"Optimising Big Tanks, " Topic

"…I'll start with a Russian list that I'm currently using. The big center-piece is a veteran IS-2 with pintle HMG. This Heavy tank is bristling with weapon systems that can lay down the pain, but at just over 400 points, this bad boy is a lot of points. So after your behemoth tank, you need infantry. This list uses four units of Soviet scouts, two squads with SMGs, two with Rifles. The idea is to use their forward deployment to hold the enemy back until the IS-2 and other units arrive to reinforce them. The scouts can also start targeting enemy anti-tank assets as they are halfway across the table already.

Next is a regular junior lieutenant and an infantry flamethower team in a jeep. The flamethrower gives you another super offensive unit to remove enemy squads incase the IS-2 gets neutralised early. Next is a unit of tank riders to hitch a ride on the IS-2. You already have the tank so it's like a free transport. Lastly is the free Soviet squad and a sniper team to round out the list and to try and remove enemy observers and heavy weapon teams. This list manages to fit quite a few squads of veterans in with a big expensive tank. It lacks back-up methods of removing whole squads outside of the flamethrower and assaults if the IS-2 is killed but it's still proved to be an effective list.

The next sample list I haven't used yet but am keen to try is a British one using a Churchill AVRE. This Heavy tank with heavy howitzer is only 290 points at regular. It's slow and can't fire at long range but 36" range is still efficient in the standard size game of Bolt Action and this list still has heaps of points left for the rest of the list. First is a second lieutenant and offsider plus the free British artillery observer. Then four units of 10 regulars with an SMG and LMG each provides a solid block of infantry to take objectives…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Except Stalin tanks didn't come in ones but in platoons and companies with the proportionate organic support. But then, STAVKA wasn't interested in a balanced game….

This article makes me not want to play Bolt Action.

This article makes me weep.

If this is what Bolt Action is about then I don't want to play it. Reality? Bah! I want to play with an AVRE, a 25pdr and a heavy mortar. I also want to call a sIG33b a "Heavy Tank". As I've read elsewhere, this is 40K WWII.

Given the success of Flames of War your not going to get the points driven WWII super list back into the bottle. Companies deploying Corps level assests, air strikes etc.

But Bolt Action now brings it to the squad level…

The correct push back is to bring other WWII games to your local club or game store to demostrate that other types of WWII games are played.

We run Combat Command every month in Atlanta and have a thriving gaming community built around it.

TomT

Each to his own tastes I suppose, but this a la carte fantasy approach to WW2 gaming is not for me. On the plus side though, I had not seen the site before, so thanks Tango.