Rules Archive

Trebian set out a list of the rules he has owned http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/rules-archive_28.html so I thought that I would follow suit. The premise is stand alone purchased rule sets.  None from magazines or free issue in any shape or form.  Not included are sets played but not owned

I was surprised that I have as many as I do, although I am sure others have many more.

Doing the list made me reflect on the games I play.  I realise that I am more driven by having opponents that want to give me a game than trying to find the ‘perfect’ set of rules.

Anyone reading this who wants a game of one of these systems let me know and with one or two obvious exceptions (who mentioned Newbury) I will be happy to oblige

On to the list

1644 Precursor to Warhammer ECW – played a couple of times but did not work for me – good looking campaign system though

18th Century POW  Never played

19C Principles of War  Never played

A Thousand Years of Medieval Warfare (Newbury)  A huge number of tables – very unlikely to play again.  My head hurts just thinking about these rules

A World Aflame  Hope to play this year – looking for a good interwar set and I like the way Osprey have released affordable slim rule sets

Action under Sail Complex looking set of Napoleonic Sea rules that I have never played

ACW Rules (T Wise)  One of the old Airfix series that I bought but never played

Ancient Warfare  I played this quite a few times when I joined the Falkirk club and really enjoyed the games – would like to play again

Bad War  An innovative Renaissance set that unfortunately is only available as a PDF which is a big downside for me – I expect to play these again sometime however

Band of Brothers (Piquet)  I have only played these rules once but they are very different and allow much less control to the player than most sets – must play again soon

Bloody Barons  Interesting set of Wars of the Roses rules by Peter Pig and I am told that they share many mechanisms with other sets from the same stable.  A big plus is that they include scenarios for all the WoR battles so I expect to play a few of these

Captain General These are from the Pike and Shot Society and cover a period slightly wider than Marlburian.  Played a couple of games a while ago and enjoyed them so would do so again

Chain of Command  My newest purchase the currently popular Too Fat Lardies WW2 rules – so far I have found them enjoyable and hope to play a few more games (with other peoples figures)

Check Your 6! I have played a few games of Check Your 6! Jet Age and expect these to be a good WW2 set.  Very surprisingly these are the only Air Warfare rules on this list – I usually use other people’s planes and rules

Comitatus (in Goths Huns and Romans)  Look to be an interesting set but I have never played them

Condottiere  Never played – may be a case of excessive production values over content

Contemptible Little Armies 3rd ed  Just played the one game which worked pretty well – expect to play again

Crusader  An interesting set of Ancients rules which I have played off and on since they came out.  Always enjoyable and I do hope to play them again soon

De Bellis Renationis  My only DBx rules.  I had an enjoyable few games with them when they came out.  However having worked out that the best way to play them was to mix the elements up in a totally unhistorical way (I was using ECW armies) I gave them up

Dominance A high renaissance set – works quite well but a bit clunky and not enough variation in combat results for my taste

Dux Bellorum  I really really wanted to like these rules as I had enjoyed playing Glutter of Ravens by the same author and they are in the Osprey format that I like.  The first few games were a bit of a disappointment however  – over too quickly for my taste and a bit predicable in combat.  I have not given up on them though

Dux Brittannicum  A simple game of raids and battles in ‘Arthurian’ Britain.  There is little variation in troop types but the raids are generally good scenarios.  At first I thought the campaign system was a strength but on refection it would take  an awful lot of games to actually progress through to the end so that has lost some relevance for me.  Generally a fun game though

Empire  If you wanted to concentrate on playing Napoleonics with a small group of friends who were happy to learn a complex set of rules thoroughly then I would recommend Empire.  I enjoyed the few games I played but I left all the mechanics to the other players

Fantasy Wargaming  The Bruce Galloway book which includes a set of rules.  Bought many  years ago and never played I took them down to the club a few weeks ago for the long time fantasy players to have a look at.  It is probably more a RPG set than a mass battle set although mass battle rules are included.  They gave them very short shrift so that is probably that.

