British

Hi my name is Mitch and I am a gamer.

Our podcasts seem to have one drug reference in each episode, so it’s a well-worn joke to many of us here at NDNG. We’re always jonesing for that next gaming fix.

We are always looking for that new game to pick up in which we invest time and money for the ultimate payoff which is to have Fun.

So. over the last few months, I took the excitement of my latest enabler, Jon Russell from and decided to give Bolt Action a try. Bolt Action is now in its second edition and has been around for a while now. Two editions and I hadn’t tried it yet? Why not?

Perhaps it was for the same reason many gamers don’t try new games? We tend to look for the bad in a game in order to give us an excuse to ignore it. But, the only time I heard anything bad about Bolt Action was one person say it wasn’t his cup of tea. This excuse gave me the ability to avoid the game, to not paint 28mm models, and not pick up another money and time suck.

by Tom Burgess

Models provided by the

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to build and review a box of the Plastic Soldier Company’s 15mm Sextons.  I have an all plastic Irish Guards Tank Battalion but had no fire support to go with this force. So this project would be a perfect fit.

This would be the third set of 15mm armoured vehicle models made by the that I have built.

Before these, I had built Soviet T-70s and German PzKw-IVHs. Both sets were very good and I was very excited to get started on these.

Today we take a look at how Battlefront’s Latest addition the mid-war desert books, Armoured Fist, changes the tournament scene. It’s complicated.

One of the most talked about and biggest changes that come with Armoured Fist is actually something that affects the Desert Rats book. The hotly contest Scout Tanks card has been changed, making the cost two points for each platoon using it, and the card must be applied to every platoon it is viable for. This is a huge, much-needed change.

Battlefront set the point cost for the card too low on the first go around, but, I will give them credit for admitting their mistake and fixing it. This change, however, will kill the Stuarts swarm of 50+ tanks.

The Release of Armoured Fist has given the British player a wide array of options.  A quick glance through the book gives a lot to be excited about. I found myself making list after list in an effort to see what was the most cost-effective use of points. This piece will analyze the tactical uses for each of the British tanks. I expect some readers will disagree with me on some of these, and only playtesting will bear it out what works in the long run (I’m looking at you Matt Varnish), but these are my first impressions. I will also analyze the tanks based on the 71 point MidWar Standard for tournament play this year.

Some other notes on force construction.  One of the changes to the Force Organization diagram allows you to mix and match tanks to a larger degree than you could in Desert Rats. Grants can replace a Sherman platoon in their formation for example.  The Death or Glory Boys list is also cheaper (due to it being easier to hit) and requires different, more aggressive tactics for that list to work as intended. For purposes of this analysis, I’ll use the Crusaders and Valentines from their standard formations (instead of the DoGB list) when discussing points.

The DoGB list is excellent in my opinion, using Valentines 2 pdr platoon and combining them with 6pdr Crusaders for firepower. Combined, they’re an excellent combination. My concern with that list has a weakness. The Crusaders are easy to kill off, which would leave the well armoured, but somewhat limited, Valentines to fend for themselves. Playtesting will bear that out, and I am sure many folks will want to give this list a try.

By Tom “Chairborne” Mullane

Armoured Fist (AF) Wraps up the British Forces of Mid-War in the desert.  The book is large, includes all the equipment the British would have had access to during their fights in the desert, and is a must buy for any British player in Mid war.  This is the book that Desert Rats (DR) could have been. All the formations from that book can be found here.

with a painting guide, equipment overviews, and unit histories, this book is a polished product with all the toys and gadgets us Brit players have been waiting for.

Let’s dive in…