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As the title states I am looking for games set during the WWII era. I am a big fan of that period in time and I am looking for models that depict troops, vehicles and aircraft during that time. I am not looking for scale models because the level of detail is way beyond my level, right now I would like to start collecting miniatures from a game and maybe sometime down the road find a group to start playing the game with. So with all that said, what game systems are out there that are decent and show promise that they are not just an overnight company and have some staying power within the miniatures world? Thank you for any and all help you can give me.

Short answer - Loads.


You have FoW, which I suppose is the nearest GW equivalent WW2 game. Its not my cop of tea, but it sure has a following.

Then you have things like Bolt Action and Chain of Command. Two skirmish games bith with a different perception on how to recreate WW2.

For me, I really only play Battlegroup... But then I do write it with the designer!

As for miniatures, well there are thousands.

What size?

28mm, 20mm, 15mm, 10mm, 6mm, 3mm... I use 20mm as thats the real size for WW2, plus you get to use choose from thousands of model kits at that scale. Massive choice in 20mm. More than any other.

I go with 15mm 1/100 in terms of size so i can play flames of war and battlegroup.
And 28mm i play rules of engagement and bolt action.
My fav is battlegroup but flames of war is the biggest in terms of player base.

It sounds like you re mostly getting started. Therefore, before you make any decisions think about what you want to try and do on the table.

Do you want to recreate being a squad leader? LT? Corps Commander? Do you want to experience the interplay of tanks, troopers, artillery, and aircraft; or are you focused mor eon the interaction between small squads? How much do you want to include off board influences in your games?

Based on some of your thoughts there, we can probably direct you better.

Well I would definitly recomend Flames Of War, since well it covers the early war, middle war and the finale days of the war. You can make anything from The Free French forces to a full SS panzer divison.

Flames of War is most definatly the biggest ww2 game, if you can find players or force someone to play with you (thats how i get to play SoTR) it can be great fun.
there are also countlessof ww2 rules sets without any specific miniatures beeing made like coffin for "seven brothers" or "I ain't beeen shot mum"
If you want to go balls to the wall i think someone has a guide to playing Advanced Squad Commander with miniatures

For starter models and gaming I recommend Bolt Action ruleset. My reasoning, as a Platoon level game the model count is low (kind of). Also I found the scale of the models more appealing to beginners.

But if your thing is full companies, than Flames of War. The rules are popular and you can play using cheap The Plastic Soldier Company models.

I prefer the best of the two worlds. Bolt action using 15mm plastics. Not a popular choice but fun.

A good game is warhammer ww2. It is designed for 1/72 scale so is cheap (use airfix/revell/armourfast/plastic soldier company). The rules are free and feature a full set of army lists. I would recommend checking it out.

A link to the website can be found here (top link)

http://www.shrewsburywargaming.co.uk/page_2918228.html

There is always Rapid Fire. This is a divisional level game, but smaller units can be fielded. It has very different mechanics to the mainstream rules sets and it's mechanics give a flavour of what problems a commander would face in WW2, playing the period not the rules as it were. After I played flames of war I came away thinking I had just played 40k but set in WW2, Rapid Fire seems a more natural set of rules, no special rules, no characters, just real history. Research into the period an events and technology as well as particular formations is actively encouraged, rather than just choosing from a book.

Although they sell some 20mm vehicles from their website there are many manufacturers out there that cater for this period and scale, such as Plastic Soldier Company and SHQ miniatures.

Although the rulebook costs £20 you can get the Vehicle/Gun charts (stat sheets) Scenarios, Errata, the reference sheets and other resources off their website for free. Though they do produce campaign books detailing units used in specific campaigns, the game lends itself to personal research on the matter, it is a very rewarding game.

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

Pick a scale of models then decide.?? 28mm Bolt action,20mm Kursk,115mm Flames of war..all of the rulesets are made by some of the best in the wargaming industry.put modelling before rules.Also gaming table area.just pick a scale that you would enjoy painting.

To be honest you can use any scale models with any rules set, and with exception to flames of war among others, most WW2 sets go with individual figure basing, allowing you to play many of the rule sets on the market. If your a gamer, you'll want games so should probably choose a scale and rules set that's popular where you are, If your a modeller, the choice is yours.

My advice is to check out other WW2 rules before jumping into flames of war or Bolt action. You may find something that suits your needs better.

This website might help.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0ArIWFWGyLB-adEZqM2lQMmlYQjJDZFpGVmdDeFctV0E&output=html

And No, Warlord Games or Battlefront 'flames of war' are not 'the best' in the wargaming community, they have just cleverly marketed themselves in order to become the most popular. There is no 'best' just personal preference.

 necrovamp wrote:
To be honest you can use any scale models with any rules set, and with exception to flames of war among others, most WW2 sets go with individual figure basing, allowing you to play many of the rule sets on the market.

I've seen FoW played with 15mm, 20mm, and 6mm miniatures. I wouldn't be surprised if someone's used 10mm as well.

 infinite_array wrote:

 necrovamp wrote:
To be honest you can use any scale models with any rules set, and with exception to flames of war among others, most WW2 sets go with individual figure basing, allowing you to play many of the rule sets on the market.

I've seen FoW played with 15mm, 20mm, and 6mm miniatures. I wouldn't be surprised if someone's used 10mm as well.

That may not have been clear, it was meant to be read 'With the exception of Flames of War among a few others, most WW2 sets go with individual basing'

Implying Flames of War can be played with any scale figures, but uses multibasing instead of individual basing.

Perhaps I should have used a full stop and not a comma, this proves punctuation is important!

I've played FOW in 6mm - its extremely good fun and can be played out of the box with no mods to the rules.