Choosing a World War II rulebook

[Stug]

I just saw that GHQ have some world war II rulebooks. I saw two in particular with the red arrows. I read the descriptions but I am not sure to understand the differences between the two.

Rules/Books

[Mike]

In Micro Armor a tank model can be used to represent a group of tanks.
In Micro Squad a tank model represents a single tank.

Same with infantry models,  in Micro Armor a base with say 3 models on is a platoon etc.
In Micro Squad, a base with 3 models on represents just 3 individual soldiers.

In Micro Squad, what you see on the table is what is there, no abstraction.

 

 

[madman]

Step one is find an opponent and see if they are already playing X rules. If so start with them. You already have a fairly popular set of rules now I would just go with that and get a few games in. Then think on if the rules agree with your IDEA of how things should go (realism wise and playability wise). Then ask for suggestions based on what you may be finding lacking in the rules you have. Also check on line for other gamers’ “updates” or alternate rules.

Not trying to be negative but I have been into micro armour gaming for 50 years. The rules I started out with don’t work for my interests and readings nowadays. I have probably about three dozen sets of rules and haven’t found the IDEAL ones yet and have started modifying ones I feel give a good start. This can be an ongoing and never ending situation. Just trying to help other guys not go down my seemingly endless road.

[Daniele V]

Micro Armour the Game is available as a free pdf from GHQ site (“Resources”).

[Stug]

Daniele V wrote:

Micro Armour the Game is available as a free pdf from GHQ site (“Resources”).

Cool. Thanks for the info. I will check that.

madman wrote:

Step one is find an opponent and see if they are already playing X rules. If so start with them. You already have a fairly popular set of rules now I would just go with that and get a few games in. Then think on if the rules agree with your IDEA of how things should go (realism wise and playability wise). Then ask for suggestions based on what you may be finding lacking in the rules you have. Also check on line for other gamers’ “updates” or alternate rules. Not trying to be negative but I have been into micro armour gaming for 50 years. The rules I started out with don’t work for my interests and readings nowadays. I have probably about three dozen sets of rules and haven’t found the IDEAL ones yet and have started modifying ones I feel give a good start. This can be an ongoing and never ending situation. Just trying to help other guys not go down my seemingly endless road.

Thanks for the advice. I don’t know anyone who plays miniatures. My goal is to learn to play solo and if I meet someone who plays too, cool. I saw a few books on playing miniature wargames solo.

[madman]

Stug

How is the rules selection coming along?

[Stug]

Hi. I have three options. I bought the first two books.

1. Flames of War, 4th edition.

2. World War II Micro Squad Game.

3. Someone also sent me a pdf copy of Battlegroup rulebook.

[Mike Headden]

Bit late to say this, given you have two sets of rules already, but Blitzkreig Commander IV from Pendraken Miniatures (www.pendraken.co.uk) is quite good for solo play as units need to be activated by a modified dice roll in order to move or fire. AS a model for the friction inherent in warfare I like it. Not all do, as a run of bad die rolls can see your forces unable to do anything but react to enemy movement and firing. The rules have just been reprinted and are currently £20 (down from the original £25).

They have the advantage of being playable at a couple of levels, with a stand of infantry representing a platoon or a company or, at a pinch, a squad.

Perhaps a bit late for you stug, though others in the same position may want to consider them.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[madman]

Mike Headden wrote:

Bit late to say this, given you have two sets of rules already, but Blitzkreig Commander IV from Pendraken Miniatures (www.pendraken.co.uk) is quite good for solo play as units need to be activated by a modified dice roll in order to move or fire. They have the advantage of being playable at a couple of levels, with a stand of infantry representing a platoon or a company or, at a pinch, a squad. Perhaps a bit late for you stug, though others in the same position may want to consider them.

How well do they model 1 base=1 squad? This is the scale I work in and am still searching myself. Also are they primarily infantry or armour based? And how well do they model the other? As an example(s) ASL is insanely detailed for both. My old set Tractics did armour very well but infantry was definitely a poor after thought. I like Conflict of Heroes for infantry but armour uses the same system and loses some by comparison.

[Mike Headden]

madman, BKCIV, as they are known, are a very top down set of rules, with more emphasis on command and control than the fine details of thickness of armour, velocity of shot or angle of armour. By and large, infantry are infantry are infantry with differences for veteran or green troops. Each infantry stand includes the squad LMG’s and any light mortars. Only sustained fire MGs and 81mm+ mortars are modelled separately. Hence “at a pinch.”

I play them as a stand to a platoon of landsers or a zug of panzers and think they work best at that level but have known people who have played at squad and company level quite happily.

It depends on the level of detail, your personal take on what actually happened on the battlefield and what factors were decisive.

Wargames Vault (www.wargamevault.com) have a pdf of the rules available for $19.53 and, as said above, the printed copy is available from Pendraken for £20 (plus postage I imagine) at the moment.

Does that help?

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Author]

Posts