Bolt Action: Assault on Normandy
Bolt Action: Assault on Normandy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Preparation for Play
- Units
- Game Turn
- Orders
- Movement
- Shooting
- Weapons
- Close Combat
- Support Units
- Artillery
- Vehicles
- Buildings
- Playing Bolt Action
- Army Selection
Preparation for Play
Dice and Markers
D6 Dice
The game uses ordinary six-sided (D6) dice. In some cases, however, you will need other results from this die, so the following notation is used in the text.
- D2 - when rolling a D6, results 1, 2 and 3 count as 1, and results 4, 5 and 6 count as 2.
- D3 - when rolling a D6, the result is divided and rounded up, giving the values 1, 2 and 3.
- 2D6 - roll two D6 dice and add both results together.
- D6+1 - add 1 to the result of a D6 roll. Other numbers may also be added to or subtracted from a die roll.
Re-rolling Dice
Sometimes during play you will need to re-roll a result. In this case the player must use the second result, even if it is worse than the first.
Order Dice
In Bolt Action you control your troops by giving them orders. There are six orders in the game: Fire, Advance, Run, Ambush, Rally and Take Cover. During play, a matching die is placed next to each unit that has received an order, showing the order's number on its top face. Order dice may be specialised dice (produced by Warlord Games to earn a little extra money from customers) or ordinary D6 dice whose numbers correspond to the orders:
- 1 - Fire
- 2 - Advance
- 3 - Run
- 4 - Ambush
- 5 - Rally
- 6 - Take Cover
Before the battle begins, each player takes a number of dice equal to the number of his infantry units (by which are meant (half-)squads and support weapon crews) and vehicles and artillery pieces. That is, if a player has six squads, a machine-gun crew and three tanks, he takes 10 dice. It is essential that each player's dice are a different colour from the other's, but the dice of both players must not differ in shape or size.
Dice Bag
When both players have counted their dice, they put them into a bag, box, container or any other closed and opaque vessel. During play both participants will draw dice from it blind.
Markers
The main marker in the game is the Pinned marker. The presence of this marker next to the figures is important, because Pinned status will come up often and, in addition, pinned units fight worse.
Other markers may also be useful in the game, for example a marker to indicate the point of impact of artillery support or an air strike.
Measuring Distances
Distance Between Models
The distance between model figures or vehicles is always measured from the nearest points of their bases. If there are no bases, the distance is measured from the body, hull, turret, etc., but not from barrels, bayonets, antennae or other protruding parts.
Distance Between Units
The distance between infantry units is measured from the figure nearest to the enemy.
Measuring Distances and Giving Orders
In Bolt Action it is strictly forbidden to measure distances before an order has been given. The player must first declare his actions and only then start working with the tape measure or ruler.
Line of Sight
If a figure can see the head or torso of another figure, the latter is within line of sight. If, however, a figure sees only the leg, arm or weapon barrel of another figure, the latter is not within line of sight.
The same rule applies to vehicles - a figure must see the hull or turret as a whole, not a protruding barrel or a half-open hatch.
Units
Types of Units
All units in the game are divided into three types.
Infantry
Most units in the game are infantry. In Bolt Action, infantry includes not only soldiers with personal weapons but also motorcyclists, cyclists and even cavalry, because in most cases they fought dismounted.
Artillery
Artillery includes weapons of 20 mm calibre and above on a mount or wheeled carriage, together with their crews.
Vehicles
Vehicles include every kind of transport, from jeeps and trucks to the heaviest tanks, together with their crews.
Unit Formation
If a unit consists of more than one figure, all of them together must maintain a certain order. This means that no figures in the unit may stand more than 1 inch away from one another. If, as a result of casualties or the nature of the terrain, a gap has appeared in the line, the player is obliged to close it immediately by moving the "lagging" figure.
Distance Between Units
So that units do not get mixed up or merged, they must make and end their movement so that the nearest other unit (friendly or enemy, it does not matter) is at least 1 inch away. The only exception is moving into close combat.
Game Turn
In general terms, the game turn works as follows. Each player blindly draws a die from the bag. The player whose colour die was drawn gives an order to one of his units and places this die next to the unit. As soon as all the dice have been drawn from the bag, the turn ends. At the end of the turn all dice are returned to the bag and shaken up. Both players may leave on the table only dice showing the Ambush or Take Cover orders.
Turn Sequence
Order Phase
- Draw a die from the bag and hand it to the player whose colour it is.
- The player who receives an order die chooses one of his units and gives it an order by placing the die next to it with the corresponding face up. It is not allowed to give two orders in one turn to the same unit.
- If necessary, the player takes a test to carry out the order.
- The player carries out the order by performing the actions in question.
- Return to step 1. As soon as all the dice have been drawn from the bag, the order phase ends.
End of Turn
All dice are returned to the bag. If the players wish, they may leave Ambush or Take Cover order dice on the table. If during the turn any units were destroyed, the players lose the order dice of those units.
Orders
Fire
The unit does not move this turn; instead it opens fire on the enemy without restriction. Some types of weapon may fire only under this order, because to fire they must remain stationary. For details see the chapter "Shooting".
Advance
The unit may move and shoot. However, its fire will be less accurate than if it had fired from a standing position, and some types of weapon cannot fire while moving. For details see the chapters "Movement" and "Shooting".
Run
The unit may move at double speed but may not shoot. For details see the chapter "Movement".
Ambush
The unit does not move and does not shoot. Instead, the soldiers take up positions and wait for the enemy to appear within their line of sight. For details see the chapter "Shooting".
Rally
The unit does not move and does not shoot. Instead, the soldiers catch their breath, bandage the wounded, distribute ammunition and regroup. For details see the section "Pinned".
Take Cover
The unit does not move and does not shoot. Instead, the soldiers press themselves into the ground and try to protect themselves as far as possible from enemy fire, using the slightest cover. For details see the chapter "Shooting".
Pinned
Normally units will carry out your orders without restriction. But if a unit suddenly finds itself under enemy fire, it will think more about its survival than about orders from above, which results in unpredictable execution of those orders, and their non-execution in particular. In the rules of Bolt Action such situations are described through the Pinned status. Pinned units receive the corresponding markers, and the more such markers there are, the worse the unit fights and the harder it is to control.
When a Unit Becomes Pinned
Whenever a unit comes under enemy fire and receives one or more hits (whether or not they later lead to casualties), it receives 1 Pinned marker. A unit that is hit by several enemy units, or takes several hits over subsequent turns, will accumulate several markers and become practically uncontrollable.
Some heavy weapons (for example howitzer fire) can place two or more Pinned markers on a unit with a single attack. But in general the most common situation will be "one attack - one marker".
Another possibility is that your unit comes under fire from its own side (see below). In that case a hit will result in Pinned marker(s).
Effect of Pinned Status
Each Pinned marker reduces the unit's morale by 1 (see the section "Morale"). Morale determines how well a unit is able to carry out orders. Pinned units also shoot worse - we will discuss this in the chapter "Shooting".
Order Tests
If a unit is not Pinned, it carries out the order it has received automatically. There are some exceptions to this rule, but we will look at them later in other chapters of the book.
If a unit is Pinned, it must pass an order test.
To take the test, roll 2 D6 dice and compare the result with the unit's morale. To pass the test, the result of the dice roll must be less than or equal to the current morale.
The more Pinned markers a unit has, the harder it is for it to pass a morale test. Each marker reduces the unit's morale by 1, i.e. a regular unit with 2 markers has morale of 7, not 9, and to pass the test this unit must roll 7 or less.
A unit that passes the order test removes 1 Pinned marker and carries out the order it has received.
A unit that fails the order test does not remove its Pinned markers, and instead of the order it has received it must carry out the Take Cover order. If, however, the player rolled two sixes on the test, then he activates the FUBAR! rule (see below).
Regardless of the modifiers affecting a unit's morale, the highest morale value is 10 and the lowest is 2. That is, when taking a test, a result of 2 means success, while results of 11 and 12 mean failure.
Pinned Unit and the Take Cover Order
The only exception to the order procedure for Pinned units is the following. The Take Cover order does not require a morale test, i.e. a Pinned unit carries out this order automatically. But because the unit did not take a morale test, it does not remove its Pinned marker either.
Pinned Unit and the Rally Order
If a Pinned unit successfully passes the morale test for the Rally order, it removes 1 Pinned marker and, in addition, removes a number of further markers equal to the result of the D6 die roll.
FUBAR!
The FUBAR! situation occurs when a player, while taking an order test, rolls two sixes. After this, roll one more D6 die and consult the following table.
| Die roll | Consequences |
|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Friendly fire. The unit does not move, but fires at its own unit. Place a Fire order die next to it. The opposing player chooses a unit within 12 inches of which is an enemy unit (proximity to the enemy is the factor that provoked the friendly fire). If there is no such unit on the table, the unit affected by FUBAR! carries out the Take Cover order. |
| 3, 4, 5 and 6 | Panic. The unit carries out the Run order, fleeing away from the nearest enemy within its line of sight. If there is no enemy within its line of sight, the unit carries out the Take Cover order. |
Unit Skill and Morale
The training and preparation of units is represented in the rules of Bolt Action through their morale level. All units are divided into three categories.
| Skill | Morale | Example unit |
|---|---|---|
| Recruit | 8 | Militia, or soldiers with no training or minimal training and no combat experience |
| Regular | 9 | A soldier with normal training and some combat experience |
| Veteran | 10 | A soldier with special training (special forces, paratroopers, marines) and extensive combat experience |
Squad Leaders
Infantry units normally include their commanders; in the case of an infantry squad this is usually a sergeant, corporal or NCO. If the commander of an infantry unit has been killed, the unit's morale is reduced by 1.
As for support weapon crews, they have no clearly defined commander, but if the crew is reduced to 1 man, its morale is also reduced by 1.
Units That Have Fled
When a unit's morale falls to zero as a result of Pinned markers, it is considered to have fled the battlefield. In practice this situation will rarely arise in the game, because the unit will usually be destroyed first.
End of Turn and Passing Orders
Under the standard procedure, all order dice are collected at the end of the turn and put back into the bag. There are, however, two exceptions, relating to the Ambush and Take Cover orders.
The Ambush Order
A unit that received this order during the turn and did not carry it out may keep it for the next turn. A unit may stay in ambush for several turns in a row, waiting for the enemy to appear within its line of sight.
The Take Cover Order
A unit that received this order may continue to carry it out in the next turn. If such a unit is Pinned, it removes 1 Pinned marker.
Movement
The Advance and Run Orders
An infantry unit under the Advance order may move a distance of 6 inches.
An infantry unit under the Run order may move a distance of 12 inches.
Remember that, regardless of the distance a unit moves, the figures in it must not be more than 1 inch apart from one another, and the unit as a whole must not come closer than the same 1 inch to other units.
When an infantry unit moves there are no restrictions on changing its direction of movement.
Passing Through Friendly Units
When an infantry unit moves, it may freely pass through other infantry units or artillery positions, provided that the infantry unit does not end its turn closer than 1 inch (see above).
Vehicles, however, may not move through their own troops, and in the same way friendly units may not move through vehicles.
Terrain
Before the game begins, both sides must agree on what each terrain feature means in terms of passability. It is quite likely that a considerable part of the table will be open ground, over which both infantry and vehicles move without restriction. But other terrain features - woods, ruins, fortifications, sand dunes, etc. - on the contrary will restrict the movement of the participants' units. In general, the players themselves must determine how the terrain affects the movement of their troops.
Impassable Terrain
Some terrain features may be completely impassable - no unit may cross or enter them. Such features include lakes, very high walls, steep ravines, burning buildings, marshes, quicksand, etc.
Difficult Terrain
By difficult terrain the authors of the rules mean terrain that slows movement through it and sometimes makes it impossible. The effect of difficult terrain also differs for various types of unit (see the table below). Thus, infantry may move through difficult terrain only under the Advance order. Difficult terrain may include woods and undergrowth, rubble-strewn streets of ruins, fields softened by rain, etc.
Obstacles
Obstacles in Bolt Action include hedgerows, stone walls, ditches, streams - in short, anything that represents some kind of barrier on the path of a unit. Obstacles can effectively conceal units and give them additional protection. As for crossing obstacles, infantry units may do so only under the Advance order. Other types of unit cross obstacles in different ways (see the table below).
Buildings
The rules concerning the use of buildings in Bolt Action are discussed in detail in the chapter "Buildings". Buildings include residential houses, industrial structures and fortifications. In general the authors see buildings as a terrain element accessible to infantry units, but they assume that some players will want to make buildings impassable terrain to simplify the game.
Roads
Fighting in or around a settlement assumes the presence of some transport arteries nearby. For infantry, moving along a road gives no benefit, but vehicles accelerate sharply on the road surface.
| Terrain type | Infantry | Artillery | Wheeled vehicles | Tracked vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| Difficult terrain | Advance only | Impassable* | Impassable | Advance only |
| Obstacle | Advance only | Impassable | Impassable | Unrestricted* |
| Building | Unrestricted | Impassable* | Impassable | Impassable (!) |
| Road | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Double |
- Unrestricted. A unit may move through this terrain without restriction, i.e. under both the Advance order and the Run order.
- Unrestricted*. A unit may move through this terrain without restriction, unless it is considered an anti-tank obstacle, a thick hedgerow or another barrier impassable to vehicles.
- Advance only. A unit may not cross or move through this terrain under the Run order.
- Impassable. A unit may not cross or move through this terrain at all.
- Impassable*. A unit may not cross or move through this terrain at all, except that it may have been placed on this terrain at the start of the game. In that case the unit may not leave its position until the end of the game.
- Impassable (!). A unit may not cross or move through this terrain at all, unless it is a heavy tank, which in some situations may destroy a building (see the chapter "Buildings").
- Double. The unit's movement distance doubles if it travels along a road for the whole of its move.
Shooting
Who May Shoot
The following may shoot:
- units that have received the Advance or Fire orders;
- units that have received the Ambush order, if the opportunity to spring the ambush arises;
- units in certain game situations, for example when laying defensive fire against an enemy attacking in close combat.
Sequence of Actions When Shooting
When one of your units has declared its intention to fire on the enemy, it must carry out the following sequence of steps.
