Which rules Force on Force, Spectre, Black Ops, Danger Close etc?

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Hello everybody,

I enjoy fairly simple sets of rules - Lion Rampant, Rapid Fire, GW Lord of the Rings.
I want something similar for modern skirmish.

I have been playing quite a lot of Force of Force in recent years and I enjoy the rules but do often find them complicated.

I am intrigued to learn about the alternatives - Spectre, Black Ops, Danger Close, Skirmish Sangin etc
I want a fun easy to learn set of rules rather than a complex simulation.

What do you recommend and why?

Thanks

Mick

[CarlLeyland]

Black Ops is great and an expansion or two would make it a very useable set for modern warfare without the spy sideline. FoF is currently gripping me but like you say it is fairly complicated.

A modern set of Rapid Fire or Bolt Action would be great, there are fans out there who have made a great job of converting these rules into the modern era.

Good luck

[Elk101]

Skirmish Sangin is a very elegant set of rules but it's quite marker heavy (ie on the table to show figure status) and I have to run every game if we ever play because the other guys are daunted by it. It's a great set for 4 or 5 figures a side though.

Spectre is OK and I man may well have gone with it until Black Ops turned up. It's a simple system in terms of the fundamentals but full of nice touches that subtly offer tactical options.

I had a brief look at Danger Close but really preferred what Black Ops offered. It's ideal for special forces operations, especially with the stealth rules.

[NurgleHH]

After testing several systems I think BlackOp is the best. Fast and simple. Danger Close is only a beta version of a system for me. Very good idea, but not thought until the end. Maybe it will be take some development. The thread in this forum with BA Modern is very good, should test it: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=84919.0

[Tabletop Warrior]

I have played Force on Force, Spectre, Black Ops, and Terminator Genisys.  I like of each of these games.  My solution for gaming modern small unit/special operations scenarios is a combination of them all.  

I think Black Ops offers great mission tables for generating scenarios and useful rules for a number of special equipment items.  Spectre also provides some useful rules.  Since Terminator Genisys uses a two polyhedral dice system to represent troop quality and morale, Force on Force provides excellent guidelines for troops not already represented in Terminator Genisys.

But I think Terminator Genisys rules written by Alessio Cavetore are superior for exciting tactical special ops modern gaming.  While not specifically intended to cover special operations type gaming, it is easily diverted to this task.  Just no Terminators!
As is typical of Allessio, the rules are deceptively simple but offer a lot of tactical nuance.  

This is an oversimplification, but each turn you go back and forth activating models until both sides are done.  Each time you get to activate troops you get to activate 1-3 miniatures.  Or you might get the Fate result and only get to activate a leader.  But if you activate leaders they can also activate nearby troops.  So when you stack up to make an entry, you might have the first two or three models make entry and give your opponent an opportunity to react or you might  use your leaders to better coordinate the entry and go in with four or five models.

In my opinion this simple game mechanic, as well as the rest of the mechanics in this game provide a superior gaming experience.  So I use Terminator Genisys mechanics for activation and combat.  Black Ops for the scenario, and add special rules from Black Ops and Spectre as desired.  

[Belizaire]

The only one of these rules I have played is Force on Force, which was originally called Ambush Alley but morphed into FoF if I understand correctly.  I do like FoF but it is a bit complicated.

I read that the writers are going back to their roots and releasing an updated Ambush Alley sometime this year (better get cracking guys!), which from the sounds of it will be a streamlined version of FoF/ improved Ambush Alley, but will remain compatible with all the FoF supplements. That may be worth waiting for. I know I can't wait to give it a spin.

Paul

[commissarmoody]

Also don't forget the Chain of Command rules by TooFatLardies

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

I have added Black Ops to my wish list.  I will give it a try.

[Warren Abox]

I see you've already added Black Ops to the list, so this recommendation is more of a confirmation.  Each aspect of the rules is fairly basic.  The model stat line consists of just four key stats.  The weapon list is short, but comprehensive.  The most complicated aspect of the game is activation which is essentially a card driven system with a few wrinkles in the form of orders, overwatch, and held actions.  Taken individually there isn't anything terribly ground breaking here, but the way each of those systems interact with each other results in a game that is much more than the sum of its parts.

[sundayhero]

don't forget "no end in sight", wich is a great indie modern ruleset.

[Mike Bravo Minis]

has anyone tried the cold war 1983 rules from wessex games?

[commissarmoody]

has anyone tried the cold war 1983 rules from wessex games?

I believe the gentleman who runs the winter 1979 blog worked with those rules for a bit. Might hit him up and ask his thoughts on it.

[dyscordya]

Look at OSC 

[sundayhero]

We also forgot FUBAR, wich is a suprisingly elegant and eficient ruleset. Don't be fooled by the fact it's free and compacted on one single page. A lot of diferent versions exist, but the original one is very well designed for modern skirmish gaming.

[H.M.Stanley]

I bit the bullet and bought four painted Insurgents. I thought I could use these as Special Forces and proxy my Pathans as Taliban until I decide what I want to do.

Best rules for small skirmish games? A mate games Skirmish Sangin but I'm open to ideas.

Thanks. J