank spearman into cover. The Brits got their chance soon after and Ryan's forward observer called back for an artillery barrage to come in next turn.

A slew of Japanese activations quickly followed, with Philip moving his veteran riflemen squad and command unit into a bunker, before firing at the Brit's machine gun with his own machine gun team.

Unfortunately, he missed, and the Brits retaliated with shots from both their Cromwell and Bren Carrier aimed at the Japanese machine gun. Despite all these shots, none managed to hit and the rest of the round was spent moving troops into position.

It's time to check in with the Germans and see how they're faring this afternoon in game two...

The battles keep raging and tanks are getting blown up all over the place while artillery strikes come down like explosive rain...

It's time to get stuck into the way the Soviets are playing this afternoon.

At the start of round 2 the artillery strike the Brits called for last turn comes in and manages to catch almost the entire Japanese army in its 12" blast radius. Most of the units suffer pin markers, but the Japanese machine gun and one of the suicide anti-tank teams aren't so lucky, suffering devastating hits that sees them taken out of the game.

The Cromwell tried to follow up on this success by firing an armour penetrating round at the Japanese Chiha tank, but unfortunately this only managed to score another pinned marker.

Most of the Japanese managed to shake off their pin markers, with the veteran infanty and command unit in the bunker getting set for an ambush, while the inexperienced infantry ran up the flank to face the British mortar team.

The Chiha pushed aside a spitfire and returned fire with its machine guns, managing to put a pin marker on the British medic, while the rest of the Japanese infantry and the surviving suicide anti-tank team headed towards the objective hidden in the glider.

It's time to head to Blighty and talk with Wayne about the British Red Devils...

Two of the Boot Camp recruits discover that they will both soon be moving to Qatar to teach. Maybe they'll be able to enjoy some Bolt Action while they're there!

It's time to jump with Jens and his US Paratroopers as Justin catches up with him to find out how the next game is going...

Things got bloody in the third round. The Brits managed to get the first activation and Ryan ran his infantry up into the glider to snag the objective. Just as they were celebrating though, they heard a cry of "Banzai!" from outside and suddenly were facing a screaming unit of Japanese infantry. The Brits didn't stand a chance and were quickly wiped out in combat, the Japanese stealing the objective.

Meanwhile, the inexperienced Japanese infantry had continued to advance down the flank, taking their chance to fire at the remaining British infantry unit and killing three men and their NCO who was carrying the sub-machine gun.

For the rest of the turn, Ryan poured all of his firepower into the Japanese vets who had snagged the objective.

The Cromwell, Vickers machine gun team, Bren Carrier and even the medic tried to shoot down the unit. Together they managed to take out three men, as well as the NCO, and put five pin markers on the unit, but in the end the unit was still there.

Everything hangs in the balance for the next turn.

John manages to get a game in of Bolt Action with some British troops...

The final round began and the Japanese still held onto the objective. Philip was lucky enough to win the first activation and immediately used it on the veteran infantry by the glider. However, all the pin markers they had gathered the turn before worked against them and they failed their morale.

Philip wasn't disheartened though and instead declared a Banzai charge with his inexperienced infantry on Ryan's remaining rifle squad. The riflemen fired at the advancing Japanese and managed to take out four, including the NCO, whose sword would have given the unit an extra attack. Despite a close fight though, the Japanese won and obliterated the Brits.

Buoyed up by the victory of the infantry, the lone suicide anti-tank team charged the British Cromwell with his mine on a stick. He was less lucky though and was mowed down before he could get close enough.

The British continued to pour their firepower into the Japanese veterans holding the objective, steadily bringing their numbers down. Still, they didn't manage to get them to budge and the unit remained in place at the end of the game despite having been reduced to three men.

Unfortunately for the Japanese, this was not enough to score them a victory and the game ended at a very hard fought draw. Still, at least the Japanese commanders managed to get rid of the Brit's annoying medic.

John gets excited as he blasts apart Soviets but he doesn't bet on not being able to take down the T34 after three turns worth of firing!

Everyone gets one tank. The battlefield is set. Tank Fest!

The Tank Fest has begun and it's going crazy out there as tanks start firing shots all over the place. Two of our recruits are the masters of fate and fortune drawing the Order Dice out...

End of Turn One hits so it's time to see what the damage is...

Death and destruction abounds in Tank Fest with the mightiest vehicles of WWII being reduced to smoldering wrecks. Alessio approves.

Who is going to come out on top? It probably isn't Warren's team...

The tanks are getting closer to each other and the fighting gets a bit fiercer. Warren's StuG gets hit quite a few times. But, he has a trick up his sleeve...

The level of destruction grows...

Alessio's tank gets taken out and the local farmyard animals start to make things difficult for the armour rolling around the tabletop...

Every Boot Camp we like to give away something special that we've made ourselves (Blue Peter style...) and this year it was an awesome image of us riding a tank into...err...battle!

As well as doing a bunch of the Live Blogging Justin has managed to get a game of Bolt Action in today so will be teaching our British Paratrooper the ropes...

Chris and Victoria Goddard, with the help of Oriskany, are running a World Wide D-Day Campaign and we are diving in with the Battle for Pegasus Bridge.

For this, Commodorerob and his veteran British Paras step up to face Wendren's Waffen SS, fighting for the bridge's control room in a 500pts night fight.

For the first round, Wendren started with only one unit of German riflemen on the board. Commodorerob started things off, moving his Vickers MMG forwards to cover the bridge and moving his paras into position.

Meanwhile, the Germans realise something is wrong and begin to run on to the board and towards the bridge, while the riflemen who had already been guarding it run up into the structure for a better vantage point.

As the fight happened at night, everyone's line of sight was reduced to 12". This meant that neither player could bring their artillery pieces, howitzers and mortars, to bear at this early stage, so for now they focused on getting into the most advantageous positions.

Alessio takes some more of our recruits through Terminator where soldiers are fighting equally as hard against the rise of the machines in the far future...

With night fighting still limiting everyone's shooting, both armies began to move onto the bridge itself. The paras moved forward in tight formation, ready for anything.

Meanwhile on the other side of the bridge the full force of the Waffen SS had moved onto the board. The German command had heard activity on the other side of the river and went to secure the side of the bridge with the control room, while the infantry moved into position for a fire fight.

With night fighting in effect, Commodorerob will be relying heavily upon his Howitzer's spotter to let him bring his heavier fire power into the fray. Of course, Wendren knows this and will be focusing plenty of fire on the hapless para.

The last few games get played and recruits consult their rulebooks before tomorrow before we head off for hard earned grub!

It all kicks off in round 3. The British paras move further up either side of the bridge, only to be spotted by the Germans lying in wait in the bridge's gantry, who go on to kill two of them.

Revealed by their muzzle flash, the second unit of paras return fire on the Germans and also kill two.

A German sniper team which had taken up position by the control room takes this opportunity to fire on the Brits making their way up the left side of the bridge. It gives them a pin marker, but unfortunately doesn't score a kill and is consequently revealed by its muzzle flash.

The British spot the sniper and take a shot with their 2" mortar. With a superb bit of shooting, they manage to drop 3 hits on the sniper team, killing the sniper's buddy, but not the sniper himself.

The British command run onto the bridge to support the beleaguered infantry on the left side, only for the paras on the right to start taking fire from the other unit of German riflemen, who manage to take down two men, including the squad's NCO.

As the armies advance on Pegasus Bridge, things are starting to get bloody. Be sure to check out the live blog tomorrow for round 4 and see whether the Germans can defend the bridge or can the British Airborne secure their vital objective.