- Declare the target
- See the target's reaction
- Measure the distance to the target and count the attack dice
- Take the hit test
- Take the casualty test
- The target takes casualties
- The target takes a morale test
Declaring the Target
In Bolt Action one unit may fire at one target. Therefore when a unit shoots, it shoots with all its weapons at a single target. The only exception is infantry units with single-shot anti-tank weapons (Panzerfausts) (see the section "Splitting Fire").
Once the target has been declared, it is necessary to see which figures in the unit can fire at it. Only figures within whose line of sight the target lies may fire. If the target is outside the line of sight of the figures or beyond their range, those figures may not fire.
Shooting Through Friendly Units
Figures of the shooting unit may observe the target and fire over the heads of comrades from the same unit.
Figures of the shooting unit may not fire over the heads of other friendly units.
Figures of the shooting unit may not fire through a zone within 1 inch of the edge of the figures of other friendly units. The exception to this rule is fire that cannot cause harm to friendly units, for example small-arms fire aimed past armoured vehicles.
The exception to the above rules is also indirect fire from mortars and howitzers.
Target's Reaction
If the target has not yet carried out any orders in the current turn, the opposing player may give the target unit the Take Cover order (remember to draw the corresponding die from the bag).
Measuring the Distance to the Target and Counting Attack Dice
Each weapon in the game has a maximum distance at which it can fire effectively; for rifles this is 24 inches, whereas a heavy machine gun has a range one and a half times greater.
Each weapon in the game has a specified number of attack dice. These are the dice rolled to determine whether a shot succeeds.
To count the total number of attack dice for the whole unit, do the following: determine the number of figures that can fire, and see whether the target lies within the maximum range of their weapons.
Only those figures in the unit within whose line of sight at least one figure of the enemy unit lies may fire. The number of firing figures may not be artificially reduced - as many figures as can see the target fire.
Now take a tape measure and measure the distance from each firing figure to the target. If the target lies within the maximum range of the figure's weapon, the figure may fire. Then count the total number of attack dice with which you will fire on the enemy.
Splitting Fire
If an infantry unit includes some figures armed with single-shot anti-tank weapons (Panzerfausts), those figures may fire at a vehicle (provided the conditions above are met), while the remaining figures may fire at another target.
Hit Test
Each attack die hits on a 3+, i.e. on 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Modifiers to the Hit Test
The base hit test value of 3+ reflects ideal shooting conditions. Nevertheless, in real combat such conditions will hardly always apply, and this is reflected in the following table of hit test modifiers.
All modifiers are cumulative.
| Situation | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Point-blank shot | +1 |
| Each Pinned marker | -1 |
| Long range | -1 |
| Recruit unit | -1 |
| Shooting while carrying out an Advance order | -1 |
| Target (infantry or artillery) carrying out a Take Cover order | -1 |
| Target is a small unit | -1 |
| Target in light cover | -1 |
| Target in heavy cover | -2 |
- Point-blank shot. A point-blank shot is a shot at a target no further than 6 inches away.
- Each Pinned marker. Here everything is obvious - a Pinned unit will think more about how to hide. The modifiers for each Pinned marker are cumulative.
Long range. A shot at a distance exceeding half of the weapon's maximum range counts as a long-range shot. Note that if the figures in a unit are armed with different weapons, this modifier will affect them differently.
Recruit unit. Here too everything is clear - inexperienced and poorly trained soldiers shoot worse.
Shooting while carrying out an Advance order. It is hard to shoot and move at the same time...
Target (infantry or artillery) carrying out a Take Cover order. If the target has already received a Take Cover order (whether as a reaction or simply through the order of turns), it is harder to hit.
Target is a small unit. A small unit means a unit of one or two men, regardless of how many men the unit originally had.
Target in light cover. This modifier applies if most of the figures in the target unit are in light cover with respect to most of the firing figures.
Target in heavy cover. This modifier applies if most of the figures in the target unit are in heavy cover with respect to most of the firing figures.
"Lucky" Shots
If it happens that, because of a large number of negative modifiers to the hit test, you need to roll more than 6 (which is impossible on a D6 die), it is still worth trying to shoot - perhaps you will be lucky. Roll all the attack dice and keep those that show a 6. Now roll only these dice again - those that again show a 6 count as hits.
Hits and Pinned Status
If the firing unit scored hits, the target receives a Pinned marker. Note that it does not matter how many hits were achieved - there will still be only one marker, unless the fire came from a particularly powerful weapon.
Casualty Test
After the firing unit has scored hits, take all the dice that succeeded and roll them again to check the effectiveness of the fire. For infantry units the results of fire will mean loss of personnel; for vehicles, damage to the equipment. Regardless of the modifiers to the roll for heavy weapons, a result of 1 always means failure.
Compare the result of the dice roll with the table below.
| Unit type | Result needed |
|---|---|
| Infantry, artillery and unarmoured vehicles | |
| Recruits | 3+ |
| Regulars | 4+ |
| Veterans | 5+ |
| Unarmoured vehicles | 6+ |
| Armoured vehicles | |
| Armoured cars and APCs | 7+ |
| Light tanks | 8+ |
| Medium tanks | 9+ |
| Heavy tanks | 10+ |
| Super-heavy tanks | 11+ |
Unit Types and Casualties/Damage
As can be seen from the table, the authors of the rules distinguish armoured vehicles from everything that can be hit by small-arms fire. Armoured vehicles can only be dealt with by heavy weapons, which (as will be seen in the next chapter) add a bonus to the roll result, making it possible to roll more than 6.
Unit Skill
As can again be seen from the table, it is harder to inflict casualties on an infantry or artillery unit with better skill. This is a truism, but a fact - it reflects the difference in soldiers' level of training and combat experience.
Cover
A unit is considered to be in cover if most of the figures in it are in cover with respect to most of the figures of the shooting unit.
Cover may take the form of vegetation, infrastructure, or vehicles and other units (whether friendly or enemy). The main condition for determining whether there is cover or not is an unobstructed line of sight between the target and the shooter.
Units Inside Terrain Features
Groups of terrain pieces on separate bases but placed close to one another (trees, small ruins, rocks, etc.) are considered to represent a given terrain type as a whole (i.e. a wood, a ruined village, rocky ground, etc.). A unit located inside such features receives cover if most of its figures touch the bases of these features.
Firing Through Terrain and Around Obstacles
If most of the figures of the firing unit are deep within the terrain, the target is considered to be in cover, since the terrain will already be hindering the shooters.
If most of the figures of the firing unit are at the edge of the terrain (at the edge of a wood, behind a wall), the target will not be considered to be in cover (provided there are no other obstacles in the line of sight).
If the players are unsure or disagree about the assessment of who is in cover and how, the authors of the rules suggest settling the dispute with a die roll.
Light and Heavy Cover
Light cover is cover in which the target is hard to detect, but which does not give physical protection from weapons. The author of the rules counts woods, hedgerows, undergrowth, shrubbery and fields of tall vegetation as light cover. Friendly units (infantry, artillery and unarmoured vehicles) also count as light cover if they partly screen the target. Camouflage nets and other means of concealment also give the properties of light cover. Fences and barricades made of wooden objects and similar obstacles are also light cover.
Heavy cover gives not only a certain level of concealment but also good physical protection. Heavy cover includes stone and brick structures, walls, fences, etc., rocky ground, field fortifications of all kinds (including sandbags), and armoured vehicles (whether friendly or enemy).
In general, the authors of the rules suggest agreeing before the game begins on the properties of each type of cover.
Ambush
Carrying Out an Ambush
Units that have received the Ambush order may intercept and fire on any enemy unit that, during its movement (when carrying out the Advance or Run orders), comes within their line of sight. Fire may be opened at any moment: before the movement begins, during it, or immediately after. The player declares that he is carrying out the ambush, and the target unit stops. After this the player changes the order from Ambush to Fire and opens fire. If the target is not destroyed, it continues its movement.
Note that it is not permitted to fire on units that are not carrying out the Advance or Run orders. The exceptions are artillery crews who run from gun to gun and tank crews leaving their vehicles (see the chapters "Artillery" and "Vehicles").
Shooting at Units in Ambush
If a unit in ambush comes under fire, it may react by changing its current order (Ambush) to the Take Cover order. Accordingly, the ambush can no longer be carried out until a new similar order is received.
Target Suffers Casualties
Every hit that causes a casualty results in the unit losing 1 figure. Casualties in the game mean not only soldiers killed, but also wounded, stunned, and anyone else unable to continue combat.
Casualty figures are removed by the player whose unit has suffered.
Lucky Hit
If a 6 is rolled on the casualty test (before modifiers are counted), roll that die again - if a 6 comes up again, the shot counts as a lucky hit. This means that the player who fired chooses the casualty. For example, if he chooses the unit's commander, the unit's morale is reduced, and if he chooses a crewman carrying a support weapon, the unit loses not only the soldier but also his weapon.
Morale Test
If a unit has lost half or more of its men to fire from a single enemy unit, it must immediately take a morale test. The test follows the same procedure as the order test, with exactly the same modifiers.
If the test is passed, the unit continues to fight.
If the test is failed, the unit flees the battlefield.
Weapons
This chapter describes the main types of weapon of the Second World War, including infantry personal weapons, support weapons and artillery.
Each weapon type in Bolt Action has the following set of characteristics:
- weapon type
- range
- rate of fire
- penetration
- special rules
Weapon type is a collection of systems with similar characteristics. For example, rifles include bolt-action rifles, carbines and semi-automatic rifles.
Range is the maximum distance in inches at which this weapon type can fire. Range in Bolt Action is not a ballistic distance, but the distance at which a target can be effectively hit.
Rate of fire is the number of attack dice that the player may roll for each firing figure with this weapon type. Rate of fire in Bolt Action is not a tabulated rate of fire, but a characteristic reflecting the comparative effectiveness of weapon types in the game.
Penetration is the value of the modifier added when taking the casualty test. If the weapon type shows HE (high explosive) instead of a modifier, this means that fire from this weapon is made only with high-explosive rounds, under different rules (see below).
Special rules lists the special rules applicable to this weapon type. For more on them see the section "Special Weapon Rules".
| Weapon type | Range | Rate of fire | Penetration | Special rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small arms | ||||
| Rifle | 24 | 1 | - | |
| Pistol | 6 | 1 | - | Rapid fire |
| Submachine gun | 12 | 2 | - | Rapid fire |
| Automatic rifle | 30 | 2 | - |
Weapon Types
As can be seen from the table above, individual weapon models are grouped into types. Where a particular model has clear distinguishing features, those features are given on the unit cards. For example, the MG-42 machine gun fires 4 rounds rather than 3.
The authors of Bolt Action have ignored hand grenades, because they are thrown over too short a distance, and so their presence is taken into account in the rules for close combat (see the corresponding chapter). It is assumed that all infantry units are equipped with ordinary grenades, and in some cases anti-tank grenades.
Most weapon types need no explanation - it is obvious to everyone what a rifle or a pistol is. Some weapon types, such as the PIAT or the Panzerfaust, are too specific not to be singled out among the others. Nevertheless, most heavy weapons, such as anti-tank guns, mortars and howitzers, are simply divided into light, medium and heavy, and for these types explanations are given of how that division was made.
Rifles. The rifle is the standard weapon of the infantryman of the Second World War. In Bolt Action the rifle type includes both classic bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic rifles.
Pistols. The pistol is the usual weapon of officers, members of armoured vehicle crews and all other fighters who were not issued a rifle. In the game the pistol type includes both pistols proper and revolvers.
Submachine guns. Submachine guns were carried by armoured vehicle crews, junior commanders or special units such as commandos.
Automatic rifles. Strictly speaking this weapon type covers a single model - the Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR.
Assault rifles. This weapon type includes models chambered for intermediate cartridges, such as the StG44.
Light machine guns. Light machine guns are models such as the Bren, DP, and MG-34/42 - the main automatic support weapon at squad level, with a crew of two men.
Heavy machine guns. The heavy machine gun type, as the name suggests, covers those machine guns of rifle calibre that are mounted on mounts or tripods.
Large-calibre machine guns. These are the classic DShK and Browning M2HB models, designed to combat aircraft and light armoured vehicles.
Infantry anti-tank weapons. Anti-tank weapons are represented by anti-tank rifles and various rocket launchers capable of firing HEAT rounds. Although the latter were similar in how they affected the target, their characteristics differed greatly, so the authors of Bolt Action divided them into several types.
Autocannons. Light autocannons include systems of 20-25 mm calibre; medium autocannons include systems of 37-40 mm calibre.
Anti-tank guns. In Bolt Action anti-tank artillery is divided into light, medium, heavy and super-heavy guns. Although this division is made in general by the calibre of the equipment, some particularly powerful models (for example the British 17-pounder) fall into a more "advanced" category. More detailed information on each artillery system is given on the unit cards, but in general light anti-tank guns are guns of up to 50 mm calibre, medium guns up to 75 mm (or 75 mm with a low muzzle velocity), heavy guns 75 mm and above, and super-heavy guns 75 mm with a very high muzzle velocity or guns of larger calibre.
Flamethrowers. By their characteristics, flamethrowers were divided into infantry (backpack) flamethrowers and those mounted on vehicles.
Mortars. Light mortars include small models of 50-60 mm calibre. Medium mortars include models of 80-82 mm calibre. Heavy mortars are represented by systems of 120 mm calibre.
Howitzers. Light howitzers include systems of up to 100 mm calibre - this includes the British 25-pounder, German light infantry guns, and the American airborne 75 mm gun. Medium howitzers include guns of up to 150 mm calibre - the American 105 mm howitzer, the Soviet 122 mm howitzer, etc. Heavy howitzers include guns of over 150 mm calibre - the German heavy infantry gun, the Soviet 152 mm howitzers and the American 155 mm gun "Long Tom".
Special Weapon Rules
Rapid Fire
A figure armed with a weapon with this rule does not suffer the negative modifier when firing on the move (carrying out the Advance order), and may attack twice in close combat against infantry units and artillery crews (see the chapter "Close Combat").
Single-use
A weapon with this rule may fire once per game. After use, the authors of the rules recommend replacing the figure with another one that no longer has this weapon.
Stationary
This weapon is too heavy to pick up and move from place to place easily.
A weapon with this rule may not fire if it has received the Advance order.
