Yesterday Simon continued his charitable work giving Chris another Bolt Action run-out in readiness for the Bolt Action tournament at Lost Ark on September 18th. This game would see Chris’ “undead” Japanese fighting a US army force commanded by Simon. Why “undead”...look at the unhealthy pallor of the Sons of Nippon skin. Even Chris acknowledged that something had gone wrong.
Unlike the game vs Tony two weeks ago, this time Chris did seem to have a basic grasp of the rules albeit had left his QRS at home plus had omitted some important information from the force data sheets. Not a disaster but very annoying and sloppy. If Chris had paid more attention to what he had to bring rather than the mega-bag of Costco crisps that he brought all would have been well.
Back to the game. Again, unlike the Tony game this one did have a semblance of logic. Five objectives were allocated across the table and then the players diced for which side to take. The US entered the table with infantry squads pushing up both flanks, the C/O and the MMG taking the centre and a third squad and Sherman being held in reserve. The M8 armoured car rumbled forward in support of the Yanks right flank. Chris responded with infantry squads right, left and centre; a tank, A/T rifle team and field gun on his left and his MMG covering the right.
First blood went to the Japanese as the MMG and infantry fire hit the US squad advancing through the tea plantation. The US replied with MMG and rifle/BAR fire in reply. Both sides saw men go down. The M8 was soon in trouble. It wiped out the A/T rifle team but was hit and disabled itself. The crew however could fight on and managed to direct machine gun fire at Chris’ “elite” squad advancing through the centre.
Both tanks then entered the fray to support opposite flanks. Chris’ tank plastered an American squad lurking in a palm grove but stayed close to the table edge, whilst the M4 advanced onto the table destroying Chris’ MMG team and then proceeding to shoot up the mortar/infantry squad hiding in yet another palm grove.
In the centre the US air observer successfully called in an airstrike before dying as Chris veterans conducted a Banzai charge. Eight onto one was never going to end well. Things went less well for another Banzai charge which misjudged its distances and ended up in the open with the M4 able to pour enfilading HE and machine gun fire into it. Exit a Japanese squad. However, Chris was enjoying greater success on his left. The crippled Greyhound armoured car was finally knocked out, and the flanking US infantry squad broke and ran.
By the end of turn 4 Simon had seen enough. Despite holding a strong position and likely to hold 3 out of the 5 objectives if the remaining turns played out, he let Chris claim a morale-boosting victory. After all, its not that often that Chris is ever victorious, and he has to learn graciousness in victory. Cries of “Victory for the Emperor” may not be appreciated on the 18th.
So what did “honest Simon” make of his second foray into Bolt action. It was better than the game vs Tony in that the scenario actually had a purpose. However, maybe it is just blind prejudice, but the game system still leaves one cold. Also, the idea of Japanese fighting 1944 Germans in the desert does make me very depressed. It is almost as bad as gaming with un or half-painted figures. I hope Lost Ark has mandated that all figures have to be nicely painted. Oh no….. That means Chris’ Japs will be excluded!
Simon
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