Matrix Games

Since we announced Bolt Action, we’ve been actively engaging with the community—especially through our Discord—and have received a lot of feedback on our reveals, as well as many questions about the video game. 

We’re still in full development, and things will become more defined as we move forward. In the meantime, we’ve collected the most frequently asked questions to give you more insight.
Thanks for all your questions and feedback. Our journey is just getting started, and your input matters more than ever.
Now, let’s dive into the FAQs:

1. Will the game come to console? 

Console release is not part of the current launch plan. If the game performs well, this is definitely something we’d love to explore in the future.

2. Will it support mods or Steam Workshop?

We’re big fans of modding and community creativity. While Steam Workshop support is not confirmed in the current plan, it’s something we’re actively evaluating and would love to support if technically feasible.

3. Can you kitbash or customize your units?

Kitbashing like in the tabletop isn’t planned, but players will be able to customize their units with the Army Painter tool. This will include uniforms, textures and other visual elements, all based on historically accurate options.

4. What factions will be available at launch?

At launch, the game will feature a selected set of core factions (US, UK and German), but we’re excited about expanding the battlefields after release. Other fan-favorite nations, such as Imperial Japan or the Soviet Union, are strong candidates for post-launch DLCs. 

5. Will Konflikt ‘47 content be included?

Konflict ‘47 is a separate IP from Warlord Games, and there are currently no plans to include its units or content in Bolt Action.

6. How will pre-measuring work?

The game is designed for PC, so distance and ranges will be fairly clear through the UI. Players will be able to see optimal and sub-optimal ranges without the need for manual measuring, keeping gameplay fluid and readable. 

7. How extensive will the unit roster be?

Each faction will have a large variety of core units, including all their loadout and veterancy options.  Units not included in the initial release, will be added post-launch based on the community demand.

8. How does damage work? Do we have an HP system?

We want to keep systems as close to the tabletop wargame as possible. With some systems, we want to experiment to see if we can improve them. These experiments need to be playtested and gain community favor before we lock them in. 

Bolt Action units take damage in three steps: hit roll, damage roll, cover save. The current video game implementation is exactly mapped onto this.

9. Will we have an armour damage table with the horrific 2D6 effects when a tank is hit?

The superficial damage and vehicle damage rolls will definitely make their way into the game in some way, shape or form. We’re still experimenting with it. It might even go through as is.

10. How does terrain work? Will players be able to create their own battlefields?

Terrain plays a major tactical role and is fully integrated in how combat is resolved. At launch, the focus will be on carefully designed scenarios and maps created by the development team. Although scenario-editing is not in the current plan, we’d love to explore the possibility of working on new tools in the post-launch future.

11. How will turns work?

Turns should work exactly how expect them to behave from the Bolt Action tabletop wargame i.e. assigned based on drawing an Order Die each turn, based on remaining Order Die probability for this round.
Learn more about how the turn system works: https://www6.slitherine.com/news/bolt-action-dev-diary-3-order-die-unit-activations-and-snap-to-action

12. How will line of sight be integrated?

Like other cover-based tactical games, the UI will clearly show hit chances and cover percentage when previewing actions against enemies.

13. How will multiplayer work?

The game will support both live and asynchronous multiplayer modes.

14. What size battles are expected?

Battle sizes will vary throughout the campaign, and board sizes will reflect that, ranging from smaller engagements to large-scale fights. Army sizes will generally cover 750-2000 points. Thanks to the digital format, we’re able to make armies that feel much bigger than standard tabletop battles, allowing the PC version to deliver spectacular, cinematic engagements while keeping gameplay smooth and manageable.

15. What are the plans for community involvement?

Community involvement is very important to us. We actively monitor and value feedback across all our channels, and we’re planning several opportunities for players to get hands-on with the game, including beta playtests, a public demo, post-launch tournaments and other special events. We’ll keep sharing announcements in the coming months as development progresses, so stay tuned, don’t forget to wishlist the game on Steam and join our community on Discord to make sure you don’t miss any updates.

16.  Which tabletop features will be kept, and what will be brand-new in the digital version?

At the current moment, we expect most systems to be faithful to the tabletop wargame. We do want to make a great video game, so, we will build and playtest system changes that play better as a video game.
The biggest change we’ll likely add is fog of war, which we see purely as a tabletop wargame limitation. Bolt Action feels MORE like a wargame with this feature implemented. It should add a new layer of depth to the gameplay.

Some other systems will differ from the tabletop version - such as line of sight, the grid system, and unit formations. These are standard digital adaptations, and we’ll talk more about them in future articles. For now, players can expect careful refinements aimed at ensuring a great video game experience that still feels like Bolt Action.

In the coming months, we’ll be diving deeper into every feature with dedicated dev diaries—and we’d love to hear what the community thinks along the way.

Wishlist Bolt Action: https://www6.slitherine.com/game/bolt-action