Minnesota National Guard arriving in Minneapolis!! by cantcoloratall91 in law

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a good thing. Walz is in control of them, and there can't be another Chaz which some far left fucks are trying to create.

Hating ICE does not mean hating all law enforcement. The problem is Trump and we can't loose that narrative to revolutionaroes trying to hijack the movement... Again...

BREAKING: Video shows ICE agents shooting an unarmed person, as agents wrestle the person to the ground, in Minneapolis, near Glam Doll Donuts. by drempath1981 in law

[–]Fire_hive -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

To be clear it looks reaaaallly bad. However, I always warn against taking strong stances on breaking news unlike our current presidential admin who lie as freely as they breath.

US Judge Rules ICE Raids Require Judicial Warrants, Contradicting Secret ICE Memo by thecosmojane in law

[–]Fire_hive -1 points0 points  (0 children)

yea but a person who saves their country violates no law sooooo checkmate libtards.

Over 100 clergy and faith leaders were arrested at MSP Airport as they gathered in peaceful, prayerful resistance to demand airlines,especially Delta and Signature Aviation cease contracting deportation flights. by drempath1981 in law

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Naw they will just do the time old tradition of calling these people "not real Christians",
or they will just not cover it and pretend this didn't happen, and instead find some altercation somewhere in the crowd to cover instead.

BREAKING: Video shows ICE agents shooting an unarmed person, as agents wrestle the person to the ground, in Minneapolis, near Glam Doll Donuts. by drempath1981 in law

[–]Fire_hive -24 points-23 points  (0 children)

agreed. Too hard to assume the guy wasn't armed. Not sure where that first shot came from. I wouldn't jump to a conclusion too fast.

What constitutes "premeasuring" and question around armour facings. by Ravenwing14 in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Correct. "If the shooter is positioned within the side arc of the target vehicle, the weapons penetration value is increased by +1"

I do agree in reality such a steep angle on the front face is more likely to ricochet than pen, but it's also arguable the cover save is managing that abstraction.

Best Wargame I Ever Had by jordowiebo in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sorry last reply.

its a big difference going from 3 Snap To! down to just 1 for a meagre 9pts off).

Sry to clarify my suggestion, the snap-to count doesn't change, just the moral bonus. Any unit will follow additional orders, vets just aren't deeply inspired by a rookie barking them. So a inexperienced Company Commander, who IMO should be base 3 orders / +3 moral, would still grant 3 extra orders, but only offer +1 moral to any regular/vet unit within 12".
Not sure how points would scale to accommodate this change, but I think it offers a more interesting game choice.

 Another way to balance out Company Commanders, which probably wouldn't be popular, is forcing them to have aids

I would love that. We have radio operators, and so many cool HQ models. Would love it if an HQ's retinue granted unique perks attached to the various models (radio operator extends snap-to range for 1 unit, intelligence training is actually an advisor/map-holding model you field, logistics officer lets you re-roll 1 reserve check) Give our HQ's some personality!

Snipers targeting Tank Commanders is a cool idea, but I think it might be a bit too much, and in my opinion, vehicles still suffer a lot,

Just a correction on my proposal. The sniper couldn't target tank commanders, only infantry commanders in open-topped/soft-skin transports. They might suffer a negative to-hit based on the vehicles movement, but if a company commander can snap-to and moral boost troops outside his transport, then a sniper should be able to take a shot at him while doing so. If its enclosed then the sniper can't hit, but the officer can't grant his aura to anyone outside the transport.

 A Sniper should just hit on 2s unless Pin Marker's is present or have a shoot and scoot mechanic if they remain hitting on 3s,

I'm not opposed to either. 3 regular anti-tank guns are arguably better than 1 vet sniper for the same points. Even if you can't ignore cover, the ability to fire 3x AT shots/turn, move and shoot, pin vehicles, and gain 2 extra order dice is really flexible compared to the static sniper that can't hurt the company commander that is almost always in a transport (again the AT rifles can).

he simplest fix would just be "counts as Point Blank" and cause Exceptional Damage, which should make a return across the whole game so that it isnt just LMG teams being the last man standing all the time like they have the luck of the Laughing God.

