I really value QRS’s as a way to gauge how well a set of wargame rules are organized and designed. At the club we’ve “edited” a number of published game rules to make them easier to play. Lastly, when writing my own rules, I start with the QRS as a way to force me to make trade-offs rather than just “throw everything in”

I've made several from various games and laminated them. Some games either don't have them or are missing charts from the books you want handy. I even made a sheet in bigger print for our aging eyes.

QRS...generally make club games possible (time constraints), but it is very dangerous to play a game if that is the only thing you are relying on having not read the full rulebook. You wanted an example of good/bad QRSs so here is the one I am most familiar with it's pros and cons. Altar of Freedom, by Greg Wagman is THE grand tactical ruleset for the ACW. With the rulebook you get two card QRSs which give you the full sequence of play and six tables, with modifiers. (few in number in AoF). The tables allow you to resolve movement, ranged firing, close combat, evasion, General fate, and rally. (The first three being the most commonly used.) This information is fairly comprehensive for the on the table action (only fringe, unusual or edge cases need extra reading). What it leaves out is the C&C system which requires more explanation than would be practical on a QRS but is gone through prebattle usually. It is the heart of AoF and what makes it such a good game so it is worth not skimping on a summary on the QRS. So the QRS does enable you run the gameplay with little, if any reference to the rulebook, all on one, double-sided A4 sheet. It should be said that the actual rules only take up 20 pages of the rulebook and that includes photos, diagrams and contemporary quotes.

I love QRS, as a game aid. It really helps move the game when looking for frequently used tables and charts or certain rules. I especially like a QRS that has page numbers for finding the section of the rule book when needing deeper understanding of a particular rule. Nothing slows a game down more as people thumb through a book looking for something that just needs to be handy.

QRS are essential! Given the arcane nature of many rule sets.

One of the best rule sets and QRS I`ve come across is The Walking Dead by Mantic games. Not only a QRS, but a Turn sequence. The only downside is all a bit jammed tight on the page. One solution is to copy at a bigger magnification.

I think QRS are excellent and I would make my own if one didn't exist. I recently learned to play One Hour Skirmish Games by John Lambshead and there is no QRS for that rule set. So I made my own. I have also modified a CoC QRS available for the public because it didn't have all the text for what happens with AFV hits. I also print specific rules set pages and combine that with the QRS when the QRS is too brief. I can't imagine playing or running a game without a QRS. Thank you for sharing!

I've written my own qrs sheets before and also adjusted and rewritten them as my knowledge of the rule system changes... like them and find them useful...

I like a good QRS; they are invaluable for teaching new players, and for refreshing the memory of the grognards. I’ll make my own if there is none (as with many Osprey rules) or if the creator’s own QRS includes less useful things and leaves out other key things - Pregame rules (like force/character creation or terrain layout guides) shouldn’t be on the same sheet as the game turn sequence. I’ll also make my own when rules supplements and updates change the game, leaving the original rules summary lacking. Though these days I often find someone else has done one already and posted it online.

Hi Lee; I find that QRS are really useful (even for rules I have written myself) - they need to be used in conjunction with a copy of the main rules as ref when obscure things occur (in wargames that can be quite frequently - gamers are renown for doing things not covered in the rules). The QRS are a great way of speeding up the general play with access to the commonly used charts etc. Many modern rules are quite wordy tombs, & some of the rules can be buried in obscure parts of the rulebooks; QRS are good at cutting through all that. So, more positives than negatives (not that I have ever run into the latter).

As a hex and counter wargamer having player aid cards is an absolute must. I would say it depends upon the miniatures game when it comes to QRS inclusion. If you have a complex game they are invaluable to players but a game that has maybe a couple pages of rules its likely not needed.

That game in the background looks good 👍

First, I read the rulebook cover to cover. Then I play a test game, by myself, using the rulebook. Then I use a reference sheet, keeping the book on hand for edge cases. Then it's just a matter of playing a lot until all the rules get internalized. I never throw away a QRS, though, because I have a bad habit of forgetting literally everything about a game after a few weeks of not playing.

I do like a QRS that also include a reference back to the rule book should further help be required, I think one of the best is for Fire and Fury

Nice post Lee!!

I like a good QRS. I’ve tweaked a few here and there, but in my experience happily few have been so terrible as to need throwing out entirely. I did need to write one from scratch for _Charge! or How to Play War Games_ (1967) since there wasn’t one in the book. (And I just loaded them in the car for today’s game…)

I almost always make a QRS - it's just part of me learning the rules. And if everything can't fit, then the game is probably too finicky as is!

I prefer games with QRS. Most really good rules can be used with the QRS alone, though I do tend to make up an index card with commonly 'forgotten' rules and where they can be found in the rule book. Where a set of rules does not have an index or is poorly laid out, I make up a series of index cards with the rules and refer to them in order. For DBA 3.0, I have made index cards for troop types so that all their characteristics are available in one place.

If you can’t fit a complete set of rules on two sides of A4 then they are not worth your time. I spend my working day wading through complex regulations, so it’s not my idea of fun to do the same when I’m not being paid. Before I gave up wargaming my chosen rule sets were by Neil Thomas, RF2 and a couple from wargames illustrated, all of which fit completely on 2A4 and reflect what I understand of the various conflicts they represent.

QRS: Add page reference....please

You need a good understanding of the rules to use a QRS. Otherwise, you won't benefit from it at all and will undoubtedly miss important points. It is good a good reference for the more basic elements: movement, shooting, melee but even these might have factors and instances you will miss if not having some general knowledge of the rules. In all, it's a curate's egg for wargaming

I'm more spiritual about using dice in RPGs than I am in wargames. Are we sure it's all superstition in the world of chaos and quantum theory? 😵‍💫 You could also say that rituals don't do any harm... or... 🫣