My desire to see a new edition of Fast Rules came out of my disenchantment with many contemporary rulesets. I remembered fondly of Fast Rules and Tractics and said, why not? But of course, they had been out of print for a long time.
So in 2020, I did some sleuthing to find the authors and the copyright status. These searches were more difficult than one might think. It turns out both rulesets' copyright will run for another 44 years*. So I got contracts signed to release new editions, and the first is Fast Rules.
We made no changes to Fast Rules, mainly clarifications. And the edition had few typos to correct. But we wanted to add illustrations and do it all in color. This edition is a bit bigger than the original. We included a centerfold of all the charts collected on those two pages. We have started to add free downloadable variants at wargamecampaign.wordpress.com.
Fast Rules is inexpensive, of high quality, and can get you into playing World War II miniature games quickly. The main thing I would recommend is don't skip the hidden set-up and movement. It's a big part of what makes the game fun. The ruleset can be a "stepping stone" to Tractics, which is more detailed.
Click here to find how to buy the rules in two binding options or Kindle. The page size of both is larger than the original 5.5x8.5", the so-called Royal size of 6.14x9.21", which allows for larger print size, especially the centerfold game charts. Still 24 pages.
*Per my IP attorney: While formally filing a renewal registration gives copyright holders some added benefits, even if the copyright holder did not register, those works are automatically renewed for an additional 67 years beyond the first 28 year period. See:
https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.pdf Automatic Renewal and Voluntary Registration Works originally copyrighted between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977. Congress amended the copyright law on June 26, 1992, to automatically renew the copyright in these works and to make renewal registration for them optional. Their copyright term is still divided between a 28-year original term and a 67-year renewal term, but a renewal registration is not required to secure the renewal copyright. The renewal vests on behalf of the appropriate renewal claimant upon renewal registration or, if there is no renewal registration, on December 31 of the 28th year. For details about the benefits of making a renewal registration, see Circular 15, Renewal of Copyright.
