Questions to Answer Before You Pick a Set of Rules

I see new people often ask "what rule set should I get?" It's a common and perfectly normal question. What occurs next is a tsunami of responses. Well meaning gamers jump to give there two cents worth supporting their favorite rules as if supporting a candidate for elected office. We are a passionate lot after all. By the end of the thread, the newby will find themselves sorting through dozens of responses all as unique as snowflakes. Ultimately the question may be left unanswered or confused at best.

In my very humble opinion a newby needs to answer a few questions before it ever comes to which set of rules to purchase. Most purchases are most successfully made after little research. So let's look at those questions.

1. What kind of general do you want to be? Have you dreamed of leading armies marching across Europe? Or do you see yourself leading a brigade from the front to storm the redoubt? Maybe you just want to be a jumped up lieutenant leading your surly band of rifles. Answering this question will greatly help you narrow down your rule search. It seems simple but you'd be surprised how many people don't give this enough thought. This will determine the scale of the rules you will want. You will want to pick a set of rules that puts you at the decision making level that you wish to assume. You will not enjoy rules that have you making decisions above or below the level of command you want to play.

This led me to a mantra that I have lived by for a long time. A good rule set sticks with a scale. By scale I don't mean size of miniature or even size of units. I mean that the rules will stay true to the level of command. If you are looking for skirmish rules and want to play as a major, you should not be asked to make grand tactical decisions. Conversely, if you are assuming the role of wing commander, you should not be tinkering with battalion formations or companies of skirmishers. Rules designed for high level command by nature will abstract some of the small tactical details we may be familiar with. This helps make a large game playable and will immerses you with the appropriate level of decision making. For those that desire the more mechanical side of tactics, rules designed for division or brigade command would be better.

2. What scale miniatures do you want to use? Where many rules are suitable for all scales, I do believe rule sets have design bias or a "sweet scale". Ask people who play the scale you are interested in about choices. This will at least narrow the "what rule set" question a little bit.

3. How much time can you commit to a game session? The more complex the rules, typically the more time a game takes to complete. sometimes game groups will play games beyond the intended scope of the rules. Playing Borodino with your brigade level rules will not only take a while, but will likely have a less than smooth outcome.

So now when you ask what set of rules you should use, you can say " I'm looking for a set or rules that allows me to play as a division level commander. I'd like to use 15mm miniatures and I'd hope to comfortably complete a game in 3-4 hours." You'll still get different answers, but at least the field will be narrowed down.