Today I will be reviewing the extremely popular wargame rules Bolt Action. They are for the platoon level engagements during World War 2. I will be using the B&B rule review format which rates rules in 5 categories: Cost, Ease of play, Essence, Fun factor, and Bonus. In each category rules can score 1-3 points. 1 point being ok, 2 being good, 3 being great. If there is one exceptionally good or bad category it can score either a -1 or a 4 but this can only be scored once per review. This means that a score of 10 is average.
Cost: How much is it to get a decent game on the table?
Warlord Games produces Bolt Action, and also make a large range of miniatures to support the game, and they make some great starter sets that make Bolt Action easy to get on the table for a reasonable price. https://us.warlordgames.com/products/bolt-action-2-starter-set-band-of-brothers, this starter set can get a small 2 player game for under 140$ US. Another route is https://us.warlordgames.com/products/german-grenadiers-starter-army-1 this one gets you a full tournament army for 170$ US.
Score: 2
Ease of Play: Is it easy to learn, teach and remember?
The Bolt Action base rules are not complicated. Though it has lots of stats and rules in the Army List, which I don’t prefer. Bolt Action does have the benefit of being familiar to people coming over from the 40k world. The core mechanics of the game are easy to remember once you have learned them, but all the extra army rules can still be a pain.
Score: 2
Essence: Do the rules capture the ‘feel’ of the period?
Sadly, I don’t think they do. Bolt Action does not encourage historical tactics, and the whole experience feels very bland. The list building system makes players choose between a historically accurate force construction, or an effective in-game force. That is something that really irritates me personally. The thing that irks me the most is the ranges. The normal rifle range is the equivalent of 50 yards!! I hate to be a stickler, but these rules just don’t do it for me.
Score: 1
Fun Factor: Is the game fun?
Bolt action games can be a lot of fun. It really depends on what you want though. If you are looking for a 1v1 competitive style game, Bolt Action might be for you. But if you are like me, and you want a game that you can bring and run at your club for 4-6 players, it may not be as well suited.
Score: 2
Bonus: Is it worth it?
Now this section is extremely subjective, but I can’t say that it is. Bolt Action never gave me the experience I was looking for. I never felt like I was in the shoes of a WW2 platoon commander, and the competitive style layout just isn’t my cup of tea. With the rulebook costing 30$+ US, I can’t say I’d buy it in hindsight.
Score: 1
Conclusion
This brings us to a final score of 8, which is somewhat below average. One thing that my review rubric doesn’t account for is, what is this game doing for the hobby. In Bolt Actions case, they are doing amazing work bringing people over from the Games Workshop world into historicals. While I don’t love their rules, I commend Warlord Games on doing an excellent job marketing historical wargaming to a wider audience. They make it easy to jump into, what for many people is very daunting.
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Until next time- Joshua, The Napoleon of the West
