The rules only handle small encounters between platoon-sized infantry units. Additional rulesets integrate tank and gun pieces as supportive elements for the infantry. The total number of playing pieces is about 20 per side, depending on the scenario played. A game of Final Round lasts an average of two to three hours.
Final Round is intended by its authors to be a fairly realistic approach to World War II wargaming which is quick to learn and fun to play.
Differences from other wargames
The rules are intended to provide a quick game and, as such, are kept to a minimum. This was done in order to allow players to care more about the actual playing and less about the details. The authors feel it is easily understandable and therefore can be modified and customized to the player's preferences.
Scenario Based
FinalRound Infantry Combat
One thing that clearly contrasts this wargame from many of the traditional tabletops is the complete absence of point values or army lists. There is no tournament-approach in Final Round which lets players calculate their armies and engage on equal terms. Instead, the selection of forces has to be done for each specific scenario. Most often this has to be done with great care - it definitely takes some practice for beginners to evaluate the combat value of their forces. However, players can rely on the ready-to-play scenarios from the Final Round website as well as on the stability of the ruleset.
Vagueness and Simplicity
The Rules are kept quite vague on a number of topics. This means that instead of telling what exactly happened to a unit the rules only describe the result of an action. For example, whether a unit has suffered losses, is shaken by the effects of a bombardment or in some other way not combat-ready is simplified to one single rules-term: "broken".
Often the rules leave it to the players to determine how to handle things, replacing dicerolls and rulestext by either mutual agreement or personal decision, often of the opposing player. It must be said that this is truly not a game you play for pure competition but rather for the fun of wargaming.
No Special Rules
There is also a complete lack of special rules or special units. Forces are more or less generic with differentiation only in equipment and training. These factors contribute to the game's most outstanding qualities: versatility and elegance.
Turn Structure
Final Round is turn-based with each game consisting of several turns (about 6–12). While the complete game represents a small encounter a single turn represents one minute or even less (the rules give no clear indication).
During a turn the opposing players alternate in "activating" their units which keeps both sides well occupied during play and allows for immediate reactions upon each other's actions.
The Final Round Project(s)
The authors of the game very much appreciate contributions from the wargaming community. A new section called "finalists" enables virtually everyone to create pages on the game's website. Although a bit complicated at first (one has to start a "project" and click though some pages) this is a rather handy tool to publish own scenarios, battle reports and background info as well as rules modifications. Currently, one has to sign up to their forum to become a "Finalist".
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