"Rules?" Topic

I am new to the 15mm Fantasy idea….. what are the available rule sets out there? What are the "best"? :-)

Armies of Arcana.

Well since there's no such thing as best….

Are you looking for skimrish or mass battle?

The GW Lord of the Rings game is quite good. Quite easy to make up your own stats.

For skirmish the Two Hour Wargames are always among my "go to" for any period or genre.

Dragon Rampant is fast, easy and you can easily design your own troop types.

For mass battles, I've tried Mayhem, Pride of Lions and Rally Round the King.

Mayhem: Excellent game, 1 base = 1 unit, therefore cheap to get started. Strong on unit-building. Light on the Campaign Game aspect.

Pride of Lions: Complex rules with historical feel, strong campaign (via Dark and Bloody Ground). Three bases = 1 unit (18 minis per unit). A little expensive in that regard. Very fantasy-oriented. Treemen, and Badgermen etc.

Rally Round the King: 1 base = 1 unit, historically-flavored ruleset, high solo compatibility, very cheap to get started, very strong campaign. The only downside is that the game actually lacks a strong fantasy feel as every faction is really just an historical faction with a name change. Includes Dwarves and elves and such, but overall a little light in the fantasy dept.

Of these, I like RRTK.

For small quick battles I suggest HOTTS

Dragon Rampant has a low cost to get started. I've been looking for the Grail of Fantasy Miniatures rules since Swords and Spells

Some good leads here, thank you.

I am thinking larger battles (I found the Battle of Valor figures at Fall In and now I need a reason to purchase more!)….. I want large Lord of Rings style battles :)

Kings of War for massed battles – free here link

We just ran a mass battle of Elves and Humans vs. Orcs, trolls, and Goblins at Fall in Using Triumph! in 15mm.

The set is designed for Ancient and Medieval battles, and fantasy. Really easy frame work to adapt to any fantasy genre.

I suggest FROR For Reign or Ruin.

To be clear there are several sets that allow battles, I'm looking for the Fantasy equivalent of Fire and Fury, hundreds of figures on a 5x8 table with maneuver and decisive results. Not just line'em up and go!

I like Triumph! because it is easily scalable from a small 1 on 1 battle that takes an hour, to a grand battle with 6-10 players that can be resolved in 3-4 hours.

The Grand Triumph! deployment phase allows for strategy in the setup (if not playing asset scenario).

I'd also recommend Kings of War. The rules are well-written, fast-playing, tight and even though they're made for 28mm, they accomodate huge armies easily and read like a set made for 15mm.

It's not the choice for folks who desire realism and a detailed command mechanic, but for a big honking LoTR battle they'd be perfect.

For those for who like a bit of shine and support, the reasonably priced rulebook is very attractive and well laid out and the army list supplements are well worth it. I haven't tried them yet, but the campaign supplements look good too.

Sword & Spear Fantasy. Look interesting but not played them yet.

Cant find anything on google? any more details you could provide.

"I suggest FROR For Reign or Ruin."

Well, the "best" is really going to depend on 3 major factors….

First, how you want the battle to look on the table (and how much effort and money you are willing to invest). This is going to include physical things, like army and table size. Does each miniature represent 1 soldier, or do you like element bases, where one base of, say, 4 figures is an entire unit, regiment, battalion?.

Second, is personal preference on mechanics. Do you like more traditional things, like you go I go style, roll to hit, roll to wound, roll to save, remove casualties, morale tests…or do you like things like unit activation, pre-written (or assigned) orders, wound markers until a unit is removed. Do you like something that is a realistic simulation or feels more like a game? Do you like bells and whistles and gimmicks ( like card use, special dice, pulling things out of a bag), do you like a more complex game or something dead simple (possibly simplex). Do you hate specific mechanics, like playing on a grid or hexes, or using different dice besides D6?

Finally (and possibly most important) who do you have to play against? Do you have a pool of motivated players/friends? Are you going to have to do all the work, invest all the money and cross your fingers you will have someone to play with (my always depressing situation)? Is there already an established group nearby playing something…anything? I rather play a game that is OK with people who will actually play it, than a game that I think is awesome, that sits on a shelf.

If you can answer some of these questions it will be easier to point you in a specific direction, instead of just shouting out random rulesets that you might…or might not…like.

recommend Kings of War – for the reasons listed above

I'm prejudiced of course but I recommend A Game of Knights and Knaves as a very easy way to get into fantasy gaming. Multi-figure bases using standard mounting. Works in both 15mm and 28mm.

Uses a modernized version of the DBX mechanics so lots of players will have a basic understanding of the rules. Battles can range from 10-12 bases (about 40 figures) up to 30-40 bases (about 120 figures).

I've just release the Fire and Ice 2nd Edition which covers War of the Roses as the historical period, a generic fantistorical campaign using human based armies and an alternative history campaign (exiled Lancastrians in the New World). (And like all my games its available on WarGamesVault and the 2nd edition is free for 1st edition buyers).

Next up is A Game of Knights and Knaves the Old World Edition and this will cover the traditional fantasy races (Elves, Dwarves) as well as the Hundred Years War.

Thomas J. Thomas
Fame and Glory Games

I want large Lord of Rings style battles

Battle of Five Armies in 15mm using Sword & Spear Fantasy:

Shadow Storm aka Fantasy Hail Caesar Rules .

As always, comments are appreciated.

Take care

Andy

I know it's designed for their own figures…10mm…..which are very nice by the way…but Warband by Pendraken may be worth a look….it does have unique basing however, but I put together a medium sized army for around £30.00 GBP…which they do sale as an army pack. Actually just bought a new army from them, Dragonmen….and some reinforcements for my Goblin army.
Also got Sword and Spear Fantasy, but haven't tried it yet.

Mighty armies- simple rules with excellent game play.
Bigger games can be played using multiple armies as commands, similar to Hail Caesar.
Besides those and KOW, I'd offer up Warmaster as quite good as well. Haven't played many of the others.