Help with choosing a system

[Manilianus]

Gents, I'm looking for a wargaming system, that will cover WW II - could you recommend me something? I'm an ASLer, so "rules light vs. rules heavy" makes no difference for me, in fact I'd prefer more historical, than gamey. Scale can be anything ranging from squads to armies (if such exist in minis).

Right now I've found "Command Decision IV", is it good?

ADDED - platoon scale (i.e., one unit - one platoon) preferred

 

[shakespear]

You need to look at something like operation squad or rules of engagement. Disposable heroes is another good system

 

[prymus]

Howdy Bud. I have been through about 10 sets of WWII rules, including CD 2nd edition, Flames of War(yuck) Angriff, Bazooka, GHQ's rules(forget the name),...
What I'm using now and have used for 30 years is a modified "Squad Leader" system. It works well for the level I want, squads and individual vehicles, and with just a few minor adjustments have been my preference. I have played a few games of Blitzkrieg Commander also and like them. Most of my experience has been with older rules systems and so may no longer be relevent. I have heard good comments about the Disposable Heroes system, though I can't stand the name have heard they are a very good set. The rules from Two Fat Lardies(I think) titled I aint been shot yet mum, or something along those lines, have gotten very good reviews and comments also. Hope this helps. When it comes to rules most gamers have an idea of what they want in a game and look for a set that gives the desired results. When I got into miniatures gaming I had been playing squad leader for about 5 years and saw that they would be easily adapted to minis. And as I said these are what I have used for about 30 years now and am still happy with the game they give. You may also want to search for free rules sets. There are some very good ones out there.

 

[Manilianus]

Thank you, gentlemen!

 

[kawaiku]

Not sure if I remember asking you think Prymus, but why don't you like Flames of War??

 

[CWattie]

It may be too light/gamey for your tastes but Sergeants Miniatures Game from Lost Battalion Games is just starting out and gaining some mild traction. The miniatures are pre-painted and decent quality. The map tiles used by the system are quite nice and something pretty innovative. The advantage of the light rules is the speed of play.

 

[Manilianus]

It may be too light/gamey for your tastes but Sergeants Miniatures Game from Lost Battalion Games is just starting out and gaining some mild traction. The miniatures are pre-painted and decent quality. The map tiles used by the system are quite nice and something pretty innovative. The advantage of the light rules is the speed of play.

Hey, thanks, I'll for it too.

 

[bactrian5]

Check out the "Too Fat Lardies" mini's rules called "I ain't been shot mum" a fantastic deviation from the igougo system most rules use. Company level with a 1 to 1 figure scale. Great support online too.

http://toofatlardies.co.uk/

 

[Manilianus]

Check out the "Too Fat Lardies" mini's rules called "I ain't been shot mum" a fantastic deviation from the igougo system most rules use. Company level with a 1 to 1 figure scale. Great support online too.

http://toofatlardies.co.uk/

Thanks, I've heard that they made good Vietnam era system also, btw.

 

[prymus]

Kawaiku, my problem with FOW is mainly the way it represents units and the mechanics of the rules. Too much abstraction for my tastes. BUT, I will praise the system for a big resurgence in interest of gaming WWII. They absolutely have presentation down to a fine craft. I own many of the beautiful guidebooks that have been published(for the pretty pictures), and have been inspired by the modeling talents displayed in those books. Another problem I have with FOW is with their moiniatures. There is considerable license taken when producing the masters. Why is a Tiger I the same height as a Sherman? Why is the width of the Tiger about 3 scale feet to narrow? I have been collecting Peter Pig and Quality Castings 15mm models for quite a while and when I thought I would try out a couple FOW models I was very disappointed in that there was no way these models could serve alongside mine. The quality of the castings is ok, but the dimensions of some of the vehicles make them look funny, rather comic. Plus the price to quality/quantity ratio is out of whack. I can get 3 supremely detailed Stuka JU87 D/G models for half the cost of the FOW box, and my models detail wise blow the FOW product out of the water. IMO the FOW products are way over priced for the quality. Now keep in mind, these are just my own opinions. In no way do I want to seem a snob. To each their own. If you like FOW great, I am sincerely happy for you. Maybe I'll even play a game with you if we were to meet. I just prefer a more simulation type of game, and it is my opinion that I don't get this from FOW. But I will say that FOW has done amazing things for the hobby I like, and for WWII gaming specifically. So go FOW, sell those books and minis and all, help the hobby to be economically healthy(by the way, there have been companies that have made a lot of money lisencing FOW). Just not for me.

