The Battlesystem Miniatures Rules is a pure rulebook reworking of the earlier BATTLESYSTEM product, one of the first rules sets for mass-combat activity linked to the AD&D game line. The original BATTLESYSTEM box included not just rules and conversion notes, but also maps and paper fold-up counters; this new product strips away the fiddly bits in order to deliver a more straightforward set of miniatures rules.
Overall, the result is a product that's effective, but not exactly brilliant in the manner of Warhammer or a similar game line. The mechanics are simplified - all units can be summarized in a single line of text, representing offensive and defensive ability, toughness, mobility and morale - which is a great improvement over the earlier edition's graininess. Combat is straightforward, with each unit type having an 'attack die' of as small as a d4 or as large as multiple d12s; one roll is used to determine both accuracy and damage, with a higher roll equalling more hits.
The basic game includes organization of units, movement, combat and morale checks, and is reasonably clear and straightforward. Intermediate and advanced rules provide more combat options - skirmisher units, heroes and commanders, urban and siege warfare, flying units, and magic - but are unfortunately less well detailed and more prone to confusion. What happens when a hero-priest gets mobbed by a unit of forty ogres? The setup isn't entirely clear. Can a force of elven-fighter mages, with each individual soldier able to use small-scale magic, take the field? The rules as designed restrict magic for hero characters only. Get agreement beforehand on how these rules will be interpreted in your game, or retain the services of an unbiased referee.
As a standalone miniatures game, Battlesystem is firmly at the middle of the pack - there are newer, better, and more well-known systems out there. Its strength lies in its ability to play well with role-playing rules - though the game was designed to work with AD&D, the game-specific info is limited to names of spells and unit types and one appendix of statistics conversion. Making the rules work with d20, Earthdawn, or a similar fantasy game would be pretty straightforward and quite useful.
Last (but certainly not least!) is the use of this book in painting miniatures and assembling terrain - in addition to an appendix offering written tips, the book also has literally dozens of photos showing excellently-painted figurines. Those interested in painting minis may want to pick up a copy of this book in the used-games section of their FLGS or check around a bit on eBay, just for this detail alone - it's one of the best resources out there for this purpose.
Review Summary