The Rules or the Models?

This is a variation on the question: "are you a gamer or a collector?"  It is also a bit of a chicken and egg question.

Another variant is wargame models or museum quality miniatures.

This all arose from an exchange of correspondence prior to receiving my Sails of Glory starter set.

Thickness of bases - thin for better table ascetics, or thick for ease of handling?

What I can say about the Sails of Glory miniatures is that they make excellent (as in hard wearing or playing) wargaming models. For the game you can use other miniatures and you can definitely use the Sails of  Glory models for other rules (maybe just with a change of base or no base at all).  Same goes for the planes.

So in that sense Sails of Glory (and Wings) is a double plus good investment.

I started this post in April 2014 and have let if fester since then.

Wings of Glory for WW1 is fine and great fun for a club night.  Unfortunately for WW2 it just doesn't work for me (which is not to say that WoG WW1 is perfect - handling of altitude, collisions and passing shots for example).  The search for WW2 air rules continues and I'm keen to try out some of the hex based systems.

Sails of Glory on the other hand has been surpassed by Galleys and Galleons.  Much simpler but very much more playable.  It is still early days in using G&G for Napoleonic naval and I am working with the ANF in their long search for the perfect Napoleonic naval rules.

Other related developments in my favourite wargame periods also touch on this subject - the models or the rules.

Ancients

Impetus has been a major success and has seen an expansion of my 15mm Tin Soldier collection which was already undergoing an expansion due to using Field of Glory.

Can do Saga in 28mm, but I prefer using the figures for Songs of Blades and Heroes.

Always ready to do a DBA game.

Galleys and Galleons has been great for Ancient Naval and I'm keen to see how things go with the Roman Seas paper boats.

ACW

Fire and Fury 15mm, nothing further to say.

That said, I wouldn't mind having some of those ACW ironclads...

Napoleonics

Napoleon's Battles 15mm works for me.  Songs of Drums and Shakos I enjoy for skirmish and as for naval, still searching (definitely G&G and maybe It's Warm Work).

WW2

Crossfire and Blitzkrieg Commander and Megablitz and 1/72nd or 1/76th and 15mm and really I'm all over the shop.  I just like the models.

Fantasy

Songs of Blades and Heroes and HotT.  More the former as I can just get away with single figures that take my fancy.  I will probably take my Barsoom project forward with the Songs rules.

Conclusion

For me I think it is the models first, then the rules.  Napoleon's Battles maybe the exception, and Fire and Fury as well, but that might just reflect my age.

Great hobby!