They really are brilliant for taking out MMGs and other line-of-sight team weapons. That said, mine often seem to end up in sniper duels, which may not be very efficient, but it's certainly delightfully cinematic!
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely.
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely.
I find that one of the most useful things about snipers is that they form area denial. My opponents typically move to avoid my sniper team, or focus almost exclusively on it. Either way it provides me with more options just by its presence.
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely.
In bolt action 2 the officers become an even more tempting target because of “You men, snap to action”. Taking out officers doesn't just affect morale now; it directly affects your opponents action economy.
Snipers are best used in a manner closer to how they were used historically. Go for machine guns, F.O. and F.A. teams, officers, enemy snipers (ZAP THEM FIRST). I will say shooting at elite infantry squads is a waste of time. Even ignoring cover having to roll a 5,6 to kill an NCO or LMG gunner means a whole lot of missed shots. Heavy weapons crews are very inviting because a lot of guys will go for low skill crew to save points. That's why my mortar teams are regulars by default (I play Germans most of the time) because it does improve their survivability by quit a bit.
Priority targets: #1 Flamethrower teams, #2 Anti-tank Teams, #3 Sniper Teams, #4 Machinegun Teams, #5 Mortar Teams. Flamethrower and anti-tank teams can be interchanged, depending on the composition of your force. If you're infantry heavy, kill the flamethrowers, if you're armour heavy, kill the AT. Sniper Teams at #3 can be changed with Medics/Majors/Captains/LTs in that order as they give big bonuses - especially Snap To Action for infantry heavy armies (could even go to #1 or #2 if they've got a large number of inexperienced infantry, like Russian armies tend to.) Using snipers to remove LMGs and NCOs should be a "I've got nothing else to do with this team" option.
So I do a house rule with my son with snipers against support weapon teams. First we have bolstered the small squad option to 3 man teams, it just makes sense to us. So it is in effect when teams are shot by everything else except being shot at by snipers, so the small team rule still does not effect the sniper. Meaning they ignore the mmgs small squad size -1, as well a sniper cannot add a 3rd man and still be considered a small squad, they still can be only 2. Also when a sniper shoots the machine gunner or main mortor guy, that guy dies and that team cannot shoot or move the remainder of that turn if they havent shot yet and they take D2 pins and are forced down. That is so to simulate men not giving up, but in shock and the time it takes them to recrew the weapon. The next turn they have to do a moral check to pass to recrew the weapon and fire that turn. If they fail they run 10 inches to the nearest edge of the board where no enemies are in their path, normal terrain rules apply. The next turn they can only do a rally and if successful they are back in the fight, if they fail they are removed from the board. If the sniper shoots and kills a man in a team that has already had their turn they still take d2 pins are forced down and perform any action next turn, assuming a successful morale or rally check except fire, because the team still needs to recrew the weapon and assume the new responsibilities. Any thoughts or refinements would be appreciated.
+Chaser Yohmoi I don't think he loses the sniper rule, yes he does get -1 to hit and -1 moral but still has the longer range and still ignores cover and always exceptional damage
Usually is like you say but exceptional damage means the sniper shot dhe weapon destroying it and killing it's operator. Count it like 2 good shots, or just one that blew up the weapon and the soldier face with it.
I shot my opponent British commandos flamethrower team. Chose to get rid of flamethrower, he then said Commandos have a rule making them exempt ftom exceptional kills so he removed the assistant leaving the flame chsp on the board. Is this correct? It sounds not right to me. We are both learning the gsme at oresent.
1. Counter snipe opposing Snipers as they are your highest threat2. Snipe at Officers as they are the focus of leadership bonus and snap to orders3. Snipe mortar teams if they are being used to range in on you4. Snipe MMG teams as it only takes 1 exceptional damage to destroy the entire unit5. Snipe NCO's and squad LMG teams (especially German)6. Bazooka's, Panzerschrecks, PiATs, Panzerfausts teams
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely. Makes for much more challenging moves and advancement when you don’t know where that sniper is....
I think the best use of a sniper is as denial. The fear they cause can force your opponent to rethink his decisions. When you can get your opponent thinking too much, you're at an advantage. When you can force your opponent to move to or not move to certain areas, you should be able to dominate the game. Snipers plus overwatch can paralyze your opponent.
+Lax comix Come over to www.beastsofwar.com and post that questions in the forums mate. I guarantee you will get an answer mate and loads of other great info from our community! - Warren
i usually use a sniper to pin units (either killing the NCO or just shooting it) also for killing F.O.( any small team just to get rid of an order dice). i will use sniper early in game because a lucky roll can easily remove them.
+Robert Lambert thought the same thing at the first example with the Officer: +1 to hit for being a Sniper, -1 for shooting at a small team - thats 3+ not 4+
+Robert Lambert exactly my thought..,that comes to say a lot. i bet they dont play their game much otherwise it wouldn't be in such dire state. even the recently announced version 2 rule book aint gonna fix much damn im so annoyed!!
