by Are you looking to start a Bolt Action army and optimize your purchases? Here is a short buyer’s guide to help you distinguish between priority items and those that can wait. The foundation of Bolt Action lies in the riflemen, as mentioned in the article “How to start Bolt Action” which I invite you to read. But to go further, what are the best deals and what should you buy first?
The Entry Ticket to Bolt Action
Unlike other miniature games such as 40k, it is entirely possible to get started with Bolt Action on a budget of about €80 for the basics, or €200 for a complete and optimized army, without necessarily going through the usual starter sets.
What Equipment Do You Need to Play Bolt Action?
Gaming Gear
To begin, certain tools are essential for applying the rules on the tabletop :
- The Rulebook;
- A tape measure in inches;
- A set of templates (1, 2, 3, and 4 inches), necessary for determining the area of effect for artillery fire and grenades on the battlefield;
- Stress markers (pins): Optional purchase. You can use different colored D6s to track the “Pin” (stress) level of your units.
- Order dice: 12 order dice to start, all in the same color.
- An opaque bag: for drawing order dice blindly.
- Standard dice: About ten six-sided dice (D6).
Bolt Action Miniatures
In Bolt Action, there are two types of miniatures: soldiers and vehicles. The heart of the game is infantry. While vehicles are impressive, they remain optional for your first skirmishes. You can play without vehicles, but not without soldiers. The essential purchase is therefore an infantry box of your chosen nation (approx. 30 miniatures). This is enough to build your first rifle sections and command teams.
Options for Getting Started in Bolt Action
The Gradual Option (approx. €80)
Ideal for cautious players or those joining a club, this approach focuses on the essentials, namely:
- The Bolt Action core rulebook
- A tape measure (inches)
- Order dice (x12) + a dice bag
- D6 dice
- Explosion templates + Pin markers (optional)
- An infantry box of your choice
Regarding Bolt Action Infantry Boxes
For about €45, you can acquire thirty miniatures of your chosen nationality to start your army. This is enough to create several squads and, more importantly, different types of squads. The strength of Bolt Action lies in offering a highly adaptable range of miniatures.
This provides a convincing start to an army without vehicles. It’s a blank canvas upon which you can build whatever you want next. It’s also an option without a “special bundle” deal, but also without any miniatures that might not end up fitting your needs.
The ideal strategy when in a club and wanting to gear up gradually: it opens up tactical possibilities without committing to large investments.
Once the miniatures are assembled, painted, and played with, you will notice gaps. A vehicle platoon, heavy weapons, artillery: all options are available “à la carte.”
The “Turnkey” Option (Starter Army, €125-€150)
This second choice is by far the most cost-effective. It involves a set list of options based on the contents of the Starter Army (ranging from €125 to €150 depending on the nation).
Generally, these Starter Armies are designed to reach 1250 army points, which is the “standard” for Bolt Action. It typically includes:
- 36 miniatures;
- 2 vehicles;
- 2 heavy weapons;
- 1 artillery piece.
It’s a complete army base. It will allow you to play several games with various tactical and strategic options. You could even stop there for many sessions before reinvesting in your army or making specific modifications.
A Word on the Army of… Books
The Army of books are supplements of about 111 pages sold for €30. The content of these books, whether German, Soviet, or British, is structured identically.
First, a small note on why to collect that specific army. Then, a presentation of the various theaters of operation where this nation was engaged. These are inspiring texts that may make you want to explore scenarios based on the real military operations of your chosen nation.
Next comes the Army List section, which presents nation-specific rules. Often, these are adjustments that give an advantage to a certain army based on a vision that is sometimes historical, sometimes cinematic. Bolt Action is not a simulation game, and I find that this aspect is most apparent in this section.
Then comes the army structure, how to create HQ units, followed by the list of squads in different platoons. Artillery and vehicles are grouped together. The book concludes with example army lists from different periods of the war and different army types.
Finally, a quick summary of units available by the three war periods, which allows for a quick overview if you want to build a list according to the specific year of the scenario you are playing.
From this point of view, it also offers the possibility of fine-tuning game balance. I think this is an important detail to keep in mind when creating either a scenario or lists that you want to be perfectly balanced.
Should You Buy an Army of Book or Not?
It seems to me that these supplements are absolutely essential and replace what is available in the rulebook so well that going without them would be a shame. Of course, Armies of… have been released regularly since the launch of V3. Even with a basic level of English, you will have no trouble reading the tables to create your squads or choose your vehicles. Even the historical parts or special rules remain accessible.
Furthermore, these books all come with an exclusive nation miniature in resin, often of very high quality.
My opinion
For me, purchasing this book, if available for your chosen nation, is essential if you want to play Bolt Action in depth. However, you can delay its purchase if you are only playing introductory games or if you and your gaming partners are still in the rule-learning phase.
Army Types Feasible in Bolt Action
Before jumping into adding tactical or strategic elements to your army, you must ask yourself what you want to play. Several playstyles exist.
Movement-Based Armies
Do you want an army capable of moving quickly toward objectives, focused on assault?
