The Chindits and I go way back; they were my first fully-painted Bolt Action army, How to paint Bolt Action Chindits was the first tutorial I published, I brought them to the first Bolt Action tournament I ever attended, and I’ve been running them since. Now, in Third Edition, with the new Armies of Great Britain (and Armies of the British Commonwealth fast approaching) how are the Chindits looking? Before we evaluate their current state, let’s take a look back at my journey with these iconic jungle fighters through the previous editions.

Chindits in First Edition (2012-2016)

Although we had been playing basement/garage games of Bolt Action since it first arrived in 2012, it wasn’t until the closing days of First Edition that I attend a Bolt Action tournament – Michigan GT 2016. As it was a tournament well outside of Chicago, I wanted to make a strong impression. And what better way to accomplish this than a slapping down a striking army. And thus, a big reason I picked Chindits was the unique battledress. Chindits don’t wear helmets and their uniform is jungle green, not khaki. I wanted to paint something that would stand out on the table. I fully committed to the theme and so, even when a unit wasn’t a Chindit by the rules, they would be a Chindit by look and feel.

Back then there was only one Chindit unit entry – the Chindit Section. Although Vet, at 15pts per model, these were expensive infantry. The only equipment options were two SMGs and one LMG. They came with Behind Enemy Lines and Fire & Maneuver. Worth noting, the Chindit Fire & Maneuver, unlike the US version, applied to the LMG as well. But this never came into play as I did not once pay +20pts for a three-shot LMG in First Edition. Although I went all-in on the Chindit theme, I did not limit myself to just Chindit Sections. I was running a combination of Chindits, Commandos, and Gurkhas along with a handful of support teams like a Sniper, AT Rifle, Flamethrower, and a Light Howitzer – all modeled and painted as Chindits. The Commando Section provided the same BEL with the addition of Tough Fighters. More importantly, any model in the Commando Section could have an SMG. Bizarrely, Commandos only cost 14pts per model. The Chindits paid a heavy tax for Fire & Maneuver.

That brings us to the Gurkha Section. At only 14pts per model, Gurkhas were arguably the best unit in the game. Not only did they have TF, the unit also had the unique Scary Blighters! special rule that reduced enemy attack in Close Quarters by half. This rule all but guaranteed your Gurkhas would win any CQ engagement. Remember, in First Edition, Tough Fighters gave you two swings per model in CQ. I typically had one unit of Gurkhas (never more than one) with my Chindits. I know it sounds silly but I truly did not realize how good the Gurkhas were at the time. I wanted to include them because it was a perfect thematic fit for the force.

And there it was. My First Edition Chindits were a combination of Chindit, Commando, and Gurkha Sections supported by a handful of weapons teams. This collection of units always acquitted themselves well on the field of battle (Vets tend to do that) but it was far from a “hard” army list. It wasn’t until late in Second Edition when unit options and Army Special Rules got spicy.

Chindits in Second Edition (2016-2024)

Just a few weeks after Michigan GT, Second Edition arrived and I jumped right in with my Chindits at Dragon Fall 2016. Both the force organization and unit entries were unaffected by the switch to Second so I didn’t change my approach. The standard list was two or three units of Chindits supported by a single unit of Commandos and/or Gurkhas. A few weapons teams and a single Light Howitzer were common sights and I often ran a Sherman V Medium Tank if the games were above 1k. As fun as Dragon Fall was (especially back when it was a de-escalation event), it was just a warmup to the big show – Operation Sting.

Operation Sting 2016 remains the gold-standard for GT-style Bolt Action events. Two days, five games and thirty hobby-focused participants all playing on spectacular community-provided tables. You don’t see events like this anymore. As with all my Bolt Action projects, I approached the Chindits as “hobby-first”. It was all about the style, the painting, the modeling opportunities. That this army just so happened to play well was a bonus. Although I loved running them and I was having success, it was time to set them aside as new projects took priority. It would be some time before the Chindits deployed for battle at another event.

