Post by sapper on Mar 29, 2013 16:00:29 GMT
Following on from the AGM, I’d like to invite people to join in a fairly simple 28mm campaign for Bolt Action World War II rules.
Ideally I am looking for an even number of players divided between Axis and Allies. Forces to be chosen from the Bolt Action rule book or any of the published national force supplements. Forces are to comply with the force building rules in the main book, and should be from the 1944/45 era and chosen from the eastern, western or Italian front.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a force yet, as I intend to start off gently with 500 points and build up to 1,000 point games. That way those interested can build a force gradually and without too much up-front expense. For example, I have a single Warlord Games US Airborne boxed set (costing about £27)containing 21 x 28mm figures and that easily gives me 500 pts.
I have used the simple campaign system included in the Maurice 18th century rules as the basis for this campaign. The idea is to add a tiny role-playing element, with the aim of the campaign being to start with a 2nd lieutenant in charge of a reinforced platoon and for that officer to advance via lieutenant, captain and major to a job on brigade or divisional staff – at which point the campaign will end. That is, the first person to advance his officer beyond major wins.
All games will be played 1 allied player against 1 axis player. The first series of games will be drawn randomly. Everyone’s first game will be with a force no larger than 500 pts and will be played on a 4’ x 4’ table. This is to allow people to get to know the rules a bit, build their force gradually and to be able to tweak one’s force based upon battlefield experience. At the end of the first game every player’s officer will advance to 1st lieutenant. No extra points need to be expended to pay for a promoted officer. He is always costed at the original points cost for a 2nd lieutenant.
The second game will be played with forces not exceeding 750 points on a 6’ x 4’ table. All games after the second will use 1,000 points per side on a 6’ x 4’ table. Terrain may be placed by mutual consent, or, if players wish roll 1D3 for each 2’x2’ square, taking it in turns. The player rolling the die then places that number of terrain pieces in that square.
Games should be selected randomly from the scenarios contained in the main rule book. Victory conditions are as set out in the respective scenario description. A player receives 1 point for a victory and no points for a loss (or draw, if such is possible). Once a player has accumulated 2 points his officer may advance to the rank of captain. At 5 points he becomes a major, and at 8 points he receives his staff position with brigade HQ and, if he is the first to do so, wins the campaign.
For the purposes of this campaign the player’s officer is considered indestructible. That is, he can’t die. However, to avoid completely reckless behaviour, no player whose officer ‘dies’ in a game may receive any points for winning that game. The ‘dead’ officer is considered to have sustained a heroic-seeming flesh wound, and is soon back on duty.
There will be some book-keeping, I’m afraid. At the end of each game, each team which was not destroyed in the battle is assessed for advancement. Inexperienced teams which survive a single battle advance to regular. Regular teams which survive 2 battles advance to veteran. British and American (NOT Russian or German) veteran teams which survive 3 battles revert automatically to regular from then on. This is to reflect the well-observed phenomenon in western armies for veterans to peak in their efficiency and aggression in the first month’s intensive combat and thence to become more cautious and reluctant to risk their lives. The most notable example of this phenomenon was the behaviour of the veterans of the 7th Armoured Division in Normandy.
After each of the first two games replacements may be purchased at the same training level as the teams being replaced, and new teams purchased at whichever training level is allowed by the army lists. So, for example, lost veterans can be replaced with veterans etc. After the third game, no teams can be replaced at higher than regular for British, American, or German; or inexperienced for Russian.
At the end of each game add up the number of points paid for each surviving team at the time they were first purchased. Subtract that from the overall number of points allowed for the coming game. That is the number of points you have to buy replacements for the next game. That means that it might be possible to have, say, veteran troops in your army costed at the points for regular – if they were regular when you first selected them and they have since been advanced.
After the first series of games, when everyone has played everyone else from the opposing faction the next series of games can be arranged by mutual consent, though no-one is to play any one else a third time before they have played all other opponents twice.
A player who loses three games on the run may field an extra 200 points worth of troops in his next game (i.e. 1,200 pts), and so on until he achieves a victory. He must then revert to 1,000 pts. This represents battalion HQ recognising the inadequate forces allocated to that officer to achieve his missions.
I reserve the right to add to or tweak these basic rules as I think of things or as it becomes apparent that I’ve missed something.
Otherwise, please sign up on this thread and indicate what army you want to use (axis or allies – or either) and when you’d be ready to start the campaign.