A weapon with this rule may fire at targets within a 90-degree arc to its front. Targets outside this arc (both whole units and individual figures from units that fall into this arc) may not be fired on.
Crew
The crew rule shows that this type of weapon must be served by at least two men in order to fire without restriction. Most weapon types with the crew rule form separate units - these are heavy machine guns, artillery, and bazooka teams.
The only weapon type integrated into an infantry squad is the light machine gun. In that case any other infantryman from the squad may act as the second man (since the skill of carrying and feeding ammunition requires no special training).
For other weapon types with the crew rule, by contrast, all the soldiers are busy serving the weapon - aiming, reloading, carrying and so on. Although these men have their own personal weapons for self-defence, in the game they never use them.
A weapon with the crew rule fires without restriction if the crew contains at least 2 men. If only 1 man remains in the crew, the weapon will fire with -1 to the hit test. A crew of 1 man also suffers a -1 reduction to morale.
If the soldier carrying a weapon that is not artillery (a machine gun, mortar, bazooka or anti-tank rifle) is killed (see the section "Lucky Hit"), the whole crew is considered destroyed and is removed from the battlefield. This rule does not apply to crews integrated into infantry squads - in that case the remaining crew members simply become ordinary riflemen.
HEAT
Ammunition with a HEAT (shaped charge) warhead is quite a powerful weapon, but not very accurate. A weapon with this rule suffers -1 to the hit test. On the other hand, the penetration of a shaped charge does not decrease with range, so a weapon with this rule does not suffer the -1 to the casualty test when firing at a distance greater than half its range.
Flamethrower
A flamethrower automatically scores a hit on its target - the player does not need to take the corresponding test. Because no negative modifiers are counted in this case, this makes the flamethrower especially effective for flushing the enemy out of all kinds of heavy cover (which gives -2 to the hit test). The crew of a flamethrower, even if only 1 man remains, will still hit automatically (although it will still suffer the -1 to morale).
The number of hits from a flamethrower is determined by rolling a D6 die. For an infantry flamethrower this is 1 D6; for a vehicle-mounted flamethrower it is 2 D6.
A flame jet ignores the gun shield (see the chapter "Artillery") and the additional protection provided by a building (see the chapter "Buildings").
An infantry or artillery unit caught in a flamethrower jet automatically receives 1 Pinned marker plus D3 further such markers. Vehicle crews receive only 1 Pinned marker.
Any unit hit by a flamethrower must take a morale test after casualties and Pinned markers have been counted, whether or not it suffered casualties. If the test is failed, the unit is considered destroyed.
After a flamethrower has fired, the attacking player must take a test to determine whether the flamethrower can be used again. The test is taken with a D6 die. If a 1 or 2 is rolled for an infantry flamethrower, the flamethrower is considered to have used up its fuel and the crew (or figure) with the flamethrower is removed from the battlefield. If a 1 is rolled for a vehicle-mounted flamethrower, the flamethrower is considered to have used up its fuel, but the vehicle may continue to act in the normal way.
When a flamethrower vehicle unit is hit, the casualty test is taken with a +1 to the roll (see the chapter "Vehicles").
HE
This rule applies to weapons capable of firing high-explosive ammunition. Some types of heavy weapons (anti-tank guns, for example) may fire two kinds of shell - high-explosive and armour-piercing. In that case, when declaring a target, the player must specify which shell he is using.
A hit from a high-explosive shell means that the number of hits may increase depending on the HE value of the weapon type. To determine this, the firing player must take one more test, rolling the indicated number of dice. That is, for a weapon with HE D3 the number of hits will be from 1 to 3, for a weapon with HE D6 from 1 to 6, and so on.
A high-explosive shell that hits a vehicle scores only 1 hit.
A unit hit by high-explosive ammunition may react by carrying out the Take Cover order. In that case the number of hits is halved (rounded down).
Hits from weapons with HE greater than D3 may cause the unit to receive more Pinned markers. The number of markers depends on the roll of the corresponding die (see the table below).
| HE | Pinned markers | Penetration |
|---|---|---|
| D2 | 1 | +1 |
| D3 | 1 | +1 |
| D6 | D2 | +2 |
| 2D6 | D3 | +3 |
| 3D6 | D6 | +4 |
Because the penetration of a high-explosive shell (the authors of the rules mean the blast wave from the explosion and the calibre of the fragments as the means of destruction) does not depend on range, a weapon firing such ammunition at vehicles does not suffer the -1 to the casualty test when firing at a distance greater than half its range.
When a weapon capable of firing both armour-piercing and high-explosive shells is placed in ambush, the player must state which ammunition it is loaded with. If the player has forgotten to do so, it is assumed by default that an anti-tank gun is loaded with armour-piercing shells and any other gun with high-explosive shells. The ammunition may be changed with another Ambush order.
Indirect Fire
This rule applies, as one would logically assume, to weapons capable of indirect fire.
A weapon with this rule may not fire at a distance less than its minimum range.
When firing indirectly, a hit is achieved only on a 6, regardless of other modifiers. But if in the following turn neither the target nor the weapon has moved, a 5+ is needed to hit, and a 4+ in the turn after that, and so on. If a hit was achieved in any of these turns (even the first), the artillerymen are considered to have found their range, so subsequent shots (provided the target or the weapon has not moved) will hit on a 2+.
The crew of a weapon with the indirect fire rule must be able to see the target, unless it uses a forward observer (see below). The crew may fire over the heads of its own units.
When indirect fire is directed at a vehicle, the shells will land on the vulnerable and poorly armoured roof, so the weapon firing indirectly receives +1 to the casualty test. If the target is an open-topped vehicle, the weapon firing indirectly also receives a further +1 to the damage test (see the chapter "Vehicles").
The indirect fire rule may not be used when setting up ambushes.
Howitzers and mortars may also lay smoke screens (see the section "Firing Smoke Ammunition").
Howitzer
This weapon may fire either indirectly or by direct aim.
Forward Observer
Some types of weapon capable of indirect fire may be assigned a forward observer. The forward observer is always represented by 1 figure. The forward observer is part of the gun crew, but always acts separately from the other artillerymen - its task is to occupy a suitable position and from there pass on the coordinates of the target. However, it does not provide a separate order die in the common pool of dice. If the player gives an order to a gun with a forward observer, he may order either the forward observer or the gun to act, but not both at the same time.
The presence of a forward observer allows the gun to fire at targets lying outside the crew's line of sight. Anything the forward observer can see, the crew can also see. It is assumed that the forward observer has a radio or other means of communication with him.
If during the battle the gun or the crew is destroyed, the forward observer also leaves the game. If the forward observer is killed, the gun continues to act.
Rocket Launcher
This rule applies to salvo weapons such as the Nebelwerfer, the "Katyusha" and the Calliope. In its characteristics such a weapon is equivalent to a heavy mortar, but it hits only on a 6. Nevertheless, this weapon has a zone of effect with a radius of 6 inches around the target, within which every unit (whether friendly or enemy) is subjected to an attack.
Close Combat
Close Combat Sequence
If a player wants to move into close combat, he must give his unit the Run order and declare the intention to attack the enemy in close combat.
When a unit moves into close combat, its figures come into base contact with the figures of the attacked unit. This is the only exception to the rule that units must be at least 1 inch apart.
Close combat is resolved using the following procedure.
- Declare the target of the attack
- Reaction of the attacked unit
- Measure the distance between the units and move the figures
- Play out the first round of close combat: a) The attacking unit takes a casualty test b) The defending unit removes casualties c) The defending unit takes a casualty test d) The attacking unit removes casualties e) The losing side is considered destroyed
- Draw - close combat continues (see step 4)
- The winning side regroups
Declaring the Target of an Attack
The player declares that his unit is going to attack the enemy in close combat, and shows which unit it will attack. The target must be within the line of sight of the attacking unit, or, if the target is inside a building, the attacking unit must be able to see the building itself. As with shooting, only one unit may be attacked in close combat.
Reaction of the Attacked Unit
If the attacked unit has not carried out any orders in the current turn and is at a distance of more than 6 inches from the attacking unit, it may open defensive fire. To do this the player must take an order die from the bag and give the Fire order. Sometimes defensive fire may prove so effective that it wipes out the attackers before they reach the target.
Even if the attacked unit has Pinned markers, it may still open defensive fire. In that case the order is carried out automatically, without a test.
Surprise Attack
If the attacking unit is closer than 6 inches to the target, the attacked unit may not open defensive fire.
Flank Attack
Any weapon with the stationary rule may open defensive fire only if the attackers have entered its arc of fire (90 degrees to its front).
Measuring the Distance Between Units and Moving Figures
The attacking player must now measure the distance between his unit and the target. It should be taken into account that any impassable obstacles will force the unit to spend extra inches going around them.
In the course of its move the attacking unit may not cross obstacles, except in the case where it was itself hiding behind an obstacle before the move began (for example it was sheltering behind a wall). But the attacking unit may attack an enemy who is sheltering behind an obstacle. The attacking unit may also move through difficult terrain, in which case its movement distance is reduced to 6 inches.
If the distance between the two units turns out to be more than 12 inches, the move into close combat has failed. Nevertheless, the attacking unit must still move its full 12 inches and stop, observing the 1-inch distance rule between units.
If, however, the distance turns out to be less than 12 inches, the move into close combat has succeeded. The attacking player must move his figures into base contact with the figures of the attacked unit, arranging them so that as many figures as possible on both sides touch bases and stand one-on-one. All the figures of the attacked unit must be moved so as to come into contact with the figures of the attacking unit. If figures cannot come into base contact (for whatever reason), they should be moved as close as possible - they will also count as taking part in the close combat.
The 1-inch Distance Rule and Close Combat
As has already been said, units fighting in close combat are not subject to the 1-inch distance rule between units. But this rule does apply if the attacking unit runs past one enemy unit in order to attack another.
Stand to the End!
As soon as close combat begins, both units begin fighting so desperately that a surge of adrenaline gives them extra strength. For this reason, both participants in the close combat remove all their Pinned markers.
First Round of Close Combat
The following rules explain the procedure for close combat between infantry units and artillery crews. Close combat between infantry units and vehicles is covered in the chapter "Vehicles".
The Attacking Unit Takes a Casualty Test
All attacks in close combat count as automatic hits, so the participants in the fight do not need to take the corresponding test.
The attacking side immediately takes a casualty test at the rate of 1 D6 die per figure in the unit (do not forget the rapid fire rule of some weapon types). The test follows the same procedure as when shooting, including the rule for lucky hits.
The Defending Unit Removes Casualties
The player controlling the defending unit removes casualties by exactly the same procedure as when shooting.
The Defending Unit Takes a Casualty Test
If anyone in the attacked unit survived, the player strikes back by taking a casualty test.
The Attacking Unit Removes Casualties
The procedure is exactly the same as for the defender - see above.
Determining the Winner
The side that inflicted more casualties in close combat is considered the winner. The losing unit is destroyed and removed from the battlefield.
Close Combat Across an Obstacle
As mentioned above, if the defending unit is behind some obstacle (a wall, a hedgerow, etc.), the obstacle is not taken into account when measuring the distance before the move into close combat.
Nevertheless, the obstacle gives the defending unit some advantage - now casualties are counted simultaneously, i.e. both sides must take the casualty test, not first the attacker and then the attacked unit.
Draw
If both sides have inflicted an equal number of casualties on each other, close combat continues until there is a clear winner. But now the attacker has lost its advantage, and both sides attack each other simultaneously, as if they were fighting across an obstacle (see above).
Regrouping
After the losing unit has left the battlefield, the winning unit may move a number of inches equal to the result of a D6 die. This movement is not counted as an order, does not affect an order the unit received earlier, and does not prevent the unit from receiving an order. In addition, a unit that moves in this way may not go into ambush.
Support Units
Although the structure of units differed between the armies of different countries, headquarters, medical and liaison personnel were part of support units at platoon, company or battalion level. Such units were often distributed among the combat units wherever they could be of the greatest use. In Bolt Action these units may be attached to the main units without reference to the "paper" unit cards.
Support Units
Support units are represented by infantry units consisting of one or more figures. Regardless of their size, each support unit provides you with an order die, like any other unit.
Command Team
The most common and most useful of the support units is the command team. It consists of an officer and several men with him. The presence of an officer is important when you need to make your units carry out orders under heavy fire - the officer gives a bonus to the morale test to all his units (including the command team) within a radius of 6 inches.
The size of the bonus the officer provides depends on his rank. The higher the rank, higher the rank, the greater the bonus. The authors of the rules, however, are aware that the link between rank and command effectiveness is rather conditional and is made for the convenience of the game.
| Rank | Morale test bonus |
|---|---|
| Second Lieutenant | +1 |
| Lieutenant | +2 |
| Captain | +3 |
| Major | +4 |
Thus the highest rank that gives the highest bonus is major, although players are free to field a figure of colonel or even general, but in any case they will get no more than +4. It should also be remembered that the maximum morale value with all positive modifiers is 10.
The player may field several officers of different ranks on the battlefield, but the bonuses for their presence within 6 inches of a unit do not add up - only the highest of the available bonuses is taken.
Medical Team
A medical team consists of a field doctor or medic and may include several orderlies or stretcher-bearers. If an infantry or artillery unit (including the medics themselves) is within 6 inches of a medical team, then when it suffers casualties from small-arms fire it may roll a number of dice equal to the number of casualties, and each result of 6 cancels one of those casualties. A medical team does not help against casualties from a lucky hit, from heavy weapon fire, or from casualties suffered in close combat.
Forward Observer Team
A forward observer team consists of the observer proper and may be supplemented by a radio operator figure. Artillery observers often operated within company formations to co-ordinate the fire of batteries in the rear. Fire was directed by various means, whether by radio, by telephone or by couriers.
In Bolt Action artillery observers work as follows. Once during the game the player may give the observer the Fire order. There is a choice of two types of ammunition - high-explosive and smoke. Having chosen the ammunition, the player takes some marker (ideally one whose appearance somehow suggests the ammunition type) and places it anywhere on the table within the observer's line of sight. This marker represents the aiming point, the place at which the artillery strike is directed.
At the start of each following turn, before the players begin drawing order dice, roll a D6 die and compare the result with the tables below.
