Armies of Great Britain: Third Edition is now on pre-order, and that means it’s time for our series of Intel Reports to start showing off some of what lurks inside its covers. Up first is a big one, that determines much of how an army feels and plays on the Bolt Action tabletop – army special rules!
British forces in the first two editions of Bolt Action had a unique set of national special rules. In addition to their brace of rules concerning shelling the enemy to bits (Bombardment making their Preliminary Bombardments much better, and Artillery Support giving them a free Artillery Forward Observer), they could also choose from one of five National Characteristics to further represent specific formations. These carried over with some modifications into Bolt Action: Third Edition with the army list found in the main rulebooks, although Bombardment disappeared (Preliminary Bombardments having been largely eliminated from ‘standard’ scenarios) and Artillery Support replaced the free Observer with a second use of his ability – but with the new Armies of… book, we’ve taken the opportunity to shake things up. Scroll through the gallery below to see what you can expect!
First up, we’ve got a trio of special rules. Fix Bayonets! is a slight modification to the classic Tough As Old Boots from editions past, now expanded to include any British unit involved in Close Quarters, making getting to grips with the enemy a little less risky – perfect for aggressive players. Artillery Support returns in name, but with a different effect, now making it more likely to achieve a Fire For Effect or Smokescreen Deployed result when using an Artillery Forward Observer. Last up is a completely brand new beast – Come On, Lads! sees all British Platoon and Company Commanders receive a boost to their Morale Bonus, making them better at assisting and inspiring their troops, while also receiving a reduction in any cover save they might receive – there’s a certain element of risk involved in leading from the front, after all!
As we’ve seen with Armies of Germany and Armies of the United States, there’s also a second element to national special rules. Germany has Defend the Fatherland, America has By Air, Land, and Sea, and Armies of Great Britain will have…
Allowing you to theme your force around four distinct formations (technically four and a half, which you’ll see in a second!) For King and Country continues the Third Edition trend of more heavily themed armies, with more options for units to properly represent different forces. Let’s look at the options available:
How’s that for some choice? These options enable you to build a force exactly the way you want to, whether that’s representing a specific historical unit at a particular point in time, or optimising your army for competitive play, or anything in between – Armies of Great Britain has you covered! Stubborn paras refusing to give ground? Flexible Guards forces who can shed pin markers with ease? Die-hard special forces striking from any angle or moving through terrain relatively unimpeded? There’s a ton of ways to build and play a British force already, and with all these options, the sky really is the limit!
Getting inspired to build a British force of your own? The new ‘Crossing the Rhine’ starter army is the perfect place to begin, and you can check out our extensive British range via the link below:
