New WWII Strategy Game Bolt Action Announced For PC

I first heard of Bolt Action today. It is a historical strategy simulation based on the World War II tabletop miniatures game from Warlord Games. The game involves managing morale, line-of-sight, and cover while leading US, British, or German forces. The maps vary from beaches to churchyards, and there is a multiplayer mode.

The developers, Frag Games, stated in a blog post on Steam their intention to honor the source material while creating a distinct PC experience:

"We’ve all seen ‘PC adaptations’ that strip the soul out of a tabletop game to make it ‘accessible.’ So our designers spent weeks in ‘boot camp’: reading rulebooks, painting minis, rolling dice, measuring distances with tape, and feeling the genuine panic of a FUBAR roll. We learned a lot, and we’re still learning. But the one thing we DID know from the beginning was that we didn’t want to build a digital version of Bolt Action. Bolt Action already exists! Playing a table-top experience will always remain special. What we want is the best Turn-Based Tactics videogame built on the Bolt Action ruleset."

The gameplay revolves around six tactical choices for each unit: firing, advancing, running, ambushing, rallying to remove suppression, and going prone. Vehicles are resistant to small arms and feature different armor facings. Indirect fire becomes more accurate with successive shots on the same target. Platoons can gain experience, be upgraded, and customized. The developers are aiming to create a game for both seasoned tabletop players and strategy fans looking for a complex WWII game. The mention of unpainted armies in the blog post made me think about my own unfinished miniatures.

Adaptations of tabletop games often include livery editors, but I have not encountered one that allows players to use an unpainted army. It has been some time since I used a physical range ruler, but presenting an unpainted army could be a way to show contempt for an opponent and perhaps unsettle them. Imagine arriving at a battle with unpainted High Elves. It also made me consider that many miniatures collectors are not expert painters. An editor that mimics the look of a child’s attempt at painting a Warhammer army with felt tips could be an authentic feature. Bolt Action is available to play on PC (Steam).

Read also, a look at six fascinating indie games that are now available for free on Steam. This past week, six new indie games were released on Steam, and each one is free to claim and keep. The collection includes a variety of genres, from relaxed life simulators to intricate strategy games.