Prone Figures – Your Thoughts

[Nigel Heather]

I’ve not played Bolt Action yet, just slowly getting round to putting some armies together.

I was wondering what your thoughts on prone figures are. They look good in pictures but when it comes to actual playing do they become awkward – I mean in terms of fitting them in spaces. Particularly in a game where line of site is “as you see it” and you can’t hide a prone figure behind a small obstacle without his legs poking out.

Of course you could model infantry as prone but I’m really thinking of AT Rifles teams, LMG teams or sniper teams.

The AT Rifle in particular makes for one long unit, the Soviet one will not fit on the long base with the gun barrel and the gunner’s legs hanging over the base.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Nat]

Personally I dont play TLOS (true line of sight) but rather a generic LoS / standard base diameter cylinder to a hight thats equal for both players.

Ie if I had a normal standing guy would I be able to see him – yes or no.

That way you dont get penalised /benefit from having say a squad who are all kneeling (yes its possible with a box or 2 of russians to get that many :p). It also gets round the size difference of the plastics and older metal figures.

[Haskeer]

I’m a novice at the game but this was was something, for my gaming buddies and I, that cropped up in the first game we played.
We tend to play a bit of a fluid system. Similar to Nat’s in the main, but add that if a target is directly behind low cover, they would realistically crouch or go prone to use the cover, so are given the cover bonus.
Also, for template effects we only count the front half of a prone models base.

Works for us as a house rule, but we don’t play anyone who’s a power gamer.

I’m interested to hear how this is played at tournaments etc.

John.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by Haskeer.

[Nigel Heather]

Like your interpretation of the rules – that is how I would like to play them too.

Clearly if a model is shown prone when they move they would get up and walk or run, not crawl.

So do you use prone figures. Is there any other disadvantage with prone figures – like won’t fit in a building.

I what do you do with prone AT Rifles – just put them on the standard long base and accept the overhang or use bugger bases (like MDF or other non warlord games ones).

Cheers,

Nigel

[Richard]

In practical terms it doesn’t matter:

If your LOS passes over/through terrain that provides cover (As discussed with your opponent beforehand) then the model is in cover. The model has assumed the most appropriate stance to use that cover. The physical model used to represent that man is clearly just a marker.

The height of a hedge is irrelevant: a hedge provides soft cover to a model behind it. Being prone/kneeling/standing behind it doesn’t change that. It doesn’t block LOS and it can’t provide more than soft cover.

[Jan Doernte]

I find prone figures to be a pain in the butt for squeezing squads into (smaller) buildings.

Otherwise- they should offer no advantage/disadvantage.

Beware the moron who fantasizes about modeling an entire squad peeping out of a man-hole cover, or the like, and claims true LOS advantages. The “everyone is standing” rule fixes that for us normal people.

[Steven Parillo]

It’s good to learn that people do actually respond to posts on this forum.

Steve

[Paul Nettle]

I don’t use prone figures, except for sniper teams or observers. They simply look daft next to standing members of the same squad.

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