Table of Artillery Strike Effectiveness
| Die roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miss! The observer passed on inaccurate co-ordinates, and now the shells fall anywhere but on the target... The opponent of the player may move the aiming point marker to any position within 24 inches of its original position and carry out the strike as if a 4-6 had been rolled. |
| 2, 3 | Pause! Apparently the batteries are busy with other requests... The player may move the marker 12 inches and repeat the D6 roll at the start of the next turn. |
| 4, 5, 6 | Boom! The shells have landed on someone's head... Roll a D6 die for each unit within D6+6 inches of the aiming point. On a result of 1-5 the unit suffers no casualties but receives D3 Pinned markers. On a result of 6 the unit is hit by heavy howitzer fire (3D6 hits with penetration 4+, D6 Pinned markers). Vehicles are hit on the roof; infantry and artillery units may carry out the Take Cover order (the player must declare this before taking the casualty test). |
Table of Smoke Screen Effectiveness
| Die roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miss! The observer passed on inaccurate co-ordinates, and now the smoke shells fall anywhere but on the target... The opponent of the player may move the aiming point marker to any position within 24 inches of its original position and carry out the smoke screen as if a 4-6 had been rolled. |
| 2, 3 | Pause! Apparently the batteries are busy with other requests... The player may move the marker 12 inches and repeat the D6 roll at the start of the next turn. |
| 4, 5, 6 | Boom! The smoke shells have hit the target... Take a piece of cotton wool or cloth or some other similar material and lay it within 6 inches around the aiming point. Visibility through smoke is limited to 2 inches. If the line of fire from one unit to another passes through smoke, it must not pass through the smoke screen for more than 2 inches. If the line of fire passes through smoke for less than 2 inches, the firing figures receive -1 to the hit test. |
If there is smoke on the table, at the start of each subsequent turn roll a D6 die. On a result of 1 all the smoke disperses; on a result of 2 all the smoke moves D6 inches in a random direction; on a result of 3+ the smoke stays where it is.
Air Observer Team
An air observer team consists of the air observer proper and may be supplemented by a radio operator figure. Air observers operated within ground forces' formations in order to better direct strikes from the air. In Bolt Action the functions of an air observer are the same as those of an artillery observer, except that instead of an artillery strike they may call in an air strike.
Once per game, the air observer, on receiving the Fire order, may call in an air strike. The player must choose an enemy unit within the air observer's line of sight as the target for the aircraft.
Once the target has been chosen, the aircraft may appear at the start of any following turn. The appearance of aircraft is determined by a D6 die roll, which is made before the players begin drawing order dice.
Table of Air Strike Effectiveness
| Die roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Inexperienced pilot. Oops, something went wrong... The opponent of the player may choose one of his units as a new target for the strike and bomb it as if a 4-6 had been rolled. |
| 2, 3 | Empty sky. The cranes have flown south... Nothing happens. The player may choose another target within the air observer's line of sight and repeat the D6 roll at the start of the next turn. |
| 4, 5, 6 | Bombs away! Carry out the air strike according to the procedure described below. |
The target and all units (from both sides) within 12 inches of the target receive D3-1 Pinned markers.
After this, the attacking player must place a marker 18 inches from the target to show the point at which the aircraft releases its payload. Instead of a marker, a model of the aircraft may be placed for greater spectacle.
After the aircraft's presence has been marked, the defending player attempts to shoot it down with anti-aircraft fire (see below). Note that the aircraft may be hit by its own side's anti-aircraft guns - a common occurrence in those times.
If the aircraft has not been shot down or driven off, it unleashes everything that was loaded into it - roll a D6 die and compare the result with the table below.
| Die roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fighter attack. The target receives 1 Pinned marker and 3D6 hits with penetration +1. The number of hits is reduced by 1 for each hit on the aircraft from anti-aircraft guns. Armoured vehicles are hit on the roof; infantry and artillery units may carry out the Take Cover order (the player must declare this before taking the casualty test). |
| 2, 3 | Fighter-bomber attack. The target receives 2 Pinned markers and 2D6 hits with penetration +2. The number of hits is reduced by 1 for each hit on the aircraft from anti-aircraft guns. Armoured vehicles are hit on the roof; infantry and artillery units may carry out the Take Cover order (the player must declare this before taking the casualty test). |
| 4, 5, 6 | Ground-attack aircraft. The target receives 3 Pinned markers and 3D6 hits with penetration +2. The number of hits is reduced by 1 for each hit on the aircraft from anti-aircraft guns. Armoured vehicles are hit on the roof; infantry and artillery units may carry out the Take Cover order (the player must declare this before taking the casualty test). |
Anti-Aircraft Fire
All enemy units with the anti-aircraft rule (hereafter anti-aircraft guns), which are not carrying out the Take Cover order, automatically fire at attacking aircraft if the aircraft (as a marker or model) is within their arc of fire (90 degrees to the front) and within their range. Anti-aircraft guns fire regardless of whether they carried out an order in the current turn or not. Anti-aircraft fire does not require a separate order and is resolved by the separate procedure described above. The line-of-sight rule does not apply to anti-aircraft fire - it is only necessary to measure the distance between the gun and the aircraft.
The hit test is taken with -2 to the roll, because it is extremely hard to hit a fast-flying aircraft.
If friendly anti-aircraft guns are on the table, they must take a special test so that they do not fire on their own aircraft that happen to be within their range and arc of fire. Roll a D6 die for each anti-aircraft gun: for recruits a 5 and 6 must be rolled to avoid hitting their own side, for regulars 4, 5 and 6, and for veterans 3, 4, 5 and 6. If the test is failed, the anti-aircraft gunners fire on their own aircraft too.
An anti-aircraft gun carrying out an Ambush order stops carrying it out when it fires at aircraft. In that case the order changes to Take Cover. All anti-aircraft guns which, according to the scenario conditions, are camouflaged lose that status when firing at aircraft.
If an anti-aircraft gun achieves a hit, there is no need to take a casualty test - simply count the number of hits from all anti-aircraft guns. As soon as the number of hits reaches 6, the aircraft has either been shot down or driven off, but in either case the air strike has been foiled. But even if the number of hits is less than 6, the accurate fire of the anti-aircraft gunners, as you already know, will affect the effectiveness of the air strike.
Special Unit Rules
Many units have special rules, which can be taken from the unit cards both in this rulebook and in separate supplements to Bolt Action. Some special rules are included in the descriptions of individual units. Although not all of the rules below apply to the units on the unit cards in this rulebook, they are given so that players can use them when building unit cards for other units - for example, applying the Fanatics rule to the Japanese, or the Steadfast rule to the Gurkhas, and so on.
Steadfast
Some units fight especially well in close combat, showing wonders of tenacity and courage. These are various special units such as commandos, or units formed on a tribal basis, such as the Gurkhas. Each figure in a unit with this rule scores 2 hits in close combat against infantry and artillery, regardless of what it is armed with.
Fanatics
Fanatics fight to the last drop of blood and would sooner die than retreat. A unit with this rule does not take a morale test when it loses more than half its men, and continues to fight without taking a test until only 1 man remains.
When a fanatic unit is defeated in close combat, the result of the fight is considered a draw, and the combat resumes until only 1 man remains in the unit with this rule (see the chapter "Close Combat" for more detail).
Cowards
Not everyone who is handed a rifle is ready to go to war. Some units may be formed from people from occupied territories, staffed by amnestied criminals or prisoners of war who were given the chance to atone for their [supposed] guilt with their blood. In any case such a unit will run away at the first opportunity. Cowards must always take a morale test when they receive an order, even if they have no Pinned markers, and each Pinned marker they receive counts as two.
Militia
Such units may in general be classed as recruits with morale 8, but the authors of the rules have made the assumption that untrained units may at the same time be made up of motivated or reckless fighters. They may either run at the first shots or, on the contrary, put up fierce resistance. In any case, either variant is unpredictable, and this rule is designed to reflect that unpredictability.
A militia unit is considered a recruit unit with morale 8. The first time such a unit suffers casualties, the player must roll a D6 die. On a result of 1 the unit receives D6 additional Pinned markers and carries out the Take Cover order (if the unit has already carried out some other order in the current turn, simply change it to Take Cover; if not, take an order die from the bag). On a result of 2, 3 or 4 the unit continues to fight without changing its status. On a result of 5 or 6 the unit receives a dose of battle frenzy and for the rest of the game becomes a regular unit with morale 9.
Tank Hunters
Tank hunter units undergo special training and are equipped with special means of combating armoured vehicles: anti-tank grenades, incendiary bottles, magnetic mines, etc. If a unit with this rule wins a close combat against an armoured vehicle, the result is resolved on the damage table, as if the vehicle had come under fire from an anti-tank gun - that is, the damage to the armoured vehicle is by no means superficial.
Sniper
Snipers act both alone and in pairs. When a sniper fires (on the Fire order or when carrying out an ambush), he uses the following features. In any other situation the sniper fires like an ordinary rifleman.
The range of the shot increases to 36 inches, and the sniper receives +1 to the hit test.
A sniper may choose targets within an enemy unit as if the lucky hit rule applied.
When a sniper takes the hit test, he ignores all modifiers for the target being in cover. The sniper also ignores the gun shield rule when firing at artillery.
Cavalry
Cavalry units are treated in Bolt Action as infantry once the riders dismount. In all other respects the following rules apply to cavalry units.
A cavalry unit moves on horseback 9 inches under the Advance order and 18 inches under the Run order, with the same movement restrictions on terrain as infantry units. A cavalry unit may not enter buildings while mounted.
Cavalry units cannot react to enemy fire by carrying out the Take Cover order. But they may try to leave the zone of fire, as reconnaissance vehicles do (see the chapter "Vehicles").
A cavalry unit may dismount while carrying out the Advance order. After this, for the rest of the game it will fight as an infantry unit and can no longer remount.
A cavalry unit may be armed with light small arms, but from horseback it may only fire pistols and carbines (and in this case the carbine counts as a pistol). When the unit has dismounted, it may fire its weapons without restriction.
Cavalry units fight in close combat, inflicting 3 hits per figure, regardless of what they are armed with. If a cavalry unit wins a close combat, it may regroup by moving 2D6 inches.
Motorcycles
Motorcycles were generally used for the rapid delivery of orders and similar purposes, although at the beginning of the war the Wehrmacht made active use of motorcyclists and cyclists in reconnaissance units. As with cavalry units, in Bolt Action motorcyclists are treated as a variety of infantry.
Motorcyclists act as infantrymen once they leave their iron steeds. In all other respects the following rules apply to them.
Motorcyclists move 12 inches under the Advance order and 24 inches under the Run order, with the same movement restrictions on terrain as wheeled vehicles, except that the number of turns a motorcycle may make in a turn is unlimited.
Motorcyclists cannot react to enemy fire by carrying out the Take Cover order. But they may try to leave the zone of fire, as reconnaissance vehicles do (see the chapter "Vehicles").
Motorcyclists may dismount while carrying out the Advance order. After this they will fight as an infantry unit for the rest of the game and can no longer climb back onto their machines.
Motorcyclists may be armed with light small arms, but they cannot fire while moving. Gunners in motorcycle sidecars may fire under the Advance order.
Motorcyclists cannot attack the enemy in close combat, but when they are attacked themselves they may escape, as any reconnaissance vehicle may. If they fail to escape, in close combat they are treated as unarmoured vehicles, i.e. they cannot be hit if they were carrying out the Run order; a hit is scored on a 6 if the motorcyclists were carrying out the Advance order, and on a 4, 5 or 6 if the motorcyclists were standing still. [Translator's note: the Russian source text reads "they cannot be hit" for the Run order, and then gives a hit on a 6 for the same situation; the rule is transcribed here as printed, and should be checked against the English original if one becomes available.] Casualties are inflicted according to the motorcyclists' skill (recruit, regular, veteran). Motorcyclists strike back as ordinary infantry, and in close combat all of them fight - both passengers and the motorcycle drivers. If the motorcyclists win the close combat, they may regroup by moving 2D6 inches.
Artillery
Up to this point we have considered mechanics relating mainly to combat between infantry units. It is now time to move on to a new type of unit - artillery. An artillery unit consists of two parts - the gun itself and its crew. Rocket launchers such as the Nebelwerfer are also counted as artillery. In the following text we will refer to an artillery unit as artillery, guns, pieces, etc.
Artillery Unit
Once again, an artillery unit is the gun itself plus its crew. The crew must be positioned within 1 inch of the gun.
Measuring the Distance to Artillery
When a gun is fired upon, the distance is measured to the model of the gun or to the crew figure - whichever is closer to the firing unit. If the distance is measured to the gun, the outermost point is considered to be the gun carriage and shield, not the barrel.
Artillery Arc of Fire and Line of Sight
When a gun fires direct, its arc of fire is determined by the line of its barrel.
When a gun fires indirectly, its arc of fire and distance are measured from any figure of the crew. Indirect-fire guns may also be assigned forward observers.
Moving Guns
Most guns featured in Bolt Action (with the exception of various coastal guns) are mobile systems on wheeled carriages, which allow their crews to roll them across the battlefield after a fashion. But this is a thankless task - pushing a machine weighing several hundred kilograms - so the Advance and Run orders act on guns somewhat differently from infantry units.
Guns and the Advance Order
On receiving the Advance order, a gun's crew may turn the gun in any direction. It may not fire while doing so.
Guns and the Run Order
On receiving this order, the crew of a light or medium gun may move it 6 inches in any direction. Heavier artillery systems and guns on fixed mounts require towing to move, so they cannot be given the Run order.
A crew whose strength has been reduced to 1 man may not carry out the Run order.
Towing Guns
The rules for towing guns are exactly the same as the rules for loading and unloading infantry into and onto vehicles (see the chapter "Vehicles"). If you have a suitable model of a tractor, simply place the gun behind it. While being towed a gun may not fire; it may only fire at the tractor and, accordingly, distances to the tractor are measured and lines of sight checked against it.
The gun's crew occupies all the free space in the tractor - no one else may be seated in it until the gun has been unhitched.
Some tractors cannot tow very heavy guns. For example, a standard jeep cannot tow a 90 mm anti-aircraft gun. The unit cards will specify in detail which vehicles may tow which types of gun.
Artillery Fire
Even if the crew has a self-defence weapon, it may not use it - artillerymen always fire from their gun.
