"Best rule set to teach ten-year old?" Topic

New to ACW gaming, mostly Warhammer and X-Wing player. Son has expressed interest in Civil War and gaming. Would lime recommendations for a rules set.

Looking for something simple and easy to learn. Scale isn't hugely important, but thinking 6mm for cost reasons. Would like something suitably bloody (I.e., easy combat mechanics) that will hold a 10 year old's interest and encourage repeated gaming.

Thanks

"Battle Cry". They call it a boardgame, but it's miniatures on hexes, and it comes with a full outfit of minis and terrain in the box. Rules are asy enough for a bright ten year old. Games are fast and decisive, and repeat play value is very high. There's also a metric boatload of additional historical scenarios available on the web. It's perfect for this application:

link

I'd pick up a copy of the Battle Cry 150th Anniversary edition boardgame. They run about $50 USD USD on Amazon.

You get miniatures, a board, and 30 scenarios. It is a member of the Command and Colors system, which means that it is card driven, and perfect for a 10 year old. Everything is in the box which means you start playing the day that you get it.

On edit, looks like Zippyy beat me to the punch!

Oh, and if you want to make a 6mm mini project out of it, it's easy to replace the plastic minis that come with the "Battle Cry" game with stands of 6mm as you get them painted, replace the flat terrain with 3D 6mm terrain as you get it built, and then take the 3D set you have built up and apply it to any rule set you like.

Of course you can also paint up the plastic minis that come with the game. They're of a size that might be just the right amount of challenge for a bright ten year old. Maybe.

Lucius, I didn't beat you by much, and I think we both came up with the best answer.

On To Richmond would be a good choice. Simple, bloody and scale neutral. It describes itself as a grand tactical game with brigades being the maneuver elements, but its really a more tactical game of regiments in disguise. You can use it at either level and it's a bloody good bash.

Units are "brigades" made up of stands. Each stand is 2x1 and brigades typically have between 4 and 8 stands. If you prefer basing of another size there is a free spreadsheet that will recalculate the entire QRS for you based on your custom base width.

Available hard copy at ScaleCreep.com or instant PDF download at FlagshipGames.com

Also contains variants for Napoleonics, the Franco-Prussian War (in fact it was originally a FPW rule set adapted to the ACW!), and even Ancients! Plus a few starter scenarios, optional rules and variants…

Go to the Junior General website.

juniorgeneral.org

Rules, scenarios and even print & color your own paper soldiers. Best of all it is free. I have played a number of the scenarios and they are fun and quick. Once you get him interested it can lead to buying miniatures and painting them.

I started my boy on Volley and Bayonet at age 8. Now he's 12 and asks to play. You caneasily no 6mm and half size basses and measurement and play a full battle on a 3x4 table.

Fire and Fury. Simple enough that the basics are really mastered by turn 3. Keep the scenario simple and the number of units to @ 6 (Union Division or 2)

Great idea

We have some simple home-make rules we use – the suggestions above are all great

I think it depends on the 10 year old. I was kind of a power nerd and playing third reich at that age (how is that for a misspent youth?). Does he play warhammer already?

When I think young and new to gaming I always think of The Sword and the Flame. (That game remains great for adults also). It's for colonials, but you could use it and just treat the yanks and the rebs as you would treat british regulars or something. Fun, quick, and bloody!

I started my son and grand children with a piece of paper I wrote. Move, fire, melee, win or loose.
I can't tell you how many leggo pirate ship games we played that way
As they progressed I slowly added other elements to the game I did start them at around 5 years old so that may be to simple for a 10 year old?
Regards
Russ Dunaway

When my first born was 10 I got him started with the original "Rally 'round the Flag" rules, then a few years later "Fire and Fury" when they came out…way back when. That was the flavor of rules in the gaming club I was with. He even came out a year later and played with us older gamers.

Good luck.

P.

Battle Cry.

I would also recommend the "Battle Cry" boardgame. This gives you the battlefield, the terrain, the miniatures and the scenarios. You can play it on your kitchen table if need be.

He may have more fun playing Brother v Brother in 28mm. Great fun, simple and 'bloody'. Try it with plastic 1/72nd to see if you like it.

I will try out the Battl Cry. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Couldn't agree more with Major Mike. I've found the rules there easy to pick up and fun to play when it involves an area of gaming I'm unfamiliar with. Sometimes I'll add some home rules/modifiers for more detail.

I think they're ideal for a young gamer to pick up.

Oh definitely JR. By the time he gets done adding up all the modifiers he'll be a whiz at math. I played with guys who loved these rules to the point they had made a big table of all the modifiers and put it up on the wall. Every time they had to use it, it took two or three rounds to get it straight. They'd add up one side, then the other, only to discover they had forgotten the first total and so on. I found it all very entertaining.

Have played Battlecry with my now 15 year old daughter. Very fun.

There are lots of good rules but for a 10 year old I like Junior General as well. juniorgeneral.org

It is what I used for my younger sons and the youth group I mentor. I use 1:72 scale figs they paint well and handle abuse better than metal (IMHO).

Perry 28mm ACW – they do a Battle in a Box set for ACW. Each side gets 4 infantry units (18 figs) 1 cav unit (6 figs) and 2 guns with crew and a general. You also get some snake dancing and a small building.

The set comes with a set of rules called firepower, they seem ideal for your needs.

Battle Cry is a nice fun game, but depending on your disposable income, it may be better to invest from the outset in figures and a ruleset.

I did a blog post covering the firepower rules and used 12mm figures – it may be of interest to you LINK HERE – link