"What rules do you use? What scale?" Topic

I thought it would be interesting to find out what rules everyone uses and the scale of units and figures. We game at the battalion level with "They Died For Glory" rules. We use 15mm scale figures from OG, Essex, and Friekorps 15. I am tempted by Perry's 28mm figures.

I use 28mm from Northstar and Perry. We only have enough miniatures for 1866, french habe to be painted.

For one unit is a bataillon equals some elements, we use Field of Battle.

For one element equals a bataillon, we use 1871.

For one element equals a regiment/Brigade, i am still looking. Next time we will test a modified Blucher sersion.

For the look, here is a picture from our Koniggraetz secenario at Tactica Hamburg 2016.

They died for Glory and Black Powder for 28mm and 1870 for 6mm, looking at Valeur et Fortitude for 28mm,

have a large table!

Tally Ho!

I use Age of Valor (Age of Eagles extension) in 15mm. Units are REgiments/Brigades/Batteries.

15mm using Rank and File figs with a few Old Glory and Minifigs. We use 1871 rules which are fast moving though we probably will add some house rules for skirmishers.

They Died for Glory
15mm
Mix of mini figs, rank and file, pioneer, Mike's models and old glory

The Jackson Gamers use the venerable "Chassepot and Needlegun" rules by the late Larry Brom, with 25/28mm figures. Infantry battalions are 6 stands of 3 (French) or 4 (Prussian) figures per stand; cavalry regiments are four 4-figure stands for both sides; artillery batteries are three stands, each with a gun and two gunners for both sides.

You can see a bunch of photos of my "Republican France" era forces at link

Between my friend Jay S. and I, we have almost two corps (of two divisions each) per side plus cavalry and artillery. On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Dwaine B. has the 25/28mm collection of the late Mark Stevens with about the same size of forces.

Jim

WWII-- Bolt-Action 54mm = 1/32
Horse & Musket -- 28mm Home rules

Red Baron (WW I airplane game -- haven't played in years, but love the 3D, plane models on sticks), 1/144 scale.

Plastic Wars (Army Men games, self-published, 1998-2007), 1/32 scale, but figures used range from 50mm-60mm, vehicles are typically 40mm sizes -- 1/32 scale tanks, jeeps, trucks, etc., are difficult to use on even 12-foot by 32-foot tables, they're also excessively high-priced.

2e BattleSystem (fantasy mass battles, loosely based on 2e AD&D RPG rules), preferably true 25mm, or 1/72 scale, but in reality, 25mm-28mm figures for Humans; non-humans vary in size, wildly, but I try to get as close to the 1e AD&D Monster Manual's published sizes, as I can, searching for figures that match in physical size, as calculated by 1/72 scale. Gary Gygax had a gift in sizing monsters, and in his color choices for their hair, skin, etc. It is a lot of fun to explore his designs, with painted miniatures in proper scale -- this was a mostly hidden/ignored talent of his.

2e BattleSystem Skirmish (spin-off of 2e BattleSystem mass battles rules, and the 2e AD&D RPG -- combat is super-fast; it is a miniatures game with a thin veneer of RPG over the top). Same figures used in this, as in 2e BattleSystem mass battles games, above.

Used to play other historical games, in the 1990's: Command Decision III, using 6mm figures; 1/1200 WW I & II ships, Seekrieg III/IV, maybe; Empire Napoleonics games in 15mm. Cheers!

Combat HQ – WW2 ground combat in 6mm.
Victory at Sea – WW2 naval combat in 2400 scale.

Hail Caesar for big battles in 28mm. Ancients up to Crusades. Figures from a dozen or more manufactures. Exploring To The Strongest as an alternate rule set for convention games.

Saga, Barons War, others for 28mm Skirmish.

TDFG in 15mm, and I was gearing up for V&B in 6mm, but eventually gave up both projects. Too many periods and not enough years.

Mentioned in another thread, but repeated here for completeness:

Skirmish – Eagles of Empire rules in 28mm.

Larger than Skirmish – Bruce Weigle's 1870/1871 rules maybe in 10/12mm. I have a few Pendraken, but these are on the back burner. Bruce Weigle's has many photos of his battles in 6mm – and they look glorious, but time moves on and I've aged past 6mm. I'm still wondering if 28mm based for Eagles of Empire can somehow be used for larger battles without breaking the bank or my back. :)

Guard du Corps, 1981, Napoleonic 1:50 and played in 15mm. If I did it today I would do 10mm scale.
Coastal Command, Small boat action,1984, I used 1:600 scale.
Induanas, Colonel and Emirs, 1983, 1:10/20, scale 15mm, mass combat colonials.
Fire, Ogon, Feur, tank to tank combat, 1984, ranges allowed for 15mm, 10mm and 1/300 vehicles to be used.

Song of blades and Heroes variants for most things.
Then, I prefer DBA variants for my solo games. Everything from 6mm, 10mm, 28mm and 40mm.

15mm using 1871 and occasionally Bloody Big Battles

28mm will probably use Sharpe or Eagles for some skirmish. Big battles I have not decided on rules yet, 1871, Volley and Bayonet, or Age of Valor are all possible. I was thinking One Hour Wargames, but I did not like the look/scale of it. This will be in 10mm

ACW: 15mm Rally Round the Flag (the old set).
Western: 28mm Gutshot, or Gunfighters Ball.
Horror: 28mm Still working on it.
Colonials:28mm TSATF or The Men Who Would Be Kings.
Vietnam: 20mm Charlie Company.
Gangsters: 28mm "The Chicago Way".
Pirates/18th Century: 28mm My current homebrew.
Pulp: 28mm Still working on it.
Modern Micro Armor: 1/285 "Close and Destroy".

