What set of rules has really blown your mind?

[has.been]

Firstly I must agree with H.M.Stanley, the most important thing is WHO you play with. That said two mind blowing sets do leap to mind:-
Wild west skirmish rules (by Kid Caldwell, Botch Blake & long haired Steve Curis) You could start to play with as little as one figure per player, and relive all those old westerns;
AK47 (by Peter Pig) a force is about 40 inf & a few vehicles, all in cheap 15mm. Simple rules with lots of 'chrome' such as a quick 'political' pre-game and a post-battle 'spin' dice off. A count down system that means the game could finish next move or in six moves. This stops the 'it is the last move I will attack with everything' All in all a fun game that is simple, quick & does not need a hugh expense.

[Craig]

De Bellis Anquitatis (DBA), as it wrung the neck of all the bloated and increasingly complicated rule sets then on the market. The actual rules were just half a dozen pages and you could learn them in the course of a single game, yet take forever to master them.

They set me writing my own rules, always with an eye to simplicity in design. So, Phil Barker, I take my hat off to you!

[grant]

De Bellis Anquitatis (DBA), as it wrung the neck of all the bloated and increasingly complicated rule sets then on the market. The actual rules were just half a dozen pages and you could learn them in the course of a single game, yet take forever to master them.

They set me writing my own rules, always with an eye to simplicity in design. So, Phil Barker, I take my hat off to you!

I'll throw a vote in for DBA as well! It was so refreshing after GW to find those. 12 elements, all the time? A 2x2 board? Fantastic!

[Pijlie]

A few rulesets have done that in the years past.

GASLIGHT made a big impression for its simplicity and versatility. There was a complete world hidden in that little first booklet.

BlackPowder because of its ability to facilitate huge battles in multiple (sub)periods that play with surprising ease and speed and a real Horse & Musket athmosphere.

Tomorrow's War for its elegance and incredible realistic "feel" with a minimum of complexity.

Witchfinder General because it is a very good and uncomplicated ECW skirmish set with a unique blend of history and folklore that struck my creative nerve in a big way. I immediately fell in love with that set. I painted figures for it before I had even bought it.

[Elk101]

Although it's still in its Beta phase I'd also have to say Scavenge Skirmish Survive for the totally different gameplay experience on offer.

[Mr. Peabody]

I didn't want to make a list of favourite games, so left off two titles that I enjoy playing a lot simply because I do play them often.

Kicking myself quite a bit for not adding Strange Aeons to my first post... 
Strange Aeons offers clever mechanics and a fun narrative campaign to deliver a great Mythos themed game.

[Mindenbrush]

Age of Reason by Tod Kershner & Dale Woods.

Played it for the first time at Historicon 1991, introduced it to fellow gamers in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and it has been the go to set of rules for SYW.

[Doomsdave]

Looks like I HAVE to get pulp alley. Too many thumbs up.

Me too.  Apparently I'm also going to have to jump on the 7TV bus as well.

[aggro84]

I too was extremely impressed by Pulp Alley.
The rules work well for multiple genres as well.
Pretty much any "shooty" genre from VSF to Sci-Fi.

[Sinewgrab]

The first one to blow my mind was, honestly, now a total clunker.  Chaos Wars, by Ral Partha.  Without that, I would never have started collecting miniatures at all.  I bought that, 2 Warhammer Fantasy Army boxes (the one with 10 each of 6 races), and never looked back.

More recently?  FUBAR ruined me for 40k - make your own units and adjust battles by feel with intelligent people instead of a complex points system?  2 page ruleset?  BRILLIANT!

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.

But I still play a lot of WH Fantasy, because all of my friends do.

[freewargamesrules]

The only one to blow my mind was Crossfire. Did away with turns and fixed movement distances. You had to seize the initiative. Nothing within the hobby has been as revolutionary (though many claim to be and aren't).

[nic-e]

Honestly warpath 2.0 is a ruleset i can't sing enough praises for its just so fun and simple

(of course the best ruleset is relic war, but since i haven't finished writing it yet you fellows are excused for not knowing that.  )

[lethallee61]

In 1977 a friend introduced me to a new game called "Dungeons and Dragons".

I was still playing regularly more than 20 years later. In my experience, a good Dungeon Master can take you where no other game can.

Have never been so affected by any other game since.

[grant]

In 1977 a friend introduced me to a new game called "Dungeons and Dragons".

I was still playing regularly more than 20 years later. In my experience, a good Dungeon Master can take you where no other game can.

Have never been so affected by any other game since.

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=60510.0
 

[lethallee61]

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=60510.0
 

 

Gotta love nostalgia.

Yep - still have my white box set and a few of the others you pictured as well. I still have the self-drawn floor plans for the very first dungeon we explored in my first ever game of D&D.

One of my greatest joys was being published once in "Dragon" and twice in "Dungeon" magazine in the early 90s.