What set of rules has really blown your mind?

[joroas]

And Pulp Alley has dragged me into its grasp - the system is elegant and so flexible across genres.  It replaced Wierd Krieg, Mordheim, and .45 Adventure in one fell swoop.

I never thought of these for Mordheim/Necromunda.....  but makes sense....

[joroas]

Gotta love nostalgia.

Nostalgia used to be better.....

[Too Bo Coo]

There are a handful of systems that have 'blown my mind'

AD&D, it was love at first sight.  We've been together for 30 years now.

Car Wars, not for merely opening up the genre, but proving that even a great idea can be munchkined (intended) to disaster...

The Crooked Dice Action System, a modern way to game where the rule set is clean, fun and adaptable.

Two Hour Wargames, The system Ed came up with is really nice for solo gaming, which is sometimes the fate of us gamers... Ed makes it not merely 'doable', but lots of fun.

Each of these systems, 3 for good, one not so much, was and is distinct and in many ways genre setting.  I have all 4, but only would be interested in playing 1, 3 and 4... 

[Scaramanga]

Pulp alley is really impressive, a fantastic set of rules.

[sasori]

Hands down its gotta be INFINITY. Never before in my 30+ plus years of gamin' have I found myself using more real world tactics in a game, not because of restrictions in the rules but because the tactics work. I remember defeating a previously undefeated opponent, he asked why I played the way I did and I explained I had just finished reading the Osprey book on World War II Infantry Tactics at the squad level and applied what I learned. The rules can be a tough "cold read" and really benefit from an experienced teacher, but once you grasp the core mechanic, variable target number and ARO, it is the most logical game I've played. The fact that its fast paced and fun with no down time for either player makes it my favorite of all time.

Beautiful miniatures and a skirmish level high-tech Sci-Fi setting is just bacon on the cake, 'cause you know everything is better with bacon. 

[jp1885]

Currently liking Chain of Command and also Brink of Battle - basically anything with 'of' in the middle 

[Conquistador]

I might just add an observation here.

Gamers seem to care least about a rules set with a system.

How many times have you heard "I don't care about the rules, I just want the figures!" <snip>

Generic rules aside because they are a different beast, Rules should make the tropes for that genre happen on the board in a way that mimics the background material. Nothing more, nothing less.

Poster: How many times have you heard "I don't care about the rules, I just want the figures!"

Hopefully never from my lips!

Guess I am acting third sigma here... like that is a shock.

I want figures that I can game with that seem to fit the historical or cultural (SF/Fantasy/VSF) realities they supposedly represent.

Historical rules should reward historical play (those tactics were practiced/used for a reason - they worked given the technology of the time,) by design of the game process    and Science Fiction/VSF/Fantasy/Other rules should accurately reflect their historical counterparts where possible (lots of low level mages using "magic missiles" like spells make blocks of pikemen costly) given the background while introducing the cultural aspects (animosity of Dwarf/Goblin , etc., where present reflect history's "national rivalries" (or worse) aspect of human nature.)

IMNSHO Magic is a form of technology and lots of low level mages using multiple shot spells are not unlike introducing automatic weapons and "Fireballs/Lightning Bolts/Cone of Freezing" are simply introducing artillery in effect.  Psionic game affects and other of that ilk also.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Too Bo Coo]

Poster: How many times have you heard "I don't care about the rules, I just want the figures!"

Hopefully never from my lips!

Guess I am acting third sigma here... like that is a shock.

I want figures that I can game with that seem to fit the historical or cultural (SF/Fantasy/VSF) realities they supposedly represent.

Historical rules should reward historical play (those tactics were practiced/used for a reason - they worked given the technology of the time,) by design of the game process    and Science Fiction/VSF/Fantasy/Other rules should accurately reflect their historical counterparts where possible (lots of low level mages using "magic missiles" like spells make blocks of pikemen costly) given the background while introducing the cultural aspects (animosity of Dwarf/Goblin , etc., where present reflect history's "national rivalries" (or worse) aspect of human nature.)

