Bolt Action - Hungarians Head East!

Last fall... in, like, October...!? Vera and I played a game of Bolt Action. I took a bunch of pictures and planned to do a game report... and this has now been sitting in my drafts for... almost six months...!? 

So I thought maybe to have one less thing in the drafts folder, I'll just go ahead and publish it with minimal commentary! 

I was playing Soviets, Vera was playing a mix of Hungarians and Germans. 

The Soviet force that I used. 

I didn't get a picture of her force.

Hungarian armoured car rolled on and shot up totally hidden snipers, killing the observer... because... that's a thing that happens...? 

Bulk of the Soviet force advancing to meet Hungarians moving through the area. 

More Soviets on the flank. 

Soviet Artillery catches the Hungarians in the open! 

Soviet AT guns light. up one of the Hungarian tanks! Whew! Lacking any armour of my own, it would have been super not great if this tank had been allowed to roll around knocking out my AT guns and then roll around knocking out EVERYTHING else that had no real method of dealing with it! 

Then it was the Soviet's turn to get caught in the open by artillery... probably the Hungarian/Germans... but could be the Soviets... who knows.. 

Soviet right flank takes position in the woods. 

Soviet right flank also taking position in the woods, while AT gunners hide behind their sunshields in the open! 

Super-duper pinned Soviet Sniper just won't leave! 

POW! Soviet AT Gunners light up the Hungarian CV-33! 

Luckily one of the crew was able to bail... 

Hungarians rush the Soviet centre positions supported by an armoured car. 

This roll looks really bad. I have no idea what it was for... probably something important! 

Having suppressed the Germans and Hungarians opposite, Soviets on the right flank move up rushing from one covered position in the woods to another. 

Fire from the Hungarian armoured car and infantry taking its toll on the Soviets in the woods nearby. 

Soviet Infantry on the left flank move to support the center. 

Savage close fighting in the woods between Hungarians and Soviets! 

Soviets on the right flank keeping their opposites pinned down. 

More Soviets rush into the woods to help hold the center of the line! 

AT guns exchange fire with a Hungarian MG team that finally dragged their gun to a firing position in the woods opposite. 

Weight of numbers carries the day in the center! 

Soviet AT Rifle and Hungarian armoured car exchange fire.

The fire-fight on the Soviet right flank intensifies as Hungarian paratroops, who were seriously pinned down in the initial Soviet artillery barrage, finally rallied and made their way through the woods to join the remaining Germans. 

I'm not sure how this ended... seemed like things went well enough for the Soviets...? I have a feeling, though it likely ended up as a draw as so many Bolt Action games have - as you need to be ahead by two or more victory points to claim victory. 

It's been a while, but I still think about digging out some of the WW2 projects started (or pick up again) a year ago... but I find I have limited time these days and so many Age of Sigmar things that are a more pressing concern! We'll get back to it some day! 

Imperial Hobbies, Vancouver

 I just got back from a short trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. While there, I made a trip out to Imperial Hobbies. 

It's a bit out of the way... and it's moved locations since I was last here. 

The kids and I stopped in for an afternon a decade a go. It was a long ride on the Skytrain, but the old location was across the street from one of the stations. Now it's a 20 minute walk from the station. 

It's an old store that's been around a long time... and they just have SO MUCH STUFF!

Wall o'Minatures... It just went on forever!?

This isn't even ALL of the miniatures. This is just a wall of blister packs. Across from it, almost the entire length is shelves full of BOXES full of minitures and terrain and rules for all sorts of historical and fantastical miniature games... and then the next aisle over had even MORE!?

Some of the Bolt Action stuff... 

More Bolt Action stuff... 

I was taking pictures of Bolt Action stuff because I was texting them to Orion... I should have taken more pictures of ALL THE OTHER STUFF! I guess it was a little overwhelming! Lots of games and minis no one else I know of in Canada stocks. Lots of out of print miniatures and games.

They even had a couple of boxes of Great Escape Games minis - including these Hungarians... which I brought back for Orion (how could I NOT!? this box including two ten man rifle squads AND a six man command squad was the same price as a single squad from Warlord Games!?)

There were also SO MANY BOOKS....

This looked really interesting and I'm kind of kicking myself for not picking it up while I was there... 

I know what you're thinking... I spent a LOT of money here.... and... you're not wrong... but... There's a BIG BUT!!!

Amanda came along for the trip and we did buy almost $600 worth of stuff... The friendly staff pointed out that I could buy a membership for $25 and with that any purchases over $300 got 20% off... so we did that and ended up spending a little over $500 (with taxes and the membership...).

Here's the thing... most of it wasn't for me!

Beyond the Hungarians I picked up for Orion, we ended up buying a BUNCH of role-playing game books for Finnegan!! I was texting back and forth with him and there were a bunch of things here that he was interested in... and... he probably would have paid us back for them... But Amanda was feeling like we've done SO MUCH for Morgan (they got TWO trips paid for this year, including flights, accomodations, food... not to mention years of dance classes, all the while Finnegan has asked for NOTHING...) so we decided to just get it all for him... 

bunch of big books for D&D/fantasy role-playing and My Little Pony... 

smaller book of magic stuff for D&D5E that just didn't fit into the picture above... 

