I have been playing Bolt Action for almost 10 years now and a lot has changed since I first picked up the rules. I started playing towards the end of 1st edition and generally played the Bolt Action . (dot) net modified rules - I believe these are what they were called at the time. I went in head first and collected and painted a number of Armies however this has slowed down over the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed 2nd edition however it feels bloated and slightly stale and I am really looking forward to the much anticipated 3rd edition.
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| A Stug famously destroys one of my mate Joe's American Half Tracks. We had an epic game of Bolt Action Tank War many years ago. |
I have been fairly critical of Bolt Action in the past but one thing I noticed as it gained more and more popularity is the small but vocal minority that criticise the game. My criticisms are minor compared to my praise for the game and its obvious by my Social Media Networks that I thoroughly enjoy the game as a casual player and have had some success in the competitive scene. I far prefer casual and historic match ups over competitive gameplay however I do enjoy the social aspect that attending an event provides.
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| I am not the biggest fan of Competitive tabletop gaming but I can hold my own and have has many successes over the years. |
Most criticisms I see for Bolt Action are on the Bolt Action Facebook group or other historical Facebook groups for WW2 Games that are not Bolt Action. The Bolt Action Facebook group is a mixed bag and at one stage I left the group due to mixed reasons but I re-joined a couple of years ago as the page became overwhelmingly more positive and better moderated. It still has the odd know it all, or just plain rude person bringing someone down for what they posted but that is to be expected now that the page has over 26,000 members.
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| The Experimental Warbird Rules are always fun. |
26,0000 members is a lot! Take aways the bots, the multiple accounts, the lurkers and the people that no longer play the game you are still looking at a very large player base for what is undeniably the most popular WW2 tabletop miniatures wargame. If you look at all the other WW2 tabletop miniature wargames Facebook groups and combine their memberships you wouldn't even get half of the following that Bolt Action has. Facebook however is a guide only and I appreciate there are other Social Media Platforms that have large followings of other rulesets such as Chain of Command on the Social Media Platform Twitter.
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| Large Thematic Group Games of Bolt Action are always Fun. My Favourite way to play the game. |
The negative attitudes to Bolt Action are often humorous and harmless however I have a laugh to myself whenever I see someone ranting about how it is the Hollywood version of WW2 or it is just a re-skin of Warhammer 40k. The game can be broken by the competitive sweatys, but after all its a game and a game that has a large player base, so this is bound to happen.
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| Early War is my favourite era for Bolt Action - A very level playing field |
Say what you want about the game and its historical errors, it is the juggernaut of WW2 Wargames Rules and whether you agree or disagree it is a fantastic introduction to WW2 on the Tabletop. Some of Warlord Games' sculpts are questionable and the grumblings of button counters are heard, however they have the largest range of 28mm WW2 Miniatures and their sculpts are continuing to improve. I see Bolt Action through my own experiences as a Gateway Game for historical Wargaming. If it wasn't for Bolt Action, I wouldn't of played and collected a large number of forces over a number of historical periods. I would not have discovered the Too Fat Lardies world of wargames or brands such as Perry Miniatures if it wasn't for this game. I would still be stuck in the Games Workshop ecosystem.
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| Perry Miniatures and Offensive Miniatures DAK are a match made in Heaven |
Bolt Action will continue to grow, especially with the hype for the upcoming 3rd Edition of the game. From what I can see so far, its the shakedown the game needed to refresh its rules and reinvigorate the player base. The sweatys will no doubt break the game and you will get the win at all cost types bending the truths of history for glory on the tabletop. I however look forward to playing lots of themed games with my mates and most of all having fun.
Keep painting those Fallschirmjager Helmets Blue, for every time you do, a button counter will criticise another Warlord Games Sprue.
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| My version of Winter Fallschirmjager for the Ardennes |
