WW1 Skirmish

[Omac 247]

I'm interested in doing some games with 20-30 figures per side, can anyone suggest some characterful rules I can use ?

[armchairgeneral]

I use Bolt Action for 1:1 skirmish. Although a WW2 set they are easily adaptable.

I hear good things about Too Fat Lardies Mud and Blood rules though I haven't played with them.

[Mad Gadgeteer]

My favorite is "The Great War" set of rules by Warhammer Historical but you will pay an arm and a leg to get them.

Another good set is "Through the Mud and the Blood" by Two Fat Landies. Caution though...if you want a bound volume you'll have to search. The website indicates you are buying a hard copy but in reality it's a .pdf. I ordered the rules and a supplement and got .pdf copies even though the description clearly indicates hard copies. I contacted them about it yet haven't heard back from them.

Another good one is "Contemptible Little Armies" and less hassle to come by!

[Omac 247]

Thanks fellas, I've got Bolt Action already, so I'll probably pick up 'Through the Mud and Blood' later this week as they seem the next easiest rules set to get hold of

Cheers

[Mathyoo]

If you don't mind playtesting a bit, I am writing a set of my own.

I played them with 12-16  miniatures per side, up to some 30 if you also count in reserves.

[JArgo]

I can recommend Triumph and Tragedy - it's perfect for the size you're talking about and can be used for games from 1900-1930's and if colourful is what you want there is a Pulpy feel to it as characters are very important.  I played WW1 with the author a few years ago and I had a lot of fun.

I also have Through the Mud and the Blood, it's a bigger scale and is more about command and control.

[armchairgeneral]

There is also Crush the Kaiser also on a bigger scale as a WW1 version of Rapid Fire.

[Captain Darling]

Two Fat Lardies Troops, Weapons & Tactics (TW&T) would fit your requirement, its a WW II set but their 2008 Christmas Special PDF includes a Great War/WW I Supplement...

[Omac 247]

I just spotted Triumph and Tragedy on the Empress site, I might see what I can find out about them 'pulpy' doesn't worry me too much, and the figure count feels about right.

'Through the Mud and Blood' looked great, but I'm not sure I'd ever use the numbers of figures it seems to suit best.

Mathyoo- happy to play test if you need any feedback ?

[Mathyoo]

In that case, check your private messages!

[Driscoles]

The Triumph & Tragedy Rules have a Forum section here at the LAF !

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?board=25.0

[Andrew_McGuire]

It may be worth bearing in mind that there are at least two sets of skirmish rules specifically for WWI which have not been mentioned: Price of Glory by Iron Ivan Games, and To the Last Man, by Chris Peers, published by Crusader Miniatures. Both of these work at the man to man level, I believe, unlike many of the sets discussed above.

[Garder]

You could consider using Two Fat Lardies Chain of Command (design for WW2 platoon action) with the WW1 supplement published in one of their PDF specials (I don´t remember which one). 

[TWD]

You could consider using Two Fat Lardies Chain of Command (design for WW2 platoon action) with the WW1 supplement published in one of their PDF specials (I don´t remember which one). 

I'd second this.
My chums James and Scrivs played some excellent games using CoC and the supplement in the run-up to the anniversary of Verdun (some of which I helped/hindered with).
Some of Scrivs' reports can be found under the Verdun tag on his blog:
http://scrivsland.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Verdun%201916
My take on a game we played at the Barrage show here:
http://tomstoysoldiers.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/verdun-at-barrage.html

The games they played tended to be larger than you're discussing. but the basic set up is the same size as a Bolt Action game - so 30-40 men per side, which is what you're after.

[Lardy Rich]

Actually Mud & Blood is available as either hard copy or PDF.  You can choose from the drop down menu when ordering. 

Cheers

Rich