Review: Bolt Action

World War II is an era that has been popular with gaming for some time. It was a war where many feel there was a justification  for us to enter, and there was a real sense of unity and accomplishment that (at least for the United States) didn't seem to be there in wars after that point. Many great games have tried to capture the feel of world war II from many perspectives from the large scale games like Axis and Allies, and World in Flames, to the more tactical level of games like Memoir 44, and Flames of War. But recently I picked up a newer 28mm miniatures wargame that puts the action into a squad level war. The game is called Bolt Action, and it is written by Rick Priestly who had originally penned the first edition of Warhammer 40,000, and Alessio Cavatore, who is also a former GW employee who worked on their biggest titles. So in this review there will probably be some comparison to Warhammer for several reasons.

I had originally picked this game up with less than much in the way of intention to play it. I found it on www.thewarstore.com as a starter box. which comes with 40 miniatures, order dice, and Terrain as well as a rule book. Now here is the first place to compare it to warhammer (and flames of war for that matter) in most starter games, you get either an abridged rule book or a digest sized rule book, pushing for you the player to buy the "official" rule book later. In the case of Warhammer and 40k, this means after spending $120 on the starter box, they want you to eventually spring for the full rule book for about another $80.00. In the case of Bolt Action (and other Warlord games products) the Starter comes with a full freaking hardback copy of the rules. I had originally bought the game for the minis and terrain figuring them useful for a savage worlds WWII game I was considering and getting it through the warstore dropped the original $90.00 price tag to about $72.00 US. so even if the rules suck, at least the minis would be usable elsewhere.

In short, the rules did not in the least, suck. Bolt action is an amazing game, with simple and concise rules, that offer a plethora of tactical options as well as tactical obstacles. Initiative is at the heart of this game and it is handled with special order dice, which have the six major orders written on them- Fire, (don't move, and fire with no penalty) Advance (move standard, fire at penalty) Run (Move 2x, no fire) Ambush (hold at the ready) Down (not an action but a reaction, to force a penalty on a shooting unit) and Rally (pull demoralized troops into action) each unit on the field puts one die in the cup which is drawn randomly. If it's your color you assign it and it's capabilities to one unit of your choice. units that have gone (leave the die by the unit) cannot react. This makes order of your actions as well as choice vital to a successful strategy. Morale also plays a great part in game, not just the standard if you are less than 50% strength roll a morale check, or flee. but when you have been successfully shot at (even if you lose no troops, you gain a pin marker, representing your soldier's realization of their own mortality. Any unit with pin markers must make an order roll to perform an action after the action is declared. Each pin counts as a -1 to that check. Failure means they won't act and are effectively pinned down by fire. Success means you go for it guts and glory. this makes suppressing fire and timing more effective in game than in most minis games with firearms in play.  While each army gets some special rules based on their nation and the like (Russians for example get a free 11 man green infantry squad, and germans get an extra dice when firing light machine guns) The game does not rely on a litany of special feats or rules breaks that often go forgotten like in some games. The minis are mostly plastic with some metal and resin for most vehicles, and are well sculpted and very nicely detailed. Armies do take on an almost stereotypical look of each nation (US Troops chomping on stogies, the Brits with the Walrus mustaches, and so on.) They are distinct enough to recognize unpainted without being too over the top.

If there is a downside to this game it is in the same initiative system I mentioned before the more stuff on the field the longer turns will take. meaning this is not an ideal game for super large mass combats. In short Memoir 44 or Flames of War may be good games for running the storming of Normandy. This game is for more personal firefights. Taking a section of Stalingrad to fight a few blocks of door to door combat, vs trying to take the whole damn city.you probably want to keep your game around 1000 or so points or it can get out of hand. Mind you that is still a lot to play with for the detail, My 1000 points of russians inludes 55 men, a command staff, med crew, medium mortar, and a t-34 tank. Not too Shabby. Also Warlord games seems commited to bringing out all sorts of forces for the game. After Christmas I intend to start building a French army, just to be able to field a Char 1B. Players can also build Belgian Polish and Italian forces with either free pdf supplements or add on army books. The core book gives great starting lists for the US, Britain, USSR, and Germany. So you will have plenty to work with even if you don't rush out and buy every army book they make.

If you like games like Warhammer 40,000 or Flames of War Bolt Action is probably right up your ally. and unlike Warhammer the cost of units is still quite reasonable. $120.00 will put you into a full 1000 point army. where a 40k starter is maybe 1/3rd of a full army for game. So what are you waiting for man, join the war effort today!

Verdict - 5 out of 5 stars

The Venture Brothers!

Still one of my absolute favorite TV shows. It has everything multiple layers, of story amazing and hilarious characters and plots that just suck you in, what's not to like?

 

Happy Independance day, (NO!! Not the crappy movie!)

So it's that time of year again, to light some fireworks, and grill out and celebrate the grand experiment in democracy our founding fathers set forth. I know we as our country have our flaws (most of which can be typified in jackasses like Pat Robertson, Ted Nuggent Sara Palin and more) but there is still plenty to be proud of....

First off, We are a melting pot, and don't let anyone tell you differently! Currently a lot of our clashes about "real America" and some assholes have been harboring some racism about who is a "real American" or not. Mostly blissfully unaware of any racism that their ancestors may have faced. But it is those different cultures that made us great!

We are the country that created Superheroes, and comic books! William Gaines creator of Mad Magazine has always held the family legend that his dad took collections of sunday funnies and stapled them into books and sold them.

