Bolt Action Skirmish in the Dark

By Troy A. Hill

“Suddenly a low flying aircraft buzzes them and a flare is fired beyond the trees. As they walk the men look up, first at the plane and then at the flare as it hung in the air slowly moving toward the ground. As their eyes lower to the horizon, they widen. Across the road behind another stone wall are figures with the distinctive silhouette of German soldiers. Alarmed the five American stragglers realise they are facing the enemy, feeling a rush of adrenaline they raise their weapons.” – excerpt from Campaign D-Day: Overlord by Warlord Games and Osprey Publishing

That snippet is from the opening text for mission #5 in the new D-Day: Overlord book for Bolt Action. Our gaming group at Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove California is gaming in the Normandy theatre, and we decided to give this scenario a try this past weekend.

In this scenario, the scattered ad hoc units of the US 82nd and 101st airborne division pit their will against the 91st Luftlande division. Having landed and beginning to group up, the early morning darkness of 06 June doesn’t help them.

Designed to be played on a 4×4 table, we expanded this to 4×6 since we had four players. Due to the random reserve arrival (1 to 4 indicated a specific table edge, a roll of 5 or 6 was player’s choice) we gave units entering from the short ends an extra 6-inches of move on their entry turn.

Because of the night setting, we were to use the night fighting rules from the main rulebook (pg 219-221). Our forces would need to spot the enemy at the beginning of their order, or they were restricted to ambush, rally, down or advance. Should they advance, they needed to move toward the nearest unit that fired (this turn or last). Fortunately, the game begins with a flare in the sky, so no cautious movement on turn one. Thereafter, roll to see if a flare is overhead.

Mike, Jacob and I handled the Luftlanders, while Matt and Phil ran the US onslaught. One note that the US forces should have had use of their crickets special rule (Overlord book, page 174) which allowed them to automatically spot units within 12 inches during darkness. Matt and I compared notes and doubt this oversight would have affected the outcome of our game. However, please remember your special rules when you play.

Victory is obtained by driving more than half of your opponent’s forces from the table. Otherwise, at the end of turn-7 roll a die to see if you play one more round.

Turn One

Each turn, one player would roll two d6. The results indicated which side(s) got reserves that turn. Each die was a separate result. So one side could get two units, or one each. Germans and US each won a reserve roll. Germans were able to add a 2nd Lt with two buddies. The US added an MMG.

The table prior to turn one. West is at the top of the image.

The US MMG came in from the southern edge and moved into position to fire on the German unit that had already deployed. The German Lt. came in from the eastern edge, and moved toward the unit the MMG just set it sites on. The US unit already on the table hugged one of the stone walls and moved toward the enemy. The German unit fired on the movement of the MMG crew, but only managed to pin them.

Turn Two

The flare stayed aloft, giving light to the battle. A medic from the US forces, with his two helpers, moved in from the west, while a German ad-hoc squad of an NCO with an LMG, two men with assault rifles and one rifleman came in from the north.

The MMG crew about to come under heavy fire

The first US squad went on ambush, while the medic advanced toward them. The US MMG opened fire and killed four of the eight Germans from their first squad. But the stalwart Germans refused to break. The German squad, then the 2nd Lt.’s squad opened fire on the MMG crew, wiping it out. (4 to 3 so far in victory points).

Turn Three

Again the flare lit up the night enough for our combatants to continue the battle.

US Paratroops move toward the gunfire

Two units from the US airborne showed up. Another medic and his buddies wandered on from the south, as did an eight-man paratrooper squad. Four rifles and four SMGs among them.

Since they were not under cautious movement, the second German squad moved through the hedgerows toward the US squad and medic in the central part of the table. The other German unit went on ambush, hearing the American forces moving through the treeline.

The US Medic advances toward their buddies.

Turn Four

The flare finally fizzled out. Everyone went on cautious movement. Which meant all movement would be toward the exchange of fire over by the houses.

A German MMG Crew advances toward the sound of gunfire

A US medium mortar team wandered in from the east. Because they were very exposed and alone on that side of the table, they moved toward the cover of the houses. A German MMG Crew moved on from the North, and hearing the rustling headed toward the houses to the east as well.

The darkness hid the enemy for both sides. Most of the other units either moved cautiously, but didn’t engage, or they went on ambush.

Turn Five

Another round of darkness. A German medic ran onto the board from the east but was too late to save the wounded from the first unit that got decimated by the US MMG in turn 2. A US Bazooka team came in from the west and tried to meet up with their buddies.

The German Medic arrives too late to help

Most of the teams stayed on or did their cautious movement to prepare for where they thought the enemy might be coming in. Fortunately, no gunfire had sounded to force movement in any direction.

Turn Six

Someone launched another flare. A German MMG team came in along the road and thought they saw movement in the central field. But it would take another turn for them to move into position to fire.

German MMG Team on road, about to come under ambush fire.

A German veteran sniper and his buddy were able to run onto the table and into a building. That put them into position to fire on the enemy next turn.

The US team in the center sprang their ambush on the new German MMG, but failed to wound. The other squad fires on the German squad between the hedgerows and kills one rifleman. (5 to 3 VPs, US leading).

US Squad launches their ambush on MMG team behind the hedgerow

During this turn a giant spider was spooked out of the house the US mortar team moved into. Matt was able to convince it to leave our battlefield and head over to one of the other battles outside the game club. No photos of the spider where taken, to protect the reputations of all the fighting men on the table.

Turn Seven

The flare was short lived and fizzled out. No more reserves moved on.

Germans began firing, trying to wipe out the invaders. They managed to kill three dudes in the center of the table, almost evening the odds. The German Sniper in the house needed to check to spot the enemy due to darkness. He needed to roll “anything but snake eyes,” to have the range. Jacob rattled the dice in his hand and… Bolt Action Happened!

The sniper in the upper floor tries to spot the enemy zook behind the stone wall. Note the dice roll next to the building…

Useless sniper. Much laughing was had, and the US Bazooka team knew not how close to silent death they had come.

I rolled the final die of the turn to see if another turn would be had, and it would.

Turn Eight

A flare wobbled upward and shed light on the mayhem about to unfold.

The medics, distraught by all the shooting around them, went nuts and began laying down their own fields of fire.

The medics all went crazy shooting anything that moved!

The German sniper finally was able to see the bazooka team but missed.

Several vulnerable US units went down to preserve their numbers under a barrage of German lead. A unit of US paratroops was able to return fire and wiped out four German soldiers. The Germans were able to get a bead on one of the crazed US medic crews. They shot and pinned the medics, but inflicted no casualties.

The US Mortar moved out of harm’s way

At the end of the battle, the US had suffered only seven kills, while the German losses totaled nine. Minor victory for the US. We decided not to award victory points to Matt for disabling the giant spider since this wasn’t Konflict-47.

The US carried the night with a minor victory out of the confusion.

Troy is the editor of No Dice No Glory. When not editing or gaming, he sits on his balcony in Los Angeles writing medieval urban fantasy books, while consuming vast quantities of coffee, bacon and oatmeal-raisin cookies.