5 Things I Learned from Bolt Action

My Polish forces, almost complete

Hey Reader!

So for the record, this is a Middle Earth SBG blog: we will not be adding Bolt Action content to it, even though the amazing Rick Priestley was involved with both games. In fact, we won't even be making a tab for it below, because we know you guys are here for Lord of the Rings, :) But every now and then I like to play other games as well, mostly to remind me just how much I love this game, and today is a post sharing some of my thoughts on what I love about it.

#1: I Love Artillery!

Polish artillery: the only good thing we have

My "main faction" in Bolt Action is Poland, and as you probably know, Poland was invaded on September 1, 1939, and the ceasefire and surrender was negotiated by October 6 (so the whole thing was over in like 5-6 weeks). This means that Poland doesn't have the high-level tanks or airpower that other factions have, because, surprise - they were out of the war before most other nations had even mobilized.

But one thing that the Poles did have - and they'd been using these during incursions against the Soviets for years leading up to the German invasion - was heavy artillery, bringing 150mm guns to bear against enemy armor and infantry. And while I hadn't really thought about this before, I discovered in the process that I really, really like artillery.

I've praised trebuchets, Uruk-Hai ballistas, and trolls/ents throwing rocks for years, and even though a lot of people have argued that more archers are better (and they probably are), I just keep feeling drawn to them. And now I know why: I like being able to reach out far beyond your average archer and touch a target well before it can strike back, forcing them to play the game as I dictate it, and providing high-end damage from a distance. I like getting into melee - and that will come up later - but I do enjoy the board control that comes from artillery pieces.

But in MESBG they do this better, as it's simultaneously more dangerous (with the ability to inflict auto-kills) while also being easier to plan against and prepare for (Blinding Light being the obvious choice, but also not receiving a larger volume of hits if you fire at a building), making it more fun to play against.

"But Centaur," you say, "have you ever fought the Assault on Helm's Deep Legendary Legion? How can you call that 'more fun to play against' when they're basically hitting with every attack every turn?" Great question - and you clearly haven't played my list that involves 3 Heavy Artillery cannons firing 4" radius templates that do basically auto-wounds to every infantryman in that radius (which could be upwards of 10 models with a single attack), and nothing you can do to protect yourself save drop to the ground to halve the number of hits and lose your turn for that unit. 

Oh, and did I mention that there are almost 50 infantry protecting those guns by providing cover fire while you try to cross the board? Oh, and did I mention that I've wiped out super tanks with this force because it turns out that if you fire at a tank enough times with enough guns you'll crack a tank?

Yeah, that's not fun. So I've come to even appreciate that legion, dangerous as it is, :)

#2: Courage Matters!

Cover reduces casualties, which helps with morale

So, in Bolt Action, your Leadership score actually determines a lot: if you want to take an action and you've suffered "pin markers" (aka, your unit has been shot at and possibly even suffered some casualties), you have to make a Leadership check (which is between 1-10, suffering penalties as you come under more fire) by rolling 2D6 and getting equal to or lower than your current Leadership to take the action you declared.

So imagine if you had to do this in Middle Earth: imagine if, in order to march forward, your hunter orcs (which don't have a Fury shaman) had to make a Courage test? That would be awful. But you know, as I thought about it more, part of why I go for higher veterancy in Bolt Action is because I like having generally higher Courage in Middle Earth, either by use of a shaman, the Bodyguard special rule, or Merry's Horn of the Riddermark.

When tactically planning, I don't like being thwarted because someone couldn't pass a Courage test. I'd much rather have weaker troops or less troops but have more reliability to do what I need my guys to do when the time comes, rather than take a risk of a lot of models failing a check. And I've found that this is something I care more about than I ever truly realized.

#3: Melee Is Awesome!

