Bolt Action Campaign

BOLT ACTION CAMPAIGN

TODAY IS THE DAY OF DAYS

I have been thinking about writing a set of campaign rules for Bolt Action for some time. It’s one of those games that I feel really benefits adding a bit more depth to it and generating some stories. Whenever I begin to write campaigns, I tend to give myself a specification, what do I want it to achieve? Here is the one I came up with:

·        Involvement: It needs to be able to get as many people involved as possible:

o   All different nations should be useable

o   Always feel like you have a chance to win

o   Casual play, you don’t have to turn up every week and play every week

·        Story Driven

·        Easy to keep track of, see what’s going on

Thus the rules I have come up with really are just based on two different concepts. Ranks and Secondary Missions.

Ranks

 All players who take part will have a certain rank, beginning with second lieutenant. This will go up and down (though never lower than Second Lieutenant) as the campaign goes on.

SECOND LIEUTENANT

LIEUTENANT

CAPTAIN

MAJOR

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

COLONEL

BRIGADIER

MAJOR GENERAL

LIEUTENANT GENERAL

GENERAL

 The aim of the campaign is simple, the first person to become ‘General’ wins!

 Your rank may change after every game you play

WIN?	SECRET MISSION SUCCESS?	PLAYED SOMEONE OF LOWER RANK	RANK CHANGE
Y	Y	N	+2
Y	Y	Y	+1
Y	N	N	+1
N	Y	N	+1
Y	N	Y	NONE
N	Y	Y	NONE
N	N	N	-1
N	N	Y	-2

So pretty basic. All you need to do is remember what rank you are, I was imagining using badges or something on a table, and look at this chart at the end of every game. But wait, what are these secret missions?

Secret Missions

At the start of each game you will be given a piece of paper with your secret mission on, hopefully in a brown envelope with TOP SECRET and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY printed all over it. These are your secret missions and as you can see from the above table, they are pretty important for your rank! I have come up with a few that I thought I’d post as tasters, but I am hoping to do a few more for each faction. I’m thinking about writing a little spiel to go on the letters aswell…

SOVIETS

·        PURGE – Your commanding officer has had a falling out with comrade Stalin, he must not be allowed to survive the battle… but he also can’t die in combat (lest he betray our noble cause)

·        NOT ON STEP BACK – Comrade Stalin has decreed that we will not fall back another step, no enemy unit may finish the game in your deployment zone.

·        QUANTITY HAS A QUALITY ALL OF ITS OWN – You must have more models than your opponent left on the board at the end of the game, only then will they realise the unstoppable avalanche that is a Soviet advance

·        HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION – Give the people something to inspire them! Have a single unit kill 3 or more officers or squad leaders in one game.

AMERICANS

·        NO MAN LEFT BEHIND – Have one of your units take no casualties in the game

·        STAR SPANGLED MAN – Give the folks back home something to cheer about. Have one unit end the game in the enemies deployment zone

·        REPLACEMENTS – You may be distrustful of them at first, but we need them to win the war! Have an inexperienced squad survive a game

·        RESCUE MISSION – The enemy have captured some of our boys, it’s up to you to get them out. Destroy a unit in close quarters combat

GERMANS

• BLITZKRIEG – Strike hard and fast into enemy lines. Finish the game with a unit in the enemies deployment zone.
• FALSE INTELLIGENCE – You have been tasked with having the enemy capture on of our false informants. Have the enemy destroy one of your units in combat.
• SUPERIOR RACE – Show these weaklings what the Aryan Race is made of! Take less casualties than your opponent
• DISCIPLINED – The key to victory lies in well drilled soldiers. Have no unit fail an order test in the game.

BRITISH

•  COMBINED ARMS – Upper Command want a report on this newly developed fighting concept. Kill a unit that has been struck by a supporting bombardment.
• STIFF UPPER LIP – Show the blighters what Tommy is made of! Have more units on your side of the table than your opponent at the end of the game.
• FRIENDS UP HIGH – Upper command have sent someone to take the lead of the platoon and want him kept alive. Your commanding officer may not die in this game.
• DO YOU HAVE A FLAG? – Claim land for the Commonwealth and the Empire! Secretly declare a piece of terrain in neither deployment zone at the beginning of the game, you must occupy this piece of terrain and have no enemies occupy it at the end of the game.

CHINEESE

·        HOLY GROUND – The Westerners seek to defile your holy places, do not let them! No enemy may be within 6” of the middle of the table at the end of the game.

·        NOBLE DEATH – Previous defeats have shamed your ancestors, it is time to seek honour for your family again. Your officer must be killed in combat.

·        BURN THEM OUT – Inch by Inch, Step by Step, make the Westerners pay. Finish the game with more units in terrain than your opponent.

·        TAKE PRISONERS – Information on enemy movement is needed. Destroy an enemy unit in close combat.