Empire 3, ( Napoleonic)15mm and their cousins and lately Blue Moon and AB but still anything I find

Many of you have overlooked that the original question referred to Franco-Prussian War rules.

Jim

Wow, what a great variety. This period has so much to offer the wargamer.

A very tentative start with 15mm Rank and File minis; I intend to use a modified version of "They Died for Glory" for Austro- Prussian War (not the FPW).

15mm Minifig and old glory , some Freikorps with neil thomas rules.

15mm Minifig and old glory , some Freikorps with neil thomas rules. Played in a great game using 6mm and Bloody big battles at a game day, however..

Our FPW games are usually run using " Bloody Big Battles" with 10mm figures.

Back in about 2005, I got a trove of Frontier 15mm in FPW. I sold them quickly that year at Historicon.

Col Campbell, on the home page, it shows up as "TMP Poll Suggestions," and OC's post by itself doesn't say "FPW." Not surprising that one in three failed to look at the third item on the left-hand column, which is the only way to tell.

Redundancy is not inherently a bad thing, especially in communications.

Command Decision – 20mm
Volley and Bayonet – 28mm
Epic Glory – 28mm
Men Under Fire – 28mm
Striker III – 15mm
Mars Needs Steam – 28mm
Pulp Alley – 28mm

Well, I didn't post this to the poll suggestion board. I did not intend this to be a poll. I was asking everyone on the FPW board. I guess Bill put it on there.

I didn't want to be the first to mention my own ruleset, but since it has now had honourable mentions from several players (thanks, Lascaris, mildbill and Steamingdave2):

"Bloody Big BATTLES!" (BBB)
groups.io/g/bloodybigbattles

The rulebook includes scenarios for the nine biggest battles of the Franco-Prussian War, linked as an episodic campaign. We once fought the whole 9-game campaign in an epic 3-day weekend. (Another 8 or so scenarios are available from the io group files.)

Well, if this is a general question
28mm SF Mostly Xenos Rampant, but I'm looking for a good skirmish set with fewer castings in play.
28mm Ren/Fantasy Mostly Dragon Rampant with the same caveat.
28mm Horse & Musket--Charge! Glidden's Charge for Dummies, Grant's "Napoleonic Rules, Birmingham Style, any of the "Landing Party" family.
10mm ACW--Home and OTR, but F&F is also possible.
6mm WWII--Home
6mm ACW--Still working on it. Probably DBACW or Altar of Freedom.
6mm Napoleonics--Wesencraft Army Corps Level.
6mm SYW--Marlborough to Frederick.
6mm Ancients--"Big Battle" DBA
2mm to follow.

2mm WWII--same as 6mm, but I'm working on other options.
2mm ACW--probably Stafford's "Gettysburg for the Sixth Grade."
2mm Napoleonics--2x2 Napoleonics (Provisionally)
2mm SYW Marlborough to Frederick
2mm ECW--modified Big Battle DBA.
30mm Napoleonics--CLS.
The goal is not to duplicate. A change of scale--except for SYW--is supposed to be a change in level of combat and rules, not just "centimeters in place of inches." But it's trickier than you'd think.

Great fan of Valour & Fortitude (V&F) rules for big battle Napoleonics, they have just done a FPW set of lists so going to try it out

I am also hoping this board will be able to discuss the 1859 and 1866 wars as well, as they are all (IMO) part of the radical shift in weaponry, tactics and organisation structure.

Talking general rules, rules I am using at the moment are:

- Ancients/Medieval 15mm/28mm – Impetus 2 (big battle), Lion Rampant (28mm skirmish)
- Pike & Shot – currently Baroque (continuation versio of Impetus 2), would like a faster play ruleset a la V&F
- Love 7YW but at moment no opponents so (slowly) building an opponent to my French, liked Black Powder + Last Argument of Kings supplement
- Napoleonics 6 / 15 / 28mm Napoleonics – V&F
- Building 1860's Russians to play European wars, ACW and Great Game. Looking at V&F for ACW, FPW (European wars)
- WW1 / RCW – Mud & Blood
- Interwar / WW2 O Group (15mm), Warboard (20mm), BA / CoC (28mm)
- Cold War – FFoT3 (6mm), looking for a good 15mm ruleset
- Sci Fi – One Page 40K (28mm), looking for a set for 15mm
- Fantasy – Kings of War (28mm)
- Pre Dreads 1/3000 – Damn Battleships Again (WRG)
- Steampunk Pre-Dreads 1/600 – Dystopian Wars

I use a modified version of Fire and Fury original rules. Until recently my entire collection was in 15mm using mainly Old Glory range figures, but then the Perry's range came out and I decided to take the plunge into 28mm. To be honest though I am not entirely happy with the new Perry Franco Prussian Range. Especially with the plastic French Line infantry not having the imperial epaulettes. I only game the Imperial Phase of the war, so it is a big oversight to me. Also the plastic figures are noticeably larger than the other metal figures in the range. I did see that they recently released metal French line infantry with epaulettes, so I must not have been the only "Complainer". Not sure what rules I will use in 28mm scale.

As for scale for FPW: I prefer 6mm or 10mm, as these give the best mass battle effect (at least, given the time/space/budget constraints most of us operate under), and for me FPW is all about the mass battles.

To the Last Gaiter Button by Real-time Wargames. Rules for big battles which I play with 10mm, largely Pendraken, armies.