"Help me to help you...(rules suggestions) " Topic

So this thread got me scratching my head.

TMP link

The OP is not very clear on what kind of game he is looking for. What has he looked at? Other than 28mm he's having a hard time communicating what he is looking for. So, not meaning to beat up on him, but I see this a lot. So herewith are some suggestions for the next time you are looking for suggestions about rules. Help us to help you!

• Define the period clearly. Mention specific battles/wars if it's a big period like "Colonials" or "Renaissance."
  
• Define the scope of battle you want: each side represents what? A division? A platoon?
  
• Define what a player commands. So each player gets what? A flotilla? A squad? A corps?
  
• Mention any love/hate hot buttons. So no buckets of dice, ro no simultaneous movement or no "activation rolls."
  
• Mention any rules you've looked at and rejected. Bolt Action is too bland, Panzer far too detailed.
  
• Do you need army lists? Painting guides? TO&E? Points systems?
  
• Dice: do you not care? Do you hate D20s? Do you hate using multiple kinds of dice? Do you hate buckets of dice?
  
• Do you hate rosters, chits, written orders, or variable movement? Speak up!

Maybe we need to put wargames ruels into various "categories" …

I'll throw out that the guy may well be either:

A: Completely new to ww2 gaming.

B: Completely new to historical gaming.

Though even when I see people make very specific requests, the replies usually don't match what they asked for anyways :-)

"I am looking for a set of platoon level rules for Vietnam, what do you suggest?"

"Fire&Fury and Spearhead!"

Spearhead is for knobheads…try "To the Strongest" – great for pre-gunpowder skirmishes. I think. I haven't played them but a guy on a forum some where said they were great.

What was the question again?

I thought the OP was perfectly clear as to what he wanted.

Early War
28mm figures
Squad or platoon level.

I would have just pointed out to him that most rules cover both early and late war. Do like the rest of do and start buying and reading rules. Then try them out. If you don't know much about WWII then it is pretty hard to know what to ask. So I would cut him some slack.

Yes, I see what you are talking about. Some people don't communicate their requests well. Some people don't communicate their assistance well. I saw several people take a stab at helping with suggestions while some just sat and spun their tires.

I also thought the request was completely clear. And people had already responded with the obvious options so I kept quiet.

You will always get people who just post something a bit random.

Underspecified questions are what makes discussions fun.

He's looking for something either skirmish or big skirmish and wants it early war Western Front, specifically as it pertains to GB.

Also, people on TMP either really love classifications or will completely ignore them.