IMNSHO Magic is a form of technology and lots of low level mages using multiple shot spells are not unlike introducing automatic weapons and "Fireballs/Lightning Bolts/Cone of Freezing" are simply introducing artillery in effect.  Psionic game affects and other of that ilk also.

Gracias,

Glenn

I've never used figures for AD&D, if it werent for the ruleset, I wouldnt play the game.  I agree with Glenn, the rules rule.  That's part of the reason Road Kill was a two-time flop.  The guy tried to sell components for a game that really didnt seem to exist out of a beta plan, so the Market of Gamers turned their nose up and walked away.

[Conquistador]

Glenn will be a bust on this as I actually dont think he has any GW figs.

<snip>

Actually I do have some GW figures.          

When I started Spain on Venus VSF army building it was pointed out to me how cheap Ebay carried the GW Lizardmen.  I now have a KR Multicase full of the brutal foes of "civilization" on Venus!

But again, it was an army for a setting (which may drive my rules decisions that drive my figure buying.)

[Too Bo Coo]

Also TBC was it not a case of also in that KS the cars were the wrong size, overpriced for what you got, the game maker was rude and stupid and the 'fans' were as much fun as feeding yourself feet first through a chipper chopper. The shitty rules were just the ice on the cake.

To be fair, the minis were not crap, and they could have been reduced in price simply by eliminating the pointless 'clamshell' and customizable design points and just make them one piece parts, perhaps in several styles.   

His attitude, I can say from first hand experience, sucked.

But here is the thing, even if he had a better set of minis, was a great fella, he still had no game to speak of.  So while I think there are temporary manias (Zombicide, Sedition Wars, Mars Attacks and AVP) what we can see is that in each succession of offerings, the consumer is demanding to know more up front.  In fact, it's why the Road Kill guy got upset with me.  I read the feedback from Sedition Wars and applied the lesson to Road Kill, and it failed.  One of the main things I was personally concerned with was the rules, sadly the creator got so upset over the basic questions, I never got that far.

That's why tabletop gaming is so great, you're not married a set of game components to a bad ruleset.  If the rules you play with go stale, there is likely another out there covering the period which is if not better, is new.  Generally with little changeover.

I'm definitely of the opinion that rules matter a good deal.  Some games are beautiful and deep, but unplayable.

[Conquistador]

<snip>
You want good rules for your game sure. But you buy many figures sans rules.

<snip>

Good point.  I have bought armies for a setting while looking fir the "right" rules.  The setting (for me) determines the looks of the figures and the rules for the games.

Reality (and changing views on what war games bring to my life) does affect the rules selection, that is why I find myself turning more and more to Two Hour Wargames rules.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Too Bo Coo]

Good point.  I have bought armies for a setting while looking fir the "right" rules.  The setting (for me) determines the looks of the figures and the rules for the games.

Reality (and changing views on what war games bring to my life) does affect the rules selection, that is why I find myself turning more and more to Two Hour Wargames rules.

Gracias,

Glenn

That's why I included THW on my list, they really are quite novel and flexible. 

[Conquistador]

Dont get me wrong TBC I agree 110% the rules are a vital part of the overall package.

Busy with statistical work right now, (processing much faster today for some reason so less time spent waiting/looking at LAF,) but now I want to sit down and decide, for the eras/genres I play, what was the balance between rules, settings, and (in a few cases) the figures themselves that led me to be involved in each of the eras/genres.

Gracias,

Glenn

[LawnRanger]

I must say that Fields Of Glory (FOG) set of rules has gone down very well at my club

In fact I don't see any other set of rules used for  ancients /med and renaissance periods in are club now so I think that its has had a big impact at are club .. when you see 20 or so people using the same set of rules at are club on a Saturday they  must have got something right 

Oh I do think that British Grenadier(AWI /1812)  is a great set of rules SHAME they cocked up the deluxe version of the rules but that's another story .

happy gaming LR.