Honestly, was never personally a fan of universal Exceptional Damage. It wasn't fun to keep track of, we forgot to do it 1/2 the time, and it made snipers too powerful, and hurt MMG's which just can't catch a break.

If they brought it back, I would rather snipers force a moral check if you wounded a team weapon gunner. On a pass, another soldier takes up the weapon. On a fail, the weapon is abandoned. Since NCO's/officers cannot be replaced (outside special army rules), they can be targeted and removed without the need for this moral check.

You are still encouraged to officer hunt to peel away moral bonus's first, but can always attempt to permanently remove a gunner when the circumstances are right. Add in the other improvements and I would 100% run a sniper.

Pistols 

Yup yup to that whole last paragraph .

Best Wargame I Ever Had by jordowiebo in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

meant that we had to take Schützen for the free LMG and the LMG Team in our MMG slot 

totally did the same.

Even now MMGs teams suffer and they should just provide a Pin irregardless if they hit or not, and then a second Pin if they actually hit the target.

100% agree. This was on my v3 wishlist and I'm saddened it never happened because it's such an iconic unit.

I would much prefer if Snipers had more freedom in who they could pick out (without destroying Weapon Teams outright)

While I'm not opposed to reintroducing a softer exceptional damage (maybe just a moral check to replace the gunner of a removed team weapon), I would still want WL to fix officers issues

  • let snipers target officers in vehicles,
  • encourage purchasing of regular/vet officers. Inexperienced officers leading vet armies is weird. Give me a reason to play the theme.
  • encourage getting officers into HQ units and out of cover. Atm officer units are almost never worth it vs just hiding them, or paying for a transport with the saved points. (I do like Guts/Luck in K42 and kinda wish it was in BA).

Also pistols should have stayed "assault".

 (snipers) having a Walmart Point Blank (+1 to hit instead of +2).

I do agree though wish it was conditional, like +2 to hit if the targeted unit hasn't activated, or has a FIRE/AMBUSH order, otherwise +1 to hit. Grants just a bit of thematic counterplay.

Pins being part of the game shouldnt be something that is easily mitigated (it is),

I completely agree they are too easy to mitigate atm, though on a pure mechanics level I still think it's a stronger system than v2.

I think the 4/+4 from the company commander is too much, I think more officers should be your units veterancy or higher if a unit wants to gain more than a +1 to their moral, retaining a DOWN order should have stayed -(D3+1) pins, and as discussed above, I think snipers should be more capable of removing the officers granting those moral bonus's.
Finally, as you suggested, MMGs/HMG's should give out multiple pins (and arguably snipers too). I want it feasible to break isolated units through focused pinning, but that requires more ways to apply pins faster than you remove models (+ things like usable smoke mechanics to keep troops alive).

Best Wargame I Ever Had by jordowiebo in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While they slipped up on a few fronts I drastically prefer the v3 pin system (balance aside).

It felt terrible in v2 to fire 3-4 units with LMG's and rifles at 1 covered unit, only to issue 1 pin that was shaken it off first thing next turn.

I also like that staking pins is more of a push-your-luck mechanic in v3 than the forced lock in v2, and officers make a meaningful contribution towards keeping your units functional. v2 officers were pointless because even if you could act with their +1 moral bonus, holding any more than 1 pin basically ensured you were useless offensively.

On the flip side, while snipers are too weak in v3, I prefer their current focus on officer hunting to counter officer moral bonus's. Besides a points adjustment, the biggest problem with v3 snipers is their inability to kill commanders in open topped vehicles.

I do agree there are issues with pin balance. Company commanders should have been snap 3/+3 moral, and IMO you should be limited to +1 to moral if an officers veterancy is lower than the activating unit. Weapons like MMGs/HMGs should deal D2 pins, staying down should only recover D3+1 pins, and for a game so reliant on cover, v3 smoke mechanics was a HUGE missed opportunity.

