Strategy game Bolt Action is a tabletop WW2 miniatures port with indirect fire, armour facings and overwatch

Blood, toil, tears and plastic glue

Today I became aware of Bolt Action, a historical strategy sim based on the World War II tabletop miniatures game from Warlord Games (founded by erstwhile Games Workshop staffers John Stallard and Paul Sawyer). It sees you fretting over questions of morale, line-of-sight and cover, while leading US, British or German armies across maps that range from beaches to churchyards. There’s multiplayer, too. Trailer ho!

In a blogpost this week, developers Frag Games simultaneously announce their desire to do right by the source material while making clear that they don’t want to just transplant it, Victoria Crosses and all. “We’ve all seen ‘PC adaptations’ that strip the soul out of a tabletop game to make it ‘accessible,’" they sneer, like grown men disproving the existence of Santa Claus. “So our designers spent weeks in ‘boot camp’: reading rulebooks, painting minis, rolling dice, measuring distances with tape, and feeling the genuine panic of a FUBAR roll.

“We learned a lot, and we’re still learning,” it continues. “But the one thing we DID know from the beginning was that we didn’t want to build a digital version of Bolt Action. Bolt Action already exists! Playing a table-top experience will always remain special. What we want is the best Turn-Based Tactics videogame built on the Bolt Action ruleset.”

There follows a breakdown of the “six tactical choices” that await you whenever you pick a unit: firing, advancing, running, ambushing (aka overwatch), rallying (aka getting rid of suppression “pins”), and going prone.

Another section explores vehicles, which are proof against small arms and have a selection of armour facings. There’s a bit on how indirect fire works, with the accuracy of consecutive shots on a target improving each turn, and a bit on platoon experience levels, upgrades and customisation.

It looks like a tidy little wargame – no release date yet - but that’s not why I’ve written it up. “We’re building a game for the person with five unpainted armies sitting on their shelf, but also for the strategy fan who wants a WWII game with complex rules and deep gameplay,” the devs comment near the end of that blogpost.

The mention of unpainted armies fills my heart with decades-old guilt – alas, Teclis, Loremaster of Hoeth, I never did get round to finishing your cape – but also, possibility. Adaptations of tabletop miniatures games often come with elaborate livery editors, but now that I reflect, I’m not sure I’ve played one that lets you show up to the brawl with an unpainted force.

It’s been a while since I wielded a physical range ruler, but there is surely no better way to demonstrate your contempt for an opponent - and maybe, throw them off - than by rocking up with some High Elves you couldn’t be bothered to basecoat, let alone shade and layer. Imagine if Henry V came to Agincourt with no pants. How might the French have reacted? Clarification: I have not researched the Battle of Agincourt, so apologies if going commando was, in fact, a critical element of the English strategy.

Less abrasively, I just think miniatures adaptations could do a better job of reflecting the fact that a lot of miniatures collectors aren’t great painters, however enthusiastic. There should be an editor function that recreates the effect of a spirited 10-year-old getting Warhammer for Xmas and trying to pimp out a whole Lizardman battalion in felt tip. I think this could be wholesome? Authentic, even?