These rules are completely different to any wargame I played before. The basic rules are abstract and overall quite simple. But they use a fog of war (you only know which enemy unit is which when you fight it the first time), a bidding system (activating few units relatively safely; activating a lot of units with the risk of the turn ending before), and a turn clock, which you can manipulate to your advantage (trying to end the turn at the right point, where your units activated, some of your opponent's didn't yet).
You have limited ressources and need to use them as best fits the current tactical situation.
Units are infantry, cavalry and artillery, and are all the same. Based on historical data, each unit is assgined a strenght modifier. This, combined with the traits leaders are assigned (again, based on historical evidence) does make each force unique, though.
What the Fork
The word »fork« has been used to mean »to divide in branches, go separate ways« as early as the 14th century.
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct and separate piece of software. The term often implies not merely a development branch, but also a split in the developer community; as such, it is a form of schism. Reasons for forking are varying user preferences and stagnated or discontinued development of the original software.
This document is also a fork, in the sense that the basis is the Altar of Freedom rulebook (see www.6mmACW.com). To this have been added content from expansions and FAQs. Content, that is not needed during game play (like terrain building and miniature painting tips), have been removed. Some rules were all over the place, like recoiling was explained in Shooting and in Close Combat, referencing each other; this has been consolidated. To easier find topics, a lot of cross references have been added. Where rules were not clear enough (or we were not smart enough to understand them), we discussed our interpretation and put it here in the rules.
Thus AAOF is a distinct and separate game, a fork of Altar of Freedom.