Line of Sight
Line of sight is checked along the line of the barrel. Try to bend over the gaming table so as to look at the target as if through the sight (and in doing so without moving, breaking or overturning any terrain or other figures).
Arc of Fire
The arc of fire of a gun, like that of any weapon with the stationary rule, is limited to 90 degrees to the front.
Gun Shields
Many guns are equipped with shields for additional protection of their crews. If a gun has a shield, then when taking a casualty test in a situation where the fire came from the gun's arc of fire (i.e. 90 degrees to the front), a 6+ must be rolled to inflict a casualty on the crew, regardless of its skill. The result of the dice roll may be increased by the penetration of the weapon.
Firing at Guns
The effect of small-arms fire and heavy weapon fire against guns differs.
Small-arms fire cannot damage the gun itself. Against small-arms fire, casualties are always borne by the crew, even if a lucky hit has occurred.
Heavy weapons inflict casualties on the crew, but if a lucky hit has occurred, the gun is considered destroyed. A destroyed artillery system means that the artillery unit is destroyed and, accordingly, the player must remove 1 order die. Nevertheless, surviving artillerymen may join the crew of another gun.
If the artillerymen have been killed but the gun itself has remained intact and undamaged, the gun is considered abandoned. To indicate this state, place an order die next to the gun. The die will lie there until the end of the game (in which case the gun passes into the category of destroyed) or until the dead crew has been replaced by other artillerymen (see below).
Abandoned guns are treated as terrain features - the 1-inch distance rule between units does not apply to them. If an enemy unit comes within 1 inch of the gun, it destroys it.
Artillery and Close Combat
An artillery unit may not attack other units in close combat. Guns may be attacked by infantry and vehicles, and they may lay defensive fire by the standard procedure.
The crew fights in close combat like an ordinary infantry unit, receiving no bonuses for the gun or for the presence of a shield. If the close combat is lost, the crew and the gun are both destroyed automatically.
Changing a Gun's Crew
A crew may move 12 inches from one gun to another, in order to top up the numbers of other crews or to "revive" a gun left without artillerymen.
Artillerymen may make a 12-inch dash from gun to gun when their gun has received an order, whatever that order may be. Such movement counts as running, and running crews may be fired on by units in ambush. Artillerymen may not move if the distance between the guns is more than 12 inches. Artillerymen may not use any of the guns between which they moved. If an abandoned gun has been re-manned by a crew, the player, using the die lying next to it, gives it the Take Cover order.
If a gun has been destroyed, the surviving artillerymen may, in the same turn, run up to 12 inches to another gun, provided they have not yet received an order. This is the only action they may carry out. If they have already carried out some order, or have failed an order test, or there are no other guns within 12 inches, the crew is removed from the table along with the gun.
Remember that an artillery unit is considered destroyed if the gun itself is destroyed. Accordingly, 1 order die must be removed. If the crew manages to run to another gun, that is good; if not, that is that.
Firing Smoke Ammunition
All howitzers and mortars may fire smoke shells by indirect fire. To do this, the player must use a marker to indicate on the table the point at which the shot will be made. To hit, a 6 must be rolled, and if the gun and the target remained stationary, then in the following turn the shot will hit on a 5+, then on a 4+, and so on.
To represent smoke, use cotton wool, cloth or similar material. The radius of the smoke screen depends on the power of the artillery system.
- Light mortar - 3 inches
- Medium mortar / light howitzer - 4 inches
- Heavy mortar / medium howitzer - 5 inches
- Heavy howitzer - 6 inches
If the shell does not hit the target (which is most likely to be the case), the opponent may move the target marker 6 inches in any direction, but so that the new smoke screen does not overlap any already present (if there are any).
Visibility through smoke is limited to 2 inches. If the line of fire from one unit to another passes through smoke, it must not pass through the smoke screen for more than 2 inches. If the line of fire passes through smoke for less than 2 inches, the firing figures receive -1 to the hit test.
If there is smoke on the table, at the start of each subsequent turn roll a D6 die. On a result of 1 all the smoke disperses; on a result of 2 all the smoke moves D6 inches in a random direction; on a result of 3+ the smoke stays where it is.
Vehicles
This chapter sets out the rules affecting the use of various combat vehicles - jeeps, trucks, armoured cars, self-propelled guns and, of course, tanks. But before introducing new rules, we will look at how the sections already presented apply to vehicles.
Description of Vehicles
Combat vehicles differ in their armour, armament and special rules. All these characteristics are given on the unit cards at the end of the rulebook or in the relevant supplements.
Organising Vehicles into Units
A vehicle unit always consists of 1 model, whether it is a super-heavy tank or a small jeep. Every vehicle is manned by a crew sufficient for its effective use. The crew is not tracked separately - if the vehicle is destroyed, the crew is considered to have left the game.
Vehicles and Measuring Distances
Vehicle models usually have no bases, so distances are measured from or to the hull. If a vehicle is firing, the distance is measured from the muzzle of the weapon it fires from (which gives some advantage to vehicles with long-barrelled guns, as was in fact the case).
Vehicles and Line of Sight
The general rule is that a vehicle's line of sight depends on the position of its crew - whether this is a model of a gunner in a Sd.Kfz.251, a man hidden inside the commander's cupola of a tankette, or a driver watching the road through a slit.
Many players like, for greater spectacle, to place crew figures on tanks, sticking out of open hatches. In Bolt Action this has no practical significance - the authors of the rules assume that at the first sign of danger the tank crews hide and do not show themselves again, so these figures may not be used as a starting point for determining line of sight.
When firing, line of sight is determined along the line of the barrel.
Vehicles and Orders
A vehicle may receive the same orders as infantry, with the exception of the Take Cover order. The procedure for carrying out orders is the same.
As for the Take Cover order, here everything is obvious - a combat vehicle cannot lie down and hide in a ditch like an infantryman. A combat vehicle also cannot Take Cover as a reaction when it comes under fire.
The die with the Take Cover order is placed next to a vehicle in a situation where the vehicle stops and for some reason can no longer carry out actions in the current turn (for example, it has lost its move or failed an order test). The vehicle gains no benefit from this.
If a vehicle has Pinned markers, then if it fails an order test it must turn to face the enemy and only then receive an order die with the Take Cover order.
Vehicles and the Pinned Status
Fully enclosed armoured vehicles can receive the Pinned status only from hits by heavy weapons. Small-arms fire does no harm to such vehicles.
Armoured vehicles with open tops may receive the Pinned status from fire of any weapon.
Pinned vehicles behave differently from an infantry or artillery unit. A Pinned vehicle must take an order test by the standard procedure, but if the test is failed and at least one enemy unit lies within the vehicle's line of sight in the 90-degree arc to its front, the vehicle must (if it can) withdraw backwards before receiving an order die with the Take Cover order. If it cannot withdraw, the Pinned vehicle simply receives an order die with the Take Cover order.
Officers and Vehicles
Officers and command teams may move inside vehicles. In this case their morale test bonuses apply only to the command team itself, to the vehicle and to the other units inside it.
Vehicles and Movement
Vehicles may move faster than infantry over most types of terrain, but vehicles are less manoeuvrable. Below we consider the principal differences between the movement of vehicles and infantry units.
The Advance Order
On receiving this order, the vehicle moves as if at low speed, firing from short stops.
Tracked vehicles move 9 inches in a straight line. During the move a vehicle may make 1 turn of up to 90 degrees.
Half-tracked vehicles move 9 inches in a straight line. During the move a vehicle may make 2 turns of up to 90 degrees each (including turning through 180 degrees).
Wheeled vehicles move 12 inches in a straight line. During the move a vehicle may make 2 turns of up to 90 degrees each (including turning through 180 degrees).
The Run Order
Tracked vehicles move 18 inches in a straight line. Tracked vehicles may not change direction during the move.
Half-tracked vehicles move 18 inches in a straight line. During the move a vehicle may make 1 turn of up to 90 degrees.
Wheeled vehicles move 24 inches in a straight line. During the move a vehicle may make 1 turn of up to 90 degrees.
Reversing
A vehicle may reverse a distance equal to half the distance it moves under the Advance order - that is, for tracked and half-tracked vehicles this will be 4.5 inches, for wheeled vehicles 6 inches. If a vehicle has the reconnaissance vehicle rule, it may reverse without restriction.
A reconnaissance vehicle may in addition make turns while reversing. Tracked vehicles may make 1 turn of up to 90 degrees; half-tracked and wheeled vehicles may make 2 turns of up to 90 degrees. Some reconnaissance vehicles may also reverse a distance under the Run order, as stated on their unit cards.
Movement Over Terrain
For convenience, the table from the chapter "Movement" is reproduced here.
| Terrain type | Infantry | Artillery | Wheeled vehicles | Tracked vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| Difficult terrain | Advance only | Impassable* | Impassable | Advance only |
| Obstacle | Advance only | Impassable | Impassable | Unrestricted* |
| Building | Unrestricted | Impassable* | Impassable | Impassable (!) |
| Road | Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Double |
- Unrestricted. A unit may move through this terrain without restriction, i.e. under both the Advance order and the Run order.
- Unrestricted*. A unit may move through this terrain without restriction, unless it is considered an anti-tank obstacle, a thick hedgerow or another barrier impassable to vehicles.
- Advance only. A unit may not cross or move through this terrain under the Run order.
- Impassable. A unit may not cross or move through this terrain at all.
- Impassable*. A unit may not cross or move through this terrain at all, except that it may have been placed on this terrain at the start of the game. In that case the unit may not leave its position until the end of the game.
- Impassable (!). A unit may not cross or move through this terrain at all, unless it is a heavy tank, which in some situations may destroy a building (see the chapter "Buildings").
- Double. The unit's movement distance doubles if it travels along a road for the whole of its move.
Weapons on Vehicles
The use of weapons mounted on vehicles follows the standard rules in general, with a few exceptions.
Stationary Weapons and Crews
The authors of Bolt Action assume that each combat vehicle is manned by a sufficient number of crew to use all its weapons effectively. Accordingly, the crew rule and its restrictions do not apply to vehicles. The stationary rule also does not apply to vehicles.
Arcs of Fire of Vehicles
Weapons mounted on vehicles usually have limited arcs of fire. Details of which weapon on which vehicle may fire where will be given on the unit cards.
Each vehicle unit has four arcs of fire, each of 90 degrees (namely front, two flanks and rear). The arcs are measured not from the barrel of the main armament (as for artillery and heavy machine guns), but from each of the four corners of the hull.
Weapons in the Hull or Superstructure
The unit cards for vehicles will state which arcs of fire may be covered by weapons mounted in the hull or superstructure. Usually this is the front arc of fire.
Weapons in a Turret
A weapon in a turret can usually fire in all directions. However, some turrets have traverse limits (for example the machine-gun turrets of the T-28), which will also be shown on the unit cards.
Pintle-Mounted Weapons
Some vehicles (generally jeeps and half-track armoured personnel carriers) were armed with machine guns on pintle mounts. Depending on the design of a given mount, the field of fire could be limited to a single arc of fire or could provide all-round fire, as will be mentioned on the unit cards. Such mounts also made it possible to conduct anti-aircraft fire against low-flying aircraft.
Coaxial Weapons
As a rule, this is a rifle-calibre machine gun coupled with a tank gun. Accordingly, its arc of fire is the same as that of the gun. Attention! From a coaxial machine gun
Coaxial weapons cannot be fired at the same time as the gun. The player must choose one or the other - either the gun or the machine gun.
Firing at Several Targets
When a vehicle has received the Fire order, it may fire with all the weapons mounted on it, provided there are no restrictions on the use of a particular weapon (for example see the previous paragraph). Each weapon may fire at a target within its own range and arc of fire. It is permissible to fire at one target with several types of weapon, or to divide the fire of different weapons between several targets.
Firing at Vehicles
Target's Reaction
When a vehicle comes under fire, the procedure is generally standard, except for the reaction. As you already know, a vehicle cannot carry out the Take Cover order in response to fire aimed at itself. Only reconnaissance vehicles may evade fire.
Hit Test and Casualty Test
Both tests are taken by the standard procedure. Below we give again the table of the values that must be rolled to damage a vehicle when taking the casualty test.
| Unit type | Result |
|---|---|
| Unarmoured vehicles | |
| Unarmoured vehicles | 6+ |
| Armoured vehicles | |
| Armoured cars and APCs | 7+ |
| Light tanks | 8+ |
| Medium tanks | 9+ |
| Heavy tanks | 10+ |
| Super-heavy tanks | 11+ |
Damage to Unarmoured Vehicles
Any damage (a successfully passed casualty test) to an unarmoured vehicle means that the vehicle is destroyed.
Damage to Armoured Vehicles
Since the minimum armour of an armoured vehicle is 7+, an armoured vehicle cannot be damaged by small-arms fire under any circumstances. The only exception to this rule is vehicles with open tops (see the relevant section).
When a vehicle is fired on by heavy weapons, the modifiers for side, top and rear armour are applied to the casualty test result, as well as the modifier for the range of the shot.
| Modifier | Value |
|---|---|
| Shot to the side or the roof | +1 |
| Shot to the rear | +2 |
| Shot from long range | -1 |
- Shot to the side. If the firing unit is in the side arc of fire of the vehicle, it receives +1 to the casualty test result.
- Shot to the roof. Some types of weapon (mortars, for example) fire indirectly, and accordingly the hit goes to the roof with +1 to the casualty test.
- Shot to the rear. If the firing unit is in the rear arc of fire of the vehicle, it receives +2 to the casualty test result.
- Shot from long range. The effectiveness of armour-piercing rounds falls with distance, so a shot from a distance greater than half the weapon's range makes the casualty test with -1 to the result.
Pinned Status
Unarmoured vehicles and armoured vehicles with open tops which received a hit but were not damaged receive the Pinned status by the same rules as infantry or artillery.
Fully enclosed armoured vehicles may receive Pinned markers only from heavy weapon fire, even if no damage was caused.
Vehicle Damage
Not every hit that damages an armoured vehicle will destroy it. One shell may easily penetrate the armour and destroy the crew with fragments, whereas another shell will cause only superficial damage to the running gear.
To reflect such situations, an armoured vehicle that has been damaged, unlike infantry and unarmoured vehicles, is not removed from the table immediately. Instead, for each point of damage an additional test of the consequences of the hit must be taken: roll a D6 die and compare the result with the table below.
