"Company Level Bolt Action style game?" Topic

I have too many rulesets, but still have not found that perfect fit just yet. I loved the original Squad Leader (but ASL was much too complex), and played a lot of 40k many long years ago. I am seeking a good set of rules which model/support the Fix-Fire-Finish style of gameplay.

Bolt Action is nearly perfect on the complexity scale, but I wish it were at the Company level, as I would prefer the size of battles one saw in Squad Leader, with a good amount of infantry and 4-8 tanks per side when used. Dust Warfare (while not historic WW2) is also an outstanding ruleset in my opinion, but the models are out of my price range and like Bolt Action, at a smaller maneuver scale than I prefer, and wish it used tanks instead of walkers.

Scale wise, likely 15mm, with a stand of infantry representing a squad or fire team, and 1 tank = 1 tank.

I found IABSM too loose and open to individual interpretation, and FOW as not modeling the type of game I want to play close enough (mainly due to lack of opportunity fire). I have not personally read the Battlefront WW2 rules, but based on descriptions I have found it seems it might be a good fit, but also seems likely too complex for my tastes.

Not keen on games in which the turn sequence is too open like in Crossfire, want something a bit more strict and measured.

Not a big fan of looking up rules or referencing charts, so prefer a set of rules which can be played mostly without needing to look up rules, and any charts used are easily memorized. One or two simple charts is not a deal breaker however.

I prefer a game that uses only d6, in the classic fashion of bucket of dice. Despite being an avid RPGer, the thought of multiple dice types in my wargame does not appeal.

I apologize if that is too much negativity, I have been going through old TMP posts and looking up recommended games, and a lot of the above items are things that stood out as my own personal rub points.

There are so many rule sets however, that I hope something out there might just fit the bill, if only I knew about it. I am a bit of an antisocial bastard, so playing what the cool kids down at the store are playing is not my concern. Games with too much hidden information are not the best either considering I will likely be gaming solo some of the time.

An alternate question, anyone with any positive experience playing larger Bolt Action games that approach a full company on each side? Any luck/advice for using infantry stands representing full/half squads instead of individually basing each infantry troop? I am not terribly adverse to just bending it to suit my own preferences, but would much prefer a tried and tested set that has been put through its paces.

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

Flames of War really does what you want, but failing that check out Blitzkrieg Commander. The Battlegroup rules are very good, but it's also more detailed than Bolt Action or Flames. Being honest, that has been a blocker for me diving deeper into what is a very solid game.

I have been plugging the Axis & Allies Miniatures system, though its opportunity fire is limited to range 1 (except in the expanded rules where up to two guns can overwatch a straight line of hexes).

It ticks all your boxes. Rules are online (though expanded rules aren't).

That said, Flames is my favorite. No one would conduct speculative opportunity fire at kilometers-long range. Only at close range and only if they had to, hence defensive fire.

You might also play Crossfire with an activation limit if you don't like the rather extreme "fog-of-war" conditions where poor flank security means enemy infantry can appear ANYWHERE.

PBI from Peter Pig sounds like it would meet your requirements.

link

Panzergrenadier Deluxe? I've only played first edition mind you, but it seems solid through reading it.

another vote for Blitzkrieg Commander II and FoW.

I use Flames of War but make a few tweaks:

1) Alternating platoon activation instead of IGOUGO. You could use the dice method from Bolt Action if you like that system.

2) Overwatch: A unit may go on overwatch when it activates. It may shoot at any unit that passes through LOS (subject to some restrictions). Units may shoot multiple times per turn, but after the first time they suffer a shooting penalty.

3) I ditch most of the nonsensical "special" rules, keeping just the ones that really make sense (StossTruppen Move, Fast Tanks, etc.).

Fireball Forward has almost everything you are looking for, and is based on ASL. There are a few other types of dice involved, but mostly it's D6s.

If you like Squad Leader, then you will pick up Battlefront WWII very quickly. Styled almost the same. Have been playing it since it came out and everyone likes it.

You can download Hail Of Fire for free, and at only 4 pages should know pretty quickly if it's for you. It hits almost all of the points you're looking for, although it does have a loose turn sequence, similar to Crossfire.

link

I would also recommend looking at fireball forward, especially if you're a squad leader fan. I also personally enjoy Crossfire and FoW.

I've not played yet but have been researching Battlegroup series (Kursk, Overlord, Fall of the Reich) from Ironfist Publishing. You can play from squad to battalion level and the win/morale mechanic looks very interesting.

Here's a video with Warwick Kinrade explaining the general concept and demonstrating overview of some of the rules.
It looks about as complex as FoW with a different way of approaching the way a force wins/loses a battle.

Each book is written to cover one year of the war such as '43 or '45. BG Kursk is the only one that includes both campaign AND the core rules. If you buy another campaign like Overlord, you'll either need BG Kursk to get the core rules or you can buy a mini rulebook that has just the core covered.

