"WWII: Best Rules for the Big Game?" Topic

Let's say you want to have a big battle with lots of minis on the tabletop. Which WWII ruleset would you use?

Command Decision

Spearhead

Command Decision is probably better

CD IV

Lots of figures are irrelevant, what is the scale ? Company or Corps ? That is by far the most important factor when deciding on a ruleset.

Depending on your unit scale, either FOW v2, or Blitzkrieg Commander.

Normally I would also say Command Decision IV but Frank Chadwick is working on a new set of operational WW2 rules called "Breakthrough". Each stand is a battalion- one inch is 500 meters or 3 inches to the mile. There are a few games scheduled for HMGS Cold Wars in Lancaster and at HMGS Little Wars in Lombard, Illinois. Rumor has it that there will be a Kickstarter this spring.

Spearhead

Megablitz and Hexblitz.

Command Decision TOB

Because I like to finish a game, even large ones, Fist Full of TOWS 3.

Spearhead
Command Decision
and
Rapid Fire!

All are excellent choices.

Joe Collins

I use rapid fire but think there needs to be something higher level and more abstract – I can't make head nor tail of Command Decision (and it isn't really much higher level than Rapid Fire) – I wait Mr Chadwick's new set with interest….

Blitzkrieg Commander 2….. is it still available?

Blitzkrieg Commander 4 is apparently imminent and might suit brigade level; as GildasFacit says though the scope of the game should be the first question. Because there's a limit to the number of independent elements a player can happily handle that relates to what an element represents. For BKC at element=platoon a brigade is comfortable for one player, a division a stretch. In Spearhead the platoon elements are more like strength points for the battalions and a division would be more comfortable for one player.

Rommel

Definitely Blitzkrieg Commander. Quick to learn and play, and with one vehicle = five vehicles you can play "larger" units.

We don't like one vehicle = one platoon because, for example, Russian platoons are three tanks where US, and sometimes German, are five. A Russian tank battalion is 31 tanks, generally. At one vehicle = five, a Russian battalion is six tanks. At one vehicle = one platoon, it would be nine. This could be a very incorrect ratio if playing against German battalions depending on the scenario.

The very biggest games (in terms of both numbers of toys and scale of action – multiple Corps, or on one memorable occasion, multiple armies) I've played have generally involved Megablitz or derivatives thereof.

I've done some pretty big Spearhead games to, but at one base per platoon you can only really field a division, max. I've also done a couple of division sized WW2 games using NATO Brigade Commander as a basis.

We've done the entire Arnhem campaign in a day using Megablitz on three separate occasions (You will all be delighted to know that the Allies won one of those)

If you want more of an evening game for a reinforced Corps or two, KISS Rommel and its various derivatives rattles along quickly.

Martin, is Megablitz still available (ideally purchasable as a pdf)?

Look Sarge, No Charts.

Megablitz had some nice ideas but the rules as published were so vague as to be almost unplayable.

Blitzkrieg Commander

Don't know would like to find out.

x42

I think some are mistaking what is being asked, unless, of course, I have it wrong. The question is not about running larger units (such as a division with a stand equal to a battalion) but with lots of figures in the game. Think asking for say 40 or 50 vehicles on a side on the board regardless if those vehicles represent one for one or a vehicle represents a platoon, company, battalion, what have you.

In this case simpler wins the day. I would go with Rapid Fire myself.

Air & Armor with a bit of Spearhead and FFOT3 thrown in.

Have played all the rules mentioned except Look Sarge no Charts and others. For ease of play with a lot on the table I would go with BKC.

However, at the scale of the rules with 1cm = 20 meters a six foot wide table would be less than 4km wide which is a little less than the attack frontage of a WW2 Russian division. See link

Only four battalions would be on the table to begin with. Additional waves would arrive as the battle progressed. Defenders would be about 2 battalions up front with a third in reserve.

The mega games in Newquay and Falmouth which ran annually for about 15 years originally used Spearhead which then morphed into their own set. Pretty big games…usually about 20 to 30 divisions a side, 1 stand= 1 platoon…how much bigger do you need?

Panzer War

We designed Combat Command specifically for using in large games at conventions. Platoons are the atomic unit so you can fight battles with "names" not just fighting over some obscure farm house. Also designed for new players to rapidly pick up the rules – inevitable that you'll have some new players at cons.

Can use the large base of scenarios designed for platoon level games such as the various versions of Command Decision but with much more user friendly rules.

Thomas J. Thomas
Fame & Glory Games

Any rules can work if all you want to do it place as many figures on the playing area, but as a general rule most rules take 15-30 minutes per game turn per 100 elements. As most games need eight to twelve games turns to complete, if you want 200 elements it will take 6-12 hours of solid play. This does not include setup and packup time. The actual complexity of the rules does not seem to have much impact on how long it takes to play a Game-Turn, but does affect your ability to learn the rules.

Have a look at my new set that is in development called "D-Day to Berlin". Maneuver units are single stands representing battalions or detachments. Ground scale is 21/2miles to a 6" square.

Players are at the very least a XX commander. After a few games players can control an entire XXX of three XX.

I have a free download at chrisparkergames.com

Chris