I’ve been in and out of the miniatures gaming hobby for over 20 years, but in that time I never managed to get into the vast realm of historical wargaming. I always viewed such games as being mechanically more concerned with hyper-detailed ‘realism’ than actual fun, and I just had no interest in going there.
Not long after I packed up my Chaos Space Marines in favour of Chaotic Nights Out, a number of the Warhammer designers and writers whose work I’d loved began pursuing other ventures. Warlord Games was one of them, and I’d long had my eye on their gorgeous ranges of mostly historical miniatures.
When I saw the announcement of an impending 3rd edition of their flagship 28mm WW2 miniatures war game Bolt Action, I just knew I had to jump at the chance to pick up a 15th hobby. I’m glad I did, because Bolt Action has quickly filled the old-school WH40k void for me that the modern rules, with their tournament-play focus and wild bloat, simply never could.
Read: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Review
From Space Marines to U.S. Marines
For this review, Warlord kindly sent me the new Bolt Action ‘Battle of the Bulge’ starter box. It’s a beefy set that contains 24 plastic U.S. infantry, 18 German Fallschirmjager paratroopers, an Allied vehicle kit that can be built as either an M8 Greyhound or M20 scout car, a plastic ruined farmhouse terrain set, dice, decals, templates, markers, an A5 softcover copy of the 3rd edition rulebook, and a booklet that gives background on the battle itself as well as constructions and painting guides for the miniatures featured.
If you’ve played any edition of Warhammer 40,000 then the foundations of Bolt Action will be instantly familiar. You and your opponent construct army lists reflective of your collection of miniatures to an agreed upon maximum points value, then do battle across the tabletop. More than that though, the fundamentals of how movement, shooting, close-combat, vehicles, cover, and even morale work are almost one-for-one how they were back in 3rd and 4th edition of 40k specifically.
Playing it for the first time felt like cozily slipping back into the better parts of my early teens. What really hooked me though is the ways in which Bolt Action streamlines some of its areas of play while adding depth and variation to others.
Firstly, unlike most of the popular wargames out there, units in Bolt Action have no statline and most weapon profiles are flattened. What this means in gameplay is that an American G.I. armed with an M1 Garand rifle is exactly the same as a German infantryman with a Karabiner 98k. Secondly, turns don’t operate on an alternating ‘I use my entire army, then you use your entire army’ system.
Instead, each player has a differently coloured set of ‘Order’ dice. One die for each unit in their army is placed in a blind bag along with those of their opponent, and as a die is drawn, the player who it belongs to may allocate it to a single one of their units to order them to do an action such as advancing, ducking for cover, firing etc. When all dice have been played from the bag, they’re collected back up and a new turn begins.
When a unit is eliminated, their die is removed from play. It’s an absolutely brilliant system that better reflects the chaos of warfare while ensuring that no player grows bored waiting for their turn. I’m obsessed with it and, frankly, I don’t think that I want to go back to linear turn sequences in any large-scale war game ever again.
Standardisation of infantry also means that all of the dice rolling for combat actions can be greatly simplified. Unless a unit has moved, taken a morale hit, or is a rookie or veteran soldier, guns fired at the enemy will generally hit on a D6 roll of 4+. They then subsequently wound the target on a further roll of 4+, and unless the target is behind some kind of cover, they generally won’t get to roll any kind of saving throw.
Melee hits don’t even need to bother with a wound roll to inflict incapacitating damage, it’s just assumed that a bonk to the noggin with a trench-shovel is enough to knock any man down. The whole Bolt Action system makes combat smoother and swifter than you’d expect from a war game of this scale, and I’m obsessed with it.
Plastic for the plastic god
The infantry miniatures included with the Bolt Action kit proved an absolute joy to build and throw paint on. They’re packed with detail, but aren’t overly busy with it either. The sprues include dozens of bandoliers, pouches, canteens, and other bits and pieces you can adorn them with should you wish though. They also allow for parts to be widely mixed and matched unlike the very rigid way most Warhammer kits are now made, which also pleased me greatly as a warm throwback.
The vehicle was a nightmare though, and I just know that its extremely fragile guns and antennae are destined to snap off sooner rather than later. It looks great at least, for now anyway.
A huge strength of historicals is that any ruleset is inherently going to be miniatures line-agnostic, and I’m keen on mixing and matching some minis from other brands for variation after I find time to finish painting this lot.
I have a new miniatures obsession now, oh dear
Bolt Action: Third Edition is the most fun I’ve had with a miniatures war game in 20 years. It took a massively influential rules foundation from the past and knew exactly where to simplify it and where to deepen it.
Despite some minor erratum, the rulebook is remarkably clear and easy to absorb. It’s packed with diagrams and play examples, and between its detailed contents section in the front and thorough index in the back, there’s pretty much nothing you can’t look up on the fly instantly.
I’m blown away by how much I’ve fallen in love with Bolt Action, and also a little worried. I really did not need another hobby but I’m thrilled to be diving into this one all the same. It’s so good… It’s just, so good.
Five stars: ★★★★★
Bolt Action: Third Edition
Designer(s): Alessio Cavatore and Rick Priestley
Publisher: Warlord Games
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