Fallshirmjager - Bolt Action Starter Army Review

[@Nazgull2k1]

If you're ever in the Louisville, KY USA area, we have a pretty good sized group of Bolt Action players, and we're actually growing as more people get fed up with a certain other company's constant price hikes and rule changes and book purchases. Bolt Action is fast, fun, and just a laugh to play. More than once we've invented stories of soldiers on the field and their adventures. .. of misadventures.. depending on how the dice roll. As an example.. Private Jenkins of the British noticed that for some odd reason.. the Artillery strike called in SEEMED to be ever so *slightly* off target.... and instead of landing on the enemy.. landing directly onto his squad.. Poor Private Jenkins was the only survivor.. and is currently in therapy. The soldier that called in the arty strike was last seen cackling something about his mother and a chicken sandwich, running off the field howling like a madman. (The british arty scattered 9 inches directly backwards, landing on the Arty officer and his assistant, the flamethrower team, and an entire squad of British Infantry.) Only private jenkins was left standing.. and he failed 3 seperate rally checks the remainder of the game... stood in place, frozen.

[@darrenkoons2386]

How often do you meet? I live near Cincy. Ive never actually played but Ive painted a lot. I could field several armies

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

IMO, this is the best starter set for the Germans, as you get 3 special weapons as well a transport & a "tank". I added an additional infantry box, so that I 30 Later FJ war with assault rifles & MG42 as well as 30 early war FJ with rifles & SMG. I got an MG34 & AT rifle from a friend who plays DAK to complete the look for my early war FJ.

[@Celticfish7]

May i ask how did you paint up your guys for early and late war? Both in same livery like box art? Thanks 8)

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

@@Celticfish7 It is more about how I built them which separates early from late war. In the early war FJ, I used the jump smocks with the uncovered helmets & gave them 98K & MP40. I all got an AT rifle & MG 34 from the DAK set. As for the colours, I used Army paint paints. Commando green for the smock to get the bright Luftwaffe green, 50/50 mix of Dark sky & uniform grey for the trousers, gas canisters, mess tins, ammo boxes & helmet to get that Luftwaffe blue which was iconic for the early war FJ. I then used Skeleton bone for the webbing pouches & bread bags, dark stone for boots & water bottles then used I used Oak brown & 50/50 mix of gunmetal & matt black for the guns, for the top of the water bottles I just used the 25/75 mix of gunmetal & matt black. For the later war FJ, I used the covered helmets & field caps & gave them FG 42, MG 42 & panzerfausts. The camo smock I painted with a 50/50 mix of Skeleton bone & Combat fatigues to give it a green tinge. Elf green & Fur brown ( I used the same colours for tank camo ) for the camo pattern on the smock. Field grey for the trousers, gas canisters & mess tins, Dark stone for the webbing, boots & water bottle & Skeleton bone for the bread bag. then used I used Oak brown & 50/50 mix of gun metal & matt black for the guns , for the top of the water bottles I the 25/75 mix of gun metal & matt black. Panzerfuast & ammo box I used desert yellow. 😁

[@Celticfish7]

@@thepiratepenguin4465 WOW! 🫡 Many thanks for the detailed and insightful reply. I really appreciate it as I’m only just getting into BA system. Back me my love for stuff from the era. Enough WH40k female custodes nonsense. 🤣 I think I have a very good idea how to go about it all if I want historically near FJ troopers now thanks to you. Will likely go for late war as a start then maybe return to early war and mix it in some with DAK stuff as you mention. 👍🏼😁 I’ll be kind to pirate penguins when I come across them. 🫡

[@calumdeighton]

"You're going to be surrounded Sir." - Unknown Private. "Where paratroopers son. Were meant to be surrounded." - From Band of Brothers by Captain Winters, 2nd Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, Easy Company:

[@senint]

”In Easy Company nothing is ever easy” -Sgt. Rock

[@lj3605]

Most of this set + my Italians makes for one of my favourite platoons, X Reggimento Arditi (Primosole Bridge)

[@HO-bndk]

Strictly, you can't use them for early war if you paint them in camouflage printed bonesacks.