+Robert Lambert Only one of them i s from Warlord, but yeah, he got this wrong. He also said the Sniper's range is increased from 24 to 30", whilst it is actually 36". I'm not sure if these were older rules, or if this is a sign of things to come for the upcoming 2nd ed. of Bolt Action. I'd assume it's just a mistake, though.
+Graeme Collin That didn't matter to the Germans during the war. Why should it matter to us in a game? It's a game after all. In modern armies, medics are armed and trained to fight. Many do. So I disagree. There shouldn't be a penalty for shooting medics.
+Ajax 1983 Didn't matter to the Japanese either, leastways not in Singapore ... Why should it matter to us? Why bring ourselves down to their level? Yes, modern army medics are armed and trained to fight, but generally only in self-defense - it goes against their Hippocratic Oath. Yes, it's a game and, as such, we can all do as we please ... just as we're all allowed to have our own opinions. Love, peace and bananas :-)
British Airborne historically had one sniper per section: three per platoon: nine per company! I play in historically numbered units...
They really are brilliant for taking out MMGs and other line-of-sight team weapons.
That said, mine often seem to end up in sniper duels, which may not be very efficient, but it's certainly delightfully cinematic!
I always to place some sort of armored vehicle against them.
Forcing them to go down or retreat.
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely.
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely.
I don’t understand why the normal rule is hidden units are placed on the board. How is the opponent not supposed to react when they can see them?
Snipers can be powerful, I run them as veterans to help them stay in the action longer.
I love my snipers! I try to bring 2 in every game I play.
I find that one of the most useful things about snipers is that they form area denial. My opponents typically move to avoid my sniper team, or focus almost exclusively on it. Either way it provides me with more options just by its presence.
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely.
In bolt action 2 the officers become an even more tempting target because of “You men, snap to action”. Taking out officers doesn't just affect morale now; it directly affects your opponents action economy.
Snipers are best used in a manner closer to how they were used historically. Go for machine guns, F.O. and F.A. teams, officers, enemy snipers (ZAP THEM FIRST). I will say shooting at elite infantry squads is a waste of time. Even ignoring cover having to roll a 5,6 to kill an NCO or LMG gunner means a whole lot of missed shots. Heavy weapons crews are very inviting because a lot of guys will go for low skill crew to save points. That's why my mortar teams are regulars by default (I play Germans most of the time) because it does improve their survivability by quit a bit.
Like you guys said , they are great , when used correctly
I thought snipers ignored ALL "to hit modifiers" except pins on themselves, which means they ignore the small team rule?
My sniper's priority target from the get go is opposing snipers. Then I start targeting enemy officers if possible.
Priority targets: #1 Flamethrower teams, #2 Anti-tank Teams, #3 Sniper Teams, #4 Machinegun Teams, #5 Mortar Teams.
Flamethrower and anti-tank teams can be interchanged, depending on the composition of your force. If you're infantry heavy, kill the flamethrowers, if you're armour heavy, kill the AT.
Sniper Teams at #3 can be changed with Medics/Majors/Captains/LTs in that order as they give big bonuses - especially Snap To Action for infantry heavy armies (could even go to #1 or #2 if they've got a large number of inexperienced infantry, like Russian armies tend to.)
Using snipers to remove LMGs and NCOs should be a "I've got nothing else to do with this team" option.
So I do a house rule with my son with snipers against support weapon teams. First we have bolstered the small squad option to 3 man teams, it just makes sense to us. So it is in effect when teams are shot by everything else except being shot at by snipers, so the small team rule still does not effect the sniper. Meaning they ignore the mmgs small squad size -1, as well a sniper cannot add a 3rd man and still be considered a small squad, they still can be only 2. Also when a sniper shoots the machine gunner or main mortor guy, that guy dies and that team cannot shoot or move the remainder of that turn if they havent shot yet and they take D2 pins and are forced down. That is so to simulate men not giving up, but in shock and the time it takes them to recrew the weapon. The next turn they have to do a moral check to pass to recrew the weapon and fire that turn. If they fail they run 10 inches to the nearest edge of the board where no enemies are in their path, normal terrain rules apply. The next turn they can only do a rally and if successful they are back in the fight, if they fail they are removed from the board. If the sniper shoots and kills a man in a team that has already had their turn they still take d2 pins are forced down and perform any action next turn, assuming a successful morale or rally check except fire, because the team still needs to recrew the weapon and assume the new responsibilities. Any thoughts or refinements would be appreciated.
don't the snipers also get a +1 to hit bonuses?
+Voidstrider40 That's what I thought too.
Exactly - Snipers hit at 2+ base not 3.
+Skringly They do get a +1 to hit, as long as their team mate is alive.
+Hazdrubal if the team mate is dead they lose the sniper rule all together
+Chaser Yohmoi I don't think he loses the sniper rule, yes he does get -1 to hit and -1 moral but still has the longer range and still ignores cover and always exceptional damage
I love sniper teams but every time I use them they either take all the fire and die quick or I miss every shot I take with them.
I uses the sniper to take out targets of opportunity. It's quite a flexible unit.
I dont use snipers as mine always miss! That single dice toll never seems to do the business, particular vs veterans.
