Bolt Action - Kuuterselkä,Thinking over a gaming table

After some twenty odd, almost thirty, years of war gaming, I have have painted miniatures more than enough. Recent years I have reached very good level of painting and I think that's the level I even don't want to improve much, even if I could. having reached this level of painting already some years ago, I'm able to paint quite a lot of miniatures for my hobby according the need. So I should be happy.

Some years ago I noticed sticking miss match of nicely painted miniatures and, frankly poor gaming tables we used to use. Our tables weren't the level of our miniatures and and especially not on the level I've seen in other clubs abroad. So more I was looking that more annoyed I became. There was something essential missing in this beloved hobby. Then after visiting Hamburger Tactica some years ago, decision was made. Next years should concentrate on making gaming tables up to a standard of our miniatures. And thus long term - strategic - objective was set, to make nice looking gaming tables in our gaming club with some like minded club mates. After all the hobby for me is about visual matters. About nice and well painted miniatures and lovely gaming tables, much more than just a game.

Previously I have published a story of making gaming table based on real scene of Continuation War battle Portinhoikka. This is now second table of the Continuation War series. Like the previous, this is also located in Karelian isthmus, place called Kuuerselkä. A place where Soviet attack on summer 1944 met strong resistance by Finnish jägers and assault guns. It was also a place where Finnish Stug assault guns saw their first action against Soviet armor.

This is a pictorical run down, how the table was put together with my club fellow, and put into good use in this years Ropecon gaming event.

Work starting, cutting, digging and planning.

Basic features attached and over all plan forming up.

Crass mats attached and painting on the way.

Table almost done, now some detailing...

Aerial view of the table.

Placing additional scenery.

Houses in the middle.

Detail of dried pond.

Detail of rock and flowers.

Center of the table with creek and little pond.

And then the table was put into a use to promote our gaming club and Bolt Action game in Ropecon gaming event 2017 in Helsinki.

Player brief of the game.

Some promo material of the game and the battle in question.

Finnish counter attack on the way.

Player pondering tactical moves.

Over all view of the dressed  up table.

Hard thinking over a tactics on both sides.

Once again great project with very pleasing results. This year we had probably nicest looking demo table in whole Con. With it's green field and forests it draw a lot of attention. And after that we were able to add beautiful new table in our clubs use. This was arguably the best table we've done so far, but not the last.

Bolt Action - Across the River

Once again Bolt Action on the club, second game with new Ed.2 rules and this time I wasn't playing, but game mastering this one. Few friends asked if they could test new Ed.2 rules so I devised a game for them. Both players were familiar with BA game, so there was no need run basics  and we concentrated on new features of Ed.2.

This game was first run for our new river board we made for display purposes, when we were presenting our Club in an event near Helsinki. The board has river running through it, so it's more or less bit tricky board to play. But it's a beauty and we like to play narrative and thematic scenarios, not focusing on strict balance of the game. So. I based the game on "take the bridge" scenario, which I slightly modified. Now, instead of taking a just a bridge, the attacker had task to secure two river crossings, a bridge and a ford.

The fight was located somewhere in France in late summer -44 where US troops were doing strong push towards Paris. A battle group of Rangers and Paratroopers were tasked to take and secure two river crossings for the armored units. Germans were defending, but they were badly stretched and there wasn't strong troops to guard the riverbanks in all crossings. So the was only unit of infantry, MMG and PAK40 guarding two crossings.

At the start US elite troops made strong push towards both crossing at the same time. US troopers advanced swiftly to river and later they were backed by Sherman. Germans put up good fight but their fire wasn't enough to stop US veterans determined attack. Soon US troops started going across on two spots and after that they quickly eliminated German resistance. Not even the second wave of Germans wasn't able to change the push. So in the end US force took both crossing points and almost wiped Germans out totally.

The game went for US too easily, but as I said, the main focus of that scenario wasn't to find balance, but have thematic fight. But next time I'll give Germans armored support, a tank or SP sun and maybe some more infantry. Also the rules of wading in the river need some adjustments.

