Warlord Posts Experimental Aircraft Rules For Bolt Action
August 13, 2015 by stvitusdancern
It has been a busy week for Warlord Games, as they have been adding quite a bit of new items for their extremely popular game Bolt Action.
This time around it is experimental rules for using aircraft in the game. The rules will cover adding a single airplane to your army list. They consider this to be an expensive addition with a limited TOS (time on station). This option allows you to replace your forward artillery observer with an aircraft instead.
The rules are concentrated on tactical options of fighter, fighter-bomber or dive bombers with either strafing or attacking ground targets directly. Any strategic high altitude bombing they believe is well covered by their rules for artillery barrages.
The model represents a single unit and there is only two orders that can be given Advance or Run. The aircraft starts in reserve and as other reserves, the player can attempt to bring it in on turn 2. Run means 'pull out' and Advance means 'ground attack'. It can also be given the Down order which keeps a previously activated unit in reserve.
The rules go on to cover how attacking happens, flak fire against attacking aircraft and interceptor rules for plane versus plane combat. There is even one for air superiority. I have to say I am in favor of adding this extra dimension into my games of Bolt Action and will be anxious to try and get a scenario in that lets me play aircraft to give it a whirl.
Right now the aircraft lists cover the more popular aircraft for each country, and I am hoping that they will expand the list as there are some aircraft that I would like to see get added such as the P-38 Lightening and the P-40 Warhawk.
Do you like the idea of adding aircraft?
"The rules go on to cover how attacking happens, flak fire against attacking aircraft and interceptor rules for plane versus plane combat..."
From the rules: “Move the plane in a straight line towards the intended target, stopping 12” away from it (it is mandatory to go ‘Wroooom’ as you do this)”. I suppose they didn’t have to point that out 😀
Players using the Stuka have to do the slightly more difficult “Stuka Scream.” 😀
Guaranteed to get angry looks from players at nearby tables.
In addition, you must make a fist, put it in the middle of your target zone, and spread your fingers while making a “boom” sound. Anything knocked down or over is dead. Seems I grew up with these rules 🙂 .
Those “old” rules were the best rules, eh?
I had bigger hands tan my little brother. Therefore my artillery and airstrikes were always more effective 🙂 .
“Nice job on that 105mm barrage. [cracks knuckles] Now step aside and get ready for some 155s!”
Sound effects always make things funner 🙂
more funner
This is interesting. I am sure that Soviet players are eager for some rules for IL-2 Sturmovik.
Ohhh. OHHH! That last aircraft! Truly one of my all time favorites. The absolutely gorgeous, deadly, and iconic Vought F4U Corsair! That arrow pointing up on the tail means she’s from the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) . . . a Navy squadron instead of a Marine Corps squadron (no one is perfect 🙂 ). The Japanese called them “Whistling Death,” the Americans call them the “Ensign Eliminator” because that very long nose (V12 engine, I think) made it difficultt o land for inexperienced pilots. That’s one of the reasons to get into Pacific gaming, right there! 😀
I knew your spidey senses would tingle @oriskany lol.
Such a Pacific buff as me? @oriskany
I used to be in the US Marine Corps, @yavasa . You HAVE to be a Pacific buff, otherwise they beat it into you.
Nice. Just a Pacific books and games related guy…
I agree, @yavasa , and I’m something of Pacific buff myself. IMHO the Pacific is criminally under-represented in most wargaming systems and circles. Did you ever happen to catch the articles series on this a while ago?
http://www.beastsofwar.com/historical/world-war-2-wargaming-pacific-part/
@oriskany I did read your articles. We even had a small chat about them in the comments. 😉
As for the Pacific and games. I agree. I think most game designers find it utterly uninteresting. However, Combat Commander: Pacific for board games or War in the Pacific Admiral’s Edition for PC show the opposite. Hmmm, hex based navy operations that lead to landing where you go tactical scale on islands. Tempting…
I still have to give Combat Commander another try, especially now that I know there are Pacific scenarios for them. Thanks for the heads up! 😀
…down boy!
I was looking at this pic in my office this morning, panting and drooling. My girlfriend comes by and asks:
GF: “What all that noise? Are you looking at internet girlies again?”
Me: “No, a Corsair.”
GF: “Augh! That’s even worse!”
You too! Heather sees me drooling or transfixed – “tanks or toy soldiers?”
I’d noticed these rules sometime ago in a very rough format, and was actually trying to find them again the other day with no success. Assume they got pulled the other day.
Interesting they do them as 1/72 scale.
The 1/72 scale for Bolt Action *sort of* makes sense. Planes are just so large compared to infantry, artillery, or even tanks. In almost all 15mm – 1/100 games I’ve played, the planes come in 10mm – 1/144. I have a few 1/100 planes I use “in defiance” with my 1/100 infantry and vehicles, and MAN they look big.
Not to say I wouldn’t mind owning a 1/56 Corsair. My girlfriend might get jealous. 🙂
Well that sorts the air support for my Chindits 🙂
1/72 is reasonable I think. However, I’d love to see 1/56 plastic aircraft models…maybe one day.
Of course you need a taxi rank of Typhoons, you need look no further that is all you need. One rocket equals 1 rocket powered 80 lbs of explosive so two at a time. Ouch! that really really hurts thins you know.
Remember “Typhoon! it does what it says on the plane”.
My grandfather worked on the original engine and its’ mounting for the Typhoon. He worked on the Hurricane too. He wanted to join the RAF, but they wouldn’t lt him.
Did they put the Merlin in the Typhoon as well @unclejimmy?
No idea! Not really my ‘area’ of interest. My grandfather worked for Armstrong-Whitworth and then Vickers (who made tanks), but during the war he was sent to RR and a few other places to fix things. That’s all I know.
If you want a good ‘Frankenstein’ war story – he sliced his right thumb clean in half, right down the middle and almost to the knuckle! To fix it they cut a hole in his stomach and sewed his thumb unside to ‘heal’. He had a scar that was totally white, was 2-3mm wide.
No they had the RR vulture engine.
“No they had the RR vulture engine.”
Really, I always thought the Tiffy used the Napier Sabre engine.
How about the Po-2 armed with railway sleepers for the’ Nacht Hexen’
That would surely draw me in.
Time to play some Night Witches by Sabaton.
…for girls. Black Widow is better!
No one mentioned the Bob classic daka daka daka?
“Never fly straight and level in the combat area, or you’re a dead duck!”
or . . .
“For God’s sake, Jamie, give your brain a chance!”
..or never let your flyboys fly support! Those Marines who fly Cobras don’t know the meaning of “danger close”.
Sure they do, @unclejimmy ! They just have a different definition of “danger.”
I swear they loosened a few teeth!
These rules are WAY old. They only gave again the link just to remind people that there are hundreds of “hiddem gems” in their webpage. This is not news. I’ve been playing eith a P51 and an Stuka for more than a year… What is the point of the article?? Remind you that warlord is reminding you that you can find old rules in their web???
Equally what was the point of this comment? To remind us your having a bad day?
I am sorry but the post is saying that even “warlord are having a busy week”. It is not that I don’t think it is interesting to re-read old news about certain elements that, as they are old, perhaps are unnoticed by some persons, but please, this is not what the post is trying to convince me about. The post is telling me that these are news, that the rules are new, and that “this time” they are about fighter planes. I am sorry if the way of talking about the matter has seemed unpolite, perhaps it is because I… Read more »