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I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, so please move if it isn't.

I really like the idea of a World War 2 wargame, and I like Flames of war, but I reallt dislike models that look like they were cast and painted by a five year old. Also, models are to small. Are there any other decent wargames with decent models that people actually play?

I play Rules of Engagement (platoon level) and may start Operation Squad (squad level).

ROE has a lot going for it. Models I get from Warlord Games & The Plastic Soldier Company, but I think there are other companies out there for WW2 28mm.

With WWII you aren't restricted to the "rules-and-models-all-from-one-company" method of gaming. Which is a GOOD THING.

It has been my experience that Battlefront (the manufacturers of FoW) don't always produce the best models (some of the infantry are pretty much featureless blobs, but some are OK), but they are certainly one of the more expensive manufacturers in the field. There are other manufacturers of 15mm WWII models that offer better value. For instance the Plastic Soldier Company offer plastic tanks and infantry at a much lower price than the "official" resin and metal ones. Peter Pig, and Forged in Battle offer better value for their castings than BF do often as well. There are also some bargains to be had on eBay if you search wider than for official product. Shop around! Free your wallet!

On the other hand if you still would like to play with larger models, then there are lots of rulesets out there to choose from. For instance TooFatLardies produce "I ain't been shot Mum!" (About to enter its third edition in November), which is a skirmish game useable with 15mm, 20mm, 28mm or even 40mm and 54mm models if you like. AG Publising produce "Victory Decision", and Mongoose produced "World At War". There are lots out there. If you google for historical wargames forums you'll find lots of ideas.

Good manufacturers of 20mm and larger models are too many to list, but some notables are the Plastic Soldier Company, Warlord Games ("Bolt Action" is their brand for WWII), Valient are very good value for money too. Again, Google is your friend.

A good place to start, saying as you are in the Antipodes, would be the Warstore (http://www.thewarstore.com/worldwarii.html) or Maelstrom Games (http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/) or Wayland Games (http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/) who can probably ship stuff to you for cheaper than you can get it out there.

I'll add this before Big P turns up and informs you that you are right to dislike 15mm as 20mm is were it's at for WW2 gaming (the scale of the Gods I understand ).

Also to add to what Osbad has posted, Rapid Fire is a rather streamlined system that many play WW2 in. Personally my most recent purchase was Kampfe Groupe Normandy (if you can look beyong the £48 price tag) and really like the look of how it plays. I must admit that I am yet to play it as I have three FoW armies to finish before I will look at another model or scale.

On that subject I will also add that your opinion of FoW is a little over stated/harsh. Certainly there are a number of older lines that can be very poorly sculpted and cast, but there are as Osbad says other options to fill these gaps. I have found that all of my FoW purchase have been at the very least satisfactory, my main grumble being infantry faces.

As for the painting, well that really depend on the painter. Are you saying that you paint like a 5 year old?

bok_choy17 wrote:Are there any other decent wargames with decent models that people actually play?

No.

As far as "mainstream" WW2 games go, you have FoW.

There are literaly dozens of other scales and rulesets for WW2, but good luck in finding players for them if you don't know any from your own gaming group already.

Here are a few sites, just off the top of my head.

Rules-
http://www.fireandfury.com/

http://www.rapid-fire.uk.com/

http://crossfire.wargaming.info/

General gaming-
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php

http://www.thefaceofbattle.com/resource/terrain.html

Scenery, aside from just a couple of trees, and a blown up tank model.
http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/

http://www.matakishi.com/

General discussion- Specificly, YOUR question, or similar.

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=131208

Then again, there is that 1/48 game, the one with the skermish stuff. Right now they have Stalengrad, but those rules would be top notch for Marines, Vs Japanese on Island hopping campaigns. Think they would do good for general WW2 gaming.

Stuffs sort of free over at thier site, as well. (Good looking building sets, as well as the figures.)

http://1-48combat.com/game.htm

I've fancied getting into WWII gaming for quite a while actually - reckon I might give FoW a go one of these days. Is it a good system?

Well it has its ups and downs

Its the most well known so theres a good chance there might be players around

On the other hand most hardcore historical players label it "The 40k of historicals"

For what it's worth, when all the 15mm plastics starting coming out, Battlefront's head honcho did state that they would never disallow another companies models in their offical BF events.

As to other rulesets, as said above, there are tons, some perhaps better than FoW, many perhaps worse, but good luck finding opponents for them - unless you have a close circle of friends that all want to try the same obscure game.

There are WW2 sets out there that are being played, but you've got to get into a whole different circle of players outside the FoW/40k/WM/WFB zone. Also, know that you're going to be playing with alot of folks in the 40 and over age group. I don't play historicals, but I played a couple games with a group that does, and they were quite welcoming even though I was probably the youngest there by about 10 years.

The Historical Miniature Gaming Society is a good place to start to find local game clubs.
http://www.hmgs.org/
Also check Meetup.com and search online for local historical gaming conventions which are a great place to find out what games are being played and where.

Edit: oops, you're not in the USA. HOwever, I'm sure that there is a HMGS-like organization in AU. Scroll down and check the links at this list.
http://www.reinforcementsbypost.com/Wargames%20Clubs%20and%20Socs.html