"Your favorite FREE wargame" Topic

Okay folks, here's what this topic is not:

"Well, heck, I know it's not exactly free, but at only $89.95 USD for a four page black and white pdf, it might as well be…"

No, those rules are for the "Not exactly free, but at only $89.95 USD for a four page black and white pdf, it might as well be…" topic. This topic is for rules that you think are really well done, lots of fun, and FREE!

I'll start:

link

Once you get past the fact that everything is named for plastic army men (rifle guy, machinegun guy, etc.) this is a really well thought out and playable set of world war II rules. If you are into picayune stuff about whether a 75mm AP shell can penetrate X thickness of armor at Y range, this is not the game for you. However, if you want something tactical that has a decent representation of command control and gives a good sense of the realistic limitations of various troop and armor types, then this is a great little game. It also prints out at about 5 pages of rules and 8 pages of scenarios, so is a quick learn as well.

I highly recommend it.

Your pick? Only one for this topic please. There are maybe a dozen free online games that I really like, but I am only showcasing my very favorite.

Probably Stargrunt II… even though I paid for mine back when it was printed.

Another vote for Stargrunt II. Even though I too paid for it years ago, it's free now!

Dave

Dirtside 2.

As much as I would rather vote for Stargrunt II, since I much prefer the operational level, my vote is for Dirtside II, which is hands down the best sci-fi ground warfare rules I have ever seen, and the most fun I have ever played. I just don't like the micro-armor scale. But damn good rules!

I paid for both, back in the day.

Chain Reaction 3.x
Dirtside
Full Thrust
Stargrunt

Shockforce/WarEngine
link

Steel Panthers PC Game
War In Russia PC Game

Stargrunt II

Fist Full of Tows 2 is free for the moment while waiting for FFT3.

Dirtside II

In no particular order- Stargrunt 2, Fast and Dirty 4, and Forge of War 2e.

I like Age of Blood the Viking ruleset.

canvas eagles

Chain Reaction 3
Skaldborg

In no particular order of preference.

Cheers.
GeorgeD

Fast & Dirty, one of my favourite systems, really good mechanics & free.

Phil

Full Thrust
Fantasy Warriors

Loads, I mostly play 'free' wargames.

Terrible Swift Rules &Minischlact by Richad Brooks for nineteenth century stuff.

Matrix Games/Politics by Other Means by Chris Engle and others for any range of situations including multi-year campaigns.

NATO Brigade Commander by Tim Gow

KISS Rommel

De Bellis Navalis by Colin Standish, most innovative set of naval rules for the last 30 years.

Battlegroup and A Platoon Commanders War by John Armatys.

Bocage Battle by Andy Grainger.

If forced to pick just one, it would Platoon Commanders War, best set of tactical (platoon/company) wargames rules I've ever played and the tactical drills from e.g. Infantry Fieldcraft and Training actually work using them.

Basic Impetus are the best free rules I've ever downloaded. Good core rules for Ancients with (free) add ons for seventeenth century and fantasy games and army lists aplenty.
Easy to learn and lots of subtleties in gameplay that reading them doesn't really bring out.
Best free WWII rules are the ones I wrote……but I would say that wouldn't I! (contact by pm if you want a set…then you can tell me why you hate them).

The S&T Waterloo that I got when I subscribed back in the early 1970s.

I agree with the OP.

I took a few of the black powder era rules and merged them into a very serviceable set of fast and easy rules with a general feel of battle. With the most important aspect that I can play it with my two youngest sons 7 & 10.

How about some links to these? I can't seem to Google up Terrible Swift Rules, and Bocage Battle, both of which I'd like to try

Martin,
Could you include some links for those?

I'll second the recommendation for Basic Impetus: dadiepiombo.com/basic2.html

Cheers,
Scott

I bet you can find most if not all of the above-mentioned at freewargamesrules.co.uk

freewargamesrules.co.uk

Another vote for Dirtside II.

Doug

Terrible Swift Rules, Minischlact, De Bellis Navalis, Bocage Battle, not there.

Irregular Wars is rather good and I enoy De Bellis India both free, gratis and for nothing!

Comitatus by Simon McDowall is excellent.

Chain Reaction 3.0, especially the "Swordplay" version.

Full Thrust, but since it started off a commercial set, I'm not sure it counts.

I look forward to playing Basic Impetus some day.

"Terrible Swift Rules, Minischlact, De Bellis Navalis, Bocage Battle, not there."

Try looking in back issues of The Nugget:
link

Easy! Battle Troll, by Howard Whitehouse, which is now distributed free by Wargames Factory. From the introduction:

"[This game isn't] about kings and fleets and envoys and armies. It's about poorly-behaved men with touchy tempers and big axes, and how their bad manners as tourists are matched by an astonishing inability to get along with the neighbours. It's about blood-feuds, and raids and quarrels, and blood-feuds, and stealing other people's stuff and taking one another to the rowdiest courts in the world, and blood-feuds, and being exiled to the far-flung reaches of the world and behaving just as badly there, and sailing about in longships, and lurking around the fjords for a chance of pirating . . . ."

Full Thrust

Ogre Lite

space hulk, Full Thrust, no Limits, Chain Reaction 3, there are only 3 other rules sets that I play but they are not free.

Oh yes…Battle Troll, played many, many games of this from when it was published in Slingshot. Still makes me grin from remembering when an enemy character managed to leap back out of the way of my blokes axe when the intended victim was actually lying down.

CR3.0 and FAD4 are my top choices

my vote is for paper tigers.simple, but great little solo set. add detail as you may, but this little gem provides plenty of surprises and decision challenges. can be modified to any period.

Sam

Another vote for the recommendation by Major Mike for Steel Panthers PC Game.Have many good free miniature wargame rules, but must sadly admit to having an old PC in the loft that is only switched on to play this game.Mainly when the bruv pops round.

My favourite free ruleset is basic Impetus. I would like to put down Warrior Kings that is now available at no cost – but as it started as a commercial product it probably shouldn't count. My favourite wargame though is First Alamein – a boardgame by Lou Coatney. Each games takes less than an hour, but each one has always been challenging.

Well I listed a wargame not a set of miniature rules. There is quite a difference. i have released and played a number of Free rule sets myself. So I will not push an agenda by mentioning my rules.

Full Thrust (but I paid for mine 15 years ago)

De Bellis Navalis was in Wargames Ilustrated, Jan 2000 Issue.

Bocage Battle was in Practical Wargamer, May 1987 as I recall. Andy very kindly sent me a copy after I wrote to him. The only net incarnation I've come across is Skirmish '90 by Aaron Longbottom. That is linked from freewargamesrules.

"The Rules with no name" Old West rules from the Foundry Website…

PDF link Whenever free rules are mentioned, I like to put mine up. Medieval skirmish rules for large (90mm or so) figures. But you can change the distance values to suit smaller or larger figures….

1066.us

Marriage; of course it ain't free when the game is over!
Rod Robertson.

What? No love for GW?
How about Mordheim, Blood bowl, Warmaster, Battlefleet Gothic? All quite enjoyable, even if written by the evil empire.

Fist Full of Tripods, a wonderful and fun set of rules for gaming the War of the Worlds.

Patriots! by the Perfect Captain, my all time favourite AWI rules.

Red Actions, also by TPC, the graphics alone will make an RCW fan of you…