Then there are the pages of Action #1, june 1938 and the birth of the first true superhero, Superman!

Not to mention some of the most awesome superheroes in the world!

In fact it's that whole melting pot thing that makes not just America great, but one of America's greatest sci-fi series Star Trek! an African communications, a Scottish chief of engineer, and a Vulcan as first officer, all working together for the betterment of humanity. It is a microcosm for the American dream, at least the way it should be.

and speaking of Star Trek, we here in the US can be proud of finally recognizing same sex marriage. While I am a happily married straight man, I supported same sex marriage because it is the right thing to do. A family is a made up of love not compatible sexual organs.

In short, Look I know we in the USA may seem like a ton of assholes at times. Every country has that sometimes those assholes are in charge! But on this day I want to look at what makes this country great.  and hopefully spend the other 364 days doing my bit to get rid of the things that make us so disliked by other countries. To paraphrase Al Franken I love this country like an adult loves his/her wife/husband. We know them, we know their flaws and foibles, and recognize that they are far from perfect, and we try to make them recognize this and even improve but it does not change the fact that we love them.

Nerd Praise Part 2: Mego

SO I really enjoyed writing that blog about Mike Pondsmith and R. Talsorian games, and it got me thinking. part of having nerd rage against the way my favorite characters, comics and properties are treated is due to how I viewed such things when I was younger. Had I no passion or love for say DC Comics, why would I blog about what a travesty casting Ryan Reynolds in it was. I also Didn't like him in Waiting,or Van Wilder  which were both pretty shitty movies, but as I did not care about the idea of the film before, Ryan Reynolds' sub par performances weren't sending me into any Nerd Rage at all, just a meh, and a turn of the channel. So in that spirit I think it's important to look at things that made me the Nerd so willing to Rage that I am today, and this next one is a subject near and dear to any true geeks heart. They are the source of so many of my own childhood memories, and even today I collect them obsessively. so without further adeiu, here is my next nerd praise, Mego!

Mego is best known for their ubiquitous 8" action figures. Sure they were hardly the first to come up with the idea of a 8" "action figure" with removable clothing, but they were the best known, and best loved. Starting in 1971, Mego began using their own brand of 8" figure under the name Action Jackson, as a cheap way to get some of that filthy G.I. Joe luchre. Taking a less military vibe Action Jackson like Mattel's own Big Jim, was more generic man of action than say specific military man. His comercial's jingle, "Think of what you want to be, then call on me!"sent kids into action but this was not their hot ticket item.

However Action Jackson would lay the groundwork for their use of the same figure's body to take on licenses such as Wizard of Oz, The Waltons, and of course the world's greatest Superheroes. Not until Wizkids' collectable miniatures game heroclix would we see a company hold both Marvel and DC licenses. using the same small amount of separate bodies and different costumes Mego was able to make a host of different heroes from both comic companies cheaply and easily. Superman, Spiderman, Batman and Robin all shared the same body, with different heads, possibly re-colored hands and different costumes/ accessories.

The result was lightning in a bottle. Mego's figures were not the best sculpted, not the greatest articulation but they were very well done for the time and inexpensive enough for most kids to get ahold of. And just look at these cool commercials.

Mego also got some other great licenses in Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Dukes of Hazard, and C.H.I.P.S. They were also great at reusing parts for different effects. the Star Trek Gorn Figure was a Marvel Lizard painted brown and wearing a Klingon uniform with Klingon Phaser and Communicator. The Mugato, was a special set of head and feet placed on a figure wearing the Cochise costume from thier wild west series. in short making customs from their own library of parts the way later fans would do. In fact as a kid I used to pop the heads off of them and try to change them around, (when yeah, changing costumes would have probably been easier,)  and eventually I would need my mom's help to put the head back on, but using fonzie's body for superman, he could give the rest of the Superfriends a Thumbs up! Years later as my mom would chide me for it I would explain the hobby of action figure customizing, declaring my five year old self as ahead of my time.

Mego dies some time in the early 1980s killed by financial trouble and a lack of hit toys to put them back in the game as Star Wars and GI Joe/ Transformers would take the spotlight. It was a time when small stores kept toys on the shelf for years as opposed to today where a line may be lucky to have a shelf life of a year. Look at the playmates Star Trek movie figures, for example killed in one wave, and hasbro who has the license and could make 3.75" Star Trek Figures in the same quality as Star Wars/ GI Joe, has held off due to the volatile nature of the industry. instead just a few freaking Kreo Toys and some squishy crap. It really makes me nostalgic for what Mego accomplished, sure they had their share of flops (Cher, and Jordache anyone) but they inspired a slew of customizers, hobbyists and fans. even today EMCE, Mattel, Zica, TV Classic Toys, Bif Bang Pow, and others are making mego style figures to fill the gap left by this once great company. Even some obscure but cool figures like my 8" Big Lebowski (Complete with Rug!), or the Real Ghostbusters, and Sam Jones' Flash Gordon. So While many have written more about them, and there are plenty of people still supporting them (Doctor Mego, and Mego Museum just for starters!) I felt like I could not call my self a geek, or have any street cred as a geek without a bit of waxing nostalgic about them. In fact when Bif Bang Pow got the license for the venture brothers I had hoped that for the San Diego Comicon Exclusive they would do The Alchemist and Jefferson twilight as a repainted Mego Falcon and Spock, as Doctor Orpheus had made as demonstrations of potential merchandising. God I love that show, and the fact that they love mego and it shows in the series made me all that more excited to get the mego ventrue bros!