A Necessary Evil?

As every wargamer knows, regardless of how much you defer it, how many figures you paint or discussion you have, at some point the lead hits the tabletop and you need to decide what rules to use. Preferably of course, you will have decided much earlier, and sorted out basing... a whole other issue.

I was having a chat with some wargamers, one of whom I was meeting for the first time, and as he lives nearby, I was trying to figure out whether we had any rules/scales in common, so we could play a game. I was trying to remember just what I had played, had thought about playing, played and hated, or conversely, always wanted to try and never got round to it.

Being a confirmed tragic, I thought a spreadsheet would be ideal to track them. Plus, with lock-down, I am getting fed up with DIY, and after strenuous effort my muscles ache too much to hold a paintbrush steady. I've re-organised my DVD & book shelves, I'm replacing the sink taps, I've resurfaced tables, painted doors, stripped varnish, worked in the garden...  etc. so this is by way of amusement.

So these are all the rules I currently have in hard-copy on my shelf. There are actually a few more, but they form part of a book, such as Lost Battles, or Little Wars, so I haven't included them. I got to a nice round 50, of which I have actually played about 30 or so. I reckon a 60% Purchase to Play (PtoP) ratio would be pretty high for a wargamer...   so what's your PtoP ratio?

(NB- the term scale is an entirely subjective view of whether the rules play for a small, medium or large engagement.)

Name	Scale	Period	Theatre	Played It
DBMM	Large	Anc/Med	Land	Y
DBM	Large	Anc/Med	Land	Y
WRG 7th Edition	Medium	Anc/Med	Land	Y
Crusader Ancients	Medium	Anc/Med	Land	Y
FoG	Medium	Anc/Med	Land	N
DBA	Small	Anc/Med	Land	Y
Dux Bellorum	Medium	Dark Age	Land	N
Dux Brittaniarum	Medium	Dark Age	Land	N
SAGA	Small	Dark Age	Land	N
Lion Rampant	Medium	Medieval	Land	Y
Tercio	Medium	16-18th Cent	Land	Y
DBR	Medium	16-18th Cent	Land	Y
Gush WRG Renaissance	Medium	16-18th Cent	Land	Y
FoG - Renaissance	Medium	16-18th Cent	Land	N
Galleys & Galleons	Medium	16-18th Cent	Naval	Y
Principles of War	Large	17-18th Cent	Land	Y
Polemos ECW	Large	17-18th Cent	Land	Y
Maurice	Large	17-18th Cent	Land	N
Horse Foot & Guns	Large	18-19th Cent	Land	Y
WRG 1685-1845	Medium	18-19th Cent	Land	Y
Sharp Practice 2	Small	18-19th Cent	Land	Y
General d’ Armee	Large	Napoleonic	Land	Y
Age of Eagles	Large	Napoleonic	Land	N
Grande Armee	Large	Napoleonic	Land	N
Polemos Napoleonics	Large	Napoleonic	Land	N
General d’ Brigade	Medium	Napoleonic	Land	Y
Song of Drums and Shakos	Small	Napoleonic	Land	N
Langtons SCA Quick Play	Small	Napoleonic	Naval	Y
Principles of War 19th Cent	Large	19th Century	Land	N
Polemos FPW	Large	19th Century	Land	N
DBSA (Pre-Dreadnought)	Large	19th Century	Naval	Y
Age of the Dreadnought	Medium	E. 20th Cent	Naval	N
Blitzkrieg Commander	Large	WW2	Any	Y
Airfix Battles	Medium	WW2	Any	Y
Rapid Fire	Medium	WW2	Any	Y
Chain of Command	Small	WW2	Land	Y
What a Tanker	Small	WW2	Land	Y
Cold War Commander	Large	Modern	Any	Y
Force on Force	Small	Modern	Any	Y
AK47	Small	Modern	Land	Y
Shipwreck	Medium	Modern	Naval	Y
Future War Commander	Large	SciFi	Any	Y
Full Thrust	Large	SciFi	Naval	Y
Aeronef	Large	Steampunk	Naval	Y
Imperial Skies	Large	Steampunk	Naval	N
[RPG removed]
Fear & Faith	Small	Horror	Any	Y
Warhammer (1st Edition)	Medium	Fantasy	Any	N
HotT	Small	Fantasy	Any	Y
Geezers	Small	Street	Land	Y