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    • Ask TGN: 28 mm WWII skirmish rules

    Ask TGN

    Reader a_thousand_hats has the kudos of having the first Ask TGN question thrown out to the masses.

    He asks:

    I’m contemplating giving WWII miniature wargaming a go. I prefer skirmish level games e.g. 1 model = 1 man (Where you have up to 20 minis and maybe a vehicle or two… hmmm tanks).

    With regards to my kind of approach to the setting - think Kelly’s Heroes and the scene close to the minefield with the shoot-out across the road. Scale must be 28 mm. I prefer that size for painting purposes. Can anybody recommend some systems to try out?

    Update: Some links to some of the systems suggested.

    This entry was posted on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 and is filed under Ask TGN.

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    24 Responses to “Ask TGN: 28 mm WWII skirmish rules”


    neilpcegerton says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 9:08 am

    I would recommend either Troops Weapons and Tactics (Too Fat Lardies) or NUTS from Two Hour Wargames. Both can be paurchased and downloaded on line or hard copies by snail mail. Advice and help with both can be had from lively yahoo groups.

    Neil
    Graeme says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 9:19 am

    If you can find a copy, Jim websters ‘Hell by Daylight’. It is for section level to platoon and places more importance on troop morale and training than equipment. Officers motivate individulal figures otherwise they just sit and make noises with their weaponry.
    sir john says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 10:49 am

    My favourite is Disposable Heroes by Iron Ivan. Great atmosphere. Good source material. Whole series of related games based on same game mechanics, ranging from french-indian to ultra-modern.
    Drusus Geronimo Rat Esq says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 10:51 am

    You could try Arty Conliffe’s Crossfire, which is 1:1, infantry based with the ability to put a couple of tanks into a game, though the infantry are moved by the section (or halfsection, can’t remember which OTTOMH). No fixed turns, one side keeps going until they lose initiative, and no measuring either - weapons ranges assumed to be longer than the table and no movement distances for figures. Best to have a crowded table terrain wise though or you’ll find the side moving in the open gets pasted!
    Morf says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 11:02 am

    Give AE WWII game a go. You can leave out all of the hellboyish elements and have a great WWII game. check them out at http://www.darksondesigns.com.
    LarkinVain says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 11:11 am

    I was about to Recommend AE WWII also. Great game and very nice models.
    Andy says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 12:08 pm

    I agree also about AE WWII. I’m having fun with it. Also, the new Pilgrim Cell rules from RKE are an excellent tactical system, and they are in the process of readying some WWII offerings based on those core rules. Pilgrim Cell gives a bit more realism and more tactical options at the cost of a bit more complexity and game length than the AE WWII quick-start rules. I am very impressed with both systems and will play them both.
    Darkson Designs says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 12:15 pm

    I would also recommend AE-WWII as a system to try out. The great thing about our system is you can play a “Normal” pure historical game with great movie inspired missions, or you can add the Pulp hero’s, weapons, and creatures. You can try out the QSR for free: http://www.darksondesigns.com/downloads.html

    We will be releasing the Core Rules in December. So you will not have to wait to long before you can get your hands on the the full rules system. ;D

    Cheers,
    Robert
    Zombie_Taco says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 2:34 pm

    Another free system that you can download is OPERATION WWII (formally known as operation overloard) although designed for 1/72nd scale war gaming; it still works awesome with 28mm models. Just use fewer models in any given squad (around half). With the way priority cards work its like confrontation (older version) meets warhammer 40K, without orks.
    You can download all you need (rules included) here http://www.alzozero.it/eng/index.html
    Rich_B says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 4:02 pm

    I’d second Operation Overlord! We have been playing the 1/72 version at our club and I see no reason whatsoever why it shouldn’t work at a larger scale.
    Probert says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 4:52 pm

    My favorite WWII skirmish set is Face of Battle. Can be played fairly loosely or you can ramp it up to highly detailed. Great game for small unit actions.
    a_thousand_hats says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 11:12 pm

    Wow!

    Great response guys, thanks, absolutely loads of options :-D

    I’ll be having a surf around the various web sites this weekend and take a look at the choices.

    If anyone else wants to chip in with a recommendation not mentioned (or reaffirm an existing option) please do.

    Thanks again.

    (I think this ‘ask TGN’ works pretty well Zac, thanks for running my question.)
    gavroche says:
    November 15th, 2007 at 3:35 am

    Crossfire is a brilliant game, but it uses stands of infantry, not individually mounted figures. Though it’s always possible to adapt that. Some people also say it doesn’t handle vehicles very well, but since I’ve never played it with anything other than grunts I wouldn’t know.

