Bolt Action - 2nd Edition Rulebook

Disclaimer: This is not a physical product. You will receive a digital download of your eBook after your purchase.

This book is all about recreating World War II combat on a tabletop
using dice, model troops, tanks and the rules described within.
Although our game is just that – a game of war fought between armies
of models – it is inspired by the real fighting men, the actual equipment
and personal accounts of those who played their part in the historic
events portrayed. It is quite a detailed game because we wish our weapons
to reflect the capabilities of actual weapons, our models to fight in so far
as possible as their flesh-and-blood counterparts fought, and that our
players face the same sort of decisions and challenges as did company
commanders in action at the time. Even so, our first priority has been to
create a game that is entertaining as well as demanding of skill and
intelligence, and which is as fair and balanced as it can be, giving both
sides an equal opportunity of success. Of course, few real battles were
fair and equal in this way, but a game would hardly be worth the playing
if victory or defeat were certain, or if one army or nation were to enjoy
overwhelming superiority in numbers or materiel. To ensure an equal
and balanced game, armies are chosen according to a system of points,
allocating a fixed value to fighting units of different types and quality.
All the details you need for five armies (American, German, British,
Russian and Japanese) are provided in the Army Lists in this book,
whilst a series of Bolt Action supplements covers yet more armies and
theatres. Tabletop encounters take place according to twelve closely
defined battle scenarios that explain how forces are deployed and how
victory is achieved. All that remains is for players to pit their wits against
each other as they enact just one small part of the greatest conflict in all
of history – World War II.

I’d like to dedicate these rules to the memory of my friend and fellow
wargamer Willy Schneider. I wish to thank him for the many armies he
painted for me, including the one he could not finish, and for all of the
wonderful books and games he left me.

Alessio Cavatore