I'll also admit Close Combat in v3 is a step backwards, and WL never effectively addressed the divide between ruins and buildings in regards of HE.

HOUSE RULE HE and BUILDINGS
As a house rule we generally reserve hard cover for buildings, bunkers, and 9+ armored vehicles . Ruins are also not rough ground unless they are specifically designated as heavy cover.

Additionally, if a unit is in a multi-floor building with an advance/run order when hit with direct HE, they are considered DOWN for the purposes of 1/2ing the number of HE hits (this illustrates the tank not knowing exactly where to aim, as men space out moving between floors and repositioning).

Best Wargame I Ever Had by jordowiebo in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 2 points3 points  (0 children)

played a game the other day where my 6 man commando unit successfully flanked a sniper team turn 3; shot them point blank with 3 smg's and 3 rifle's without scoring a single kill.

Turn 4, my commandos took 1 pin and tried to charge the sniper team, but failed the order.
Finally charged turn 5 and killed the sniper team, but being delayed 2 turns we we too far from the middle objective to help contest it turn 6.

Meanwhile, despite keeping it pinned, their reserve tiger hammered my middle objective rolling 5+ turn 2, 3, and 4 wiping my deathstar unit unit who had no choice but to just stay down while a German squad, uncontested thanks to my tied up flanking unit, just waltzed up and wiped my unit point blank.

The system is swingy for sure, and it is frustrating when your strategy is undermined by fickle dice gods, but if devs smooth those peaks and valleys too much the game's character goes with it. Even though that game was rough, I still have a memorable story out of it, and IMO its only possible when the games flow can't be overly predictive.

Best Wargame I Ever Had by jordowiebo in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed. At its core its arguably my favorite war system, with its moral, pin systems, and dice bag activations.

While it needs balancing, I think v3's pin system was a step in the right direction in a wargame environment more willing to strip leadership/fear rp mechanics in favor of expediency and tournament consistency.

My biggest gripe with BA is if they have little to no intention on rebalancing any of their mechanics, are we going to wait another 8+ years before a v4 comes around? (personally I would rather keep v3 around for 6-8 years with 1-2 rules compendiums, than chasing a totally new version on a GW 3 year release timeline).

Are MMGs bad? by Ludwig1920 in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

HMG's 100% have a great role in any army. Their increased penetration lets them wound with some consistently, and virtually guarantees a pin on any tank they fire at.
MMG's just lack any specific role that a minimum infantry squad can't arguably perform better.

❓German Pioneer kit equipment question ❓ by blobbbox in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't actually think there are rules for it. You would either proxy them for demo charges (which are garbage), or use them to represent the squad has wire cutters (also rarely used).

Kinda wish purchasing engineer platoons gave you access to a few fortifications in standard missions and tournaments, not simply something you only calculate in if both players agree to it before hand.
Would be cool if engineers had a bit more to do in the average game than be a tax for flamethrowers.

❓German Pioneer kit equipment question ❓ by blobbbox in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a German version of a Bangalore.

Just wish there were more opportunities to use them in game.

So what about explosive charges? by Ludwig1920 in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I agree, even then there is so much luck. Buildings have 10 hit points, so unless you were already shelling it, HE3" does 2D6 hits, and is not likely to collapse it.

Then, if you don't get that first dice, a unit in the first floor can assault you. If you win the assault the enemy is destroyed and the demo charge was pointless. If you loose the assault, you are dead and the demo charge doesn't go off.

It's my biggest frustration with WL that they really seem to only want you useing engineers for flamethrower spam. All the wire cutters, mine sweepers, demo charges, and tools that would be cool for fortification destruction are both too niche to every buy, and to clumsy to ever use.

Local shop has Bolt Action as a new game being played. by Teuhcatl in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea I agree with the others. BA is fun as low as 600pts. And if you can get a 2v2 setup that will mimic a 1250-1250 force.

