Help me find a replacement fantasy rule set please

[Tim Snoddy]

For a long time I really liked Sword and Spear fantasy with it’s very tactical play but it has a couple of game breaking flaws which ultimately meant I left it behind.  So now I have a large collection of 28mm figures, based as for Kings of War that never see the light of day.  Can you help me find a rule set that will get them on table again?  My dream rule set would need to include the following (possibly impossible) list:

It promotes tactical play.  Decisions in play outweigh luck or pre battle troop selection in deciding who will win.

Terrain affects play in some meaningful fashion.  For example some units are penalised in terrain and some are not.

It allows the use of generic figures, based on fixed sized  multiple figure bases.  Got an orc/goblin, dwarf and chaos knight army.

Units represent large bodies of troops, the rules are for army battles not skirmish.

If you can suggest something it would be really helpful if you could explain why you like the rule set in question rather than just giving a name.

[Gridmaster]

Well, here goes.

I wrote a set of rules based on a 2 inch ( 50 mm ) square grid. They are for any era up to the 19th century and include Fantasy and Sci-Fi. The core rules are pretty basic and the Fantasy rules cover most ” troop types “. Only a 12 side and a six sided die are required. Spell casting is  a weapon but not overwhelming and  “super warriors” are limited. There is also a fantasy map. Solo rules are also included. The rule set is available as a pdf file or book. If you want a look, go to http://www.gridwargaming.co.UK

Best regards.

Mike Smith

[Nathaniel Weber]

Gridmaster, where are your rules located? I couldn’t find them in that link. Admittedly I am on phone browsing.

[Ruarigh]

I really like Rally Round the King. It’s highly customisable so you can make army lists to suit your figures, uses element bases, and has options for heroes and wizards. There’s a detailed review here. Some of the criticisms in the review were not actually issues in my Talomir Tales campaign that I ran for eight years. For example, the author of the review complains about how some units can get in the way. I see that as a feature, not a bug, and a tactical challenge for the commander to get around. The game plays well solo, because of the reaction system it uses, but that also means there is considerable friction during play; you can spend a lot of time trying to keep your troops under control and moving in the right direction, or staying put instead of charging the enemy in front of them. I like that style of game, but I know some people prefer games where they have more direct control over their units. The only issue with the rules is that they are quite different from most other rules, so they can be confusing if you are used to more mainstream rules where you have more control over your individual units. The writing of the rules may not help this. The key to dealing with that is to set up the game and play it through a few times as you learn the system. And then, if there are things you are still not happy with, it is easy to come up with house rules that suit your style of play. If you’re not sure about the reaction system, you can check out examples of it in practice with some of the free THW rules.

Never argue with an idiot. They'll only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

https://roderickdale.co.uk/
https://emidsvikings.ac.uk/

[Who Asked This Joker]

Nathaniel Weber wrote:

Gridmaster, where are your rules located? I couldn’t find them in that link. Admittedly I am on phone browsing.

They are a PDF.  https://www.gridwargaming.co.uk/p/table-top-battles-2nd-edition.html

Table Top Battles is a fine rules set that does exactly what it says it does.  If you want a simple set of wargaming rules played on a grid, these would easily fit the bill.

 

 

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Deleted User]

How about the Lord of the Rigns strategy battle game or whatever it’s called now. Mechanics is pretty easy, I think it should have most or all of the things you asked for.

[Tim Snoddy]

Thanks for the input everyone, still open to suggestions.

[Northern Monkey]

two suggestions:

 

1. Dragon Rampant, very generic allows you to use any mini as you like(it has simple but effective unit building rules), no basing restrictions(as long as both sides adhere to the same sizes) – so use what you have based as you have, terrain effects movement and shooting, and whilst it is generally used for skirmish games it scales up easily and the whole system is set up for you to easily tweak to suit your own needs
2. Lords & Lands, (not well publicised but it has been around a few years now and is generally well received),  again no basing or mini restrictions as above, so use what you like(a unit builder/points value system is free online), again terrain has some effects as above, and it is promoted as a mass battle game rather than skirmish. It has a different command system in that you roll a variable amount of dice at the start of each turn(the amount depends on army size and amount of commanders) which provide command pips, these can be spent on various commands, ie moving straight forward at normal pace 1pt, moving from column to line 3pts, you can issue multiple commands to the same unit(to a limit) or spread the command pips around, if you have excess you can use them them(again to a limit) to boost your attacks. (full disclosure; this is my mates game and I assisted in its development, although I receive no monies from its sales) more info, some army lists etc here: Lords & Lands

My attempt at a Blog: http://ablogofwar.blogspot.co.uk/

[Nathaniel Weber]

Thanks for the link, Who Asked This Joker.

[Steve Burt]

What about Saga Age of Magic? Would that fit the bill?

[craig cartmell]

If you want a large scale, grid based battle game I suggest To the Strongest!

Although it is focused on Ancient and Medieval warfare, it is the work of moments to knock up a fantasy army list. The author, Simon Lewis, frequently uses these rules to play battles in Glorantha after all.

The key advantage of the game is that you can play a humongous game in just an evening, so perfect for club play.

Have a look here:  https://bigredbatshop.co.uk/pages/about-to-the-strongest

 

[Sane Max]

Any strong reasons why you wouldn’t play one of the Warhammer Fantasy Games? Unless you go back beyond 3rd edition it’s widely available and is good fun in most of its iterations. I had a blast playing 4th/5th recently.

[ian pillay]

How about playing Warmaster in 28mm?

 

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
http://steelcitywargaming.wordpress.com/

[Tim Snoddy]

Thanks for all the input again everyone.  I have actually tried a lot of the games suggested but they fail one or more of my tests for what I am looking for.  Going to have a look at With Sword and Shield and To the Strongest.

 

[Phil Dutré]

I second the Dragon Rampant recommendation …

[Author]

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