    Be warned that while it’s probably the best (ie most elegant & tactically challenging) shooty infantry game ever, it has a steep learning curve, and because of this some people give up early & come to dislike it.
    RKE Steve says:
    November 15th, 2007 at 6:25 am

    As Andy noted RKE is working on WW II units, and currently have a good set of German and US Army units in progress. No they are not released, that is planned for January. These units lists and vehicles rules will be FREE, all that you would need is to purchase the core rules of Pilgrim Cell.

    You can find more info on RKE games at http://www.redknightentertainment.com/
    Jeremy says:
    November 15th, 2007 at 8:10 am

    I have read the overview of Crossfire and was thoroughly impressed with the concept. I believe that by replacing stands with individual models it would become a perfect game for skirmishing in WWII. Because of the free-form turn system it seems you would really get that feel of two lines of men hunkered down behind cover trading fire, with individuals taking daring moves exposing themselves to get to new positions or make use of unique equipment. That to me is the cinematic image I have of WWII skirmishes.

    I have been curious about the same realm of gaming, so thanks a_thousand_hats for asking and everyone else for responding. I think this new feature has quite a bit of merit!
    trajan says:
    November 15th, 2007 at 11:44 am

    I have used both Disposable Heroes and Rules of Engagement and prefer Disposable Heroes. Both play very well, but I think that you get a better game with DH the more you play. The game opens up more and you don’t get to make “cover” saves. Instead cover is included when trying to hit the target, if you do hit you check against the weapon’s anti personnel rating. If successful, the victim goes down, there is no dodging of bullets or anything. The vehicle rules are simple without seeming that way. There is plenty of detail that doesn’t bog the game down. Hitting the target is not easy and when you do the results aren’t predictable. The rules are also well supported on a Yahoo site, so any queries are answered thoroughly and in a friendly manner.
    MiniWargamer says:
    November 16th, 2007 at 8:31 am

    I talked to one of the game store owners at MilleniumCon. He said that the Disposable Heroes (DH) was one of the most popular sets at the store. He had a lot of Spanish Civil War miniatures on his walls for almost a year but when the Spanish Civil War supplement for DH came out they started selling like hot cakes….

    Michael (Mike) Cannon
    http://www.MiniatureWars.com
    Mocaiv says:
    November 16th, 2007 at 11:03 am

    We are just about to try Operation WWII, the free downloadable rules as previously mentioned. We are using 15mm figures mounted one to a base (on coins). These are spare figures from our Flames Of War forces so the buy in for a squad was next to nowt. No idea how it plays yet, but free is always good!
    a_thousand_hats says:
    November 19th, 2007 at 3:45 am

    Well I’ve had an interesting weekend downloading freebies and checking out the options for paid for titles.

    I also discovered a long forgotten box that contained some 1/72 scale germans and a panzer tank (I’ve no idea when I bought them - must be getting on for 15-20 years ago).

    So I’ll be reading WWII rules for a while now - I think I’m going to give AE WWII a go, along with Operation WWII. And I’ll be taking a look at Rules of Engagement because (and this is just spooky) they’re based only 5 -6 miles up the road from where I live. That’s just mad!

    Many thanks to everyone who chipped in an opinion and also to Zac who posted the update of links in addition to running my question (an added bonus).

    Cheers chaps!
    greatescapegames says:
    December 10th, 2007 at 12:26 pm

    5 or 6 miles up the road! Where do you do your gaming?

    stuart@greatescapegames.co.uk
    Darkson Designs says:
    December 10th, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    We will be posting an updated QSR this week. :)
    a_thousand_hats says:
    December 17th, 2007 at 8:06 am

    @greatescapegames

    stuart, I’ve dropped you an email but not had a response, I just thought I’d mention it here in case your email filter killed it.
    goose says:
    May 8th, 2008 at 7:19 am

    I can certainly recommend “Rules Of Engagement” by Great Escape Games.

    The rules play quickly, with lots of variation and lots of tacticle thinking. 40 or so figures a side or much less or if you add extra players per side you can add more platoons.
    Tanks and support vehicles are not overly abundant and this adds to the “tigre fear” aspect of the game.
    Machine Guns, especially dug in and prepared are scary. Mortors ars are great fun.

    The GEG forum is well supported by the GEG staff Mark and Stu and they are quick with rules questions and clarifications where they are required.
    The rule book is a bit higher priced than some other systems, but it is hard backed and very very well printed with a stunning history section.
    For me, its a worth while investment.
    Jeffhiatt says:
    May 8th, 2008 at 8:49 am

    I am enjoying the Darkson AE ww2 rules and it is very easy to convert it to historical infantry actions.

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