The FG42 in Bolt Action, and how easy it is to fix the error.

It is clear that Warlord Game’s knowledge is somewhat lacking in some areas of weapons if we use their Bolt Action rules as an example. However, sometimes the simple things are the easiest to fix. If fact, we had brought this up back in the old days when the first edition of Bolt Action was still fresh and new, and the old Bolt Action forum was still around. However, when the old forum got a make-over, all the old posts went to dust. So, to basically repeat what we said then, but using third edition rules, here we go again:

On page 98, simply correct the mistake:

AUTOMATIC RIFLE
This category is intended to cover weapons like the one-man
FG42 automatic rifle used by the Germans, and the Browning
Automatic Rifle (BAR) used by American infantry squads in lieu
of a two-man light machine gun. The BAR was a weapon of World
War I vintage originally designed to allow advancing infantry
to give covering fire as they approached the enemy, while the
FG42 was specifically developed for the Fallschirmjäger in 1942.

On page 204, simply make accommodations for the FG42 as follows:

Fallschirmjäger Squad
Cost: Veteran Infantry 70pts
Composition: 1 NCO and 4 men
Weapons: Rifles
Options:
– Add up to 5 additional men with rifles at +14pts each
– The NCO and up to 6 men can have submachine guns instead of rifles for +4pts each
– The NCO and up to 9 men can have assault rifles (e.g. StG44) instead of rifles for +6pts each
– Up to 2 men may have an FG42 automatic rifle instead of a rifle for +6pts each
– Up to 2 men can have a light machine gun for +15pts – for each light machine gun included another man becomes the loader
– Up to 4 men can have a panzerfaust in addition to other weapons for +15pts each
– The squad can be given anti-tank grenades instead for +2pts per man
Special Rules:
– Stubborn
– Tank hunters (if anti-tank grenades taken)

That’s it! See, very easy to fix, and if this house rule gets used by all, then it sort of becomes standard.

We have been using the FG42 as an automatic rifle in our games of Bolt Action since the very start, and frankly, we are still amazed that Warlord Games has not been enlightened yet. That being said, Bolt Action isn’t the only rule set to make this error. Some other rules get it wrong too, like V for Victory. Not to worry because this is an easy fix as you can see above. However, some rules do actually get it right the first time including a rule book called Battleground WW2 which was released over 15 years before Bolt Action.

Since the FG42 (with just over 7,000 produced) was only used by the Fallschirmjäger, the overall error in game play is limited, but in most cases like in Bolt Action and V for Victory, it is a very easy fix the rules and correct this error.

For those that still don’t think it is an automatic rifle, please read “Death from Above: The German FG42 Paratroop Rifle” by Thomas Dugelby and Blake Stevens before giving an uneducated response. Or, even watch that Forgotten Weapons episode where they do a side by side of the FG42 and BAR. Spoiler Alert, FG42 comes out on top, but both do the same thing – automatic rifle.