"Any Free to Cheap Introductory Rules for A Young Man?" Topic

Gentlefolk,

There are a fellow and his friend who are trying to start a boy with an unhappy home situation into a hobby that will provide him with an outlet/escape from some issues.

They have provided him with some free figures, vehicles, and terrain, but have asked me for a rules recommendation that would not cost significantly for a skirmish/1:1 type game.

I don't know of any, but surely there are other Gentlemen here who may be able to make recommendations.

Sorry, I don't know the lad's age, but he is evidently a teenager and certainly old enough to work his way through a simple rules set. I also can't confirm the size/scale of figures he's been provided with, but obviously satisfactory for skirmish gaming.

This sounds like a worthwhile project, and I hope some will post links or sources here so that the entire thread can be forwarded to the "mentors" soon.

Grateful for your time and attention,

TVAG

OOPS.

Meant to clarify that the subject would be WWII.

Patrick,
Shoot me an email. I have a set of rules that are not WWII, but might be useful.

Just two days ago the subject of the Pz8 rules came up, and they're probably perfect for a beginning wargamer: PDF link

- Ix

Yes, the Pz8 rules are very good for a beginner.

Jim

link

What do you all think about Force on Force for infantry combat? There is a free quick start guide that allows you to try them out. It is simple. Each man earns a die and hits on a 4+. Saves are a 4+. Each figure hit rolls for casualty status at the end of hte round. No real math modifiers to worry about. Short range you add an extra die.
Simple.

Joe

PS link for modern version is here but rules are the same. Change it to a downed pilot in WW II. That will fire the lad's imagination. If he ends up liking them and Shawn won't donate a PDF set I will buy him a PDF set. I have no interest in the company. I like the rules and have an interest in helping out.
link

I don't consider Force on Force simple, at least not the Osprey version that I have. The core of it is simple but my group had to work on agreeing just how to execute the rules. The op fire mechanics (though very nice) can be very hard to work through.

It is a great game but I wouldn't start with it.

If he's going to end up playing solo, I recommend Two Hour Wargames: link
Plus, he can check out the forum for help/suggestions: site.twohourwargames.com/forum
(Caveat: I'm a fanboy)

I second/third PZ8's rules for simple, "get in and get it done" games. And I second the free wargame rules link by sillypoint above.

I would recommend this site, free and downloads for models and rules.

juniorgeneral.org

Pulp Alley, perfect for squad level skirmishes, easy to pick up and fun. You can download the basic rules for free at store.pulpalley.com

Gentlemen All!

I thank you and wish to express the thanks of the "mentors" to this 16-year-old Hungarian immigrant for all the generous suggestions and links. I understand he is starting out with 20mm scale figures, etc, so I know most or all of the rules mentioned will work perfectly well.

These are being followed up even now and will certainly give him a taste of wargamers' willingness to help others enjoy this international hobby.

I can't adequately express my gratitude at the immediate outpouring of support for this otherwise anonymous young person. Please, all of you, back-pats all round!

TVAG

I hope he may yet be persuaded to join TMP as a member where he can daily draw on the help of others, and eventually begin to share his own experiences with a welcoming audience.

I also second Bashy's recommendation, I have used it with pre-teen to teen aged boys. Simple, quick and fun – just what the doctor ordered.

juniorgeneral.org

Let us not forget Free Wargames Rules…..

link

Give Chain Reaction a go. Free and can play WW2 with it. I've used it with younger than teenagers and they catch on really quickly. Plus you can play on the same side while he's learning.

link

Good Luck!

Joe

TVAG

juniorgeneral.org.

Job done!

Again, my thanks to all who have contributed to this thread and, hopefully, to bring a young man into something ultimately more beneficial to him than computer/internet fantasy games.

TVAG

Hello to Patrick Wilson and all you great wargamers who have opted to help this young man. It was very kind of you to post here. We are checking into every one of your suggestions! This young man is very grateful.Thank all of you for your help! Michelle & Dave in Virginia

Hi
A bit late onto this thread but would ask you to look at fightyourownbattles.co.uk where FREE rules Heroes All and the solo wargame supplement Fight Your Own Battles are available with FREE codex for common WW2 allied and axis weapons.

Enjoy

SoloGeneral

one and only when it comes to work well, fun to play and easy to pick up: 1-48TACTIC

everything else is just sluggish and boring by comparison… :)

it's a very fast-paced skirmish scale WWII game, which uses an innovative system based on stat cards and tokens to produce a brutally realistic simulation without tables, accounting, etc…
The rules are available for free, including some cards and all tokens needed… there is also some awesome how to play video, check them out: YouTube link

1-48tactic.com

There are a number of free rules available on the internet. Many older WRG rules are available as a free download, you can find them on the internet in varoius locations.
BGMR is a free set of micro-armour rules, which can be downloaded from the BGMR IO:group site. A number of other rules are also available on this site.
GHQ micro-armour rules, both squad and platoon scale are available for free on the GHQ site. They are very professional. LWRS, and a reformatted version called Bewegungskrieg, are available for free. These are reasonably simple and fun rules and there is a lot of supporting material on the Bewegungskrieg site.
You can find the old Corps Commander and korps Commander rules on the internet, a large amount of supporting material for these rules can be found on Corps Commander. There is a spin off version of these rules, one of which is a quick play version, on the Korps-Kommandeur site.
There are a number of rules on the Grosse-Schlachten site, mainly the BBWW2B rules by Bob Mackenzie.
A updated version of the old wargamers Digest rules can be found on the Kriegsspiel-Zusammenfassung site.
A early version of the Schwerepunkt rules can be found in this link.

A number of older rules can be found on the internet, such as challenger and firefly. You can also download flames of war from the internet if you look. there are also sites which list free rules, although its hard to identify what you want from them.

If you are uncertain what rules would suit you, i have created a video set covering all the rules i have copies of. the first video can be found here; Micro Armour Game System History and Theory – Part 1 – Squad/Section Scale (V2). There are about 4 or 5 videos, covering rules using different scales. If its a new player, while i am not a fan of these rules, i would suggest flames of war version 3. Failing that LWRS/Bewegungskrieg are very playable.