From Chindits to Royal Commandos

As Second Edition soldiered on, I shelved the Chindits and moved on to other projects. But the time had come to dust them off; enter Campaign: D-Day: British & Canadian Sectors. I mentioned this in the original review; from time to time a Campaign book included an almost complete Army List (like the ones in the Armies of books). This was one of those times. Although the British and Inter-Allied Commandos Army List was focused on the action taking place in and around Normandy in 1944, it also included a Late-War Commando Troop (Burma) Theater Selector (remember those?). That was all I needed to bring the Chindits back to the table. The British and Inter-Allied Commandos Army List replaced the British Army Special Rules in Armies of Great Britain with new ones specifically tailored to the Special Forces nature of Commando operations. The Army Special Rules were:

• Limited Support – Commando Reinforced Platoons do not gain Bombardment and Artillery Support from Armies of Great Britain.
• Close Quarters Combat Troops – All Commando units have Tough as Boots and Commando Weapons Teams can fire any small arms they carry.
• Ready to Take Charge – If an NCO is removed, on a 3+ another model becomes the NCO. If a Team Weapon suffers Exceptional Damage that would destroy the Team, on a 3+ remove one model instead.

The Chindit Section was out, replaced with Late-War Army Commando Subsections. With these rules in play, the Chindits transformed into Tough as Boots + Tough Fighters CQ monsters and their Weapons Teams gained both versatility and survivability. The first time brining this new Army List to an event, I went full Commando at GRG Bolt Action Organized Play. Much to my thrill, the Commandos performed splendidly. I’d had this army in my collection for a long time and switching up the rules injected new life into these old jungle warfare experts.

Next up, I added a Stuart Recce to the roster and brought the Commandos to Battle in Berlin 2023. This Combat Patrol tournament limited your unit options to fit within the 450pt, small-battle theme and I figured it would be perfect for these British Special Forces. Battle in Berlin was warm up for the big show and the true viability test – the famous Chicago Four Star Open.

After an incredible first year in 2022, the Chicago Four Star Open quickly cemented itself as the best community-focused event around. Four Star 2023 was no exception. 18 players crammed into the basement of the world-famous Chicagoland Games, all bringing a “hobby first, wins second” attitude. I made full use of the Late War Royal Marine Commando Troop (Burma) Theater Selector. Three new vehicles were added to the force as the old Sherman V has been long abandoned and in its place I added a M3 Stuart, a Stuart Recce, and a CWT transport Truck. It was 1100pts and 13 Order Dice looking to leverage all the unique Commando Army Special Rules.

It worked! The Commando/Chindits took the fight to the enemy and won acclaim on the field of battle. With all the Weapons Teams I had in the list, the option to fire their small-arms proved to be a powerful option. Light Mortar Teams crept forward and unleased four SMG shots at unsuspected enemy infantry. No one wanted to engage in CQ as they would face nothing but Tough Fighting Vets with Though as Boots extra swings. I swarmed objectives and charged forward. Nothing could slow them down.

After eight years of running Chindits, it was the transformation into Royal Commandos that provided me a force that perfectly matched my style of play. I had reached the zenith though a combination of the original Armies of Great Britain and Campaign: D-Day: British & Canadian Sectors.

Chindits in Third Edition (2024-Present)

The stratospheric launch of Bolt Action: Third Edition was like shooting a bolt of lightening directly into the game. The system was fresh and exciting. The Platoon System replaced Theater Selectors and opened up listing to new and exciting playstyles. Players new and old rushed to get games in. September 2024 was one hell of an exciting time. Unless you had recently re-discovered your favorite army and watched, teary eyed, as all the rules, options, resources, and support that made your army sing – were stripped away.

The above paragraph is coming across far more dramatically than I anticipated and it’s more than a tad hyperbolic. Bolt Action needed a new edition. It need to go full tabula rasa and strip away everything that came before. Trust me, I understand. Just look at what you needed to run a Commonwealth force – their rules were spread across seven books! Drastic action was required. That being said, we did loose some of the magic the previous ten years of releases produced. So my Chindits were no longer the hyper-themed and honed masters of the battlefield they were a year previous. No matter! We charged forth into a new edition and did what we could to replicate the previous iteration.