I think it makes more sense if a MMG is shot by a sniper the other 2 guys should be able to continue firing the gun.
Usually is like you say but exceptional damage means the sniper shot dhe weapon destroying it and killing it's operator. Count it like 2 good shots, or just one that blew up the weapon and the soldier face with it.
Great. Another game I'll have to invest in :P
I shot my opponent British commandos flamethrower team. Chose to get rid of flamethrower, he then said Commandos have a rule making them exempt ftom exceptional kills so he removed the assistant leaving the flame chsp on the board. Is this correct? It sounds not right to me. We are both learning the gsme at oresent.
1. Counter snipe opposing Snipers as they are your highest threat2. Snipe at Officers as they are the focus of leadership bonus and snap to orders3. Snipe mortar teams if they are being used to range in on you4. Snipe MMG teams as it only takes 1 exceptional damage to destroy the entire unit5. Snipe NCO's and squad LMG teams (especially German)6. Bazooka's, Panzerschrecks, PiATs, Panzerfausts teams
We agree ahead of time whether we are bringing snipers since they are so overpowered. Warlord screwed up majorly by not nerfing them in 2nd edition.
I don’t think they’re that OP. You can always counter snipe or your opponent may just roll bad all game, which happens a lot.
One sniper can pin a whole company that's out in the open or coming down a street. That's when you call in arty.
I came up with a rule adjustment for snipers. My game buddies like it and it seems to work well, and somewhat realistically. It is as follows: Mark the location on paper of where the sniper team is. (helps w/no cheating). The Sniper team is NOT placed on the board. On a turn drawn die, announce that a sniper is shooting at what, then roll dice. If hit, roll for damage/kill. Then the shot at team can pick a number on a 6d, and roll for it. If that the number is rolled, the sniper’s shot was “seen” where the shot came from, then his position,is exposed and he is placed on the board. If the number called is missed, the sniper is still in the unknown location. If sniper shoots at the same unit again, shot at unit picks 2 die numbers to role for, and see if sniper was spotted firing. If still not discovered, sniper can shoot freely. Makes for much more challenging moves and advancement when you don’t know where that sniper is....
I think the best use of a sniper is as denial. The fear they cause can force your opponent to rethink his decisions. When you can get your opponent thinking too much, you're at an advantage. When you can force your opponent to move to or not move to certain areas, you should be able to dominate the game. Snipers plus overwatch can paralyze your opponent.
I like to write ranks and names on the bottoms of my soldiers bases, however I dont know which ranks a sniper team of 2 had..can anyone help me out?
+Lax comix Come over to www.beastsofwar.com and post that questions in the forums mate. I guarantee you will get an answer mate and loads of other great info from our community! - Warren
thank you ! will do
John is great
i usually use a sniper to pin units (either killing the NCO or just shooting it) also for killing F.O.( any small team just to get rid of an order dice). i will use sniper early in game because a lucky roll can easily remove them.
killing one of a 2 man weapon team shouldn't kill off the second guy, he is a trained soldier after all and can fight as a normal soldier
B Hill No, he gets to go home to his mom
You're right, Snipers are Team Weapon, so if one guy dies the other can carry on at -1 to hit.
These guys are from Warlord? And didn't follow the sniper rules with the +1 to hit
+Robert Lambert thought the same thing at the first example with the Officer: +1 to hit for being a Sniper, -1 for shooting at a small team - thats 3+ not 4+
+Robert Lambert exactly my thought..,that comes to say a lot.
i bet they dont play their game much otherwise it wouldn't be in such dire state.
even the recently announced version 2 rule book aint gonna fix much
damn im so annoyed!!
+Robert Lambert Only one of them i s from Warlord, but yeah, he got this wrong. He also said the Sniper's range is increased from 24 to 30", whilst it is actually 36". I'm not sure if these were older rules, or if this is a sign of things to come for the upcoming 2nd ed. of Bolt Action. I'd assume it's just a mistake, though.
I always take snipers, even in low point games were we don't use to hardly any mg's...cause you...SOVIET SNIPERS!
I use snipers to take out forward observers to blind my enemy
Do you have to be British to play this game?
Snipers!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm with John ... you should get penalised for shooting medics ... isn't it against the Geneva Convention, or something?
+Graeme Collin That didn't matter to the Germans during the war. Why should it matter to us in a game? It's a game after all. In modern armies, medics are armed and trained to fight. Many do. So I disagree. There shouldn't be a penalty for shooting medics.
+Ajax 1983 Didn't matter to the Japanese either, leastways not in Singapore ... Why should it matter to us? Why bring ourselves down to their level? Yes, modern army medics are armed and trained to fight, but generally only in self-defense - it goes against their Hippocratic Oath. Yes, it's a game and, as such, we can all do as we please ... just as we're all allowed to have our own opinions. Love, peace and bananas :-)
*****
Wow someone was quite butthurt from my reply. I think you need some more love, peace and bananas mate.
+Graeme Collin
When someone can't give a decent reply, they'll just call you butthurt even though you weren't. Quite hilarious, really.
+Graeme Collin to be fair, it probably didnt matter to allied troops either.