I’ll kick things off:
Martyn Brawn (forum handle ‘Sapper’) – allies [US Airborne] – ready to start mid-April.
Ideally I am looking for an even number of players divided between Axis and Allies. Forces to be chosen from the Bolt Action rule book or any of the published national force supplements. Forces are to comply with the force building rules in the main book, and should be from the 1944/45 era and chosen from the eastern, western or Italian front.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a force yet, as I intend to start off gently with 500 points and build up to 1,000 point games. That way those interested can build a force gradually and without too much up-front expense. For example, I have a single Warlord Games US Airborne boxed set (costing about £27)containing 21 x 28mm figures and that easily gives me 500 pts.
I have used the simple campaign system included in the Maurice 18th century rules as the basis for this campaign. The idea is to add a tiny role-playing element, with the aim of the campaign being to start with a 2nd lieutenant in charge of a reinforced platoon and for that officer to advance via lieutenant, captain and major to a job on brigade or divisional staff – at which point the campaign will end. That is, the first person to advance his officer beyond major wins.
All games will be played 1 allied player against 1 axis player. The first series of games will be drawn randomly. Everyone’s first game will be with a force no larger than 500 pts and will be played on a 4’ x 4’ table. This is to allow people to get to know the rules a bit, build their force gradually and to be able to tweak one’s force based upon battlefield experience. At the end of the first game every player’s officer will advance to 1st lieutenant. No extra points need to be expended to pay for a promoted officer. He is always costed at the original points cost for a 2nd lieutenant.
The second game will be played with forces not exceeding 750 points on a 6’ x 4’ table. All games after the second will use 1,000 points per side on a 6’ x 4’ table. Terrain may be placed by mutual consent, or, if players wish roll 1D3 for each 2’x2’ square, taking it in turns. The player rolling the die then places that number of terrain pieces in that square.
Games should be selected randomly from the scenarios contained in the main rule book. Victory conditions are as set out in the respective scenario description. A player receives 1 point for a victory and no points for a loss (or draw, if such is possible). Once a player has accumulated 2 points his officer may advance to the rank of captain. At 5 points he becomes a major, and at 8 points he receives his staff position with brigade HQ and, if he is the first to do so, wins the campaign.
For the purposes of this campaign the player’s officer is considered indestructible. That is, he can’t die. However, to avoid completely reckless behaviour, no player whose officer ‘dies’ in a game may receive any points for winning that game. The ‘dead’ officer is considered to have sustained a heroic-seeming flesh wound, and is soon back on duty.
There will be some book-keeping, I’m afraid. At the end of each game, each team which was not destroyed in the battle is assessed for advancement. Inexperienced teams which survive a single battle advance to regular. Regular teams which survive 2 battles advance to veteran. British and American (NOT Russian or German) veteran teams which survive 3 battles revert automatically to regular from then on. This is to reflect the well-observed phenomenon in western armies for veterans to peak in their efficiency and aggression in the first month’s intensive combat and thence to become more cautious and reluctant to risk their lives. The most notable example of this phenomenon was the behaviour of the veterans of the 7th Armoured Division in Normandy.
After each of the first two games replacements may be purchased at the same training level as the teams being replaced, and new teams purchased at whichever training level is allowed by the army lists. So, for example, lost veterans can be replaced with veterans etc. After the third game, no teams can be replaced at higher than regular for British, American, or German; or inexperienced for Russian.
At the end of each game add up the number of points paid for each surviving team at the time they were first purchased. Subtract that from the overall number of points allowed for the coming game. That is the number of points you have to buy replacements for the next game. That means that it might be possible to have, say, veteran troops in your army costed at the points for regular – if they were regular when you first selected them and they have since been advanced.
After the first series of games, when everyone has played everyone else from the opposing faction the next series of games can be arranged by mutual consent, though no-one is to play any one else a third time before they have played all other opponents twice.
A player who loses three games on the run may field an extra 200 points worth of troops in his next game (i.e. 1,200 pts), and so on until he achieves a victory. He must then revert to 1,000 pts. This represents battalion HQ recognising the inadequate forces allocated to that officer to achieve his missions.
I reserve the right to add to or tweak these basic rules as I think of things or as it becomes apparent that I’ve missed something.
Otherwise, please sign up on this thread and indicate what army you want to use (axis or allies – or either) and when you’d be ready to start the campaign.
I’ll kick things off:
Martyn Brawn (forum handle ‘Sapper’) – allies [US Airborne] – ready to start mid-April.
