Bolt Action - Anf's Japanese go to MOAB

MOAB. What a weekend. I recently attended my 4th MOAB in Sydney the other week for my final Bolt Action V1 event. I marked my 21st Bolt Action event since I started 4 years ago and in keeping with previous events, it was a lot of fun. I got a game in against the amazing Uber Gruber, aka. David Hunter of the Down Order podcast and got to run a new army that I'd only tested out once in the Japanese. My army for the 1250 point, 5 game event, was quite unique and very different to the norm that I've seen in my time playing Bolt Action, but this is how I enjoy playing wargames. I love to find something different and then go crazy with it. So I am about to dive into my list, how it performed and how I go about making my lists in Bolt Action.

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Bolt Action: Japanese Army painting guide

By Bryan

Hi guys, welcome to a step-by-step painting tutorial for the Imperial Japanese Army of WW2. This guide and the techniques within are designed to get your Japanese army painted quickly, but also 'pop' on the tabletop. The two pronged attack of using a coloured spray primer and Army Painters Quickshade product will mean that you win that battle against your lead pile that all of us time poor hobbyists face.

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Peleliu "Bloody Nose Ridge" USMC vs Japanese scenario game.

Historicon 2016 has come and gone, but here are few pics of the scenario game I ran for WWPD and Battlefront. This game was a Peleliu September 1944 battle for the Umurbrogol Mt. or, as the Marines of the 1st Division called it, "Bloody Nose Ridge".

The game had a Marine Battalion reducing a Japanese bunker and cave complex while also defending against Japanese counter attacks attempting to break the Marine line and reestablish contact with the Japanese fortified position. It came down to the last turn and was a entertaining all the way around.

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Visiting The Imperial Shrine of Yasukuni - A Picture Bonanza For Japanese Players

I have recently returned from a week long visit to my old stomping grounds in Tokyo. A sucker for historic sites and museums, I had the opportunity on this trip to visit the famous and extremely controversial museum attached to the Imperial Shrine of Yasukuni. Just like when I got to visit the National World World 2 Museum in New Orleans, I thought I would write up what I found and post a pile of pictures for anyone interested in Japanese armed forces during and around the 1930's and 1940's. Beneath my write up, I have included pictures of Japanese weapons, vehicles and gear with the accompanying name plates describing what is shown in the main pictures. 

Without further ado, here is the shrine itself:

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LRDG II : Episode 4 – Return Of The Rising Sun (Another Bolt Action Only Episode)

LRDG II : Episode 4 – Return Of The Rising Sun

A loooooong time ago, the guys in the LRDG took a serious look at the Armies of Japan book when it came out. Since then, the Japanese army has not had much love on Bolt Action podcasts, to rectify this Old Man Morin has put together a formidable round table of IJA players to discuss common misconceptions about the army, tactics, favourite units and sooooo much more! 

Later in the episode, Brad is joined by Patchimus Prime to talk painting, upcoming events and Patch’s 2017 Cancon giveaway. It should also be noted that Patch says a VERY naughty word!

The episode is rounded out with a chat from another friend from the north side of Australia, Hari Turner. We talk listing for late war Fins, grudge matches and Bolt Action in general.

Stay tuned.. This is a BEAST of an episode!

As always, we would love feedback from you, the listener. Please find us on Facebook under The LRDG Podcast and let us know what you think of this, or any other of our podcasts.

You can download this episode from the iTunes store or you can find it directly HERE.

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Flames of War - Type 97 Te-Ke Platoon Review

The Japanese Type 97 Te-Ke tankette was designed as an improvement to the machine-gun armed Type 94 based on the Imperial Japanese Army's experience in China. While the Type 94 had been useful, especially when deployed en masse against the Chinese, its armor was thin and the vehicle was vulnerable to Chinese anti-tank weapons. While externally the Type 94 and Type 97 tankettes are similar, the Type 97 was truly a completely new vehicle and could be equipped with a 37mm gun or a machine gun as primary armament. In Flames of War, the Type 97 Te-Ke can be fielded as Divisional Support in either a Tank Platoon (three to five vehicles) or a Recon Tankette Platoon (two to three vehicles) in Japanese Lists from Banzai. Battlefront has recently released this tankette as the Type 97 Te-Ke Platoon (JBX05) which contains five vehicles.

The first thing you'll notice when picking up this particular platoon box is that it is very light compared to other Battlefront offerings in the same-sized box. There is good reason for this.  Opening the box you'll see that the Te-Ke hull is molded tracks and all as one piece using Battlefront's new two-part mold process as detailed in their recent factory tour.

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Flames of War - Japanese Type 88 75mm Anti-Aircraft Gun Review

The Japanese Type 88 75mm Anti-Aircraft Gun was first accepted into service in 1928, and was designed to combat commonly encountered aircraft of the late 1920's and early 1930's. By the beginning of the Pacific War, the gun was largely obsolete, but it continued to serve until the end of the war with over 2000 being constructed. Allied intelligence regarding the gun was weak, and it was initially assumed that it was a copy of the German FlaK 36/37 gun, but only the names were arguably similar.

