Bolt Action: Third Edition is here, and jolly excited we are about it too! As we were welcoming the new edition in, there was just one last thing to do with Second Edition – say goodbye in style! For this, a small but determined group made the trip down to London to represent the world’s greatest WWII wargame on a big stage – the prestigious London GT!
The aim here was two-fold – to say farewell to V2, and to reconnoitre the GT, ready for a big appearance in 2025 with 3rd Edition – and it’s fair to say both objectives were achieved! A huge thanks have to go to Zachary and his team for putting on such a fantastic event. With over a thousand wargamers(!) under one roof, everything ran brilliantly smoothly, and we can’t wait to come back next year!
We also really wanted to show off Bolt Action to all the players at the LGT, in the best possible light. We were massively aided in this by MicroArt Studio, who sponsored the event with their fantastic pre-painted MDF buildings (you can buy them here!), Hornby Hobbies who provided all the trees we could ever need, and our sister company Skytrex who supplied our resin ‘scatter’ terrain – and of course everyone who chipped in to help get it all assembled, painted, and based! As we only had eight players, we were able to put together a lovely little cohesive winter setup across our four tables, themed after an Ardennes town during the Battle of the Bulge. Terrain like this always stands out, and it was great to have people come up and admire it throughout the weekend – new converts for next year, perhaps?
Our little gang of eight players – some die-hard veterans of First Edition, some relative newcomers, and even a couple of Warlord staff enjoying a well-earned holiday – had turned up with some of the greatest hits of Second Edition army lists, ready for one last run through of some classic missions. The atmosphere was fantastic, with all the games played in great spirit and the finest traditions of Bolt Action, and it was brilliant to be a part of such an enormous event. With five games played over two days, the results shook out as follows:
- Russell Wright (giving his infamous Japanese bamboo spearmen a final hurrah)
- Mark Gray
- Kieran Leishman
- James Stamp (winner of Best Painted for his German force)
- Dominic Skinner (who scooped both Best Themed for his British Airborne and Best Sportsman!
- Ed Tomlyn
- Jason Cotteril-Attaway (improving on his Wooden Spoon at August’s Grand Tournament!)
- Harry Wilkin
I also particularly want to give special thanks to Kieran L., my colleague from the Marketing Team, who was utterly indispensable in providing a lift to the Nottingham contingent and painting up a ridiculous amount of resin scenery, and Dave Barr, our events supremo, for his support in bringing the tables and scenery up and down in the van and helping with setup and pack down. Finally, of course, to all the players – without them, there’d be no event at all!
This is just the beginning – we’ll be back next year, in significantly greater numbers! Keep an eye out for the announcement and tickets! Onwards to Third Edition!