If the result of the casualty test equalled the armour value of the armoured vehicle, the vehicle suffers minor damage. In this case the test of the consequences of the hit is taken with -3 to its result, i.e. D6-3. As can be seen from the table, the most that can happen to an armoured vehicle in this situation is that it catches fire.
If the result of the casualty test exceeded the armour value of the armoured vehicle by 1 or 2, the vehicle suffers normal damage. In this case the test of the consequences of the hit is taken on a D6 die.
If the result of the casualty test exceeded the armour value of the armoured vehicle by 3 or more, the vehicle suffers heavy damage. In this case, when taking the test of the consequences of the hit, the player rolls 2 D6 dice and applies both results.
Test of the Consequences of a Hit
| Die roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 or less | Crew stunned. The vehicle receives one more Pinned marker. Place next to it an order die showing Take Cover, or change its current order to Take Cover - the vehicle may not act any further in this turn. |
| 2 | Loss of movement. The vehicle receives one more Pinned marker. The vehicle may not move until the end of the game; place a suitable marker to show this state. If the vehicle was carrying out an order in the current turn, change that order to Take Cover. If the vehicle receives another loss-of-movement result as a result of fire, its crew abandons it. |
| 3 | Fire. The vehicle receives one more Pinned marker. The crew must take a morale test. If the test is passed, the tank crew has managed to pull itself together and put the fire out. Place next to it an order die showing Take Cover, or change its current order to Take Cover - the vehicle may not act any further in this turn. If the test is failed, the crew abandons the vehicle. |
| 4, 5 and 6 | Knocked out. Place some marker on the vehicle to show that it has caught fire. The smoking hull of the vehicle is considered impassable terrain. If the players wish, however, they may remove the model from the table. |
Minor damage - D6-3 Normal damage - D6 Heavy damage - 2 D6, and both results apply
An open-topped armoured vehicle hit by indirect fire - +1 to the result of the test
Hits on Open-Topped Armoured Vehicles
If a vehicle has the open-top rule, a shell fired by indirect fire will cause more serious damage - each such hit gives +1 to the result of the casualty test and +1 to the result of the test of the consequences of a hit.
Vehicles in Close Combat with Infantry and Artillery
Vehicles must also observe the 1-inch distance rule between units. But if a combat vehicle moves straight onto the positions of infantry or artillery, it moves into close combat.
Moving into Close Combat
Only tanks may move into close combat with infantry and artillery. By tanks are meant not only tanks proper but also assault guns and self-propelled guns - in short, any vehicle with armour 8+. Accordingly, armoured cars, APCs, jeeps and other vehicles with armour of 6 and 7 may not attack in close combat.
To move into close combat, a tank must receive the Run order. The tank must travel at least half the maximum permitted distance (usually 9 inches), and it may move only in a straight line.
Reaction of the Attacked Unit
If a tank begins its move more than 6 inches away from the attacked unit, the latter may respond with defensive fire by the standard procedure, firing at the tank at any point of its movement, but not closer than 6 inches. If the tank has not been destroyed or immobilised, move the model into base contact with the attacked unit and play out the close combat by the rules set out below. After this, finish the tank's movement, if it is possible to do so. If, however, the tank has finished its movement right against the attacked unit, that unit must be withdrawn so that the 1-inch distance is observed.
If other infantry or artillery units stand in the tank's path, they too become attacked in close combat. In this case the close combat procedure is repeated from one unit to the next in turn. Accordingly, these units may lay defensive fire if the tank is more than 6 inches from them. It may happen that two units find themselves in the tank's path at the same time. In this case the player controlling the attacked side chooses the sequence in which he will play out the close combat.
Close Combat
The procedure for close combat involving tanks differs from the procedure for close combat involving infantry or artillery units.
When a tank attacks infantry, the infantry unit must take a morale test. If the test is failed, the infantry unit is considered destroyed (including units with the fanatics rule). If the test is passed, the soldiers scatter to let the tank through, but then regroup again. The tank continues on its way for as long as it has movement distance left. If the tank finishes its move having mixed with an infantry unit, the latter must withdraw at least 1 inch.
When a tank attacks artillery, the artillery is considered destroyed regardless of whether the crew passed its morale test. Nevertheless, if the test is passed, the artillerymen may reinforce other crews within 12 inches (see the section "Changing a Gun's Crew").
Vehicle Close Combat with Other Vehicles
Although examples of tank rams occurred during the Second World War, these were quite rare cases, caused more by desperation than by deliberate intent. Nevertheless, the authors of Bolt Action have provided for this possibility in their game.
Only tanks may ram vehicles (by tanks, let us recall, are meant combat vehicles with armour 8+). Moving into close combat (i.e. ramming) takes place by the same procedure as moving into close combat against infantry or artillery. An attack by a tank on various armoured trucks (vehicles with armour 6 and 7) takes place immediately on receiving the order, but if the tank intends to attack another tank, then to carry out this order it must pass a test with -3 to the result. This test must be taken in any case, even if the attacking tank has no Pinned markers. In either case the attacked vehicle may open defensive fire by the standard procedure.
If the tank survives the defensive fire, the player moves the model into contact with the model of the attacked vehicle. Both players roll D6 dice and add to the result the armour of their vehicles, if they are armoured vehicles (i.e. add 7, 8, etc.).
Whoever rolled more wins the close combat. If the results are equal, both sides are considered to have lost.
A losing vehicle that is unarmoured is destroyed at once. If the losing vehicle is armoured, a test of the consequences of a hit must be taken (see above). The result of the test also depends on the "weight class" of the participants in the ram.
If the loser's armour is greater than the winner's armour, the loser suffers minor damage.
If the winner's armour is greater than the loser's armour, the winner suffers no damage at all, while the loser suffers damage depending on the difference between the results of the two sides' tests (i.e. if a tank with armour 9 rolled a 6, for a total of 15, and a tank with armour 8 rolled a 5, for a total of 13, the first inflicted normal damage on the second; but if the tank with armour 8 had rolled not 5 but 4, for a total of 12, then the ram would have ended in heavy damage).
After the winner and loser have been determined and all damage to the equipment has been counted, the surviving vehicles immediately stop and receive order dice showing Take Cover. In addition, all surviving vehicles receive 1 Pinned marker each.
Infantry in Close Combat Against Vehicles
In some situations infantry may themselves attack vehicles that have been caught unawares. It is assumed that the infantry are armed with anti-tank grenades and other means of combating armoured vehicles. In general the close combat procedure against vehicles follows the standard procedure, with some exceptions.
Attack at High Speed
If a vehicle has received the Run order, it may not be attacked in close combat - it is moving too fast. The exception is a situation where a vehicle that received the Run order was immobilised in the same turn (in which case the order die lying next to the vehicle has already been changed to Take Cover).
Fear of Tanks
An infantry unit that is not armed with special anti-tank weapons (this must be stated on the unit cards) must take an order test when attacking a fully enclosed armoured vehicle. The test must be taken in any case, even if the unit has no Pinned markers, and the test is taken with -3 to the result. If, however, the vehicle has an open top, whether it is the lightly armoured Hanomag or the M36 self-propelled gun, no test is needed. Anti-tank grenades are not counted as a separate weapon type, but it is assumed that units with the tank hunters rule are equipped with them in sufficient quantity.
Reaction of the Attacked Vehicle
A vehicle may fire at infantry if the infantry is more than 6 inches away and within the arc of fire of the relevant weapon. Reconnaissance vehicles may evade the attack.
Close Combat
If the infantry was not destroyed by defensive fire, close combat begins.
The infantry takes a hit test with:
- 4, 5 and 6, if the vehicle has been immobilised, has received the Take Cover order, or has not yet carried out an order in the current turn;
- 6, if the vehicle has carried out the Advance order.
If the hits landed on an unarmoured vehicle or an armoured vehicle with an open top, these vehicles are destroyed automatically.
If the hits landed on a fully enclosed armoured vehicle, the casualty test is not taken for each hit separately (as in the standard procedure), but by slightly different rules: to a single D6 die roll is added the sum of all the hits achieved, i.e. if the infantry scored 3 hits, the test is taken with the result D6+3.
After the casualty test has been passed successfully, the test of the consequences of hits remains to be taken. Infantry without the tank hunters rule can inflict only minor damage. Infantry with this rule inflict damage by the standard rules.
If the vehicle survives the close combat, the attacking infantry must regroup.
Transport Vehicles
If the main purpose of a vehicle is to carry personnel, it is marked on its unit card as a transport. These include trucks, APCs, jeeps and so on. The following rules describe the actions of transport vehicles in Bolt Action.
Giving Orders to Transport Vehicles
A transport vehicle and the units inside it are separate formations, and they may not act on a single order.
Transport Vehicles on the Battlefield
The role of a transport vehicle is to carry personnel, and as soon as the vehicles with soldiers arrive at the scene, this role is considered fulfilled. Although some transport vehicles were equipped with machine guns, these were defensive weapons, and few would think of voluntarily joining a firefight.
To reflect this fact, Bolt Action applies the following rule - if an empty transport vehicle finishes its turn in a position where it is closer to the enemy than to its own units (other than other transport vehicles), it is considered destroyed and is removed from the table.
Machine guns mounted on a transport vehicle may fire only if there is some infantry unit inside the vehicle. The vehicle's crew may not fire these machine guns themselves.
Boarding a Transport Vehicle
A transport vehicle may carry any number of infantry units within its capacity, which is measured in figures. A unit may not be divided between several transport vehicles.
Infantry may begin the game inside a transport, or may board one during the game.
Infantry may board only a transport that was stationary. It is not permitted to board a transport that has received the Advance or Run order. Accordingly, if infantry has boarded a transport, the latter may no longer move until the end of the turn. The rules do, however, allow boarding a transport that was moving but has stopped for some reason (in that case the player must change the transport's order to Take Cover).
To board a transport, the infantry must receive the Run order. After this the player moves the infantry's figures to within less than 1 inch of the transport. If all the figures of the unit are within 1 inch of the transport, the unit boards it in full. If, however, some of the figures are more than 1 inch from the transport, the unit cannot board it this turn.
Infantry Inside Transport Vehicles
As soon as an infantry unit has boarded a transport, its figures are somehow temporarily removed from the table or placed so as not to confuse the players. The only order that a unit inside a transport may receive is the Take Cover order, if the player wants the infantry to remain seated, or the Advance and Run orders, if the player wants the infantry to leave the transport. No other orders may be given to an infantry unit inside a transport.
An infantry unit inside a transport cannot be fired on directly by the enemy. Nevertheless, an infantry unit may suffer casualties and receive Pinned markers if the transport itself is fired on. If the transport has received Pinned markers, each unit inside receives the same number of markers. If the transport is destroyed, each unit receives D6 hits and must immediately leave the vehicle with the Take Cover order.
Disembarking from a Transport Vehicle
Leaving a transport is somewhat easier than getting into one - infantry may do so even if the vehicle has moved.
An infantry unit may leave a transport that has not moved at all, or has not yet moved, in the current turn, or that has received the Advance order. The unit may leave the transport either before or after the transport has carried out its order.
If the transport was carrying out the Run order, the infantry may not leave it, unless the vehicle was forced to stop because of the enemy's action.
To leave a transport, the infantry must carry out the Advance or Run order. It is not permitted, having received the Run order, to jump out of a transport and at the same time attack the enemy in close combat.
If the transport has been immobilised by enemy fire, the infantry must immediately leave it, regardless of the orders given to the infantry and to the vehicle. The infantry jumps out and moves a distance of up to 6 inches, receiving the Take Cover order.
When a transport is attacked in close combat, all infantry units, regardless of the orders previously received, jump out and try to engage in close combat, and they have no possibility of laying defensive fire. The transport itself may lay defensive fire at the attacking infantry if the latter is within the arc of fire of its machine guns (we recall once again that the transport's machine guns may fire only if there is some infantry unit inside the vehicle) and more than 6 inches away. Close combat is then played out between the attacking infantry and 1 infantry unit that has jumped out of the transport (the attacked player must choose which unit comes out first, if there are several such units inside the transport). If the defending unit loses the close combat, the transport is destroyed and the other units that jumped out each receive D6 hits and the Take Cover order.
Special Vehicle Rules
The following special rules apply to various vehicle units listed on the unit cards to the current rules and to the unit cards in supplements. The unit cards also state certain rules specific to particular models of combat vehicle.
Command Vehicle
Command vehicles are fitted with radios capable of transmitting and receiving, which allows the troops to be controlled more effectively. A command vehicle gives all armoured vehicles (including itself) within 12 inches +1 to the morale test result.
Turret Rear Machine Gun
A vehicle fitted with this machine gun may fire at targets within the arc of fire opposite to that of the main armament in the turret.
Slow
Some tanks were specially designed to give direct support to infantry on the battlefield. A tank with this rule moves 6 inches under the Advance order and 12 inches under the Run order.
Reconnaissance Vehicle
This rule applies to specially designed reconnaissance (armoured) vehicles, or to light armoured vehicles performing reconnaissance tasks.
A reconnaissance vehicle may once per turn react to fire and to close combat attack by carrying out a rapid withdrawal. It does not matter whether the vehicle has received an order this turn or not. No separate order is needed for a rapid withdrawal. When the enemy declares that he intends to fire on or attack the vehicle in close combat, the player may in reply declare that he intends to withdraw. The vehicle withdraws in reverse, i.e. for the distance it would travel under the Advance order, but the vehicle may manoeuvre as if it were moving forwards.
Some reconnaissance vehicles may withdraw a distance equal to that which they would move under the Run order. In that case, however, the movement must be strictly backwards, without the possibility of manoeuvring.
Once a reconnaissance vehicle has withdrawn, it changes its current order or receives the Take Cover order. The enemy continues to fire or attack in close combat if the reconnaissance vehicle is within the arc of fire and within range. If, however, the reconnaissance vehicle has managed to evade (otherwise why would it have undertaken the withdrawal?), the shooting or attack automatically fails.
Reconnaissance vehicles may also detect concealed units at a greater distance than other vehicles (see the rules for concealed units).
Reconnaissance vehicles that are used to tow artillery may not carry out a rapid withdrawal.
Amphibious
A vehicle with this rule may move across water obstacles which are considered impassable terrain for other vehicles. Its speed of movement is half the distance that the vehicle would move under the Advance order.
