Rules
Historical wargames rules compared
A neutral, beginner-level comparison of popular rule sets. We note where details come from the publisher.
| Rules | Publisher | Period | Scale | Size of game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt Action (3rd edition, 2024) | Warlord Games with Osprey | WWII | 28mm (1/56) | Platoon to company |
| Chain of Command 2 | Too Fat Lardies | WWII | Any; often 28mm, 20mm or 15mm | Platoon, 30-40 figures a side plus supports |
| Flames of War | Battlefront | WWII | 15mm (1:100) | Company |
| Hail Caesar | Warlord Games | Ancient and medieval | Written for 28mm, playable smaller | Mass battle |
| SAGA | Studio Tomahawk | Dark ages and medieval (heroic) | See publisher | Skirmish warband |
| Pike & Shotte Epic Battles | Warlord Games | Thirty Years' War, English Civil Wars | Epic Battles scale | Mass battle |
| Victory at Sea | Warlord Games | WWII naval | 1/1800 | Fleet actions |
| Blood Red Skies | Warlord Games | WWII air | 1/200 | Squadron dogfights |
Notes
- Bolt Action uses its "Order Dice" activation: players draw dice from a bag to see whose unit acts next. The third edition kept this and added a new force selection system and a scenario generator.
- Chain of Command focuses on a platoon commander's decisions. Its core book includes lists for Britain, Germany, the Soviet Union and the US.
- Hail Caesar's designer, Rick Priestley, says the rules were designed with 28mm in mind but can be played with 20mm, 15mm, 10mm and 6mm figures.
- Victory at Sea and Blood Red Skies need much smaller tables or fewer models than land games, which makes them easy second games.
Deciding between the two big WWII platoon games? Read Bolt Action vs Chain of Command.
Sources
- Warlord Community: Bolt Action Third Edition, September 2024 — Bolt Action 3rd edition, Order Dice
- Osprey Publishing: Bolt Action Third Edition launch day — Bolt Action 3rd edition launch
- Tactics WA: Chain of Command 2 core rulebook — Chain of Command 2 scope
- Battlefront: Flames of War — Flames of War scale
- Warlord Games: Hail Caesar, Rick speaks — Hail Caesar scales
- Studio Tomahawk: SAGA — SAGA
- Warlord Community: Incoming! Pike & Shotte Epic Battles — Pike & Shotte Epic Battles
- Warlord Games: Victory at Sea, Battle of the Komandorski Islands — Victory at Sea scale
- Warlord Games: A question of scale — Bolt Action and Blood Red Skies scales
Sources checked October 25, 2026. Figures are quoted as the source gives them; where sources differ we say so.