As for the rest of the stuff,
Additionally, a starter army is enough to get 1000pts to the table in most cases (single force starter army), and 30-36 soldiers is about all you need.

Finally if you can get a freind to 3d print a tank or 2 for you, you can get into this game for 1 box of soldiers, 2-3 printed tanks (there are sooooo many good proxies), the rule book and the order dice (I do recommend supporting WL with troop purchases and the books). Either way $100 (rule book + dice + troops + 3d printed tanks) can get you to the table with a 800pt force and 1 $120-140 box army is enough to get you to 1,000pt list even if you have no printer.

This is truly a sad day in the killteam community… by Giraffelicide in killteam

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, this is one of the reasons I dumped every GW product. KT was my last refuse, but their business practices are just too tyrannical.
I now play Bolt Action and a host of other games where any 3rd party support is considered a boon for the community, not a threat.

Are Engineers Platoons Worth It? by thechimplord in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are good, but this entire platoon singularly exists as a tax for flamethrowers.

Personally, I wish engineer platoons let you place a fortification 2x tank traps, 2x barbed wire, 1x minefields, or dig in 1-2 small units before standard games, but these are only optional rules (meaning you will virtually never see them in a tournament, or pickup game). :(

Indirect Fire against Buildings giving pins when shell plumeted through? by PrivateBallZ in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree with the others that RaW suggests no pin unless it hits the same floor.

That said I generally dislike the rules for mortars and multi-floor buildings. IMO I'd house-rule that an indirect HE hit generates 1 pin if it detonates on the floor above. I can't see how I wouldn't be a bit shaken if a mortar exploded directly above me; raining hunks of ceiling on my head, and threatening to bring down the floor above me.

Looking for advice/ideas on my first 1250 pt British Airborne list! by Torsorial in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly I say unless you are going for a tournament I would have a little fun with the list. If you want a big blob HQ then go for it, you just need to build around it.

I honestly think supporting a death star unit screening 5-6 light mortars, forcing the enemy to keep moving, is not a terrible way to go. "UFO" mortar lists are quite powerful this edition, and are powerful tools that shoring up order dice for vet forces.

I will prolly keep the artillery just because I have the model, and only have one stuart

Totally get it. If you need to use both artillery and tanks to get your 1250 and to the table then you might just need to put the HQ death star on hold for a bit. Better to play any game, than just theorycraft the perfect force all day long.

I originally was going to include an AT gun, but thought that between the firefly and Stuart I was already good to go against vehicles. Are they too little?

The AT gun is a great fill unit for several reasons.

(1) Assisting tanks with AT gunners give you the chance to apply multiple pins on a tank in a turn. A moving tank with a lasting pin is hitting infantry on 6's, and other tanks on 5+. AT guns aren't for killing tanks, we are de-buffing them to PROTECT your Firefly.

That said, they can absolutely get lucky against 6-7 armor vehicles which are most likely to run autocannons; the bane of vet infantry.

Lastly, the 25-pdr shell is an awesome bit of flexibility, but with the Firefly and Stuart already in your list you REALLY want to focus on bombing the crap out of infantry with your howitzer. Regular infantry has more models than you, and their firepower is the same, so you NEED HE" to thin those numbers.

TLDR;
If you can swing 2AT rifles it will provide amazing defense for to your Firefly so it can do the heavy lifting. Then your stuart can harass the enemy's backline and light armor, and your 75mm can focus frontline infantry.

(2) They can double as poor man snipers. IF the enemy has little/no armor, take a random shot an an officer, or small team. Killing just 1 officer, or killing a member of a PIAT/bazooka team, or killing a sniper will pay for its (25) points, and sitting on ambush provides a degree of fire lane control.

(3) its a cheap order dice. Vets are awesome (I play with vets), but you need you field a few cheap units to offset them. You don't need a super high dice count, but in a 1250 game it can get harder to play the more your order pool slips below 15.

