This is a collection of information and short reviews of the rule sets I like and play. I reference these in various parts of the site and so this is where you can learn about a rule set that you might not have heard of.
The first set of rules I bought (back when I was young and foolish). While I played it some, it served more as a great inspiration and introduction to wargaming than anything else. I loved the universe and the general feel of the game (even with the introduction of the clans), but my biggest problem with the rules was that the game play fell far short of what the fluff text described (especially the fluff in the Tech Readouts). Once I realized that there were better rule sets out there I moved on to Dirtside II.
An innovative set of WW2 rules that is unique for not using rulers or fixed game turns. It is set at the company level and works for a range of figure scales. The basic rules use 3 figures mounted on a 1.25 inch square base to represent a squad, but there are 1:1 variants as well. The official page has reviews, a FAQ, and a list of companies who still sell copies of the out-of-print rules.
The rules are still actively discussed by email:
The second set of rules I bought and well worth the money I spent on it. I began researching alternate rules for my Battletech minis and eventually stumbled on Dirtside, published by Ground Zero Games. These are nearly-generic rules for 6mm that can be used for any universe (including the "Tuffleyverse" described in GZG's space game, Full Thrust). It is now out of print but can be downloaded in PDF form at the GZG store.
I was looking for some simple fantasy combat rules and came across these free rules. It's A dungeon-crawl in the spirit of HeroQuest and Descent. The dungeon is represented by a set of 9 6x6 rooms randomly placed in a grid. The rules are quick to play (1 or 2 hours to finish a dungeon) and based on opposed die rolls with a few modifiers. Monsters are generated from a pool of points (like Descent), and cards can be collected by the players to upgrade their heros as in HeroQuest.
Also known as FMA Skirmish, or FMASk, this is actually a yet-to-be-released set of rules for 25mm skirmishing that was released as a play-test draft by GZG back in 1999. Despite being just a draft, the game is very playable and will probably be the third set of rules I buy once it is released (actually fourth since I bought Crossfire after writing this).
Also experimenting with a cross between Crossfire and FMAS, using ideas from a 1:1 mod for crossfire.
This is actually just an honorary mention for a simple game for 6mm figures that is set in one of the strangest universes I have ever come across. Formerly "published" by ArmourSoft you can still download it from the author's home page at irvania.com. While I never have played with these rules, I enjoyed reading the crazy fluff text.