Feudal Wars  Bought to take part in the National Wargames Championships many moons ago – did not enjoy them then so will probably never play them again

Field of Glory  I played about 50 games of FoG and found them an enjoyable set.  I only played them in 25mm which may have made my experience different to some others.  I don’t have any opponents but would play again-  I did not invest in the 2nd edition

Field of Glory Renaissance  Although I only played a couple of games once again due to lack of opponents in 25mm I actually thought that these were an improvement on basic FoG.  You never know I might get another game sometime

File Leader  I always thought that these looked a really interesting set of ECW rules for smaller battles but I have never got round to playing them – one of these days perhaps

Fire and Fury  Very enjoyable ACW rules with plenty of period flavour

Firefly  The only set of rules on this list that I no longer own as I got out of 1/300 WW2.  They seemed better than the WRG equivalent at the time but that is many years ago now

For King or Faith  Period specific covering Europe in Tudor times.  Never played

Force on Force  My preferred rules for modern warfare.  It is small scale skirmish.  The difficuly is in having balanced scenarios as small numbers of high quality troops can often wipe the floor with lower quality opposition but I find them a fun set to play.

Forlorn Hope  These are quite an old set of ECW rules and the mechanisms are a little clunky and of their time but I have yet to find a better set for the period.  They do take a bit of learning and I haven’ty played them nearly as often as I would like to have done.

Ga Pa  Marlburian rules that got a good write up when they came out some time ago now.  I picked them up cheap on a Bring and Buy but have never played them as yet

General de Brigade  These were very popular at the Falkirk club so I picked up a set having played a couple of games but they have now fallen out of fashion.  A charge by my Spanish Dragoons through the French lines will long live in my memory

Glutter of Ravens  I had a lot of fun playing these Dark Age Britain rules some years ago. Good for an occasional game

God's Acre  Never played –  medieval - they did not get a good press

Guns at Gettysburg  Enjoyable set of ACW rules from the General de Brigade stable but only played the once

Hail Ceasar  Black Powder Ancinets – not that impressed but would give them another go

Impetus  My current rules of choice for the Ancient/Medieval period.  Give a fun agme in an evening.  I think my interest is starting to wane a little though

In Her Majesty's Name  I thought these might be a fun set to give a go but haven’t done so as yet

John Company  A few years ago I wanted to get into the Sikh Wars in 15mm and needed a set of rules.  Nothing came of the project but who knows – one day perhaps

Killer Katanas II Samurai wars was another project that did not progress.  The rules look interesting and there are lots of scenarios available

Konkordia  SF rules based on Impetus bought on PDF.  Unplayable.  Worse than Newbury.

Lance  An old fashioned and clunky set of Medieval rules that I am very unlikely to play again

Longstreet  A simple but fun set of ACW rules enhanced by a great campaign system

Lord of the Rings  A fun set of Games Workshop rules – would play again any time

Lost Battles  Must play sometime – very different Ancient rules to refight actual battles

Ludus Gladitorious  Simple gladiator rules used for PP games – quick and easy

Maurice  18th Century rules.  I am not totally taken with them but they did facilitate (with only minor tweaks) the best reconstruction of an actual battle that I have ever been involved in  – Falkirk Muir 1746 – so they must have something going for them

Medieval Warfare  Companion to and closely related to Ancient Warfare – once again I would like to play these some more

Medieval Warfare (Slim Mumford)

Never played – a slim booklet of skirmish rules

Might & Reason  Another 18th Century set – only played the once I can’t really remember what they were like

Mordhiem  Fun Fun Fun GW skirmish set – good for a campaign

Napoleonic Principles of War  The hidden deployment at the start worked well and I enjoyed the games I played

Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature I also have the Airfix guide that came out before this but have never played either set.  The national characteristics that are a key part always looked interesting but others who have played thm have said that after a few plays the system seemed broken.

Naumachiae  Ancient naval rules that I very much want to give another go sometime

Newbury Napoleonic  Typical Newbury – bahhhh

Once upon a time in the West Country  Simple ECW skirmish rules that give a fast flowing game

Retinue  My preferred set of Medieval skirmish rules.  The bookkeeping seems a bit cumbersome compared to more modern rules but once you are used to it works fine.  Many happy memories of games over the years.  In one of my first games a peasants took out a mounted knight when I threw less than 5% to hit with the parry failing despite a 95% chance of success.  In another game which involved an assault on a castle the attacking player put down covering archery fire as his men tried to scale the ramparts using ladders but shot 3 of his own men in the back in quick succession as the arrows fell short (or was it treachery?)

