"Recommend me some rulesets for 15mm SF!" Topic

Hey guys,

Well, after being in a slump so far this year after losing my dad in January and one of my dogs last weekend, I seem to have gone cold turkey on GW and finally stopped drinking the Kool Aid lol (still keeping all my armies though, and definitely not dissing anyone that plays GW games). Anyway, I'm currently dusting off my large collection of 15mm figures which includes several sf forces (mostly gzg right now) and I'm looking for suggestions on rules to use them with. I have Tomorrow's War and FAD, any other suggestions worth checking out? Pdfs preferably, since I have access to a really nice printer and they are usually cheaper lol.

Anyway, I've also got my eye on expanding my forces with some Khurasan and perhaps Rebel Minis and Splintered Light. Can't wait to expand my collection!

Thanks,

Bob

Stargrunt, of course. Free download from the GZG site, too.

Try Laserburn for RPG-like skirmishes, and the "big battle" version Imperial Commander for …err…bigger battles.

link

link

link

Marketed as bugs vs tech, but surprisingly handy and fun for tech vs tech as well.

There was rumored to be a version of swatters in the works for smaller scale…10 models or less per side….any news or progression on this
Is space jacker still working on a small set of rules?

These for lighter fare: link

link

And these for something more in-depth: link

There's also FUBAR, Forge Of War; both free.
Fireteam Andromeda…

gruntz

Oddly enough I'm gearing up to use Bolt Action too. It has a very nice FUBAR feel to it be with a better unit activation mechanic and with better vehicle combat rules too.

Gruntz is a good one!

link

This could get you started with BA Sci Fi

Good to know Bolt Action will work in sci fi. I briefly considered a BA Weird War 2 campaign before going with FoF Near Future. Since my scenario has a Weird War 2 backstory, any Weird War models I get can always be used later to run a prequel campaign.

I'm reading Tomorrow's War (just finished Force on Force), but in the last month of research I've heard good things about Gruntz, FUBAR, Dirtside II, Stargrunt II, Fireteam Andromeda, Alien Squad Leader, Laserburn, Hammer's Slammers, USE ME, and 5150, as well as people attempting a modification of Mighty Armies. Eventually I may try them all, as it seems the ultimate goal of every gamer is to find and tweak that one set of almost-perfect rules to the absolute personal vision of "just-right-Goldilocks" gameplay.

We've played several 15mm Sci-Fi games with Bolt Action including a District 9 scenario with Prawns, Nigerians & the MNU.

It works really well. The weapon stats allow for a variety of weapons

The only down side is trying to work out points for "home-grown" weapons

If you want a company-sized game, try Quadrant 13 from the TooFatLardies.
link
AARs and more at vislardica.com

Another one not mentioned so far is PMC 2640

link

There is even a free demo version to try out.

Edit: I haven't noticed the post above :)

Anyway it's hard sci-fi ruleset. No heroes, no dying with battle song on the lips.
Designed for platoon to enlarged company (or bigger) size battles in 1-1 scale. The mechanic runs smoothly both with a few and a few dozen of units on the table.

In short: suppressive effect of fire, morale directly connected with losses. Closer to modern wadern warfare, than medieval slaughter. Plus cooperative/solitaire mode. Plus campaign system similar with mini-model of menagement of future PMC (earning money, units gaining experience, recruiting new ones etc.).
If you are interested in you may try a few battle using free demo version:

PMC 2640: Hell on Echidna

Regards,
Marcin

Tomorrow's War – the spiritual successor to Stargrunt.

I'm terribly biased… read this and see if it appeals. link

PDF link

John Treadaway

Www.hammers-slammers.com

Well these are the 15mm scifi rules I have & have played over the years:-
Gruntz, Tomorrow's War, Strike Legion Platoon Leader, PMC 2640, Critical Mass, Laserburn/Imperial Commander, Beamstrke (based on Laserburn), Quadrant 13, Resistance Is Futile II 2nd ed, Firefight (it's meant to be for 28mm but can be used for 15mm), G-Cav, 5150 Star Army, FAD, FUBAR, Combat 3000/Combat 3001, Valkyrie, Hammers Slammers, StarGrunt. & there's probably a few more hiding since I moved house.

For a armor centric game that can handle a lot of vehicles, I recommend Hammer's Slammers;The Crucible.
For smaller scale games I recommend Tomorrow's War.
For beer and pretzel games, I recommend the Two Hour War series.

Have a great Easter.

Pat

i don't think two hour is beer and pretzel,there's lots of die rolling for everything. thats true in tomorrow war as well.

beer and pretzel is gruntz and fubar.

KR16: angelbarracks.co.uk/rules.html

PMC 2640: link

5150 Battalion Commander (big battles!): link

5150 Star Army: link

MJ12 Games
Defiance: Vital Ground mj12games.com/defiance
The Demo Rules PDF on the right side Resources section is the actual rules to play the game (unit design rules aren't available for free).
The Army Demo Lists are "inspired" by 40K minis.

Defiance: Evolution of Arms is a supplement for CQB rules and changes to point costs when going from a tabletop to an interior battle space (like Space Hulk, Legions of Steel and Sedition Wars).

Defiance has rules for fighting at different scales, everything from 6mm to 28mm.

Another option is their fantasy skirmish rules Ares, because all it requires for SF would be to change a few terms (and there's an actual troop builder program available on their forums, Defiance does not have this).
mj12games.com/ares
The Demo version doesn't include a troop builder, but has a few sample troops (but they're fantasy themed).

Yet another option would be Savage Worlds Showdown, which is completely free. It's on the right, second one down. The rules, troop builder program and 2 scenarios are available.
link

Cheers Sharkbait!

My rules are FREE, so nothing to lose really.

angelbarracks.co.uk/rules.html

Here's my review of Fireteam Andromeda. Hope it's of some use to you.

link

(Sorry to hear of your losses)

link

Some awesome recommendations here, thanks all! I am reminded that I already own hard copies of Stargrunt II and Laserburn plus all supplements so I will take another look at them. I will almost certainly check out most of the above, but Swatters and Hammers Spammers have caught my eye the most right now (I already own multiple copies from the Swatters author's Song of Blades & Heroes range and I love SF armor).

Thank you so much for the condolences, BaldLea, it's been a tough few months and I'm trying hard to distract myself with a new project. I liked your review of Fireteam Andromeda and I'll be taking a close look at that too.

Keep them coming, please! Not just names but also your experiences with them would be really handy.

John Treadaway, is Hammers Slammers available via pdf?

Bob – no. The core rules are available only as a big, colouful book but all of the supplemental material – play sheets, detachment sheets, and four supplements – are downloadable for free as PDFs from the site.

John T