...and then COVID-19 happend!
Despite some peoples hobby luck with the lock-downs throughout most of the world most 0of the commanders and myself were not. We have been working through this country's lock-down and for some it even meant more work.
This meant that the pledges set for the Easter break were not all successful and actually still aren't.
To enable the last few commanders to cross the finish line I have decided to alter the second stage a bit. The original intend was to go for a higher points value of the army in the second stage.
Stage two allows the commanders to add team weapons to their armies. Any team which is allowed in their army selection pages in the rule book can be added.
The total value of the army in stage two is 500pts including the infantry and officer add in stage one.
This means that the commanders can add weapons teams up to a value of 100pts to the current 400pts army. They are also allowed to adjust their stage one selection to accommodate more weapon teams.
The category "weapon teams" cover a few very different unit in terms of game effect; medium machine gun team, heavy machine gun team, sniper team, flamethrower team, anti-tank team, tank-rifle team, medium and heavy mortar team.
Medium and heavy machine guns are roughly similar to the light machine gun found in infantry groups. It gives you a lot of shots.
A sniper is a rifleman with a scope fitted to his rifle. This greatly increases his chance of hitting. When a sniper fires, using the sniper rules, and wounds his target it is always considered exceptional damage which allows the sniper to decide who is hit in the target unit.
An anti-tank rifle and anti-tank are two different units with the same mission. The AT rifle is a rifle with a penetration value which enables it to damage lightly armored vehicles.
The flamethrower is a very powerful weapon to fight both infantry and vehicles with. It is particularly for driving enemies out of cover as it ignores all cover. They do have a chance to run out of fuel after each use.
Anti-tank team covers a variety of different bazookas, panzerschreck, bombsticks and even bomb dogs. All with a penetration value which enables them to combat the enemy's armored threats with more or less power.
Mortars are very good at driving enemies out of positions they are trying to hold. Every turn a mortar spends firing at the same spot increases the chance of zeroing in. It is never good to be on the receiving end of zeroed in artillery.
What is really important to know about weapon teams is the special rule "Team Weapon" which they all have. This in game terms mean, that a "team" is required for them to fire effectively; more than one soldier. The team fires less effective as it starts loosing members. A team always needs at least two members to fire effectively and if it goes down to one it will be less likely to hit. Also if a team is hit by "exceptional damage" the weapon is considered broken and the entire team is lost and removed from the game.
Another special rule for some team weapons like MMG and mortar is "Fixed". This means the weapon is cumbersome. It will have a 90° firing arc in which to fire. This is for a MMG measured as 45° on both sides of the barrel of the machine gun. The weapon cannot fire outside this arc unless it pivots. To pivot a team must be given an "Advance" order but I can only pivot, not move. It can fire but counts as having moved.
For a team weapon to move it must be given a "Run" order as it is cumbersome. It can move as normal and will not be able to fire.
There are many different ways of playing a game of Bolt Action. Obviously the current stage of the armies the commanders have at their disposal does not really warrant the use of anti-tank weaponry. That will no doubt come later and by then they are welcome to change their selection.
Even though this series is about building an army, I also set out to show how relatively inexpensive it is to begin collecting and playing Bolt Action. This is not really achieved by buying and adding units which are then discarded for a more needed unit. For this reason the current expense will always reflect the currently selected and active roster of an army. When you start building your army there are many other ways for you to investigate which unit you would like to start with. Either via trying out the game or reading on a forum or any of the Bolt Action groups on Facebook.
You are welcome to comment and ask questions and we will get back to you either here or in the next update.