An amphibious vehicle may not carry out any actions while it is swimming: it may not withdraw, turn, carry out the Take Cover order, etc.
An amphibious vehicle that is immobilised while in the water is considered to have sunk, together with its entire crew and passengers.
An amphibious vehicle may fire while swimming. However, on some amphibious vehicles the pontoons cover the weapons mounted in the hull, which will be noted separately on the unit cards.
Open-Topped Vehicle
The rules for open-topped vehicles have already been mentioned in the course of the rules, and we repeat them in this section.
An open-topped vehicle receives Pinned markers from small-arms fire.
If an open-topped vehicle has been attacked by infantry in close combat, it is automatically destroyed when it fails the casualty test (see the section "Infantry in Close Combat Against Vehicles").
If any open-topped vehicle comes under indirect fire, the test of the consequences of a hit is taken with +1 to the result. If an open-topped armoured vehicle comes under indirect fire, the casualty test is taken with +1 to the result.
Buildings
Inhabited areas and other built-up zones are an excellent cover for infantry, and they give soldiers a host of opportunities for setting up ambushes. Buildings are good places to defend in their own right, and among houses even the heaviest tank may easily be destroyed by determined infantrymen.
As you will recall, we have already touched on the subject of buildings when we spoke of difficult terrain. In relation to buildings, the latter includes various ruins and heaps of rubble and stones. This chapter deals mainly with intact buildings, as well as field fortifications. In general, buildings on the gaming table present a certain challenge to the wargamer: will they be dismountable structures with removable roofs and worked-out interiors, with the possibility of placing figures inside them, or will they be solid terrain elements inside which the presence of figures is indicated only nominally?
Players may agree in advance that figures may not enter buildings at all - for example, the buildings were set on fire after a bombing or an artillery barrage. The authors of Bolt Action, however, do not consider this correct - after all, it is far more interesting when snipers work from roofs, machine guns fire from windows, and Panzerfaust grenades fly out of cellars.
In this chapter, buildings are taken to mean structures about the size of a small country house (roughly 6x6 inches at 28 mm scale).
Entering a Building
Only infantry units may enter buildings.
To enter a building, an infantry unit must receive the Run order, and as a result of carrying out this order all the figures in the unit must come closer than 1 inch to the building. At least one figure must stand opposite a door or window. After this the unit is placed on the table (or off the table) in some way that makes it clear that it has entered the building.
If the building has several floors, the unit enters the ground floor. To simplify the game, the authors assume that most buildings are large enough for one unit to fit on each floor. If one of the floors is occupied by the enemy, the unit may not move onto that floor, unless the player wishes to move into close combat, which is described below.
Note that both infantry and artillery may be placed in a building at the very start of the game, if the building lies within the player's deployment zone. In that case artillery units may not move until the end of the game.
Leaving a Building
The rule for leaving a building is similar to the rule for leaving a transport vehicle. An infantry unit must be on the ground floor and must receive the Advance or Run order. The distance of movement is measured from the door or window through which the unit runs outside.
A unit leaving a building may attack the enemy outside in close combat, in a neighbouring building, or on another floor. If the enemy is outside, it may open defensive fire by the standard procedure, and the attacking unit will receive no cover bonus (it is assumed that firing at it began when the soldiers ran out into the street). If, however, the enemy is in a neighbouring building or on another floor, defensive fire may not be laid.
Orders to Units Inside Buildings
Units inside buildings may receive orders by the standard procedure.
The Advance order is given for leaving a building, for moving from floor to floor, and for moving into a neighbouring building. The unit, of course, may fire while doing so.
The Run order is given for leaving a building, for moving across one floor, for moving across two neighbouring buildings, or for moving into close combat on the nearest floor within that building, or in a neighbouring building.
Large Buildings
Sometimes large building models may be on the gaming table: factories, schools, railway stations and so on. In this case it is most practical to regard such a building as a conditional combination of several sections, each roughly 8x8 to 6x6 inches in size, as if joined together. If one such section exceeds 6 inches in size (the distance infantry moves under the Advance order), an infantry unit may not run across two sections under one order.
Shooting From Buildings
Units inside buildings may fire from any opening in the wall - a window, a door, a breach and so on. The distance to the target is measured from this opening, and the line of sight is likewise determined from the opening. No more than 2 men may fire through a single opening.
A unit may distribute its fire between different targets on different sides of a building, but if it is firing from one side of the building, its fire must be concentrated on only 1 target.
Weapons with the Stationary Rule
In the case of weapons with the stationary rule, which, as we know, have a fixed arc of fire, the player must clearly state from which opening the weapon will fire, until it is moved.
Fire From Above
If a unit is on any floor above the first and fires at a vehicle at a distance of no more than 12 inches, then any heavy weapon hits the roof, with +1 to the casualty test. This rule does not apply to guns firing indirectly, since they already have that bonus.
Shooting at Buildings
Units with small arms may fire at enemy units inside a building if the openings at which the figures are concentrated are within range and within line of sight. The distance is measured to the openings.
For fire from heavy weapons (excluding flamethrowers) it is enough simply to measure the distance to the required floor of the building - heavy shells will punch through the wall.
The hit test is taken by the standard procedure. Units inside a building are considered to be in heavy cover (-2 to the hit test result) and may react to fire by carrying out the Take Cover order.
Additional Protection
To inflict a casualty on a unit inside a building (regardless of the unit's skill), the casualty test must be passed with a result of 6+. The penetration value of the weapon is added to the test result, as in the standard rules.
The exception to this rule is hits from high-explosive shells (see the following section).
Firing HE Ammunition at a Building
If fire is delivered by high-explosive shells by indirect fire, then a hit on a building means that the shell has punched through or found an opening in the roof and penetrated inside. It remains to determine on which floor it will explode. To do this, roll a D6 die. On a result of 4, 5 or 6 the shell explodes immediately, damaging all units on the roof and top floor. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the shell falls further down. Roll the D6 die again and repeat the procedure described above. Having reached the ground floor, the shell explodes automatically.
If fire from high-explosive shells is delivered by direct aim, the shooting is resolved by the standard rules - choose an opening in the wall of the house, measure the distance and take the hit test.
But whatever way the high-explosive shell is delivered inside the building, its explosion means that the casualty test is taken without counting the additional protection rule (see the previous section) and without counting the gun shield rule.
If the HE value of a gun is 2D6 or more, there is a chance that the building will be destroyed. To determine this, take the hit test once more (by the procedure for HE). If 12 or more hits are achieved in the test, the building collapses and buries under its rubble all the units that were inside it.
Flamethrowers Against Buildings
A flamethrower may be used only if there is some opening in the building's wall. Flamethrowers, as you will recall, automatically score hits without taking the corresponding test. The additional protection and gun shield rules do not save units from flamethrowers.
A flamethrower attack may cause the building to catch fire. Roll a D6 die. On a result of 4, 5 or 6 a fire starts. The building is considered impassable until the end of the game. Artillery units inside the building are considered destroyed. Infantry units immediately leave the building by the same rules as those that leave a knocked-out or destroyed vehicle [Note from the Russian translators: the wording here is confusing - in Bolt Action leaving a knocked-out vehicle and leaving a destroyed vehicle are different procedures with different consequences.]
Close Combat in Buildings
An infantry unit outside a building may attempt to break into the building and attack the enemy sitting inside in close combat.
The distance for the attack is measured to any opening on the ground floor.
Close combat is resolved by the standard rules, except that the figures of the attacking unit come into base contact with the wall of the building, and one of the figures must stand opposite an opening on the ground floor. Close combat inside a building counts as close combat across an obstacle, and accordingly casualties are counted simultaneously.
Infantry units inside a building may also attack each other. In this case the defensive fire rule is not used, and close combat counts as close combat across an obstacle.
Tank Attacks Against Buildings
A heavy or super-heavy tank may attempt to destroy a wooden or brick building by a ramming blow. Tanks may not ram bunkers or stone/concrete structures.
The strength of a wooden building is 2D6.
The strength of a brick building is 3D6.
The ramming of a building is resolved by the same procedure as the ramming of tanks. Both players roll a D6 die and add the armour value (attacker) and the strength of the building (defender).
If the defender rolls more, the damage is inflicted in the same way as in a tank ram. A wooden building can inflict only minor damage.
If both sides roll the same result, the tank suffers minor damage and the building is destroyed.
If the attacker rolls more, the building is destroyed, the tank model is moved onto the rubble, and its order changes to Take Cover.
A destroyed building buries under its rubble any unit that was inside it.
If the tank survives the ramming of a building, the vehicle receives a Pinned marker.
Artillery Inside Buildings
This section summarises once more the rules for placing guns inside buildings.
Guns may not be placed inside buildings during the game. They may be placed in buildings only before the start of the game, during the setting up of units.
A gun may fire only through an opening, and for the rest of the game only through that opening in the wall.
A gun may not be moved during the game.
Bunkers
This section deals with bunkers, pillboxes and other particularly strong field fortifications.
In general the rules for using bunkers are similar to the rules for using buildings, with a number of exceptions.
A bunker may be entered only through a door.
Firing from or into a bunker is possible only through loopholes.
A bunker counts as super-heavy cover, which gives the opponent -4 to the result of the hit test. This rule does not apply to flamethrowers - they still hit automatically, which makes them especially effective weapons against bunkers.
Indirect fire against bunkers is ineffective and produces no result.
Tanks, even if they were all Mauses ten times over, cannot ram bunkers.
Playing Bolt Action
Determining the Scale of the Game
Before deploying their forces on the battlefield, both players must agree on how large the clash will be. To do this they must determine the number of points on which they will build their units. The authors of Bolt Action recommend a 1000-point game as the standard, and the scenario examples given below are designed for exactly this scale. Of course, the number of army points may be larger or smaller, but in such cases the initial conditions of the scenarios must be recalculated in proportion.
Army Selection
Here everything is obvious and simple - you need to select several units, trying not to exceed the set points limit. For the rules on army selection see the corresponding chapter.
Gaming Table
The larger the space for playing, the better. The authors of the rules recommend using a table 4 by 6 inches (120 x 180 cm), with the players positioned along the long side. [Transcriber's note: the Russian source prints "4 by 6 inches", but the metric size given beside it, 120 x 180 cm, corresponds to 4 by 6 feet; both figures are reproduced here as printed, and the metric size is the one the source intends.] If
the players have a smaller table, the authors of Bolt Action advise either reducing shooting distances or deploying units in the first wave at the initial set-up (see the scenarios).
Setting Up the Gaming Table
The quantity and character of the terrain are left to the players' discretion. In general it is good to have enough terrain features that give some cover, features that fully block line of sight, and features where an ambush can be set up. If there is too little terrain on the table, infantry will be shot down with impunity by long-range weapons. Conversely, if the table is crammed with terrain, armoured vehicles will have little room to manoeuvre. The authors of Bolt Action advise seeking a golden mean, but including at least four large features that block line of sight across most of the table, plus several smaller features that give cover under the rules. The authors also remind players that when placing terrain neither side should gain an obvious advantage.
Scenarios
Once the players have assembled their armies and prepared the table, it is time to decide which scenario will be played. Players may devise their own scenarios, or they may use the outlines below, which are suitable for any armies in any theatre of the Second World War.
For extra interest, the players may roll a die to find out which scenario they will play in the next hour or hour and a half.
| Die roll | Scenario |
|---|---|
| 1 | Breakthrough and Encirclement |
| 2 | Destroy Them All |
| 3 | Defend the Key Positions |
| 4 | Repulse the Counterattack |
| 5 | Recover the Secret Documents |
| 6 | Blow Up the HQ |
Scenario 1: Breakthrough and Encirclement
The aim of the scenario is to block an enemy strongpoint so that your units can bypass it and cut its communications.
Deployment. Both players roll a die. The player who rolls higher decides whether to attack or defend.
The defending player chooses a table edge and deploys at least half of his units within his zone (one quarter of the table's length from the long edge). These units may be concealed. Units that are not deployed may be held in reserve.
The attacking player's units are not placed on the table before the start of the game. The attacking player must designate at least half (or all, if he wishes) of his units as the first wave. Units not included in the first wave remain in reserve.
Objective. The attacking player must move as many of his units as possible into the defender's deployment zone, or off the defender's table edge. The defending player must prevent this.
Artillery barrage. Before the game begins the attacker rolls a die. On a result of 2+ he carries out an artillery barrage.
First turn. On the first turn the attacking player places all the units of the first wave on the table. These units may be brought on with the Advance or Run order at any point along the attacking player's table edge.
Length of the game. The scenario lasts 6 turns. At the end of turn 6 the players roll a D6 die. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the game ends; on a result of 4, 5 or 6 the game continues for one more turn, until the next identical test.
Victory conditions. At the end of the game both sides count their victory points. If one side has scored 2 victory points more than the other, it wins a complete victory. If one side has scored 1 victory point more than the other, or both sides have scored the same number of points, the game is a draw.
The attacking side scores 1 point for each enemy unit destroyed.
The attacking side scores 2 points for each of its units that is within the enemy's deployment zone at the end of the game.
The attacking side scores 3 points for each of its units that has left the table from the enemy's edge.
The defending side scores 2 points for each enemy unit destroyed.
Scenario 2: Destroy Them All
The combat task is simple - inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible.
Deployment. Both players roll a die. The player who rolls higher chooses the table edge from which he will begin the game.
Units are not placed on the table before the start of the game. Both players designate at least half (or all at once) of their units as the first wave. Units not included in the first wave remain in reserve.
Objective. The objective of the scenario is simple - both sides must destroy as many enemy units as possible.
First turn. On the first turn both players bring the units of the first wave onto the table. These units may be brought on with the Advance or Run order at any point along the attacking player's table edge.
Length of the game. The scenario lasts 6 turns. At the end of turn 6 the players roll a D6 die. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the game ends; on a result of 4, 5 or 6 the game continues for one more turn, until the next identical test.
Victory conditions. At the end of the game both sides count their victory points. If one side has scored 2 victory points more than the other, it wins a complete victory. If one side has scored 1 victory point more than the other, or both sides have scored the same number of points, the game is a draw.
Each player scores 1 victory point for each enemy unit destroyed.
Scenario 3: Defend the Key Positions
Deployment. Both players roll a die. The player who rolls higher decides whether to attack or defend.
