Unofficial Bolt Action Scenario Book Leopard, aka Dale Needham Issue 0.1, August 2013
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Chapter 1 Introduction Warlord Game s Bolt Action system includes a number of scenarios on pages 107 120 of the main rulebook. These provide for 6 basic scenarios to play the game system with. These provide for a reasonable range of generic missions. Envelopment, the attacker attempts to move units into a specified area Maximum Attrition, fight to destroy the enemy, while limiting own losses Point Defence, the attacker tries to capture three objectives Hold Until Relieved, both players fight to control a single objective Top Secret, both players fight to recover a single objective and escape with it Demolition, both players attempt to destroy the enemy base Firstly credit where its due the #1 mission, which tends to end up as the default, is not the stand up fight. The majority of the missions involve trying to do something, and the enemy is simply a complicating factor. This book attempts to provide an alternative set of scenarios in the form of a scenario generator to provide for a wider range of potential missions. 3
4 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
Chapter 2 Elements of a Scenario This book utilises a system whereby a scenario is assembled from a number of elements thus, these are outlined further in the following chapters. Field of Battle, the actual location of the battle. This section defines the broad layout for the table, the main types of terrain to use and the placement of the objectives. Examples could be isolated farm, small village, important river crossing etc. This provides the framing and context for the battle. Determination of the Attacking force attacker and which will be the defender., how to determine which side will be the Selecting a Mission, how each player will determine the mission they must undertake. Not each player generates a mission in secret so they only know what they must achieve and must deduce the enemies mission from the enemies actions. Attacking Mission, how to determine what the mission for the attacking player will be. Such missions are focused around attempting to capture something, or otherwise achieve something. Defending Mission, how to determine what the mission for the defending player will be, these tend to focus around holding territory, inflicting casualties on the attacker or stalling for time for reinforcements to arrive. Victory Conditions, various standard ways to determine the level of victory, to provide a library that scenarios can call up. Scenario Special Rules, additional special rules to be used in conjunction with those found on pages 117 120 of the Bolt Action rulebook. 5
6 CHAPTER 2. ELEMENTS OF A SCENARIO
Chapter 3 Field of Battle This book assumes a standard 6 x 4 table surface, this can be adapted as required. Players should first determine the nature of the theatre they are fighting in, and then consult the following sections to determine the type of table to use. This should be modified by the terrain available to the players, or just decide by mutual consent something you both find interesting. This section will be modified and expanded, these are examples, it is intended to provide for at least six descriptions under each category 3.1 North Western Europe The board represents an area of north western Europe, primary terrain should be rural, a limited number of buildings, with the remaining area covered with fences, hedgerows, wooded areas etc. Objective #1 is placed by the attacker, anywhere within 12 of the defenders table side more than 8 from the table edges. Objective #2 is placed by the defender, anywhere within 6 of the table centreline and more than 8 from the table edges. Objective #3 is placed by the defender, anywhere within 18 of the attackers table side more than 8 from the table edges. The Objectives should be placed within terrain features, e.g. an area of woodland, a road junction etc. 3.2 Built Up Area The board represents an urban area, this may be largely intact or largely ruined or a mixture of the two but the defining characteristic is the large number of buildings. Objective #1 is placed by the attacker, anywhere within 12 of the defenders table side more than 8 from the table edges. Objective #2 is placed by the defender, anywhere within 6 of the table centreline and more than 8 from the table edges. 7
8 CHAPTER 3. FIELD OF BATTLE Objective #3 is placed by the defender, anywhere within 18 of the attackers table side more than 8 from the table edges. The objectives should be placed on buildings 3.3 Setting up the table The previous sections outline the table in broad terms, the critical part is the setting up of the objectives, every table under this system uses three objectives, which should be clearly identifiable and clearly differentiated as objectives #1, #2 and #3. These should be placed within the guidelines noted in the previous sections. Not all missions utilise the objectives but by providing for them on all tables allows for the hidden mission objectives outlined later.