It does have some charts you'll need to reference. For instance, armor penetration versus armor protection. I don't know how many you need in order to play.

YouTube link

What you are looking for is Blitzkieg Commander.

If you like SL than there are two really great options.

1 – SLIM (Squad Leader in Miniature). Just like it says. I think it is a free set of rules on yahoo groups.

2 – Schwere Kompanie. Written for 6mm, just bump the measurements from 1" = 50 meters to 2" = 50 meters to play it with 15mm. You can easily play any SL or ASL scenario with this set of rules – mostly by just laying out the map as shown on the SL/ASL scenario card and picking the units on the card (many of them have direct equivalents). (oops, read the rest of you post – SK has lots of stat charts for the units, might not be your cup of tea but it *IS* the closest thing to SL I've seen in a miniatures rule set)

Sorry for just now replying, aparently new accounts can post new topics right away, but not reply for the first 3 days.

I really apreciate the great suggestions, I know this topic is has been tread too many times. I had the chance to look into several mentioned rule sets, some which I had not heard about yet.

Battleground WW2 seems so much like what I was looking for that I ordered the rules to check out. The particular draw for me on this game is the turn sequence: Offensive Fire, Movement, Defensive Fire, very squad leader like. I think that the only reason these will not work out will be due to complexity level.

Blitzkrieg Commander also seems very promising, seems the only place to purchase the rules is direct from their webstore, was hoping to find a better price for the PDF.

@Nazrat The information I found on Fireball Forward did not give the feeling it was ASL inspired, of course I was not able to find too much info. Any chance you could give a few details on its simularities to ASL?

I really like one of the images on the Fireball Forward home page, anyone know what manufacturer these minis are from?

Axis and Allies had the advanced rules as a free pdf, so got a chance to read through them. It is just too simple for what I am looking for.

The use of a grid in PBI kills it for me

Looking for more crunch than the 4 page Hail of Fire offers

Have been unable to find a real good breakdown of the Panzergrenadier Deluxe rules, but it has the right scale.

Reread my FoW rulebook, and it is a bit better than I remembered, and worthy of another chance. I do have the 1st edition, and seems there have been a few changes since, including allowing nearby elements to fire in defensive fire which seems promising.

@Privateer4hire thanks for the video link, I will check that out later, not familiar with the Battlegroup series yet.

Though I love SL, I do not think I would want to actually play it as an adapted minis game. Not very logical I know. I think it is that I like the overall feel and flavor of SL, but not the degree it gets bogged down in detail in places. I will check out Schwere Kompanie though, there are a lot of stat charts for units I am fine with, as long as they are designed to increase the flow of play.

I am realizing that I am likely to be purchasing a number of these rules, probably will end up spending more on rulesets than minis. I have a few boardgames collecting dust I no longer play, I am thinking those need to be sacrificed for the greater good, the never ending search for a "perfect" game.

I might have to also grab Chain of Command, if only to pilfer the Patrol setup rules for other games.

I do think I have settled on 15mm at least (though still flirting with the idea of 20mm if I end up with a single figure based ruleset).

Here is the Fireball Forward website. From there you can download the demo (Easy Company at Brecourt Manor silencing the 105s), watch the tutorial videos. etc..

fireballforward.com

The authors state that they used ASL as a starting point – but in my opinion the similarities are stretched. Both about WWII land combat, squads and tanks, leaders can rally. I love the game though and it plays quickly with a minimum of charts AND a lovely opfire system.

I play Bolt Action in 15mm and have really enjoyed our larger 2000-3000pt games. I personally prefer CoC (there is Big CoC now which may do what you're looking for) but they are different things and BA does a good job (actually better than we'd expected) on larger, relatively fast paced games with a mix of armour and infantry.

My fav is Disposable Heroes from Iron Ivan.

So I got my copy of Battlefront WW2, and on first glance it is pretty overwhelming. It looks like it might be easier in play than it looks on first glance, but only further reading will tell for sure. I need to pick up Blitzkrieg Commander for sure now to try out, as it seems it is a pretty straightforward game.

@Privateer4hire thanks for the video link, it was a very good look into the system. I did not care for the morale system being used however, and how your units remain suppressed until you take the morale hit, not something that plays to what I want to play.

@Dynaman8789 the more I learn about Fireball Forward, the more I am uncertain about it. I may just have to try it before passing any final judgement, but unlike some of the other rule sets, it just does not grab me right off.

@Chuckaroobob from what I have read on Disposable Heroes, it just does not seem like my personal cup of tea. I appreciate the recommendation though.

I picked up the FoW Open Fire starter set to get a good set of initial minis, the big question now is whether to base the individually or in stands, and wondering if it is possible to do individual that can then be put on stands…hmm…

The strangest thing however, that I have begun to get extremely interested in Chain of Command, based on the various designer notes TFL put out about the system. Despite being at the Platoon rather than Company scale, it seems built to simulate the fire and maneuver tactics I desire.