As Armies of Great Britain: Third Edition rumbles through its pre-order period, the excitement continues to rise for the newest Bolt Action book. We’ve looked at the national special rules, and today we’re taking a look at some of the new and heavily changed units you’ll be able to field come 31 July!
We’ll start off with the Royal Navy Commando Subsection, a unit which previously saw some coverage in campaign supplements during Second Edition, and now joins the ‘main’ roster with the new book. This unit is just one of several Commando squads in Armies of Great Britain, and it’s absolutely packed with cool and unusual special rules and options. Using For King and Country, you can also field a whole force of weapons teams, officers, and more as Commandos – this section is the perfect core infantry unit for a hard-as-nails force, and a great opportunity to model some die-hard naval types.
Next, we’ve got a unit that’s been around forever, but with the changes to its composition it’s a whole new beast compared to previous incarnations. The Airborne Section has been a stalwart of British forces since Bolt Action: First Edition, and of course it’s back for the new edition – now with some pretty chunky changes! As the core of the Airborne part of For King & Country, naturally these are Stubborn Veterans, ready to jump into combat at a moment’s notice, but now they’ve got the option to bring a Light Mortar with them, alongside plenty of SMGs, enabling them to lay down plenty of firepower at all ranges. One section per platoon is also able to be designated as the elite Pathfinders, helping the rest of your Airborne get onto the table from reserve.
British players can also look forward to plenty of armoured transport options. The ‘Kangaroo’ ad-hoc APC selection has been expanded and revised to include Stuarts, Priests, and Rams, with the option for HMGs and LMGs adding even more versatility. The Guy Lizard armoured command vehicle also joins the gang, giving Britain access to a unique armoured transport without the Open-Topped rule, but with Command Vehicle, opening up a world of interesting tactical possibilities on the tabletop.
Finally, let’s look at an absolute classic of the British army list – the mighty 17-pdr anti-tank gun. We went back and forth on this one for absolutely ages during the book’s development, as the HE shells provided to it historically were pretty rubbish. In the end, it got the Light HE special rule, giving it a 1” blast rather than the usual 3” of Super-Heavy AT guns. Now, this may seem like a downgrade, but it also means that the points costs come down – quite dramatically in the case of some 17-pdr-armed tanks. This gives British players access to the cheapest Super-Heavy guns in the game, and with the prevalence of tanks in Third Edition it’s a serious asset to have on the table. They might not be infantry killers, but enemy armour needs to be very careful indeed.
These are just some of the new additions and changes for Armies of Great Britain: Third Edition – there’s even more to get excited about, which we’ll be revealing as the launch date draws ever closer! Want to be among the first to get your hands on the new book?
