"Lightest and heaviest games you like?" Topic

Complexity is in the eye of the beholder, but what are the lightest/simplest game you like and the heaviest/most complex?

DBA and CLSII respectively. But as you note, there are a number of ways to look at complexity. I have a very low tolerance--almost a zero-tolerance policy--for rosters and "command points." I also have an uneasy relationship with activation rolls.

Simple: Pz8 one page rules sets. DBA/HotT. KISS Rommel. 2X2 Napoleonics.

I don't like complex rules.

I'll agree with Robert on CLSII, for simple Basic Impetus.

Simple: Volley & Bayonet, Complex: CLS.

Simplest game I like are the Rampant series (Dragon and Lion).

I don't have a lot of experience with complex rules, but I remember liking Firefly the microarmor game (which might have been complicated?) and liking Valmy to Waterloo, as long at you kept the game size under control. I also enjoy Flint and Steel.

Firefight
PigWars
Battleground (Regiment Games, not Easy Eight)
Wesencraft Napoleonics

Empire
Johnny Reb III
Final Argument of Kings
Flames of War
Naval Thunder
Batailles de Ancien Regime

These are what we play, in descending order of perceived complexity.

Checkers and chess.

I've been known to play Empire V fairly often, but the rules have been dummied down for us. The players have been absolved of any heavy lifting.

To answer myself:

For mini's, lightest that sees regular play is probably Slammer, which is free and you should all go check it out.
Heaviest is a draw between Laserburn and we all enjoyed Face of Battle a lot.
With Empire on the couch, that may be the new candidate though.

For RPG's, lightest is original brown box D&D and heaviest is Rolemaster Standard System.

ASL for board games, for sure.

Simplest: Hail Ceasar
Most complex: Republic too empire

The heaviest game I enjoy playing is one using the rules from "All The King's Men" with armies composed of 54mm metal figures.

The rules are actually refreshingly easy to pick up (light), but those 54mm metal armies can be quite heavy to transport.

If you think of complexity as number of moving parts versus difficulty of rules,alot of the old GW stuff was complex.

Lightest : QILS – we built it that way; it's light on rules and in game mechanical complexity to drive the attention to tactical, operational, and strategic concernts

Heaviest : (since you said like, not play as a hobby) military atmospheric dispersion modeling of chemical weapons – they're fairly intense and complex so you get a good brain "like", plus you get a lot of personal satisfaction "like" out of the wargaming challenge of figuring out how to counter and best protect people from those types of attack

Lightest: One Hour Wargames (can't get any lighter)
Heaviest: Bloody Big Battles (not very heavy)

dBerczerk gets a bonus point for creativity :-)

Lightest? Hmm. The first "light" game I really liked was Napoleonic Command. More recently, Twilight of the Sun King is even lighter. I appreciate DBA, but I suppose I like one step up from that minimal point. FUBAR are excellent light skirmish rules.

For complex, I played a lot of From Valmy to Waterloo, which I suppose qualifies … ;) I do sometimes miss those days.

Cheers,

Christopher

Not sure how light is light. DBA is a bit too light not realy got what it takes to instigate interesting tactics. DBM is as light as you go and exvelent set. Own rules are WW2 and not much "heavier" . To me there is just a sweet spot.

However I am not in favour of regular play with folk who are not interested in the period. May as well play Dominos with them and save the cost of the minis.

Simplest. A Moreschauser game. Heaviest= Shogi

I've almost gone completely with the Ganesha games, TooFatLardies or 'goalsystem' rule sets in the past few years. Both are very simple and fast skirmish rules with lots of crunch if you want it.

Big battle games with hardback rules and 100+ pages, I used to LOVE them. But now I'll fall asleep reading the rule book, so no thanks. I'll gladly play at a con at the drop of a hat though.

We only seem to play simple, easy to remember games these days. Lion/Dragon Rampant, To the Strongest, Crossfire.

Ogre/GEV is definitely the lightest.

Heaviest? War and Conquest, LaSalle, about there anyhow, so not very heavy.