 

[kawaiku]

Thank you for your opinions on FOW Prymus, much appreciated. And yeah I have to agree with you about their pricing. I'd also say the game's mechanics were to straight forward when I played a test game at a FLGS, felt like WWI with WWII technology.

 

[Dukewilliam]

If you like SL, try 'SLIM' (Squad Leader in Miniature) a rules set that transfers the system to miniatures.

I happen to like Rapid Fire.

Steve

 

[Manilianus]

If you like SL, try 'SLIM' (Squad Leader in Miniature) a rules set that transfers the system to miniatures.

I happen to like Rapid Fire.

Steve

Hey Steve, thanks for info (I've heard of SLIM, but not of Rapid Fire), and welcome to the forum

 

[Jackster]

Hi Manilianus
I enjoy playing PBI (Poor Bloody Infantry) by Peter Pig http://www.peterpig.co.uk/range8.htm
Company level gaming, that plays very well in an evening and scratches my mini itch.

 

[Manilianus]

Hi Manilianus
I enjoy playing PBI (Poor Bloody Infantry) by Peter Pig http://www.peterpig.co.uk/range8.htm
Company level gaming, that plays very well in an evening and scratches my mini itch.

Thank you, and thanks for the link!

 

[prymus]

Have heard some good things about PBI. The "Two Fat Lardies" rules are very good also I've heard. I have used a homegrown version of SL rules for a long time now, about 35 years. The SL rules are very simple to translate to minis. They also provide for a quick game if you streamline them a bit. I am now looking into converting the ASLSK rules to miniatures, should be an interesting project, producing a armor system that portrays the characturistics of AFVs better than SL.

 

[Manilianus]

I am now looking into converting the ASLSK rules to miniatures, should be an interesting project, producing a armor system that portrays the characturistics of AFVs better than SL.

This. Thought about Mein Panzer, but it seems that it's really not that good as it looks in terms of AFV handling.

 

[prymus]

I've not made a lot of headway on this project yet. I go through cycles in my gaming and at present am absorbing as much ASL material as I can get my grubby hands on. There is so much ASL goodness on the horizon that it has been hard to break away. But I have been writing down some thoughts. I just like the scale that ASL addresses, and that scale lends itself very well to miniatures. In my opinion I think the system would be best using 15/20mm minis, but I imagine that it could be used with 6/10/25mm minis. The cool thing with 6mm is that it wouldn't be too hard to make the game small enough to fit on a coffee table with all the items needed for game play.
With all that said you have to wonder why. There are some good systems out for minis. My reasoning is that if I can learn one set of rules for many different games, then that is what I would rather do.I read a lot of posts here on GS about guys that play lots of different games, and I'm just not wired that way. I would find myself thinking "hold on, is that an ASL rule or a Memoir '44 rule, or maybe Panzer Grenadier?" The simpler I can keep things for myself the better.

 

[Fort]

Why is a Tiger I the same height as a Sherman?

At the scale FOW uses the Tiger I is only a smidgeon taller than a Sherman. At full scale the difference is slight...the Tiger is about 25cm taller.

 

[prymus]

Hey Fort, while I appreciate what seems to be an insignificance in size, the difference when measured against higher quality(imo) models is very big. Take a Quality Castings, or even Peter Pig model and compare them with the BattleFront models. There is a huge disparity. And why a 9'4" Tiger would be taller than a 11'1" Sherman is still a bit perplexing to me. One of the main reasons I game in mins is the look of the whole thing. If I have great scenery, wonderful buildings, and meticulously painted models I desire a high level of immersion and a models scale dimensions adds a lot to that, for me. Now I know guys that game 15mm and use micro(1/285) scale buildings. I just can't abide with that. But thats just my opinion. I would hope to never look down on someone because they game differently than I do, or use models that I don't. To each their own. I blame ASL for my anal tendencies in gaming:laugh: