Unlike the transition from First to Second Edition, the slate has been wiped clean – there is no holdover content from previous Editions.

I’ve got a few games under my belt and that’s all I need to form some opinions and production another Chicago Dice Hot Take. Let’s dive in!

Hot

• Pins come easy, kills do not – With changes to shooting it is now much, much easier to hit your target. Even with the base To Hit going up to 4+ from 3+. You are putting out Pins almost every time you fire. However, with the addition of Cover Saves, just because you hit the target does not mean you are going to cause a causality. You still need to roll to damage (no changes there) but now the Cover Save gives your opponent a chance to negate the damage. We found that units in Hard Cover became incredibly difficult to shift with Small Arms.
  
• To Hit Modifiers – The positive impact of removing the negative To Hit modifiers for Long Range, Small Team, -1 per Pin, and Cover (replaced by a Cover Save) is difficult to describe. I don’t think I realized how much mental work I was doing from adding up all the To Hit modifiers every single time a unit fired. Now? The game just flows. Most of the time you are firing with just a single modifier. In the games of Third Edition that I’ve played, there wasn’t a single instance of unit hitting on “7s”. And what a relief it has been!
  
• Point-blank fire – Point-blank is now a +2 To Hit! That means your big SMG squad will be hitting on 2s! Not only that, but when you fire at Point-blank your target does not get a Cover Save bonus for going Down! Units get absolutely shredded by Small Arms within Point-blank. It’s a great change that rewards you for fixing your enemy in place and then closing in for the kill.
  
• Indirect HE – At first glance, it may seem like it’s near impossible to actually destroy an enemy infantry unit. If they are in Hard Cover – that’s a 4+ Cover Save. If they are Down, that’s a 2+ Cover Save – whoa. But that is where indirect HE comes in. When you hit with indirect HE there is no Cover Save. The enemy might as well be in the open. This update to HE speaks to the wider rock, paper, scissors aspect of Third Edition. For every problem – there is a solution. You just need to get those assets into the right place at the right time.
  
• Cover Saves – Cover Saves are awesome. I love rolling them. I love it when my opponent rolls them. It’s fun, it’s exciting. It keeps you engaged in the enemy’s Fire actions and you (the owner of the target unit) have an active part to play. Making a clutch Cover Save is always a stand-up moment and just feels good. On the other side, good luck if you get caught out in the open. It’s going to be bad. Real bad.
  
• Platoon Structure – Army building and force selection have been dramatically changed in Third Edition. Gone are the “one of everything” days of the Generic Reinforced Platoon. The doors are wide open and players have never had more freedom of choice. Rifle Platoons, Tank Platoons, Heavy Weapons, Artillery and Recce are all on the table. Now you don’t have to wait for a new Theater Selector from a Campaign book to put two Tanks or two 88s on the table. You can do it anytime you want! I cannot wait to see how players approach these new options for list-building.
  
• Mechanized Infantry – Folks have been trying to make Mechanized Infantry and Mechanized Assault work in Bolt Action since the dawn of Frist Edition. These attempts have, on the whole, failed. For various reasons it was just never a viable tactic or strategy. Now, Campaign: Fortress Budapest did offer a couple of Theater Selectors with special rules that made is possible but it was very niche and still rarely seen. The wait is over! With half-tracks costs down across the board and (more importantly) Commanders able to use their abilities (Snap To and Morale Boost) while aboard a transport the whole game has changed. You can now load up an armored transport like an M3 or a Hannomag and with one Order Die pull issue a Snap To from the Platoon Commander aboard to both bring in the transport from Outflank and have the assault unit aboard hop out – all in the same turn! I think we are going to see a lot more mechanization and I am here for it.
  
• It’s still Bolt Action – After playing a few games of Third Edition I tried to take stock. There are many, many changes to the game. Some subtle, some obvious. But the moment-to-moment gameplay is still 100% Bolt Action. Everything we love is still in here. This game is still Hollywood WWII. It’s still Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and Enemy at the Gates. This may not be for everyone. Players looking for a more “historical” game might want to look elsewhere. But that has always been the case.
  
  I am thrilled with Third Edition and after playing I cannot go back. It is one hell of a good time to be a Bolt Action player.

Not

• Combined Unit Profiles – In order to save space in the Army List section of the Rulebook many units have their profiles “combined”. For example, in the Soviet Army List, there is just one unit entry for “Veteran Infantry Squad (Veterans, Airborne, Naval, etc.)” versus each of those units having their own unit entry and options in the Armies of the Soviet Union. I understand the rationale and Warlord has already stated that the new Armies of… books for Third Edition will “break out” the units once again. It’s a minor gripe and one that will be addressed over the course of the next 12 months and it really isn’t a big deal. It’s more a design and editorial decision than anything else but it makes creating Army Lists a more bland and less characterful experience.
  
• No Theater Selectors – This one stung. I’ve always been a champion of Theater Selectors (many events I TO require players to use them) so seeing them removed was tough. However, the new Platoons make one aspect of the old Theater Selectors redundant – the specialized force organization. That part is no longer needed. The new Platoons let you do that without the need for a specific, specialized Theater Selector. But I do miss the “historical” guidance and limitations imposed by the Theater Selectors. It was always a fun puzzle to try and solve – list building within the confines of the Theater Selector. Luckily it looks like Theater Selectors will be making a triumphant return once the Armies of… books are released.

The Takeaway

Bolt Action has never been better. Third Edition stands on the shoulders of giants and reaches new and dizzying heights. We have already seen the roadmap for the next full year of book releases. We already have a FAQ and an Errata. We already have 12 Minor Power Army Lists (free to use, I might have) and Gregg has already updated EasyArmy with the new Platoon structure and most of the updated unit profiles. The future looks brighter than ever and I am thrilled to be a part of this community.