Looking for a Ruleset...

Ghurkas preparing to attack with the bayonet

Next step in this project is to look for a rulebook. My idea is to play at the skirmish level, to have games typical of the "small war" into the campaing: a clash between patrols, an ambush to a convoy, a last stand...

So, while I´m reading my books, I´m also thinking and comparing about rulesets.

 

 

First one, "Colonial Adventures" from Two Hours Wargames.

 

The game is centered around characters´s Reputation, that goes through 2 to 6 and represent a combination of training, experience, moral and motivation. At the begining of its activation, an unit get two D6 with which it can obtains zero, one or two actions for the turn, depending of the result in the dice and its level of Reputation. These actions allow the unit to move, shoot, etc. There are also "Crisis Checks" which are activated under some conditions such as being shot or seeing friendly units flee. These tests allow a great level of realism and can be selected to make the game more or less complex.

This ruleset is centered in the "classic" colonial period of the second half of XIX Century, and contains army lists for British, French and German Empires and also Afghan, Zulus, Boers and Asian  and African peoples, with a good number of rules to personalize the different armies.

The forces and armies can be divided in "European" and "Tribal", representing trained professionals or fierce warriors, and the Reputation adds more levels of complexity to this rating, from militia to household.

The game can be played also as a campaing (interesting for me!), with simple and logical rules to work it: the units can get worn down but can also gain experience (and Reputation) as the battles progress.

 

A very nice and not too complex ruleset for the Colonial period that, I think, can be adapted to a more modern period, but there are not rules for aircrafts or armoured cars, by example.

 

Chris Stoesen is a very nice chap that has made a number of very interesting comments in this blog (in fact, he is my first commentator!!!) and one of them was a suggestion about to use "Through the Mud and the Blood" from Two Fat Lardies to play this project.

 

These rules are written to play large skirmishes based in the Great War, but can be adapted easily to play other conflicts from the age; in fact, the "Specials" published by the Lardies have some interesting scenarios based in the Mad Baron adventures in Central Asia, the Mesopotamia campaing during WWI, etc.

These rules have the traditional card activation mechanism of the Lardies, combined with the command and control system of "Sharp Practice", very useful to play with a great number of units.

I like a lot the period specific weapons and tactics, the seven pages Artillery supplement and the many particular special rules for all kind of tactics and troops types.

 

I think I´m going to use this ruleset; it is more complex than the other one, but also more useful for the period, and has all the elements I need without the need to adapt them.