The Type 88 can be fielded in virtually any Japanese list taken from Banzai as a support choice (Heavy Anti-Aircraft Platoon). In addition to serving as a heavy anti-aircraft gun, it provides useful anti-take capability with AT 10 and firepower of 3+. However, the gun is immobile (though it has a turntable) and lacks a gun shield, so it can be vulnerable to ranged attack.

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LRDG II Episode 3 - A Return To Bolt Action

LRDG II Episode 3 - A Return To Bolt Action

Welcome back to another exciting episode of the LRDG Inappropriate Interviews! By request, Episode 3 is entirely focussed on Bolt Action. 

In the first segment, Brad is joined by Jamie from Rubicon who spills the beans about upcoming releases, what it is like behind the scenes at Rubicon and the guys discuss a really great charity to help a child in need! 

In part two, Tony Lee from Australia's north joins us to talk about what the Bolt Action scene is like in Queensland. He also recounts how his French performed at the ANZAC cup last weekend and what he took away from the event.

In the third and final part of the show, Brad is joined by old friend of the cast and the TO of great events like Wintercon and Cancon, Peter West. Peter and Brad talk about the upcoming Wintercon event, early war wargaming, the upcoming Marine Raiders Theatre Selector and... G.I. JOE themed armies in Bolt Action.

Please join us and let us know what you think on the LRDG Facebook Page. We treasure your feedback!  

If you "like" the LRDG podcast before July 1st, you will be in the running to win a Rubicon kit of your choice! Care of the awesome guys over at Rubicon!  All you have to do to be in the running is to hit the like button!

You can download this episode HERE or find it in your friendly local iTunes store for free.

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Saipan Invaded!!! USMC vs Japanese Beach Assault

By Eric Lauterbach

Hey, the new USMC and Japanese PTO books are in the WWPD grubby hands so its time for a Saipan style beach assault! Luke whipped up two Japanese lists and I came up with two USMC lists for a side by side 1500 on 1200 point game. Yes for the first test we always do, we get silly and have 3000 points on the table.  The beach assault mission is very similar to the Omaha beach landing mission and is good for that once or twice a year "get all the toys out" game. It has some completely different rules than a normal mission the biggest one is casualties are irrelevant.  Yup you heard me its purely on taking objectives by turn 12. Killed USMC infantry and man-packed guns get the zombie rule and come back as the next wave of troops. The victory is determined by when or if you get the objectives.

Japanese deployment

For this mission the zones are sea zone, surf zone and then beach zone and then it is the hinterland zone.

We added a few LVT in this pic for dramatic effect 

Hollywood photo.

Another Hollywood pic the actual number of landing craft we use is far less but looks stupid in the pics.

Japanese start pinned

Reminder this is two games side by side on a slightly narrower boards.

The Japanese have few bunkers that can crack the LVTs but we get lucky coming in.

The bush represents obstacles we treat it like wire.

The Japanese are two different types of company one fortified and one confident trained.

Luke intermixing his infantry platoons.. playing the rules not the game. 

John fails to pin both platoons 

Assault checked with Japanese attached HMG fire.

On the left the USMC is dealing with heavy bunker fire.

The first assault is checked.

Getting pounded but the Amtraks keep up the fire.

Time for the second wave of assaults.

Thank god the USMC pinned that bunker.

The Japanese run out of infantry in the hand to hand fighting.

The Marines kill the HMG bunker with satchel charges.

Things a looking good they have a toe hold on the beach.

Things are not going as well on the right.

Marines take more fire from the bunker line

Time to move on to the next bunker.

John going for it again

The next bunker goes down to USMC charges.

The Marines killed the bunker but took massive casualties nothing much left.

The Marines need to recycle and get the next wave.

The Japanese have moved troops down the line to re-enforce Tojo hill.

The second wave of troops is late!

The assaulting continues on the right.

The Marines second wave is coming in and they get a flamethrower Sherman

The second wave is slowly coming in.

The Japanese 75mm bunker is killing Amtanks left and right.

The Sherman with nothing but flame can't do much to bunkers at all.

Still trying to crack the line.

The Japanese have been getting troops in as well.

These silly light tanks will be a huge problem for the Marines.

Nothing but MGs but enough to generate pins.

Its taking too long to get the second wave up.

The Japanese try and take out the flame tank.

But the Niki team gets gunned down.

The second wave is clear obstacles and moving in the hinterland.

More Japanese tanks arrive.

John assaults the center 

John takes the trench line.

The Marines kill the infantry in the trenches but that bunker has to be killed to win.

The fire from the bunker and all the light tanks is too much the Marines can not get the assault off.

The Marines are running out of time to clear the objectives of Japanese.

The last Japanese infantry stand keeps making his morale checks.

The last chance assault fails.

With the turn limit reached it was too much for the USMC. Just enough Japanese were left to contest the objectives and prevent the win for the Marines. The game was long when you have to go 12 turns for a outcome so make this a all day game for planning. The Japanese tanks are too much for the Marines who are really expensive and good tank killing assets are limited. So I would probably reconfigure the USMC lists for this eventuality of hordes of Japanese light tanks. I can see this being a unrealistic crazy arms race between light tank and LVTs which should be a infantry on infantry fight.

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