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Review Score:

Gameplay: 7/10

Lore: 6/10

Hobbying: 8/10

Konflict 47 is a game that absolutely delights me and it makes me sad that absolutely no one in my entire state seems to play it. It is a less-popular wargame from Warlord Games, based on the Bolt Action system, and it mixes World War II historical wargaming with science fiction and fantasy. What it is–which I adore–is retrofuturism: a recreation of what people in the past imagined the future would look like. But it isn’t played much. We’ll talk about why a little later.

What is the Premise of Konflict 47?

Konflict 47 takes the idea that World War II didn’t end in 1945-46 as it did in true history, but that the use of nuclear weapons opened a rift into an alternate dimension (or possibly the future; it’s hard to say) which allows for the militaries of the 1940’s to suddenly make leaps forward in technology.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is “What if the Germans developed better tanks?” or “What if the Soviet Union got the atomic bomb?” This is “What if the Americans had walking mechs and power armor?” “What if the British had robotic infantry and lasers on their tanks?” “What if the Soviets had giant mutant bears?” “What if the German infantry were zombies?”

That’s the thing: it’s not just one technology that came through the rift. It’s ALL the technologies. Every nation has heavy infantry in power armor–some of which fly. Every nation has big energy weapons. Almost every nation has mechs. And zombies and mutants and stuff that is even stranger (I don’t even know what the Soviet Siberian Terror Squad is, but they look terrifying.)

Is Konflict 47 the Same Thing as Bolt Action?

Yes and no. Konflict 47 is definitely heavily based on Bolt Action, which means that the stats tend to be in the same format, the activation dice–Bolt Action’s biggest selling point–are the same. For all intents and purposes, the games are the same, just with dramatically different units.

BUT: the big difference is with a new mechanic called reactions. In Bolt Action, if a unit hasn’t already taken an action, and another unit fires at it, the defending unit has two choices: it can either stand and take the hit, or it can use an action to Go Down, which means they all hit the dirt and are much harder to hit. But in Konflict 47, there are now five actions that can be taken by a unit when it’s being attacked. They are:

• Go Down (hit the dirt and become harder to hit)

• Stand and Shoot (fire back at the enemy as they assault)

• Escape! (Flee from the assaulting unit)

• Firefight (Fire back at the unit that is firing at you)

• Run to cover (As it sounds: you run for the nearest cover)

These mechanics sound like a small tweak to the rules, but they make an enormous impact in the gameplay. No one is safe when they take an action. Attacks take place simultaneously. The already exceptional activation dice system, which allows for an element of randomness in the game, has been refined. Yes, it could be argued that this reaction step takes some of the power of randomness out of the game, but I think that it just enhances it.

The random die pull is still there, and if you attack an enemy that has already made an action then they are unable to react at all. But it also allows for more close combat in the game, which is more important when you have mutant Soviet bears charging at you, or undead shambling toward you.

In Bolt Action, when two units class in close combat it, well, first, it hardly ever happens, and second, it is really a crapshoot as to how the combat will go unless you’re armed with shotguns.

Is Konflict 47 Popular?

Unfortunately, it really isn’t, and I think I know why. Historical gamers like historical games, and sci-fi gamers like sci-fi games, but this game is really neither. You see, in a Konflict 47 army, not all of your units are sci-fi: the starter boxes typically come with some sci-fi units plus on of Warlord Games’ usual Bolt Action platoon boxes.

Consequently, a sci-fi enthusiast is going to be painting 30 bog-standard World War II minis. On the other hand, historical gamers are generally pretty staunch in their devotion to historicals. A hardcore historical gamer does independent research into figuring out exactly what shade of green a specific uniform is’ these types of people are probably not as interested in power armor.

The obvious comparison is to steampunk: while steampunk is an aesthetic that is very popular in many circles, in books, the occassional movie, some board games, and a few RPGs, there has never really been a steampunk wargame that has been succesful. (Yes, I know that the Kharadron Overlords are effectively steampunk, and that the Empire’s Steam Tank is, too. But no one would say that Age of Sigmar or Warhammer Fantasy Battles are steampunk games.)

What Scale is Konflict 47?

Konflict 47 is a 28mm wargame. When compared to other models made by Warlord Games (including their Black Powder figures and their Hail Caesar minis) the Bolt Action miniatures would be considered Heroic Scale (meaning that the heads, hands and feet are a little bigger than realistic scale).

The tanks (and, presumably the mechs as well) are 1/56 scale, which is the scale that Bolt Action tanks are as well. (The models for Konflict 47 tanks are based on the chassis of regular Bolt Action tanks, but with different weaponry added to them.)

Why Do I Play Konflict 47?

Well, the truth is that I don’t play Konflict 47, because I don’t know anyone else in my area that plays it (no one at my FLGS has even heard of the game). The solution to this, of course, is for me to become a game advocate, brining two armies to the game club so that I can get people involved in the game. And yes, that’s definitely my strategy, but I only got into the game during the COVID lockdown and haven’t spent a lot of time in the game club.

Of course, I’m preparing to do it. I have full Bolt Action armies for Americans, British, and Germans. And I have Konflict 47 models for Germany, America, and the Soviet Union.

But the reason that I am into Konflict 47 is that I am just in love with the aesthetic. I find the models to be endless fun to paint. That retrofuturism vibe hits me right in the sweet spot, and I can’t get enough of it.

So, yes, I have Soviet models when I don’t have Soviet Bolt Action models, but that’s just because I couldn’t resist these great bears. I have these mechs because I bought the first one to dip my toe in the water and immediately knew I had to buy another. I plan to buy much more.

(The one downside to the Konflict 47 models is that everything is resin and metal, presumably because the game just isn’t popular enough to warrant plastic molds.)