Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm curious, what are the best games you ever played, that impressed you with the rules? Not considering the miniatures and lore/setting (which are very important), just from gameplay perspective. Rules that creates a deep, tactical game, or just give you a really fun time.

I think one of my favorite tactical games was Aeronautica Imperialis V1. I have never thought so hard in my life while playing a game.

Another game I really enjoyed because it was such a different experience than what I was used to was Force-on-Force. The action/reaction system made me re-think everything I thought I knew about wargames in order to play it.

I was also interested in Aeronautica Imperialis. Unfortunately, the game was killed before I got a chance to try it.

Over time I've come to appreciate that different rules provide different experiences more than being better or worse. I'll really like how a game does a certain thing, but as part of a greater whole you can't just move that to another game to make it better.

That said, Infinity does what it does nearly flawlessly IMO. It's such a weird game in a lot of ways but all of its elements come together to make terrain and movement and firefights interesting in a way nothing else really captures. It's actually not my favorite game but its rules do something really special.

I loved Adeptus Titanicus.

But the best of GW? That's easy it was . The game no one played.

I've played dozens and dozens of wargames rules over the years. Almost all of my suggestions are about Distilling, Simplifying and Streamlining in order to give the most enjoyable experience. However, most do have something unique mechanically that sets them apart.

Here's just a few of the standouts.

Best of GW:
-Mordheim and original Necromunda. They distilled the 90s Oldhammer rules mechanics down into a skirmish format (the size of game best suited for this level of crunch anyway) that plays easily, drips with flavor and is just alot of fun. Sometimes you want long statlines, dice result tables, and old-school crunch without committing to a 4 hour rulebook flipping experience and both these games deliver that. Both games are great on their own but really come to life with the campaign systems which are fun and flavorful and enjoyable if you're willing to forgo expecting perfect balance and fairness. It's almost magical when you can complete 2 oldhammer-ey campaign games in one evening and see your warband change before your eyes.

I'd eagerly play a campaign or one-off of either game anytime. Doesn't hurt that the games and ridiculous amounts of official supplemental material for both are absolutely free online.

Other great systems:

-Space Weirdos: Unique paired-dice-type mechanics (never played anything like them) and easy-to-use cinematic combat result tables together in a very concise package. It's my go to for Weird Sci-Fi and Rogue Trader Vibes. All packed into a 16 page 'Zine. There's a neat fan-expansion also.

-Grimdark Future and Age of Fantasy by One Page Rules.
Nothing unique mechanically here but they do distill the comic-book-battle feel of the 40k and WHFB universes into a game that moves quickly enough to actually feel as dramatic and fun as the fluff. Won't satisfy those wanting RPG-like detailed representation of units, but when you want a big, fun battle (and isn't that what 40k is all about...) without rulebook flipping, Grimdark delivers. With players who are relatively familiar with the rules, you can complete a massive Apocalypse size game in an afternoon or long evening. OPR is my go-to now for big battles in GW-universes. Also, the online army builder is the best in the industry.

-Mech Attack.
Distills a Battletech-like experience (customizable mechs, heat, damage grid, well-differentiated weapons) into a game that plays in about 1/3 the time with 1/10 of the rules. The abstracted shaped-damage "armor grid" in particular (core to the rules and borrowed from the FASA game "Centurion") is visual, ridiculously easy to use and just "feels right" in terms of representing different kinds of weapon damage. I've had alot of fun playing it in 10mm (with rebased Mechwarrior units) in the Battletech Universe and also running it in 28mm (Doubled ranges and distances with big models) in a homebrew universe at conventions over the past decade or so.

-Void Fighter.
A recent expereince for me. Reasonably simple space combat game that somehow puts all the aspects of movie space combat into the rules. It's just good fun and feels like you're a wing commander in a Star Wars movie. By the same author and uses the same dice-type mechanics as Space Weirdos, but with much different maneuvers and combat results.

-Song of Blades and Heroes.
Doesn't get much press anymore, but it's still my go-to for simple fantasy warband combat. The unique gambling-activation mechanic (which went on to be the core of many games by the same author) means that every choice you make when activating every figure counts and that's a very hard thing to achieve in such a rules-lite package. I still play it from time to time and actually prefer it to the "Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes" version that added a basic reaction system and more magic options.
The expansions for the game are great also, especially "Song of Deeds and Glory" which is an excellent campaign system reminiscent of Mordheim.

1) Space Hulk

2) Starship troopers

Both balanced, fun, fast

Any tactical game with minis - probably Tidal Blades 2. I bought it solely because I had a feeling that putting Gloomhavenesque cards on a grid to activate them in rows and columns for super-creative mind-bending combos is going to be my jam...and it proved to be 100% true. I just wish it was harder.

For competitive/non-board mini games it has to be Warmachine at the end of the 3rd edition. Best balance and clarity of rules in my entire history with that title, the depth of the toolbox and the possibilities of expressing your out-of-the-box problem-solving skills through unique and cool moves on the board - endless! SO. INCREDIBLY. SATISFYING to play.

The same for both GW and non-GW:

Epic Armageddon (Epic 4th edition).

A master piece of wargaming.

A Song of Ice and Fire by CMON.

I've posted at length about it elsewhere, but nothing even comes close to the stomach churning tradeoffs, speed of play, and reward for clever play.

Massive variety in units, attachments, abilities, tactics cards and commanders makes list building very fun as well. Game has been incredibly balanced if you are into competitive play, making casual and narrative gaming easy to do since the point values are pretty good indicators of unit capabilities.

I haven't been satisfied with GW rules since fantasy 6th edition, and I've played many rules over the years since, and nothing does it as well as ASOIAF Tabletop Miniatures Game.

I cannot recommend it enough.

Kings of War for rank and flank. Efficient and fun.

Dreadball for sports gaming. Dice pool mechanic that keeps everyone engaged. Limited actions per turn requires choice and speeds gameplay.

But the absolute best miniatures game I have played is Pulp Alley. A 4+ on any dice type is a success. Adapts to any setting. Play tested to the point of death. It’s hard to mess up the rules if you follow what is written. If you are having a disagreement about a rule, reread it slowly and chances are the light will come on.

The only downside is the title makes people think it’s only good for Indiana Jones/30s/40s. A buddy bought me a pdf copy years back and I didn’t even look at it for at least 6 months. I didn’t want to have to invest in pulp miniatures. We played our first game with the figures we had in a post apocalyptic setting and it didn’t matter. We were hooked. Great game rules.

Lotr was my first love and I still like to come back to it. It works at any scale and is at the right level of complexity and fun. Also rather easy to learn, but hard to master.

Oathmark is my favourite for Rank&File. It has an incredible World building mechanic and tactical depth.

Star Trek Attack Wing for overall ease of play, scenario support and because of my favourite IP. Its weak points are completely on the model side. And availability.

Monsterpocalypse, Deadzone, X-wing

Also we had this thread like a month ago.