The return to Four Star was the first outing for the Chindits in Third. At Four Star Open 2024, they were put to the test. I scoured the Army List section of the Rulebook for options and levers to pull that would give the Chindits their own unique feel in these early days of Third. Sadly, as with all the Rulebook Army Lists, there wasn’t much to pull from. Again, this was not a problem! It was the growing pains of a new edition. This is what had to happen. But that didn’t make it any easier to stomach. My troops had lost some of their sparkle, some of their pizazz, some of their elan. With that said, holy smokes was it great to play Third Edition! Make no mistake, the game itself was better than it ever had been. What we lost in theme we gained in rule mechanics. The options to theme were thin, at least, for now …

Bolt Action Compendium

This was unexpected. A surprise release from Warlord Games – the Bolt Action Compendium took articles, scenarios, alternate force orgs, and units from the Warlord Community collected in a single volume – all updated for Third Edition. It’s an interesting book that was, sadly, quickly overshadowed by the once-per-quarter Armies of release. For whatever reason, the Compendium is loaded with Chindit content. The best part (by far) of the book is Operations Longcloth & Thursday. This 18-page section is essentially a full fledged campaign with everything from a mix of new scenarios to new units and special rules for fighting in the jungle. Getting 10 new Chindit units and 10 new Chindit-specific missions was an welcome sight.

Unfortunately, as awesome as the Operations Longcloth & Thursday campaign is, the applications for these Chindits is very limited outside of the campaign. Of the 10 new units, 7 are “Special Characters” and only 2 are Infantry units. The units are unique and fit perfectly into the wider British Army List from Armies of Great Britain: Third Edition, but I have yet to see anyone field them. As stated on p46 “These are specifically designed to be used with the Operational Longcloth and Thursday missions presented earlier.” The takeaway is these units won’t see the table outside of those specific games. Thus, although new, I have not had the chance to use the Chindit-specific units from Compendium.

Armies of Great Britain: Third Edition

Once Armies of Great Britain: Third Edition arrived we once again had full Chindit rules. The new For King and Country Army Special Rule provided more Chindit unit options than ever before. For King and Country allowed players to make Chindit MMG Teams, Chindit Mortar Teams, Chindit PIAT Teams, Chindit Light Howitzers, the works! All at the cost of +3pts per model. The only requirement is the unit had to be Veteran.

For King and Country (Chindits) is expensive at +3pts per model but it gives you Fieldcraft, Behind Enemy Lines and Ambush Tactics. That’s a lot of special rules! Fieldcraft is amazing. Fieldcraft on your Light Howitzers and AT Guns is even more amazing. BEL is fine. Ambush Tactics is really interesting but there are no rules to ensure your Chindits will get to deploy at the start of the game. We also have the frustrating combo of BEL + Ambush Tactics. If my unit has Behind Enemy Lines, I want them in Outflank. If my unit has Ambush Tactics, I want them deployed. Having both rules on the same unit is annoying. Getting the choice would have been a nice adjustment. Then you could deploy the units with Ambush Tactics and keep other with BEL back in Outflank.

With the new AoGB in hand, I wrote up three full-Chindit Army Lists and headed out to Polar Vortex 2026. I took Chindit Sections and added For King and Country (Chindits) to every unit for all three Polar Vortex games. I needed to find out how these new rules would play. By the end of Game 3, I’m sorry to say, I realized the points would have been better spent elsewhere. Fieldcraft is amazing. Behind Enemy Lines never came into play (no units were put in Outflank in any of three games). Ambush Tactics was never employed – either because the mission did not allow pre-Turn 1 deployment or, if it did, I wanted to be able to move on Turn 1, rather than sit in Ambush. In Game 3 (1250pts), I had 30 infantry models with For King and Country (Chindits). That’s 90pts spent on special rules. That’s the cost of a nine-man squad of Regs. The Chindit units all played and felt like Veteran Infantry on the table; able to take a hit and Morale wasn’t much of an issue. But I felt I had wasted a significant amount of points on rules that I was never going to use. But, then again, Fieldcraft is silly good and that rule came into play every game. But is it worth +3pts per model? After those three games, I don’t think it is.

It’s a monkey’s paw. Never before could so many units be Chindits in both look and feel and in their unit rules. But this awesome thematic option came at a steep cost; a +3pts per model cost. Your “basic” Chindit is 16pts and that is a lot to spend.

Chindits on the Trail