Objective of the Game

The goal of Bolt Action, a tabletop miniature game, is to defeat the opponent's army through battles set during World War II. Each battle can have different objectives such as capturing objectives or eliminating key enemy figures.

Game Components

• Miniatures: These represent infantry, vehicles, artillery, and aircraft from World War II.
• Terrain: Buildings, forests, rivers, etc., to recreate the battlefield.
• Measuring tape: For moving units and weapon range.
• Dice: Six-sided dice (D6) for random-based actions.
• Markers: Indicate the status of units such as "in combat" or "demoralized."
• Order dice: Used to issue orders to units.

Game Setup

1. Build an Army: Each army consists of a predetermined point value including units of varying strength and abilities.
2. Setup the battlefield: Place terrain pieces to create a realistic battlefield.
3. Determine the action dice: Each action is assigned to a player's army by pulling dice from a bag at random.
4. Objective setting: Define the objectives of the battle, which typically come from a scenario book.

Gameplay

1. Draw Action Dice: Players alternately draw action dice from a bag.
2. Issue Orders: When a player draws a die, they give one of their units an order (move, fire, retreat, etc.).
3. Execute Orders: The player moves units or fires on enemy units as per the order.
4. Shooting Phase: Conduct attacks on enemy units, rolling D6 dice to determine successful hits.
5. Morale Check: After attacks, a unit may become panicked, which affects their effectiveness in the next round.

Special Rules and Strategies

• Cover: Units in or behind cover receive protection from enemy fire, providing a strategic advantage.
• Vehicles: Vehicles have specific rules for damage and movement, being tough to maneuver, yet very powerful.
• Command Range: Units act more effectively when their commander is nearby.
• Target Priority: Decide which enemy units pose the most threat and eliminate them first to control the battlefield.

Ending the Game

The game ends once the scenario objectives are achieved or an army is fully defeated. The winner is the player who fulfills their mission objectives most effectively or completely defeats the opponent.