Blood Bowl

[Tratorello]

Played my first game of Bolt Action tonight, my first tabletop (war)game in, something like, 25 years and enjoyed it immensely.

The dice mechanic where the players take an order dice out of a bag and the player whose dice it is gets to activate a unit (rather than "I go, you go" games where one player does all their activations whilst the other sits and waits and, generally, watches all their units get wasted), is a brilliant idea, it means both players are constantly involved and there's genuine tension as you wait to see whose dice comes out of the bag.

Highlights included one of my squads taking repeated bazooka shots to the face and just shrugging them off, another squad fearlessly charging a Sherman tank and getting brutally mown down for their troubles and my mortar team landing a round right on top of a Stuart light tank causing it to brew up.

Great fun and I can't wait till my next game.

[Tratorello]

Playing my second game of BA tonight. Realised that I'd forgotten one whole squad for last week's game, which makes my beginner's luck victory even more remarkable. Fully expecting to get stomped this time as I, surely, can't roll as many sixes as I did last time.

[Levin]

Forgotten as you didn't put them on the table?

[Tratorello]

Forgotten as you didn't put them on the table?

Yes, exactly. It was a small, six man squad I'd completely overlooked.

[Patrick Thistle]

Ah the Kelly's Heroes of Tratorello's table top battlefield.

[Tratorello]

Well last week's debut win was truly revealed to be more down to lucky dice rolls than expert generalship as I got thoroughly stomped tonight. A lack of mobility proved fatal for my footsloggers against a mechanised army who, almost literally, ran rings around me. Great fun though, even when several units were getting chargrilled by my opponents flamethrowers.

[tracteurgarcon]

Third game yesterday and, once again my footslogging US Airborne suffered from a lack of armoured support. They were tenacious, one guy hanging around for the whole game despite seeing the rest of his squad wiped out in the early turns but ultimately they had no answer to my opponents two tanks, especially after my bazooka team ran out into the middle of a road for a shot into the side of a light tank and missed, they subsequently got shot up for their troubles.

[Patrick Thistle]

So I've done a thing. I went into my local games shop and saw the Blood Bowl Second Season starter set. It had over ?20 off and you seem to get more miniatures in there this time around. And Mrs Thistle said "why not" when I asked her about it. So, yeah, I bought it.

I'd been thinking of getting the second season rule book anyway. So...

[Levin]

The models are amazing quality when I think back to my first GW ones.

I really need to find the time to paint some.

[Levin]

tracteurgarcon does it get boring painting historically accurate camoflay?

[tracteurgarcon]

tracteurgarcon does it get boring painting historically accurate camoflay?

It might if I could paint them historically accurate.

Yes, it can get a bit “production line” like but when I get too bored I paint a vehicle or make some terrain or scenery.

What I’ve found fascinating is how quickly my skills have advanced. When I look at the miniatures I painted 6 months ago compared to more recent ones the improvement is immense although that’s not to say they’re perfect by any means.

[Levin]

Cheers, one of the things that had been putting me off is how bad things look now.

[Patrick Thistle]

I wouldn't worry about paint jobs. Mine are rudimentary but better than unpainted and I've improved a lot.

Got a bit to do, mind

[Levin]

It's cool they put big guys and star players in the basic box

[tracteurgarcon]

Cheers, one of the things that had been putting me off is how bad things look now.

Get a decent wash if you haven’t already, plenty of people swear by Citadel’s Agrax Earthshade, I use Army Painter strong tone, it really makes all the difference.

Basic colours, a quick dark wash for the shading and then basic highlights make figures look a good tabletop standard. Remember when you’re playing with them no one is looking at them close up.

One thing I’ve learnt is that the highlighting is like doing stage makeup, you have to overemphasise everything so it can be seen from a distance.

I’m very much an amateur but if you want any advice feel free to drop me a message.

[Patrick Thistle]

Levin
Yes. You get 2 teams (and they are teams I didn't have), 2 star players, 2 "big guys" and 2 referees. Plus the hardback rules book and all the kit to play. It's got everything you need for league play as well. It feels like a lot of thought has gone into the box.

[Tratorello]

Been offered my first ever three way...

Tomorrow my US Airborne and a friend's Soviets face off against a huge force of Germans.

I've tweaked my army list to include a Sherman to help with my mobility and antitank issues. Should be fun.

[Patrick Thistle]

Sounds like a good addition.

I like the look of the Blood Bowl Treeman player figure, but don't have a team for him to fit into. They're supposed to play on halfling and wood elf teams.

With the 2 new teams in the box I now have six teams which would be enough for my own mini league.

[Gert from the Well]

I was sure there was a general wargaming thread but I can't find it.
https://www.shatnerchatner.com/p/gor...source=twitter

I'm up for a thread, my parents were clearing out their loft and after 30 years I am reunited with my childhood wargames collection: SPI Napoleonic board games and some 6mm ancient figures amongst many things. Anyone know what rules are popular for ancient wargaming - it used to be WRG but I guess this may have changed?

[Levin]

How did the allies fair Tratorello ?

Patrick Thistle halflings are fun models as well. I like the little saucepan helmets.

Gert from the Well Oh man, I'm resisting looking at what now the thing used. I always wanted a roman legion.

[Patrick Thistle]

Patrick Thistle halflings are fun models as well. I like the little saucepan helmets.

Yes they are fun. I currently have 3 teams to assemble and paint already though...

[Levin]

Ah, there is that. I've got 5 and a half. I did one test orc and got discouraged.

[Patrick Thistle]

I have painted the human and orc teams from the previous starter sets, plus a skaven team and an ogre. I have the lizardmen team waiting to be painted and now the new sets.

I've got all the paints and a can of primer. Just need to get on with it...

[tracteurgarcon]

How did the allies fair Tratorello ?

Great fun today as my 101st Airborne, along with some Soviet allies, took on the might of the Wehrmacht.

It finished in a stalemate, the Allies had started to get the upper hand but the Germans fought a brilliant rearguard action to get the draw.

My Sherman got blown up early on as it tried to engage a Panzer IV head on but my bazooka team was able to extract retribution by effectively immobilising it in return AND putting a round straight through the front armour of a Tiger tank causing it to blow up!

Yet again my flamethrower did nothing, in four games so far he’s not so much as fired at anyone and to add insult to injury, the German flamethrower roasted an entire squad before being cut down by my sniper.

Another highlight/lowlight was a Soviet unit of 11 regulars charging into close combat with 3 German veterans (the dogged survivors of a squad that had taken fire from all sides) and getting wiped out with the Germans failing to lose a man (melee combat in Bolt Action is brutal).

That probably cost the Allies the chance of victory as it meant a two dice/Victory Point swing leaving us too much to do to get a clear victory.

[sw2borshch]

Sounds like a good addition.

I like the look of the Blood Bowl Treeman player figure, but don't have a team for him to fit into. They're supposed to play on halfling and wood elf teams.

With the 2 new teams in the box I now have six teams which would be enough for my own mini league.