Buying enough troop transports with 7+ armor allows you to literally rush objectives in the early turns.
However, you must add elements to defend these vehicles. Tank hunters that support the progression of your assault troops ahead of time. These highly mobile choices will create a fast army capable of navigating the battlefield swiftly.
The only downside will likely be the lack of resilience in this tactical choice. Composed essentially of infantry supported by armor, you will have to play with cover to progress and win objectives. Favor several light tanks over a single heavy tank; this allows you to multiply mobile support and sustain your troops’ advance.
Composition
- Company Commander: 7%
- Rifle Platoon: 20%
- Recce Infantry Platoon: 43%
- Armoured Platoon: 30%
NB: Percentages are given for armies of approx. 1250 points. I have reserved about 90 points for the Company Commander.
“Steamroller” Type Armies
Three heavy tanks, artillery, mortars, and minimal infantry (e.g., 2 squads of 10 to 12 men). Depending on the nation, regular troops to secure objectives, perhaps transported by two vehicles.
You face your opponent with a “shield” of three heavy tanks capable of destroying enemy tanks, transports, or artillery, while also wiping out their infantry units with high-explosive shells.
With mortar teams and a forward observer, you can direct fire onto enemy elements outside of your line of sight.
Composition
- Company Commander: 7%
- Rifle Platoon: 15%
- Heavy Weapon Platoon: 20%
- Armoured Platoon: 58%
This tactical choice will be difficult to stop.
However, it is not suited for cluttered combat environments, such as dense city ruins. This type of choice should be reserved for open field combat with zones to break enemy line of sight.
Horde Armies
In collective memory, we think first of Soviets and Japanese. However, upon examining various army statistics, you can build a horde army with Early War Germans, Americans, or British as well.
A horde army relies on a large number of inexperienced or regular troops, with a ratio of two-thirds inexperienced to one-third regular. If you wish, you can also add a reconnaissance squad of veteran troops.
Support for horde troops should be provided by mortars—at least three of them.
Composition
- Company Commander: 7%
- Rifle Platoon: 55%
- Recce Platoon: 15%
- Heavy Weapon Platoon: 23%
The Impact of National Special Rules
In Bolt Action, each nation has its own special rules which would be too lengthy to present in this article. Each will marginally influence certain tactical choices you might want to make. However, in terms of pure balance, unless you want to maximize your army choices to exploit special rules, they will only have a minor impact.
Find Bolt Action players
Join your country’s Bolt Action Discord community and connect with players nearby.
Join France The Impact of Terrain
Certain army type choices will be affected by the theater of operation. A horde army in an open plain without ways to hide behind cover risks being quickly lethal for your troops. Conversely, maneuvering a large number of squads will also require training to coordinate effectively.
It is clear that adding elements gradually to your army will allow you to practice and understand how your army works. Adjusting tactical choices based on scenarios and terrain then becomes much simpler.
Even though the system is balanced by points, seeking optimization is interesting. However, don’t necessarily try to “counter” your opponent. Optimizing your tactical choices to achieve the scenario in the most interesting way is much more sportsmanlike.
Summary of Options and Steps to Start Bolt Action
The Gradual Option (approx. €80)
Ideal for cautious players or those in a club, this approach focuses on the essentials.
- The Bolt Action core rulebook
- A tape measure (inches)
- Order dice (x12) + a draw bag
- D6 dice
- Explosion templates + Pin markers (optional)
- An infantry box of your choice
It creates a “blank canvas.” This will be highly adaptable, offering the possibility of adding tactical options à la carte as you wish.
The “Turnkey” Option (Starter Army, €125-€150)
This is the most cost-effective and fastest approach to reach the 1250-point standard. it immediately provides a complete base (infantry, two vehicles, heavy weapons, artillery), allowing you to experiment with various tactical options from your very first games.
Strategic Development: Defining Your Style
Once the base is acquired, the crucial step is defining what you want to play. This guide proposes three major tactical archetypes, each aiming to maximize a specific aspect of the game. The value of this army will be around 1250 points.
Optimization Factors: Refining Your Choice
While national special rules only have a marginal impact on overall game balance, they can refine and specialize the final choice. Consideration of terrain and scenarios is vital: for example, the effectiveness of an archetype like the Steamroller in an urban environment is directly impacted by the constraints of the theater of operations.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the ideal path is to start with the basics. Then, choose the tactical archetype that matches your style (Movement, Steamroller, or Horde), and finally adjust the army gradually. This progressive approach allows for an agile method, taking into account scenario constraints and the need to practice coordination to optimize objective completion.
To go further, this video in English shows you the interesting elements to get started with Bolt Action.
Written by :
Maurice, the History keeper & Bolt Action chronicler
I have been passionate about imaginative worlds since childhood, between toy soldiers and role-playing games. In the 90s, I delved into wargames like Squad Leader and Warhammer 40K. Today, I spend my time painting miniatures, working on my own game, and playing Bolt Action, my current favorite wargame.
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