What did I get for myself...? Two books out of the half-price bin at the back... 

The older edition of Chain of Command (since SO MANY people have recommended it to me in the comments!) and a Skirmish Elite book of scenarios for WW2 - it was for Italians and Australians in North Africa - which I HAVE, so... Although, perusing it later, I realized I'd STILL need to get more things to play out a few of the scenarios... 

and that's it... there were a LOT of other things I was super tempted to buy... I could have EASILY spent over $500 on myself... Once I got going, I'd have found it hard to know where to draw the line... and I decided I could always just mail order some of it at a later date if, after getting home, I was feeling like I still REALLY needed it!!

While I was in Vancouver, I also picked up a couple other books by illustrators that I like the work of - Dave McKeen and Ralph Steadman. (not at Imperial Hobbies - at another used book store I went in while wandering around with Morgan).

Bolt Action - Streets of Stalingrad!

 Orion had a free afternoon, so I set up a quick scenario in the Streets of Stalingrad (or, really, it could be any ruined city on the eastern front... Orion pointed out it would work well for the siege of Budapest when she gets enough of her Hungarians done!) 

That matt is newer, but those that have been following some time will recognize these ruins from many a battle from.. Stalingrad to post apocalypse to Frostrgrave. 

I provided both forces and, because we were using a smaller matt, built them around 500 points. 

The Germans, which Orion took, included:

Platoon Commander (Regular) + 2 men + 2x SMG + pistol = 57

First Infantry Squad (Regular) NCO + 9 men with LMG and SMG = 119 points

Second Infantry Squad (Regular) NCO + 9 men with LMG and SMG = 119 points

Third Infantry Squad (Regular) NCO + 9 men with LMG and SMG = 119 points

Medic (Regular) = 23 points

Sniper Team (Regular) = 52 points

Total = 489 points

The Soviets, which I played, included:

Platoon Commander (Regular) + 2 men = 50

First (Heavy) Infantry Squad (Regular) NCO + 7 men with 2x LMG and SMG = 114 points

Second (Heavy) Infantry Squad (Regular) NCO + 7 men with 2x LMG and SMG = 114 points

Third (Light) Infantry Squad (Regular) NCO + 8 men with LMG and SMG = 109 points

Fourth (Light) Infantry Squad (Regular) NCO + 8 men with LMG and SMG = 109 points

Total = 496 points

The basic scenario was that the area had been vacated by both sides during a particularly heavy bombardment and when the dust settled, both sides tasked a platoon with reestablishing control of the area. 

We used Battle Scenario rules: Seek and Destroy victory conditions, Meeting Engagement deployment type, and Long Edges deployment zones.... except we used the short edges and played across the length of the matt... but that's because the matt is HALF the size of a regular battlefield (and playing with forces half the size of a regular force) and so the distance across was essentially the same... 

Soviet forces infiltrating into the area on the first turn.. 

Teh Germans cautiously enter the mission area. 

the two sides spot each other. 

A German sniper team takes a shot at an approaching Soviet patrol and is pinned by the return fire. 

Soviets approaching in the distance

German and Soviet squads start exchanging fire as they encounter each other moving amongst the rubble. 

Advancing Soviets encounter a German squad that's fortified itself in a ruined building and begin exchanging fire

So... I needed fives to hit... 

More Soviets spot Germans across the way and begin exchanging fire with them as well. 

A general firefight ensues, mostly between squads hunkered down in the cover of the brick and concrete rubble. 

Germans attempt to maneuver closer. 

A German squad is caught in the open and... not entirely wiped out due to continued terrible dice rolls! 

Soviets taking casualties from accurate German fire. 

Germans maneuvering again. 

So the Soviets that had caught the German squad in the open, got to go first in the next round and desperately wanted to light them up before they got to cover - or assaulted their position. As they had pin markers they had to make an order test... 

FUBAR... 

...and so they ran! 

Right past the Platoon commander!?

Luckily the Platoon commander and assistants took up their positions and fired on the Germans in the open! 

Another Soviet squad moved out into the open to get a line of fire on them and light them up. 

Another Soviet squad taking serious casualties. So many that they needed to make a moral test... and failed and fled the field of battle! 

Platoon Commander continues to pour fire on the Germans in the street who'd become pinned down at this point. Flanking fire from the squad that had panicked and fled the building but rallied and returned on the pinned units flank. 

Soviet squad that had been shooting on the Germans in the street ran for the cover the wiped out platoon had been in.

The German platoon command team tried to assault the Soviet infantry squad!? The Germans did manage to take out two of the defending Soviets... but were themselves wiped out!? 

Positions at the end of the game. 

 The game ended at the end of the sixth turn. I was ahead by a victory point but not enough to win. Really could have gone either way if we'd played another turn...  

I also had a hat! 

Good fun. Fairly quick game and I didn't COMPLETELY forget ALL of the rules... (even though we hadn't played for a month and a half, so... there's that!) 

I never did finish the battle report from the last game.. and.. honestly... I'm not sure I'm going to get to it at this point!? I do plan to finish up the last three Warhammer Quest game reports (They're mostly done!) 

Not sure if we're going to get in too many more games until July... Hopefully Orion will have enough of her Hungarians done that we can play with those!