Polish cavalry WRECKING FOOLS

While most of Bolt Action is a ranged game (which makes it quite different from Lord of the Rings, where everyone has a melee weapon and a lot of people use those in a given game), I've found that my favorite thing to do is to assault (aka, charge an infantry unit or tank into another unit). As a Polish player I do this with lancer cavalry (which did NOT use lances against tanks - they carried grenades), but I've also had to charge with masses of infantry as well, and I've found I really love it. 

And I finally know why: I love clearing my way through enemy units with a wall of my own guys, and I enjoy clearing enemies in melee far more than I enjoy mowing them down at range. It's probably just the adrenaline of whether or not we can break through the line before we lose too many of our own men, but I really, really love the fight in the thick of it.

And that's something you get in Middle Earth that you don't really get in many other games, actually; even Warhammer Fantasy heavily rewarded "Gun Line Dwarves," "Gun Line Wood Elves," and even summoning zombies in front of units so that they never charge your actual units. But in Middle Earth, a lot of scenarios encourage you to get into melee, and/or give you tools to keep "gun lines" from dominating the game.

#4: Independent Models Are Great!

The "rolling retreat" is hard to do in Bolt Action

I don't mind unit-based games; I played Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40k for a few years and I enjoyed the fun of maneuvering and pivoting. But I very much appreciate the more dynamic and choice-filled Move Phases of Middle Earth because of independent model movement. 

Sure, having units of archers, or spearmen, or whatever would be interesting, and I'm not talking trash about War of the Ring (which I never played), but I love that I need to choose whether to send 4 Warriors of Dale with Esgaroth bows toward an objective, or whether I should send 6 instead. I'm glad that I can send one lone Knight of Dale to hold down the Balrog, even if only for a short time, instead of sacrificing all of them.

And with moving and shooting adding a -1 penalty in both games, I think it actually makes more of a difference in MESBG. Since you can pull back a few archers while not moving others, you can do the whole "rolling retreat" thing better than in a unit-based game, and of course we have a whole series on this blog involving various tactics and positions you can place your troops to give yourself an advantage that you cannot do (or at least that don't give you any bonuses) in unit games. And I love that.

But perhaps what I love most of all...

#5: Might Points Are Awesome!

"Hero" models don't really exist in Bolt Action - they have officers (and they can activate multiple units near them at a time, so that's nice), and in some of the historical scenarios they get extra bonuses to make them more like the historical character they are supposed to represent, but on the whole they are not good warriors, and your average artillerist or tanker will kill far more than your officers.

Middle Earth, on the other hand, has so much variety of heroes, but what is more, they offer more to the game because of the presence of Might Points. They can fight better than troops. They can fight more often than troops (thanks to Heroic Combats). They can make your boys shoot more accurately, or sooner, and they can move your army to other places more effectively. They do everything you'd expect from a good military officer, but they also get that epic factor that makes them fun to play with.

And that's so cool in a tabletop strategy war game, because at the end of the day we like doing awesome stuff, and these guys help us feel awesome. Even lowly captains have their days in the sun, pulling off impressive feats on the table. And a lot of that comes down to the effective use of Might Points, and I love Might Points.

Conclusion

I like Bolt Action - it's been a good diversion, and I love painting tanks and artillery guns, so it's been a fun experience and I look forward to collecting more armies. But I don't think I'll ever play it with as much frequency as Middle Earth because I feel like MESBG is the best tabletop game on the market. 

It's fun. It's easy to play (oh my gosh, if I have to consult another chart to see what kind of plane gets called in by an Air Force Forward Observer, I declare...). It's flavorful and thematic, while also being engaging and dynamic. And the models are just beautiful, on-par with the best you're going to find elsewhere.

So all that being said, here's my love letter to the hobby, to the rules set, and to the community that makes it as great as it is. And so I suppose, as we close out this post, I'm also kind of writing this letter to you. So thank you guys for being part of what makes this game the best game in the world, :)

Watching the stars,

Centaur

"I watch the stars, for it is mine to watch, as it is yours, Badger, to remember." ~ Glenstorm, Prince Caspian