[@gankistani9528]

Jager....Meister??? Kome to Soviets Komrade, we heff stronk tenk!!!

[@batteredskullsummit9854]

To those who have bought the models: How close are the vehicles to being Taurox and Leman Russ stand-in-able? Is the size way off?

[@Ephieites]

They are way too small if you ask me. The Leman Russ is a way taller and wider, so is the taurox compared to the halftrack. I wouldn't have a problem with playing against it, but it is not rally a good stand in.

[@michaelshrumii1494]

Can you talk about SS Cavalry and also the stug escort riders? Just wondering if these would be any good

[@Bodkin_Ye_Pointy]

So here is a question. My son, new starter like me has made a tactical decision based on the two games we have played, which is to include two to three half tracks. I was not sure at first but reading the rules, they say you can field a transport for each squad/team. He kind of went this way when I used my little battle taxi Bren Carrier to transport troops into the best option for the PIAT. He found it impossible to hit as the carrier was driving along a lane behind a wall. Now I was as lucky as he was unlucky but the Carrier had two Bren Guns which quickly got within half range pumping eight shots into a squad trying to move up on me. My orders dice came out first and I killed troops and pinned them with the Bren and MMG from my Churchill. So what do you think, good idea or bad one. Both he and I can't see how a truck will survive hits from a gun or multiple LMG hits.

[@MajorSvenGaming]

The Fallschirmjager are a fantastic set and probably the most competitive.... But they have one massive weakness.... I don't like the helmets 😁

[@samb2052]

Best helmet of the war; available from the start, 3 point harness and no snag hazards. What’s not to like? 😄

[@MajorSvenGaming]

The aesthetics 😁

[@Nazgull2k1]

@@MajorSvenGaming speaking as a former infantryman... believe me.. function before fashion. lol

[@darrenkoons2386]

I like Fallschirmajer but Ive had a lot of success with Waffen SS. They are pretty strong.

[@darioscomicschool1111]

Is It worth to field a Medic in Bolt Action?

[@cazboab]

How to start an argument between gun-bunnies: call the FG42 an assault rifle and watch them (okay, *Us*, I am an old broken airsofter after all...) hum and ha over the definition... The Panzerschreck is really an odd thing to be missing from the plastic german infantry, the Bazooka is in almost every American box, I think there's a PIAT in one of the British boxes too, despite the limit on them being one per platoon. Really the more you think about it, these 100 quid sets aren't "army" starters, they're more "collection" starters that happen to be mostly legal armies in the game...

[@redcorsair14]

Even in late war Fjs with assault rifles were fairly rare. Rifles and SMGs should be the mainstay of most squads throughout the war. Showing up to a friendly pick up game with all assault rifle squads is a good way to get labeled as "that guy" and some eye rolls. Maybe not as bad as the guy who shows up with several Ho-Ros and inex bamboo fighters but still pretty cheesy.

[@snordgoodman]

Honestly no one would really care, it's on theme for the army and the rules allow it so if you're whining about it you're the one who's "that guy" tbh

[@redcorsair14]

Goodman there's competitive and there is attempted historical bolt action. Most people dont play competitive and expect to simply play against like minded lists. Competitive waac people need to go back to 40k where that is the norm. Bolt action is beer and pretzels, even at tournaments, even better when the TO provides it lol

[@snordgoodman]

@@redcorsair14 while not common, Fallschirmjäger squads fully equipped with FG42s did exist, plus it would make sense for a guy playing the army thats "the best of the best" for their nation to be well equipped. Also spamming assault rifles on every man wouldn't even give that big of an advantage since they're 5 pts each. If someone is spamming assault rifles it's probably not because they want to be super competitive and instead because they want to fufill the fantasy of their army

[@TheKodiak72]

@@redcorsair14 "Most people dont play competitive" Do you have a study proving that?

[@TheKodiak72]

Cry more princess