OK, so it's pretty bloody obvious that WW2 skirmish is the preferred option for the group. Now we just need to narrow down a ruleset. We've had 9 voters in each previous pool, so once I see 9 voters, or 3 days have passed, we'll lock down the poll having made a decision.
Here are the most easily accessibly WW2 skirmish rulesets, with a short blurb about each one, plus a download link. BEFORE you vote in the poll, please take some time and read over some of these, so you're making an informed decision.
Battlegroup http://www.mediafire.com/download/wq6bcia6jwe51yz/Battlegroup.pdfBattlegroup is a variable-sized game (ranging from a squad of 6-10 men up through battalion-size, though platoon-scale and company-scale games are clearly where it shines) employing an "I go, you go" turn order and a d6 basic mechanic. It is intended to be played either with 15mm miniatures, or with 20mm (1/72nd scale) miniatures. Each player recieves a random number of orders each turn (at platoon-scale, it would be 2d6 orders per turn), and spends these orders one at a time to activate units. When all orders are spent, it's the opponent's turn to randomly roll for the number of orders, and so on. It does include the option to make Reactive Fire (that is, firing during your opponent's turn in response to an action). It is unique in that it's core system include a suppressive fire mechanic which is separate from general fire orders. It is also relatively unique in that vehicles track ammunition during a game. This system is intended to be used in a combined-arms fashion at levels above "squad"; having a platoon of tanks supporting a platoon of infantry, and having a few squads of specialists (engineers, commandos, AT guns, etc) at the same time is par for the course.
Five Men in Normany/Kursk http://www.mediafire.com/download/lvhspeqenq3ibwv/Five+Men+In+Normandy.pdfThis is actually two different games; same system, different settings. It is a FAR more small-scale system than the others, intended to represent a squad (5-10 men) of unique soldiers, each of whom as special quirks. If you've played GW's Mordheim or Necromunda games, it's very similar. For purposes of the group, we would each create a minimum-sized squad, playing a 2-sided multiplayer game, with each person handling only their own guys. Individual guys gain experience and special abilities from game to game. The game really requires 20mm (1/72nd) or 28mm miniatures, and has essentially no meaningful vehicle component (1/scenario, generally). The system largely uses a d6 resolution system, where 1s and 6s matter, and everything else usually doesn't. This is by far the least expensive option (especially in 20mm), but it also is
by far the most restrictive system insofar as what the group can do with it; as we've seen, competitive "every man for himself" leagues don't work well in Cincy, and that's exactly what this sort of game - like Mordheim - is built for.
Operation Squad http://www.mediafire.com/download/uimb90m98vn2q9m/Operation+Squad.pdfOperation Squad is another squad-sized skirmish game using 20mm or 28mm miniatures. It comes highly recommended, but I'm unable to find out a lot about the system in practice. Skimming the rules, it has a very late 80s wargame feel. Whether that's good or bad is up to you.
Poor Bloody Infantry http://www.mediafire.com/download/vmxrr48bg9sbr67/Poor+Bloody+Infantry.pdfPBI is a company-scale, skirmish ruleset intended for 15mm miniatures (bigger minis would be almost impossible to use). The intended game scale is roughly 80 men per side, and 3-5 vehicles (ie, a battle-worn company). It's unique amoung minis games in that it actually divides the play board into a 64-square grid,and uses THAT for measurements instead of fungible rules like "true line of sight" and arguing over a 1/16" of a move. You move into a square, and you gain whatever terrain effects are in that square. Note that while this is a 1-to-1 skirmish game, it does use group bases. A base of 3 men is a base of 3 men (as opposed to a squad of 10 in something like Flames of War). This is also one of the few minis games which includes a reconnaissance element (which acts as an on-the-fly scenario generator) as a minigame prior to the actual game. This is probably the most overall complex game we're looking at, and least like a "traditional" miniatures wargame. But it's certainly unique and a MUCH more "realistic" game experience than most.
Chain of Command http://www.mediafire.com/download/f472hrhuda8l7of/Chain+of+Command+%28TFL%29.pdfCoC is a platoon-scale skirmish game which is usable for any minis scale from 10mm-28mm (based originally in 15mm), in which you're commanding a platoon of 30-40 men, with a few small attachments (a mortar team, a sniper team, an armored car, etc). The game setup system is interesting, using a series of markers which advance toward one another until they get close, which then informs your initial deployments (ie, you don't have to move to contact, you generally start the game already in contact). This game functions similarly in principle to Napoleonic wargames in that your officers each have a command radius, and they can activate units with that radius easily. Getting a unit outside your command radius to do stuff is hard, so managing your Chain of Command (hey...) is a major tactical point in this game. It has an EXTREMELY esoteric initiative system that is likely one of the things that's going to be a PITA to read but works reasonably well in practice. Interestingly, the army lists are partially determined at the time of the game; your support elements much be taken from specific lists; which lists you can choose from are affected by your scenario choice, which would necessitate a larger available miniatures pool. As a side effect, this means that unbalanced games are VERY common, as is true to life.
Bolt Action https://www.mediafire.com/folder/n7jmdnlv1n0ju/Bolt_Action (this is a folder; Bolt Action (digital) and Polt Action.pdf are the standard rulebooks)
Well, Bolt Action is the primary WW2 skirmish game on the market right now. It
must be played in 28mm, and at its main point level (1000pts) represents roughly one short platoon of infantry and 2-4 attachments from the company level (At guns, mortars, snipers) or battalion level (armored cars, tanks). Of all the systems here, this one is the most "gameable" - that is, it actively rewards you for deviating from history, so there'd have to be a serious conversation between everybody about what we want out of the game and how we're going to conduct ourselves. With that said, it's a VERY easy-to-learn system. The basic firing mechanics are not at all dissimilar from Warhammer 40K, and the initiative system is quite nifty. It also has the bonus of being able to find opponents outside our group, which is not a given for any other system. My primary issue with this game was that of cost, but after doing some more research, it's possible to get minis for this system for a relatively reasonable cost from non-Warlord sources. As long as we cap the points values of games (much as Warhammer's "standard game size" went from 1500, to 1750, to 2000, to 2250, and is now in the 2500-3000 range), I'm fine with having this game as an option. Additionally, there is a 2nd edition of this game slated for mid-September; I've looked, and point values aren't supposed to change much, so buying things now shouldn't end up as a mistake. Finally, this game is likely the easiest one to do a "slow-grow" group with; that is, people start playing at 500 points, the next time we play we play at 750 points, and the next time is at 1000 (the other rulesets don't seem to break down into this sort of game as easily).
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Topic: Historical Wargaming, System Discussion (Read 2040 times)