At the risk of sounding like other, older threads (Overstuffed Market, The Dangers of Too Many Rulesets, etc.), I was looking out an old set of rules, Koenig Kreig, when I started to count how many rule sets I have for the Horse & Musket period. The answer? 28. 

I'm sure there are some (probably more) out there who have more. But twenty-eight! 
How many rule sets does a man need to play a game of toy soldiers?    I've actually only played with about half a dozen or so. I currently only play with three. I've read most of the remainder (some, I've only dipped into) but not played them!  Some Most of these are in pristine condition. I have therefore decided I will not buy any more rule sets.   [Who laughed? Go on, own up. I know at least one of you did].

I'm sure there must be others like me. For your favourite era / period, what is your experience?

Quote from: Westmarcher on 05 December 2014, 04:50:36 PM
I have therefore decided I will not buy any more rule sets.   [Who laughed? Go on, own up. I know at least one of you did].

Its not laughing just a deep sigh and a shake of the head at your current delusion 

How many rule sets does a man need?

One more than he has!

via Imgflip Meme Maker

I don't know and I wouldn't even hazard a guess at how many of rulesets I have in paper form, as well as a few in the downloaded but not looked at yet category. All I know is that I have 4 under table office filing cupboards and at least two draws in each are full of rules. In one of them I now for a fact that I have a set of WRG 3rd Edition Ancients!

Blimey, 28 for one period !!!

X+1

Quote from: mad lemmey on 05 December 2014, 07:46:55 PM
X+1

Where X is the number already possessed - ML as usual, has it absolutely correct! This formula is one of the foundations of the universe, and not to be trifled with.   

Mollinary

Funnily enough when I look at the rules I own the greatest number cover the Horse and Musket period, including my newest set. Second come Renaissance. The fewest number are Ancient and Medieval, ie Impetus, DBA, Rally Round the King, Hail Caesar, Dux Bellorum and Dux Britanniarum. The last game I played in that era used a set of rules I don't even own. Horse and Musket is definitely my favourite and most gamed period.

I have 2 for my favourite period, George Gush's WRG set and Pike and Shotte.

But then I did have a 20 year break from the hobby (1988 - 2008) ;-)

Ian

I must be weird because I've never had an urge to buy loads of different rules! I've been wargaming (using actual rules) since I was about twelve, I'm now 58. In my youth I used rules out of wargames books by people like Featherstone and Young. Later I used WRG Ancients. Now the only published rule sets I have are DBA (the original rules set) and Volley and Bayonet neither of which I actually use.

So, what do I use now? Well, I write my own.

The reason I don't buy published sets is that they are overly expensive (this has got worse over the last few years) and I often find myself disagreeing with the rules writers (because they're often talking bollocks!) plus a lot of rules sets seem overly complicated/long winded to me; I want to fight the battle not the rules!

If you can't explain the rules you need to start game turn one within ten minutes your rules are probably too long and too complicated...anyway that's how I feel.

Given that the perfect ruleset has yet to be written and probably never will be, I can fully understand the need to keep on purchasing. I also have a great deal of sympathy with Steeleye as I also write the majority of my own rules. What most wargamers fail to realise is that rules are a living entity that are born, evolve and then die. Leafing through an old set is like flipping through an old photo album and smiling at the faintly ridiculous fashions of yesteryear. So no, a man doesn't need 28 sets, but it's instructive to have them.

42!

My problem is that I enjoy reading rules, even if I decide they are not for me and end up not playing them. I also write my own. I have no idea how many rulesets, downloads, photo-copies etc... I have, but mainly play just a handful of all the sets I have purchased. Current favourites include Saga, Impetus for ancients and Kings of War for Fantasy but I am also looking at Sword and Spear Ancients which seem very good.

I've never had the urge to write my own rules. To be honest I've possibly been lucky in that I've found rules that work for me for the periods I'm interested in. Another issue is that with too many different rulesets for a period, I find I struggle to remember the rules, which spoils the game. So 'Less is more' as far as I'm concerned.