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The rule mechanics for Iron Helm are completely different and open up an exciting new way of playing tabletop wargames. Spawned from the innovative Metal Storm system the game uses multi-sided dice in combinations to decide melee, shooting, movement, command and control and morale. This method means that the score on a die is the number used and doesn't have to be modified by complicated lists of factors, all tactical factors are built into the die choice so makes the game extremely simple to learn and game play flows.
The terrain and movement is aimed at being far more realistic and less calculable. A flat billiard table with the odd wood and hill are no more, real terrain isn't like that and a general could never say with any certainty how long one of his units would take to move to a specific position. Iron Helm uses mechanics that give units a basic move distance then added to that is a random distance. Likewise when units move across pastures, hills and woods there are randomly generated degrees of difficulty that may reduce move distances and the players never know what the level is in any given pasture until the unit wants to move as it is random every move. The game tables look better aesthetically because the terrain mechanics demand more than a bland mostly empty table.
There are 75 basic combinations of soldier ability added to this are the differences between cavalry and infantry, troops with additional abilities or training, tactical advantages and special troop types. This means that there are over 300 combinations that can be used to finely classify your troops. Command and control is moved to a more realistic level, a general issues orders to units and it is the distance he is from the unit that decides if the unit receives the order and acts upon it, added to that is an option to class your generals abilities. Shooting is not an abstraction but is blended properly into the system so that units shoot at realistic distances and cause realistic casualties.
Iron Helm is aimed at Dark Ages and Medieval but the system has been designed at the outset to be used for Ancients and fantasy as well. All basing methods are usable which helps Iron Helm move early period wargaming into a new age.
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