The defending player chooses a table edge and deploys at least half of his units within his zone (one quarter of the table's length from the long edge). These units may be concealed. Units that are not deployed may be held in reserve.
The defending player must designate three control points within his deployment zone. These points may not lie closer than 6 inches to the table edge or closer than 24 inches to one another. The points may be tactically important positions, such as a hill, a building, an element of infrastructure and so on. The control points may be marked by simple markers or may be represented by terrain features - this is not so important. What matters is that both players know, before the battle begins, what they are fighting for.
The attacking player's units are not placed on the table before the start of the game. The attacking player must designate at least half (or all, if he wishes) of his units as the first wave. Units not included in the first wave remain in reserve.
Objective. The attacking player must capture all three control points. The defending player must prevent this.
Artillery barrage. Before the game begins the attacker rolls a die. On a result of 2+ he carries out an artillery barrage.
First turn. On the first turn the attacking player places all the units of the first wave on the table. These units may be brought on with the Advance or Run order at any point along the attacking player's table edge.
Length of the game. The scenario lasts 6 turns. At the end of turn 6 the players roll a D6 die. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the game ends; on a result of 4, 5 or 6 the game continues for one more turn, until the next identical test.
Victory conditions. At the end of the game both sides count their victory points. If the attacking player has captured 2 of the 3 control points, he has won. If the attacking player has captured 1 control point, the game is a draw. If the attacking player has captured no control points, he has lost.
All control points are considered held by the defending player, regardless of where his units are at the time. During the game the sides may capture and retake control points.
A control point is considered captured if, at the end of a game turn, a figure or model from an infantry or artillery unit is within 3 inches of it, and no figures or models from enemy infantry or artillery units are within 3 inches of it.
Scenario 4: Repulse the Counterattack
Your unit has been sent on a very dangerous mission - to seize an object of strategic importance. You have managed to approach the object secretly at night, in order to attack it at dawn and hold the positions you have taken. The enemy, of course, will not sit idle, and you must defend the captured object until reinforcements arrive.
Deployment. The object to be captured may be represented by a bridge, a fuel or ammunition dump, a command post, an airfield and so on. It is desirable that the object not exceed 12 x 12 inches in size. Place the object in the centre of the table, plus or minus 12 inches to the left or right, but at an equal distance from the table edges of both players.
Both players roll a die. The player who rolls higher decides whether to attack or defend.
The defending player chooses a table edge and deploys 1 infantry squad and 1 other unit (including vehicles with armour no greater than 7) no further than 6 inches from the object. The defending player must then designate half (rounded down) of his remaining units as the first wave. Units not included in the first wave remain in reserve.
The attacking player then deploys any (or all) of his infantry units at any point on the table, but no closer than 18 inches to the object or to an enemy unit. These units may be concealed. The remaining units are held in reserve.
Objective. The objective of the scenario is to capture and hold the object until the end of the game. The object is considered captured if a figure or model from an infantry or artillery unit is within 3 inches of it, and no figures or models from enemy infantry or artillery units are within 3 inches of it.
First turn. On the first turn the defending player places all the units of the first wave on the table. These units may be brought on with the Advance or Run order at any point along the defending player's table edge.
Length of the game. The scenario lasts 6 turns. At the end of turn 6 the players roll a D6 die. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the game ends; on a result of 4, 5 or 6 the game continues for one more turn, until the next identical test.
Victory conditions. The side that controls the object at the end of the game wins. If neither side has managed to capture the object, the game is a draw.
Scenario 5: Recover the Secret Documents
A transport aircraft carrying an officer with important documents has been shot down. It is necessary to find the crash site immediately and recover the documents before the enemy does.
Deployment. First the crash site of the aircraft carrying the documents must be marked. This may be done with a suitable model or with an ordinary marker. The marker is placed at the centre of the table, plus or minus 12 inches to the left or right, but at an equal distance from the table edges of both players.
Both players roll a die. The player who rolls higher chooses a table edge.
None of the units on the battlefield are placed at the start of the game. All units are held in reserve.
Objective. The objective of the scenario is to capture the documents and carry them off the table edge of your own side.
First turn. On the first turn the sides bring their units onto the table in accordance with the rules for the arrival of reserves.
Length of the game. The scenario lasts 6 turns. At the end of turn 6 the players roll a D6 die. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the game ends; on a result of 4, 5 or 6 the game continues for one more turn, until the next identical test.
Victory conditions. The side that manages to carry the documents off the edge of its own table wins. In any other case the game is a draw.
To capture the documents, one of the figures of an infantry unit must, at the end of its movement, make base contact with the marker. From the following turn this infantry unit will carry the documents. If an infantry unit comes within 1 inch of another of its own infantry units, it may hand the documents over to the latter.
If an infantry unit carrying the documents is destroyed by fire, the marker remains lying on the table until someone picks it up. If an infantry unit carrying the documents is destroyed in close combat, the marker passes to the enemy.
Scenario 6: Blow Up the HQ
Reconnaissance aircraft have discovered the enemy headquarters. It is necessary to attack the enemy positions and blow up the HQ. Stubborn resistance is expected, so a powerful blow must be struck with all forces, while at the same time taking care to protect your own artillery.
Deployment. Both players roll a die. The player who rolls higher chooses a table edge and designates his HQ no further than 6 inches from that edge. The second player does exactly the same.
Ideally the HQ should be marked by some characteristic terrain feature, such as a tent, a bunker or a command vehicle, but failing that, another conspicuous building on the table will do. As a last resort the authors of Bolt Action suggest making do with a marker - the main thing is to show clearly where the HQ is before the game begins.
The first player (the one who rolled higher) deploys half (rounded down) of his units within 12 inches of his table edge. These units may be concealed. The remaining units are held in reserve. After this the second player does exactly the same.
Objective. Both sides must destroy the enemy HQ. An HQ is considered destroyed if, at the end of a turn, any enemy unit (other than an empty transport) is in base contact with it.
First turn. The first wave is not used in this scenario. All units on the table may begin to act.
Length of the game. The scenario lasts 6 turns. At the end of turn 6 the players roll a D6 die. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the game ends; on a result of 4, 5 or 6 the game continues for one more turn, until the next identical test.
Victory conditions. The winner is the player who has destroyed the enemy HQ while preserving his own. In any other case the game is a draw.
Additional Scenario Rules
Concealed Units
If a scenario allows it, certain units may be concealed at the start of the game. These units must be positioned so that they lie entirely within some cover and outside the enemy's line of sight. It is advisable to place a marker next to such a unit.
The enemy may fire at concealed units, but since firing is in a sense carried out blind, the chances of a hit are practically zero: the hit test against a concealed unit in light cover is taken with -4, and in heavy cover with -5 to the result. A hit from indirect fire is achieved only on a 6, regardless of how many turns in a row the stationary target has been bombarded. And to crown it all, concealed units may not be the target of forward observers or air observers. Nevertheless, during an artillery barrage (see below) a concealed unit may suffer just like the others.
A concealed unit remains concealed until:
- it receives the Fire, Run or Advance order;
- the enemy scores a hit on it;
- an enemy infantry or artillery unit comes within 12 inches of it;
- an enemy reconnaissance vehicle comes within 12 inches of it;
- any other vehicle unit comes within 6 inches of it.
Concealment During Play
Since the playing out of concealment slows the game down, the authors of Bolt Action have made the following rule optional. Units may conceal themselves during play if they are in cover and outside the enemy's line of sight. To do so, the concealing unit must receive the Take Cover order.
Artillery Barrage
The possibility of an artillery barrage is specified in the scenario. Its effectiveness is determined by the following procedure: before the game begins, roll a D6 die for each unit in the enemy's deployment zone and compare the result with the table below. Units in bunkers and other heavy cover take the test with -1 to the result, i.e. they will in any case suffer no casualties. Concealed units gain no benefit from their concealment.
| Die roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miss! It is clear enough that it's a miss... |
| 2 or 3 | Close burst! The unit receives 1 Pinned marker. |
| 4 or 5 | Direct hit! The unit receives 2 Pinned markers. |
| 6 | Direct hit!!! The unit receives 2 Pinned markers and 1 hit. A hit on armoured vehicles goes to the roof, with penetration +3. |
Deploying Observers, Spotters and Snipers
Forward observers, air observers and snipers, together with their vehicles and guns attached to them, may be deployed anywhere on the player's half of the table, but no closer than 12 inches to enemy units.
In scenarios involving the attack or defence of positions, the defending side deploys these teams first, and the others. In other scenarios the players deploy such units in turn, one after another.
Any of the above units may be declared concealed.
Reserves
In Bolt Action, reserves are those units that were not placed on the table before the start of the game and did not act on the first turn.
Nevertheless, all reserve units have their own order dice, and these dice are placed in the bag along with the rest. A reserve unit, before it enters the battlefield, may receive only the Take Cover order.
From the second turn onwards, reserve units may be brought onto the table with the Advance or Run order, but they may not move directly into close combat. The player may, however, wait and not commit all his reserves at once.
Whenever a player brings a reserve unit onto the table, that unit must always take an order test. The test is taken with -1 to the result. A unit that fails the test waits until the next turn. If the unit has still not appeared by the end of the game, it is considered destroyed.
When deploying, the player must also state how his reserve infantry or artillery units will enter the table - under their own movement or by means of transport vehicles.
Flank March
A player may send his reserve units around the enemy. To do this, when deploying, he must show his opponent which of his reserve units will carry out the flank march. After this the player must indicate, in some concealed way, from which flank each unit will make the march.
A flank march cannot be carried out on either the first or the second turn of the game; accordingly, the units designated for the march may on those turns only receive the Take Cover order. From the third turn onwards the units may be brought into the game, but only after passing an order test (with -1 to the result).
Units that pass the test appear from the right or left edge of the table. The exact point of entry depends on the game turn on which the units appeared. If this happened on the third turn, the zone is 24 inches from the player's table edge. Each subsequent turn adds a further 12 inches - that is, on the fourth turn it will be 36 inches, on the fifth turn 48 inches, and so on. In general, the longer the march takes, the deeper it will be.
Army Selection
A Brief Overview
Many players have a clear idea of the structure and organisation of the army they intend to command. Other players, however, may not have such an understanding, and so the authors of Bolt Action have described in popular form the main tactical units and how they relate to one another.
Squad. The squad was the smallest unit in the infantry and consisted of about ten privates under the command of a sergeant or corporal. A squad could be divided into several combat groups, usually two, the first of which formed around a light machine gun and the second of riflemen. Squads often fell short of their established strength because of casualties, which is reflected in the Bolt Action unit cards, where the number of soldiers in a squad varies from 5 to 12, so the player has the choice of how many men to include in each squad.
Platoon. A unit of higher level than the squad was the platoon. A platoon consisted of two to five squads (roughly 20-50 men) and was under the command of a junior officer - a lieutenant.
Company. The company is the highest level of unit that will be encountered in Bolt Action. A company consisted of 2-8 platoons (100-200 men) under the command of a captain or, in rare cases, a major.
Infantry squads. It is best to begin assembling your army with infantry. Choose from two to five squads of roughly 10 men each. The authors of Bolt Action recommend starting with three squads.
Support weapons. Once you have chosen your infantry, it can be reinforced with various kinds of support weapon. The latter include machine-gun crews, light mortar crews and specialised infantry anti-tank weapons such as anti-tank rifles or bazookas. In reality support weapons were concentrated in special companies or held at company or battalion headquarters level. Usually one support company was assigned to every three infantry companies. Accordingly, it would be correct in the game to preserve the same ratio: three full-strength squads are assigned a machine-gun crew, a light mortar crew, an anti-tank weapons crew, a sniper pair and a flamethrower pair. The authors, however, note that such a concentration of support weapons looks strained from the standpoint of historical reality and is justified only by considerations of the game's interest.
Command. If the player has chosen three infantry squads, it makes sense to take a lieutenant to command them. Sometimes (if justified by the considerations of the scenario or by agreement between the players) the lieutenant may be replaced by a captain.
Medical teams were normally attached to a platoon in the number of one. Various spotters, forward observers and air observers were very rare birds, so if they are taken at all, no more than one should be taken for the whole army, unless a very large game is planned (in which case one figure of each type may be taken).
Artillery and vehicles. Anti-tank guns, howitzers and armoured vehicles were usually attached to infantry on the orders of higher command, so in Bolt Action they will not be very frequent guests on the battlefield. Nevertheless, the authors of the rules consider that without heavy tanks and long guns the game would look dull, so they stipulate a vehicle allocation in the proportion of 1 tank, 1 armoured car and 1 gun for every 3 infantry squads. As for transport, the proportions are more lenient - 1 transport vehicle for every 1 infantry squad.
Large armies. Games in which armies costing more than the standard 1000 points take part will be closer to clashes at company level, and accordingly, when selecting forces, a coefficient must be introduced by which the above proportions are multiplied.
Army Selection Rules
The following rules are a structured summary of the text in the previous section. They were formalised so that players could assemble well-matched armies without following the historical structure (indeed, the phrase "to choose well-matched, competitive, and entertaining forces with which to play a challenging game" shows for whom the army selection rules of Bolt Action are intended - translators' note).
The basis of an army is one or more reinforced platoons, assembled according to the table below. Begin with one platoon, consisting of a lieutenant and 2 infantry squads. Then you may add support units and vehicles until the agreed points limit is exhausted. Alternatively, one platoon may forgo variety in its support units, and you may simply take several platoons with the same reinforcement.
Note that transport is chosen at the rate of 1 vehicle per 1 infantry or artillery unit.
Reinforced Platoon
| Unit | Number |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant or First Lieutenant | 1 |
| Infantry squad | 1-2 |
Support
| Unit | Number |
|---|---|
| Infantry squad | 0-3 |
| Captain or major | 0-1 |
| Medical team | 0-1 |
| Forward observer / air observer | 0-1 |
| Machine-gun crew | 0-1 |
| Mortar crew | 0-1 |
| Sniper pair | 0-1 |
| Infantry flamethrower crew | 0-1 |
| Anti-tank weapon crew | 0-1 |
| Field, anti-tank or anti-aircraft gun | 0-1 |
| Armoured car | 0-1 |
| Tank, self-propelled gun or self-propelled anti-aircraft gun |