I've got 15mm Ancients - got any rules recommendations?

[Cessna]

I've got a bunch of 15mm Macedonians I'd like to use in a game at some point. They are not based yet.

I am not a fan of DBA/DBM. I tried Field of Glory and it left me cold.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fun, flexible rules system?

[Antonio J Carrasco]

I've got a bunch of 15mm Macedonians I'd like to use in a game at some point. They are not based yet.

I am not a fan of DBA/DBM. I tried Field of Glory and it left me cold.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fun, flexible rules system?

Try To the Strongest. It's fast and easy to learn.

[WuZhuiQiu]

I haven't tried it, but might L'art de la guerre be another decent choice?

[MartinR]

Tbh, these days pretty well all our Ancients gaming is with Command and Colours Ancients played with figures on Hexon terrain. Generally DBx based, scales range from 6mm to 25mm.

[Aventine]

I liked LADG as it seems to have the best of DBX and FOG with all the annoying stuff removed. We have been playing it since it came out in English and found that we had stopped arguing over the rules(a thing we did not think possible). We can play 2 games in an evening and get both finished. I have played WRG 4-7th, WHAB, DBX,MOA and a few others but these have been the best so far IMHO. To each their own as always but just my thoughts.

Cheers
Keith

[JohnDSD2]

Try Principles of War.
Basing size same as DBM/DBA.

Rules and army lists free on their Yahoo group
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/principlesofwar/info

If you have any problems PM me and I'll send you a PDF.

Our group really enjoys these rules and the others in the POW family.

Also, let me know if you are in the West Yorkshire area of the UK and I'll let you know when we meet and you could come for a try out

Cheers

[SteveBurt]

To the Strongest is very good. Sword & Spear is good.
LADLG is DBx-ish. If you don't like DBM and FoG you may not like it.
I'm also surprised no-one has suggested Hail Caesar. If you like Warmaster/Black Powder that would be ideal
(not a fan myself, but lots of people love the rules).

[Khurasan Miniatures]

Cessna, I'd suggest you pick up Phil Sabin's "Lost Battles."  Read it -- it's extremely enjoyable, and it has simple ancient wargaming mechanisms in it.  Try them yourself (there's a grid you move the troops around on), or use them as a springboard for putting your own rules together. 

If you have Alexandrians, you'll be pleased, because the rules simulate how an army of Macedonians -- hardened by the unification of Greece, with a  serious attitude toward war, and with a brilliant young commander -- was able to defeat a vastly larger Persian army in the middle of Persia itself.

[A Lot of Gaul]

There are currently a large number of popular Ancients rules out there, and everyone posting here has their own personal favorite. For my part, I can highly recommend Swordpoint, published by Gripping Beast: http://www.grippingbeast.co.uk/SWORDPOINT.html

Swordpoint is a relatively new rule set. It is in the tradition of Warhammer Ancient Battles (WAB), but it is also very much its own game. All of my miniatures armies are 'large' 15mm (18mm) in size, and although Swordpoint is written with 28mm figures in mind, the basing and rules mechanics work perfectly for 15mm armies with little or no modification. Battles are typically played on a 180cm x 120cm (6' x 4') table, with armies consisting of 100-250 figures organized into 6-12 units.

In Swordpoint, players dice for alternating Movement initiative, while shooting and combat are simultaneous. Players can also attempt to influence initiative and combat outcomes through the acquisition and judicious use of Momentum tokens. Commanders are based separately, and may join a unit to boost its attack and cohesion factors, or may remain separate and attempt to rally units that have broken and are fleeing the battlefield.

For me, Swordpoint is exceptionally fun and flexible, working equally well for points-based pickup games and for refighting historical battles. I wish you the best of luck in your search, and I hope that you find a rule set that matches well with your own personal wargaming preferences.

[armchairgeneral]

I would also recommend Hail Caesar.

[Harry Faversham]

If you fancy the KISS principle of wargaming there's always 'One Hour Wargames'. The style of the rules seems to suit ancients really well.

[Bunny]

Hail Caesar
To The Strongest
Sword and Spear

All very good, very enjoyable rules to play and the multi-basing makes the armies look very good on the table and if you wish a smaller number of figures to paint and base.

[1ngram]

Try Basic Impetus.  Its available online for only a few £/$ and there is a very active fanbase with a Forum and a couple of Facebook pages (one purely Aussie)  The rules are attrition based and have what I would term a very elegant approach to combat.

[Neldoreth]

Kings of War is a lot of fun. I highly recommend it, and I've played it enough with 15mm and 28mm miniatures!

I have some supplements for the period you're looking for on my site was well, and the base rules are free from Mantic Games.

It's a playable upgrade from DBA and Warhammer and FoG

Thanks
n

[mellis1644]

Hail Caesar
To The Strongest
Sword and Spear

All very good, very enjoyable rules to play and the multi-basing makes the armies look very good on the table and if you wish a smaller number of figures to paint and base.

+1 on these but I'd put to the strongest first - assuming you don't mind the square based movement. Overall that makes the game a lot more playable though IMO.