Recommended rule sets?

[Spenno]

Hello,

I am looking at getting into each era of historic wargaming (WW1, medieval etc) and i was wondering if anybody could recommend the best rule sets to use for this, so that I can either start playing in the future or just use for when i buy in armies to paint and sell so i base them correctly etc.

Many thanks to everybody who can help.

Steven

[lentulus]

Well, for WWII I use Blitzkrieg Commander; many around here also use Command Decision:Test of Battle.  Both are stand=platoon and which is better is simply a matter of taste.

For Seven Years War I use the Hearts of Tin rules available here: http://gameofmonth.blogspot.com/  My troops are based on 30mm squares and I use centimeters instead of inches.

[Luddite]

ACW = Fire & Fury.  Peerless ruleset.

Ancients / MEdeival = Field of Glory (currently), DBM (previously).

WWII - Crossfire

WWI/WWII/Modern 'skirmish' level - Rules of Engagement

Wild West = Legends of the Old West

Fantasy = Hordes of the Things

[Fenton]

For WW2 I would agree with BKC, for WW1 wait a bit for Great War spearhead 2 as I think they will be excellent when there finally released, for Mediveal  ancients and ECW type games have a look at Impetus they use lovely big bases so you can fun making diorama bases  as well

http://impetusnews.blogspot.com/

http://www.blitzkrieg-commander.com/



And for impetus you download free versions of them all ..they are a basic version but play just as well as their big brothers


http://dadiepiombo.com/bbaroq1.html
http://www.dadiepiombo.com/basic2.html

Hope this helps

[Hertsblue]

At the risk of being dogmatic - there are no "best" rulesets. My advice - try a few and pick the ones you like. There are plenty knocking about on the web. 

[nikharwood]

At the risk of being dogmatic - there are no "best" rulesets. My advice - try a few and pick the ones you like. There are plenty knocking about on the web. 

Hear, hear. Ask ten wargamers for the best rulesets and you'll likely get 15 opinions 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Hear, hear. Ask ten wargamers for the best rulesets and you'll likely get 15 opinions 

that's your opinion Nik! 
I'd say closer to 20...

A lot of rules are great, a lot are duffers! Best used to be to find your nearest games club and try a few, but now so many clubs are fragmented by the rules they play (at MKWS on any given night there will be 8 different rules sets going on), really.
You will need to try some until you find the set that suits you, some more commercial ones will be popular - but will not be playable or may be dominated by 'gamey' competition players, whereas other clubs will have home grown and try out games.
Good luck!

[Spenno]

At the risk of being dogmatic - there are no "best" rulesets. My advice - try a few and pick the ones you like. There are plenty knocking about on the web. 

I agree, but I find it easier to make a choice based on other recommendations. Also i dont really have the time to look through to many different rule sets on the web, all my free time goes into painting or work.

[Spenno]

that's your opinion Nik! 
I'd say closer to 20...

A lot of rules are great, a lot are duffers! Best used to be to find your nearest games club and try a few, but now so many clubs are fragmented by the rules they play (at MKWS on any given night there will be 8 different rules sets going on), really.
You will need to try some until you find the set that suits you, some more commercial ones will be popular - but will not be playable or may be dominated by 'gamey' competition players, whereas other clubs will have home grown and try out games.
Good luck!

Wish my local clubs games nights matched my free night, I will be trying to convert Hardcore 40K and fantasy gamers into the games and they would not play Flames of War because the gameplay had to much realism in it lol

Thanks for the advice, will look to see what clubs i could make it to outside of my area or what games are played at competitions i can make it to.

Thanks

[Serotonin]

Our gaming group seems to have about 40 different rule sets floating around covering a number of periods and scales.

We've tried to scale down but we tend to end up with 2 for each period- usually 1 skirmish level game and 1 large scale.

So for WW2 we have Rules of Engagement (skirmish) and BKC2
Moderns- Force of FOrce (skirmish) and then CWC.

Black Powder era tends to be Black Powder funnily enough with Sharp Practice for the skirmish.

Ancients has tended to be Warhammer Ancients, but Ive never been over keen, or Warmaster (which I liked much better but the combat always felt a little overly complex in resolution) and we purchased Hail Caear when it was released, but only so far managed 1 battle (which was cool)

My tendency is to the Warmaster based games to be honest. I love the command system

[GordonY]

"they would not play Flames of War because the gameplay had to much realism in it"

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

must be real dyed-in-the-wool fanboyz then 

[Spenno]

"they would not play Flames of War because the gameplay had to much realism in it"

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

must be real dyed-in-the-wool fanboyz then 

Lol that they are, they dont play armies that are fun and wont win most of the time

[NTM]

Lol that they are, they dont play armies that are fun and wont win most of the time

They'd probably love the British Armoured Regiment (BAR) in FoW Blitzkrieg from what I've read on various forums  

[DanJ]

As everyone keeps saying there are probably as many more preferences for rules than there are players.

It may depend on what scale games you want to play and what scale figures as some rules are mainly aimed at 28mm figures for instance Warhammer Historical or Hail Caesar, while others are aimed more at smaller figures, Warmaster Ancients is designed for 10mm figures.  This is my favourite set and the Pendraken figures are ideal.

Most WW1 rules are aimed at 28mm but I've posted a set of rules for games up to Divisional level using 10mm figures.  If yo want an updated version drop me a private message and I'll send you a copy.

Dan

[Leman]

Well as Eve is reputed to have said, "God, that's a hard one." A further problem with 'best' rules is that as time goes by what were once perceived as good rules fall out of favour as new ideas and innovations come along. I've just discovered Black Powder and they look as though they can deal with most of the Horse and Musket period - 1700-1900 - and I believe a Pike and Shot version is on its way. Similarly Hail Caesar rules do the same thing for Ancients. Ostensibly written for 28mm figures these rules work with 10mm by having a shorter frontage and using cm instead of inches. They have also been written for tailoring to sub-periods so that, for example, ACW games will feel different from FPW games. However, they do seem to be written for divisional rather than corps sized battles.
DP