Rules Rules Rules

Busy,Busy, busy this month with work and the run up to Chrimbo but i've still managed to get some hobby time here and there.

First up the hobby board, oh dear what a bloody mess! I ran out of sand and then the tile adhesive was a complete disaster (made the whole board very sticky to touch) so I've picked up a new sand mix and a spray bottle for diluted PVA, fingers crossed for this one...

I have managed to finish off the Fubar Mech rules and posted them up here on the Forge of War:

http://www.forgeofwar.uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=119

I now have a full appreciation of just how hard it is to get a set of rules written, I started off months ago sketching out ideas on a notepad then wrote and re wrote the one page rules numerous times, even now a few inconsistencies are showing but it has been an interesting project to work on and I already have plans/ideas to expand it in the future.

On to the 15mm rules, when I first get into anything I find myself getting really sucked in, I have to know everything from every angle so I ended up reading a fair few rules and here's my take on them:

Fubar: Great one page set of rules that works really well with 15mm, very adaptable and was the catalyst for my take on 15mm Mech combat rules above.

Forge of War: From the same team as Fubar, must admit this set has not really grown on me, some of the mechanics feel a little hard going (constant addition/subtraction) but is is still a work in progress so i'll keep my eye on it.

USE ME: Cheap set of rules (£3.50) from 15mm.co.uk, easy going and quick to read but what got me was how much was packed in, off board bombardments, swarm AI, solitaire rules, points calculator etc. It is simple but if you just want to grab some minis and get playing it does the job, highly recommended.

Chain Reaction 3.0: I read everywhere about people playing 5150: Star Army and this is the free set of base rules it is based on. I certainly needed to read this through a few times as the mechanics are VERY different to the typical wargame but they do make sense and are pretty refreshing. Looks like it would suit solo play well although I can't imagine using these rules to play large army battles etc.

Tomorrows War: Apparently setting a new standard in 15mm rules, this hardback and well designed book can be picked up from Amazon for just under £15 now so I grabbed a copy. I think I went in expecting something completely different as this feels a little too dry for me, the emphasis on hardware advancement levels and troop training left me a bit numb to the game, so I've put this on the backburner to pick up at a later date when hopefully it will inspire me a bit more (perhaps when the Alien book appears next year?). On another note the background design on each page felt a little too full on for me, I had a bit of trouble reading the text going through.

Blaster and Bulkheads: Another fairly cheap rulebook based on powers using the "Force", this just looks fun, with leads powerful characters and groups of henchmen. Already building up some models to game with this, what also struck me was what was missing i.e morale rules, this did not detract form the rules in the slightest and I want to game with these because of it. On the document design front, if a version with a smaller font could be made it would be great. I print out my docs in A5 format and even that small the font appeared large, a few less pages would make the rules nice and compact.

Anyway, I've been working on the mass pile of figs at my side so should hopefully have some pics next time!