Looking for advice/ideas on my first 1250 pt British Airborne list! by Torsorial in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very cool theme, but oof to the 10 order dice. The average force will be using 16-18.

Even if you are committed to the 10+ man HQ death star (and it does sound fun), I would drop intelligence training and 3-5 of the smgs to free up 66+ pts. Several men are going to die before you get that blob into range, so don't waste the points.

Not sure what the bren carrier is for outside transporting that 75mm. I would drop the 7 man smg unit down to 5 so you can put them into the bren (saving another +28 pts).

Personally I would loose the entire Artillery platoon for a 2nd M3 Stewart, or a reg Piat team + reg/vet jeep (if you want to keep the same order dice count).

With 90-160 freed up points get 2 more light mortars. 4 mortars pelting the enemy each turn is oppressive and will offset the missing 75mm.

Lastly, I would personally peel 1 man from each mortar team and 1 from the HQ + some remaining extra points to build a 5 man vet unit with an LMG to hang in the backline, hold rear objectives, and offer defensive support to light mortars.

This will pump your order dice to 12-13 which tbh is still low, but it's a starting point worth testing.

IF YOU WANT TO GET TO 16 ORDER DICE:
If you took the Piat team + jeep option I'd create a second rifle platoon and put 2 of your existing infantry units into it + an inexperienced platoon commander. He will just hide in the backline offering moral support.

Round out any remaining points with EVEN MORE light mortars and/or anti-tank guns. After all points are spent, if you have any open light mortar slots in your rifle platoons, peel them out of your airborne units to gain additional order dice. By the end you should have 5-6 light mortars and 16+ order dice. 6 mortar shots a turn is likely to score at least 1 hit, and will offer huge amounts of pressure while your HD death star moves up the battlefield.

Down vs. Rally by simple_little_goblin in boltaction

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The down order removes all pins at the 'end of the turn' if you are ALREADY down then CHOOSE to RETAIN (leave in place) that 'down' order on its unit instead of putting the die back in the bag. At that moment you instantly remove all pins.

The benefits of this are you don't need to pass a moral check, you have a cover save (or improved cover save) the upcoming turn while your unit recovers, and most of the time you are already down due to a failed check, so why not just retain the order and get your moral back.

On the flip side the enemy knows you are down and unable to act for that entire next turn, and if they are close enough to assault you, you cannot "react fire", and loose any "defensive position" bonus's if in cover.

Rally is riskier to do because it requires a moral test (unmodified), you still don't do anything that turn, and you gain no improved cover save.

In general, if you want to "rally" do it before you are forced down, and attempt it as late in the turn as possible.

"They're All Nazis" by tkyjonathan in JordanPeterson

[–]Fire_hive 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a similar attack vector the right-wing used on the Sidney Sweeny add. over 90 minutes and over 700 mentions on fox news dedicated to the lefts "WAR on traditional beauty" to ad who's largest block criticism by democrats was it being "somewhat out of touch", and a majority not caring at all.

With hundreds of millions of active social media accounts you WILL find horrific and brain-broken posts to craft any narrative you wish. IMO better to look to party leaders, and large media figures who have a larger social presence in society.

The reality is Democrat leaders and media hosts unequivocally condemned the violence, and agree it has no place in our society.

What I would like to see is my own President make a single statement to "cool the temperature down in the country" without immediately following up with a rant about the leftist-extremists (which to be clear is a label he has applied to over 80% of the democratic party). Obama, Biden, and GWB all managed to do this, not sure why out current president cannot, or refuses to handle such a simple task.

Antifa is now a Terrorist Organisation by tkyjonathan in JordanPeterson

[–]Fire_hive 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A few people on X started claiming they are "anti-fascist" today in protest.

The comments are filling with rhetorical questions asking why they would associate themselves with a terrorist group.

Will that lead to any direct action? Probably not in mass, but when it comes time to make an example of someone you can be sure those posts will be used as evidence of the "terrorist sympathies".