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! 

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!