Revenge  A set of medieval rules that I have never played

Road to Osaka I had one very enjoyable game of these Samurai skirmish rules a few years ago

Samurai Wars  Never played

Sebastopol, Sadowa and Sedan More  Newbury – yawn!

Shattered Lances  I was very enthusiastic when the rules came out as they seemed to give an excellent feel for Crusader era warfare.  For some reason we dropped them but I would certainly give them another go

Shieldbearer  A set of Ancient rules that came up against the might of WRG 6th in its pomp and vanished without trace

Sword & Pistol  Renaissance skirmish – OK but no coconut

Sword and Shield  Ancient skirmish as above

Tercio  I gave Tercio a few goes but in the end found that the games take too long and combat results are too predictable

The Great War  WW1 by GW – works fine as a game

The Quest of Thane Tostig My first faltering step into fantasy was to buy these rules but I never played a game

To The Sound of the Guns  For a time these were our Napoleonic rules of choice – different to the WRG rules we had been using but after a few years we went back to WRG which says it all I suppose

Tomorrow's War  The SF version of Force on Force.  Only played 2 games but I hope to give them another go sometime

Triumph & Tragedy  OK for interwar or very early WW2 gaming but don’t seem to work quite right – difficult to put a finger on why not.  Would play again,

Under the Lilly Banners  Marlburian set designed for masses of 28mm figures – overly simplistic for my taste

Vis Bellica  An innovative set of Ancient/Medieval rules that I only managed to play the once.  Their big bases were on the go long before Impetus.

War and Conquest  These were given to me as a present and are supposed to be similar to but better than Warhammer Ancients.  I must give them a try sometime soon

Warfare in the Age of Reason  Another unplayed Marlburian set

Warfare Through the Ages  More Newbury – Oh No!

WRG Wargames Rules 1685 – 1845  A simple set of rules that I have only ever used for Napoleonics.  Playable but not that satisfying a game

Wargames Rules for Regular and Colonial Conflicts in the 19th Century (POW)  Never played

Warhammer Ancient Battles 1st ed  I started using Warhammer Ancients at the Washington club to provide variety and encourage more people to take up Ancients.  At Falkirk this also worked well as many members were used to Warhammer systems.  Somewhat flawed particularly by overpowerful characters but does often give a good game

Warhammer Ancient Battles 2nd ed  Never played – the plug was pulled on Warhammer Historical and people lost interest

Warhammer English Civil War  OK I suppose – at one time it was the only way I could get a game of ECW

Warhammer Fantasy Battles 8th ed   I am probably pretty unusual in getting into Warhammer Fantasy in my 50s but there was a campaign that looked pretty good that I wanted to take part in so I took the plunge.  Fine for an occasional game and in fact a very well written set of rules

Warmachine  Steampunk!  I want to give this a proper go sometime

Wars of the Roses(Ed Smith)  Bought on a whim but never played

WRG Wargames Rules 1000BC to 1000AD 4th ed  Bought before I joined my first wargames club (in fact the first rules that I ever bought come to think of it)  Never played

WRG Wargames Rules 3000BC to 1200AD 5th ed  These rules got me hooked on wargaming.  At the time I thought thay were better than 6th ed, but all my friends wanted to switch

WRG Wargames Rules 3000BC to 1485AD 6th ed  I have played these rules way more than any other set with 2013 being the first year since they were published in 1980 that I did not have a game of them.  Many highs and lows too many to set out here.  I am sure I will have another game or two of these over the  coming years

WRG Wargames Rules 3000BC to 1485AD 7th ed  These were a dramatic break from the previous editions and did not work at all in 25mm for me at least

WRG Wargames Rules for Fifteenth to Seventeenth Centuries (1420 - 1700)  The Gush renaissance rules still very playable if a little slow compared to more modern rules Sorry the format is all to cock - I just can't seem to get blogger to work for me at the moment