Chapter 4 Determination of the Attacker There is no hard and fast rule for how to determine the attacker, it is suggested where it is not clear from the forces which should attack and which should defend that players roll a die each, re-rolling ties and the player with the higher roll is the attacker. Examples of it being clear could include an SAS raiding force facing a conventional army force, here is is reasonably clear the SAS are more likely to be the attacker 9
10 CHAPTER 4. DETERMINATION OF THE ATTACKER
Chapter 5 Selecting a Mission Each player will draw a mission at random, to do this you require either playing cards or chits of some sort, numbered 1-10 (e.g. playing cards using a single suit for the attacking player and another for the defending player with the ace representing 1 and the jack, queen and king removed). It is important this choice can be made randomly (as a commander you never quiet know what mission you will draw), that the card can be placed face down (so it cannot be changed, or seen by the other player) and so you don t end up using it for anything else (which is why it is suggested not to use a die for this). You are permitted to discard the mission you have drawn and draw a second, but must stick with this second mission, a commander does not always have the luxury of selecting the most suited mission, they may be the only force in the area but this allows for some level of control over rejecting something your force is not capable of. Currently this text only includes for one set of missions for each of the attacker and defender, it is intended that this list be significantly expanded and separate tables be provided for specific forces. 11
12 CHAPTER 5. SELECTING A MISSION
Chapter 6 Attacker Missions 1. Smash and Grab Objective #1 marks the location of a key enemy unit. This is your target. Your primary objective is to destroy this target, to do this an infantry unit must move adjacent to the objective and execute a Fire order - the unit may not fire with this order which is used to plant a demolition charge. Your secondary objective is to kill the enemy commanding officers to delay the enemy realising the nature of your mission and allow for a further attempt later. 2. Extraction A key member of the resistance is hiding under objective #2, you must move to within 6 of this objective with at least two infantry units including an officer at which point the resistance operative will reveal themselves (place another model on the objective, at which point they join the officers unit) if there is no enemy unit within 6. Your primary objective is to move this operative off your board edge. Your secondary objective is for your officer to survive after having revealed the operative. 3. Recce One of your infantry units is noted as containing a reconnaissance expert, To complete your primary objective this expert must move to within 6 of objective #1 and spend a turn there before being moved off your board edge. To complete your secondary objective they must move to within 6 of either objective #2 or #3 and move of your board edge. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 13
14 CHAPTER 6. ATTACKER MISSIONS 9. 10.
Chapter 7 Defender Missions 1. Rearguard Your force is fighting a rearguard action, your primary objective is to kill all the officers in the attacking force to prevent a co-ordinated breakthrough. Your secondary objective is to move more than half your starting force with within 12 of the attackers table edge and have them go into ambush 2. Delaying Tactics 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 15
16 CHAPTER 7. DEFENDER MISSIONS
Chapter 8 Victory Conditions In order that the missions can be attempted with different sized forces it is required to have a mechanism for scaling the victory points. By default each enemy unit totally destroyed is worth 3VP, each enemy unit partially destroyed is worth 1VP a unit is partially destroyed if it is at or blow half its starting strength in terms of number of models. Damaged but operational vehicles score zero, they must be destroyed to prevent them being repaired. You may only claim the VP from an enemy unit once, you cannot claim 1VP for partially destroyed and then 3VP for totally destroyed, its one or the other. Each player takes the number of units they have, and multiplies by three to determine the maximum number of VP they can provide to the enemy, this is the Force Victory Point Potential (FVPP) Each mission notes a primary objective and a secondary objective. Completing the Primary objective is worth VP equal to 50% of the enemy FVPP, completing the secondary objective is worth VP equal to 25% of the enemy FVPP. A players final score is the number of VP from objectives achieved, plus the VP from totally and partially destroyed enemy units. A player is successful if the complete their primary objective, and unsuccessful otherwise. A successful player uses the VP they calculated earlier as a score. an unsuccessful player uses their VP as calculated earlier less the VP of their opponent. The player with the higher overall score is the winner. Note you do not know the mission and thus victory conditions of your opponent until the game is completed, you should focus on completing your primary objective at which point your opponents score is not relevant to you, if you do not complete your mission in order to win you need to ensure your opponent also fails in their primary objective and that you inflict more damage than them. 17
18 CHAPTER 8. VICTORY CONDITIONS
Chapter 9 Scenario Special Rules This section will provide for special rules to use within the scenarios. Reserves by default neither the attacker or the defender may use reserves at this time, all forces start on the table. Reserves will be integrated into the missions 19