Here's some eye candy of our new table and the fight along the river.

One objective, a ford to be taken. 

Second objective was this nice bridge. 

Sherman rumbles in.

Rangers start advancing.

US airborne on left flank.

Rangers rush for the bridge.

Rangers advance cautiously to river.

Across the river, troops! 

This ruin was fire base for MG42, paratroopers took it.

Rangers doing risky business attacking another ruin full of Germans.

Last fire fight, after this Germans withdrew.

Quite nice game, bit unbalanced and next time we do this I'll do some alterations for the scenario. When wading, troops get only +1 cover and they can't use their weapons at all. Would like to test this again....

Bolt Action - Through the killing field

Bolt Action once again in the club. This time we went back to North Africa and played scenario 7 from the very good campaign book "Duel in the Sun".  Scenario is depicting opening stage of El Alamein battle when poor British infantry is to attack German positions across open field. No tanks available since they can't operate on densely mined area. Only positive side of that attack is cover of the African night. Mission was to take three German defended positions.

This was first time we had a game over our new desert table we've been tinkering some weeks. New table saw it's first fight and how bloody it turned to be.

Starting from this set up five squads of Commonwealth infantry started approaching to German defenses after quite heavy preliminary bombardment. Troops moved fast over easy terrain trying to seek all possible cover from scenery but it was truly hard. In practice attacker was running over an open field. German were trying to recover from massive artillery strike and quite successfully. There were no battle action during early stages, only British troopers gripping their guns and running hearts pounding towards German line.

British platoon leader decided to attack from both flanks in order to deal German flanking positions first and then take care the At gun position n the centre of the line. Sikhs and SAS troopers were going right and Desert Rats went left. When they reached seeing distance the fire was opened almost mutually and murdering fire felled Desert Rats quite soon. Then they were finalized ferocious attack by the Germans. Sikhs fared bit better and almost cleared positions from right. But in the end there weren't enough attackers nor time to accomplish the mission and poor footsloggers were gunned down on desert sand. Germans suffered very heavy losses too, but held their positions.

Germans waiting in good positions.

At gun anchoring the centre of the line.

Sikhs starting their attack flanking right.

After this there was very heavy firefight.

Desert Rats just to reach target and just few minutes before they were shot to pieces.

Good game but very hard scenario to win for the attacker. It seems quite desperate to attack on defended positions with even force. Night fighting was once again nice add on. Still I like the scenarios of this "Duel in the Sun" campaign book scenarios, good games with nice historical touch.

Bolt Action Demo Table in Action

Maybe you have been following my Tali - Ihantala gaming table project or seen it during test drive games in AAR's. Now the table was finally used for the purpose it was made for. Last weekend was hobby convention Suuri Snadi which translates big small. There was all sorts of scale hobbies on display, doll houses, scale models, model railroads and modeling competition. Among all that our Club put up few demonstration tables and my Bolt Action table was one of them.  From late summer until now I painted bunch of Finnish troops and tanks and finally tinkered the table just before the show. Then I borrowed Russian troops and Tanks from club mates and all was set. Here's some pictures of the table on display.

Russians advance towards Portinhoikka crossroads.

Troop taking cover.

Finnish machine gun firing from forest line.

Finnish armored division point tanks.

Russian armor on the Karelian road. 

Russian point tank on fire.

Aerial view of Russian attack column.

Finns on defense.

Medium howitzer firing.

Finnish sniper in action.

Russians attacking.

Finns preparing counter assault.

Tank hunters getting ready.

One down more to go.

Famous Finnish tank in action at Portinhoikka.

Finnish rifleman in it's element.

Attack finally stopped for a while.

This was interesting project. It lead me studying history of Tali-Ihantala battle more closely which was nice. It also lead me studying history, painting and numbering of Finnish tanks used in this particular fight. And maybe most importantly it gave nice focus for vigorous painting project from summer to autumn. Great immersion!

By the way, visitors liked my table.