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Xenophon's Ghost covers military history and wargaming from the ancient period to modern times.
Showing posts with label Warlord Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warlord Games. Show all posts

Sunday, May 5, 2013

1/72 Bolt Action?

I'm toying with the idea of playing Bolt Action in 1/72 scale, instead of the recommended 28mm scale.  I may end up buying test figures in both scales as a comparison.

28mm Pros

  • If I ever play at conventions or tournaments, this will be the standard size.
  • Larger figures will be a nice change from 15mm.
  • Larger scale is visually appealing.
1/72 (20mm) Pros
  • Significantly less expensive than 28mm.
  • Figures have less of a heroic figure.
  • Will look better, visually, on my smaller table here in Korea.
  • May be able to use for Blitzkrieg Commander or other WW II rulesets, too.
In an earlier post, I laid out the cost differences for various 28mm armies.  A 1000 point German Wehrmacht veteran force consisting of three squads, two support units, a Hanomag halftrack, and a Panzer IV would run $82.  Downgrading the infantry to regular training would allow be to throw in a second Hanomag, costing $104, and keeping the force around 1000 points.

Going with the Plastic Soldier Company's 1/72 figures, I could purchase one infantry box, one heavy weapons box, three Hanomags, and three Panzer IVs for $70.  This set would allow me to easily field the same 1000 point force.  In fact, I could field two full platoons with three halftracks and two tanks, as listed below, with figures remaining.


Wehrmacht German Force (Regular Rating)
1st Platoon (Motorized)

2nd Platoon

1st Lt


1st Lt

Medic


Medic

Forward Observer


Forward Observer
Three Infantry Squads

Three Infantry Squads
each with
NCO w/SMG

each with
NCO w/SMG

Soldier with SMG


4 Riflemen

3 Riflemen


LMG Team

2 Panzer Faust




LMG Team



Weapons Squad

Weapons Squad

MMG Team


MMG Team

120mm Mortar


80mm Mortar

Panzerschreck


Panzerschreck
Transport


Transport


3 Hanomag


None
Armor


Armor


Panzer IV


Panzer IV
Total Points Value
1964

Armor Platoon Comparisons

Warlord Games recently provided a new rule for Bolt Action on their website, allowing you to fight with Armoured Platoons.  The basic platoon is three tanks.  For any infantry or weapons support, you must provide transports for all elements.  The rule supplement can be found at the following link:

http://www.warlordgames.com/32598/bolt-action-armoured-platoon-selectors/

Let's compare a 28mm and 1/72 platoon, assuming I purchased the basic infantry platoon in 28mm (described in earlier post) and added more vehicles and elements.

Panzer Platoon
Points
Armoured Platoon

Command Tank
Panzer IV
260

Panzer IV
235

Panzer IV
235
One Infantry Squad
106

NCO w/SMG


Soldier with SMG


3 Riflemen


2 Panzer Faust


LMG Team

Weapons Squad
195

MMG Team


120mm Mortar


Panzerschreck

Transport



2 Hanomag
168
Total Points Value
1199
1/72 Total Cost
$70
28mm Total Cost
$212

I have some more thinking to do.  I'm almost finished with my DBA Later Persian army basing, and I am tackling a terrain project afterward.  I'll probably purchase my first batch of WW II figures in the summer, starting with samples in both scales.




Sunday, March 10, 2013

Planning Bolt Action Purchases


Marines Landing on Iwo Jima


Cost conscious as I am, I decided to compare the cost for a few armies and manufacturers for Bolt Action.  Warlord Games, the co-publisher of the game, has a great range of WWII 28mm miniatures.  I am also considering figures from Wargames Factory, which makes late war Americans and Germans, and the Plastic Soldier Company's Russians.

Without going into every detail, the table below compares four 1000 point armies. The experience level of the majority of units is listed.  As you can see, the Soviets are able to field a lot of infantry, thanks to a points-free 11 man inexperienced squad, a national characteristic unique to the Russian army list.


Playing Bolt Action in the Pacific theater is appealing to me, but it will require a little more money than a European campaign.  Although I didn't estimate the cost for a Japanese force, the basic infantry box for both the Marines and the Japanese runs the same.   I could field a Russian and German army for the price of one Marine list by using a mix of manufacturers.  Because the Warlord USMC and Japanese units are a mix of metal and plastic figures, the boxes are also pricier than the Warlord US Army figures available for European campaigns.



Bolt Action 28mm Forces - Cost Estimates
Army
USMC
Russian
German
German
General Exp Level
Veteran
Regular
Veteran
Regular
Officers, Staff, Medic
3
2
2
2
Inf Squads
3
5
3
3
Total Infantrymen
27
55
27
27
LMG/MMG Teams
.30 LMG
MMG Maxim
MG42
MG42
Sniper Team
1
0
1
1
Mortar Team
60mm
81mm
0
0
Anti-tank Team
0
AT Rifle
0
0
Artillery
0
76mm FG
0
0
Tank
M4 75mm Sherman
T34/85
Panzer IV
Panzer IV
Other Vehicles
LVT4 Buffalo
0
1 Hanomag
2 Hanomag
Points
1010
1011
973
976
Cost Estimate
$162
$80
$82
$104
Manufacturers
Warlord
Inf - PSC Tank-Warlord
Inf-WarFact Veh-Warlord
Inf-WarFact Veh-Warlord

Figure cost is not the only factor.  It would be interesting to estimate time and cost to finish a Pacific battlefield versus a European one.  I could easily scratch-build the bunkers that would characterize a Pacific Island; building or buying numerous buildings for a burned-out town in France would undoubtedly be pricier.  How would the money and time investment balance out when the terrain is considered? Hmm...

While cost will be a consideration, I don't expect that will be the leading factor in my final decision.  Bolt Action is quite affordable to play considering the investment needed to field large horse & musket armies, at smaller scales, for Napoleonic gaming.

Welcome thoughts from any experienced WWII gamers on how the Russian and Veteran German lists would match up. They are quite different in composition.  I have a few points left on the German list, so I should be able to add a bit more firepower.