Warning Order - Wasatch Front Historical Gaming Society

WW2 Gaming: New Directions (cont.)(cont. from page 1) Rapid Fire, and manyothers. While some of these have devotedfollowers, none really caught theattention of the gaming masses.So, with the advent of a huge varietyof WW2 figures in 28mm, several companiesdoing large selections of 15mm,and GHQ well established in the microscalearea, WW2 gaming was ripe foranother series of rules.The call has been answered by abouttwo dozen new rules sets in the last fewyears. Of these, judging by the amount ofthreads on TMP, games at conventions,email discussions, activity on YahooGroups, etc…, I’ve boiled it down towhat appears to be the two most popularsets of rules for 15mm/micro-armor andthe two most popular sets of rules for20/28mm skirmish gaming in the UnitedStates. We’ll start with the operationallevel rules first and analyze theirstrengths and weaknesses.Blitzkrieg CommanderTaking the popular Warmaster systemas it’s basis, Pete Jones refined it into aset of WW2 rules. If you’ve neverplayed Warmaster, either the fantasy orthe ancients versions, the game revolvesaround the command and control system.Basically, each commander has a ratingand you need to roll 2D6 and end up witha result under that rating to succeed. Youcan keep sending orders until you fail acommand roll. Simple, but very, veryeffective. The combat system involvesrolling large numbers of dice, but itworks and the gamers seem to have a lotof fun with it.Format: Large size, bound rulebookwith many excellent color photographs.The rules are clearly laid out with manyexamples and optional rules. A greatfeature is a set of armies lists for nearlyevery front during WW2.Cost: $25Scale: Can be played either at 1:1 orwhere one stand equals a platoon.Figures: 1/285th or 10mm(1/200th)work best, but 15mm could be used aswell.Web Support: There’s an active Yahoogroup, plus a dedicated site with battlereports, a gallery, and an army builderprogram.Additional Materials: There’s a modernversion in the works, but so far no additionalWW2 supplements.Command & Control: As describedabove, it is simple and very effective,creating unique situations and requiressome planning for when things go wrong,and they will.Game Systems: Movement is tied to thecommand system and is fairly straightforward.Combat involves a lot of die rollingand luck, but it works and can be fun.Artillery and air support can be devastating.Best Rule: The optional rule for recon isoutstanding, making recon a vital elementin WW2 combat, which it should be.Complexity: On a scale of 1 to 5, probablya 3. Once you get the hang of it theturns move quickly.Group Play: BKC is an excellent set ofrules for group play.Realism: Although the game stats arepretty abstracted, the army lists do limitplayers from creating “super armies” ofjust King Tiger tanks. Artillery and airstrikes are very nasty, which is as itshould be. The game feels right for thelevel of play, plus the command systemgives a good idea of tempo in operationallevel armored combat.Pros: A very fluid game with a novelcommand system. The game does givethe feel of operational level WW2 combatand even though our group has had a fewgames turn out to be one sided contests,both sides always have fun. The rules areclearly laid out with examples and onceyou get the hang of it, turns can really flyby.Cons: For those who like a lot of controlover your forces, then this game is not foryou. We’ve had games where extremelybad die rolls have limited one side’smovement and combat options. Havingsaid that, though, most of our games havebeen pretty enjoyable and there is a growing, dedicated part of our group for theserules.Flames of WarIt would be really hard to think ofanother rules set that has been this influentialin historical gaming for a longtime. Flames of War has proven to be agateway into WW2 gaming for a greatdeal of new gamers and those that haveprimarily been in sci-fi or fantasy gaming.It has all the hallmarks of a professionallypackaged program, namely rules,figures, web site, etc…. . The comparisonsto Games Workshop are frequentand there is some element of truth inthem. The biggest debate over the rulesare the realism factor and whether or notthat this is just WH40K in disguise.Format: Large size, bound rulebookwith many color photos. In fact, the colorphotos in many of the rule books andsupplements help drive the sales. Therules reference sheet is pretty much allyou need to play the game. Hard to arguewith the quality of the books.Cost: $35-40Scale: Pretty much 1:1 scale, with eachinfantry or gun crew stand representing ahalf squad or crew, so a platoon of 40men will have 40 figures on 6-10 standsof varying size.Figures: Specifically designed for15mm, but many gamers use 10mm andup to 20mm.Web Support: In one word, outstanding.The site has continual new content,plenty of photographs, a forum, plusrules, battle reports, painting guides,etc… .Additional Materials: Supported by alarge and ever growing number of booksdesigned for a specific army for a set timeframe. Same layout and quality as theoriginal rulebook. What really helps toPage 12WARNING ORDER