"Help designing rules please?" Topic

Hey everyone! After asking about fastplay rules, I decided to try to make my own again, but would like some help!

Concepts I want to hit:
Limited command
Very little dice rolling
Plays in under 2 hours
factors in troop quality (training+equipment)
Multiple stands make up a unit
Troops get tired
Skirmishers are weak (range in general is not super powerful)
Flanks are rewarding targets
stand removal triggering morale tests

Things to avoid:
Complex die mechanics
recoiling…
overly complicated turn structure
lots of stats
Geometry wins
Special rules (a few exceptions..)
"Saving throws"

So if you are interested, or have any suggestions, leave a post below, or email me at: my username (at) gmail (dot) com

Thanks
Austin

Take a look here:
gatheringofhosts.blogspot.co.uk

I think "Gathering of Hosts" rules probably ticks most of your boxes

Hi Austin
Writing a set of big battle ancients rules is not an easy task.
Are you :
A very experienced wargamer who has played lots of games with different rulesets.
Good at probability.
Good at working out in your head the effect one change will have on the rest of a complex system.
Knowledgable about ancient warfare with a good understanding of the sort of outcomes you would expect from various match-ups.
A good writer who can put ideas down clearly in writing.

If your answer to all of the above is not "yes" then I would not recommend you try to write your own rules. If you want to try writing some rules, start off with some small scale skirmish rules, just to get an idea of the rules writing process.

If your answer to all of the above is not "yes" then I would not recommend you try to write your own rules.

While some experience as you suggest is a good thing, I would not want to dissuade anyone from having a go. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if Austin writes a set of rules that meet his requirements as in the OP and are fun to play, who are you to say he can't?

If you want to try writing some rules, start off with some small scale skirmish rules, just to get an idea of the rules writing process.

Actually, I have found writing skirmish rules is a lot harder than writing big battle rules.

In my experience one of the best ways to start writing your own rules is to modify someone else's …

I started to write a set of rules before, that played relatively well. I just had a hard time seperating morale from combat ability… so legions were being routed by warbands with no problem.. which ended up being a problem. So I stopped.

I may have to alter the gathering of hosts rules a bit… those were almost perfect.

Thanks
austin

Actually, I have found writing skirmish rules is a lot harder than writing big battle rules.

I disagree. You could write a set of pre-gunpowder skirmish rules in about 20 minutes on one side of A4 paper. You just need a turn sequence, how far figures move, how ranged combat works and how close combat works. A game like this might not be the most interesting game but it could give realistic outcomes. You then work upwards, adding as you see fit.
There is so much more required for a big battle game.

I want it to be a representative big battle game…
Not hundreds and hundreds of figures and rules and factors galore..

Just a quickplay game that represents a relatively large battle.

One idea: blend morale with combat, where superior morale is a plus in combat. No separate morale tests.

Figure out who wins, then calculate losses.

You could write a set of pre-gunpowder skirmish rules in about 20 minutes on one side of A4 paper. You just need a turn sequence, how far figures move, how ranged combat works and how close combat works. A game like this might not be the most interesting game but it could give realistic outcomes.

You have your opinions, I have mine. My opinion is based on several years experience of actually trying to write skirmish wargame rules as well as big battle rules.

You then work upwards, adding as you see fit.
There is so much more required for a big battle game.

Generally, such a "bottom-up" approach is not very effective. Far better to adopt a "top-down" approach to rules design.

What is it about any of the current sets that you don't like? What you describing sounds like Basic Impetus.