Ok, so we’re going to do a campaign. We have the campaign tool ready to go in Combined Arms, and we have chosen the setting of our first conflict, the North-West Europe Map. Now the next thing to do for a miniature wargame is to get some miniatures. I probably should have started with this but hey, you go to battle with the army you have, not the army you want.
The Allied Invasion of Occupied France seemed like the best setting given the chosen map. It’s a critical juncture in the war, it has iconic imagery, and there are plenty of films and videogames for players to pull inspiration from. The Allies have a much more diverse cast when it comes to participating forces, so I figured it would be prudent if I were to acquire some bad guys.
So I grabbed the German Grenadiers starter set!
While I have been playing other Warlord games, I’ve been out of the loop on Bolt Action since first edition. I had also sold my old army on, and then purchased more, sold it on, and so on like many gamers without really getting back into it. Time for a refresher.
Finding a TO&E
Without having access to the new rules (yet) I took to a few different places to ensure that I built my new Grenadiers correctly. I’m always more interested in the history before the game, so my first stop was some videos and websites that I hoped would give me an insight into late war Grenadier equipment and tactics.
I found an easy to follow guide on a site called ‘Battle Order’ that nicely laid out a Heer Rifle Company. This would be my initial basis. I would look to recreate a full strength late war platoon from this rifle company and then expand into gamier options when I got access to the rules.
Building a Platoon leader and two of the three squads accounted for at least 23 of my figures (Forgoing the stretcher and horse teams). The Platoon command would be armed with SMGs and rifles, and each squad would be 9 men with the following: 1 NCO with SMG, 1 Deputy NCO with an SMG or Assault Rifle, 1 LMG operator, and 6 riflemen.
I also knew I was going to build the extra teams as they were, without fussing with any customization. This meant that I had a Pak-40, Mortar, MMG position, platoon command, and two squads, with plenty of men left over. Not to mention, the kit came with a StuG/H and a Puma!
To the Point of it All
Now I really needed to know what I had before committing on the final teams. I had ordered a rulebook, but it was still on its way. Lucky for me, Warlord put out an app (paid) for list building. It’s not pricey, but it unfortunately only covers three games right now, Bolt Action, Blood Red Skies, and Black Seas. While that works for me, because I play all of those, I’m hoping they’ll take a page out of Mantic’s book and expand the app while allowing for users to select which games they want to subscribe to. Also, where are Victory at Sea and Cruel Seas? Come on! So close!
Anyways, the point is that the app allowed me to see what options I had waiting for me in a proper list, and I was off to the races. After putting everything in, I toyed with a few different options for my remaining soldiers. I’m delighted to see that the starter sets here come with about 1000 points worth of stuff, and more if you go crazy on the upgrades. As the basic unit in Combined Arms is 1000 points, it means getting another army up and running is actually a reasonable investment of a single Starter Army box.
I ended up choosing some funky squads for my first army, but ones that I hope will highlight some interest aspects of the game. I added a Spähtruppen squad, which was an ad-hoc scout team, and a StuG Begleit squad, which is literally a bodyguard that rides the StuG into battle before dismounting to deal with infantry problems. It seems like this was an eastern front thing, but I’m willing to bend the rules a smidge for some fun expression on the tabletop.
So there it is, my single box 1000 point army is ready to go. Just need to get some paint on it! Oh, and then I need to get and paint planes, ships, and terrain. No problem, right?
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