Barry , as always I enjoyed your article in this months WI on rules and rules sets. I too have bought many over the years, most of which have gone unplayed. Why - well in the main for the same reasons as you -
1) I have been looking for good orders of battle / army organisation data
2) I have been seduced by the quality of photographs and illustrations
3) They have been recommended by friends
4) I am a collector
5) It takes time and effort to try out a new set and with many of us gaming only infrequently over the years you tend to stick with what you know.
Having said all that I do have a few favourite sets and a few I will pass on.
Here's my list of favourites
1) Blood and Swash (Buck Surdu) - frankly the most adaptable and simple set of rules I hvae found. Great for quick games and easily explained across all ages. They are not produced ina a fancy format , easily affordable and I have used them ofr Ancients, Colonial, French & Indian wars, Prohibition Wars, WWII and Pirates.
2) WAB - I know they have their detractors but they are well produced, adaptable over many periods, and reasonbly simple to play. I like their OOB's and points systems.
3) Disposable heroes - I'm a convert after our last big game and am looking forward to testing them out for Vietnam.
4) Rapid Fire- my favourite WWII rules. Slightly complex but playable and fast.
5) Wellington rules (Buck Surdu again) - good Napoleonic rules with a straggler system which appeals to me.
6) Republic to Empire (by some Barry Hilton chappie) - having played these more than any other Napoleonic set and been given the opportunity to add my own comments to the continuing design, they are very playable, work with large scale and multiple players, generally very logical and have some nice uniqwue Napoleonic modifications with being too anoraky.
7) Volley and Bayonet - pretty decent set
Brother vs Brother - nice ACW set
9) 1644 - I love the period and these rules.
And my least favourites
1) Most other napoleonic rules sets including General de Brigade( way too complex) , Shako (ok),
2) Flames of War- beautifully produced, well marketed and fast but sits high on my list of "points to argue with the umpire" scale.
3) Principles of War - I'd hoped these would be a good colonial set but was disappointed.
4) WRG DBA, DBM - I know its heretical but they don't do it for me. To mechanistic, chess like, restrictive.
And the major gaps
1) Colonial - a rule set which adequately allows for large numbers of natives (Zulus / Mahdists / Indian mutineers) against smaller numbers of better armed/trained Europeans. Larry Broms Sword and the Flame are probable the best I've played.
2) Naval/land combination - most rule sets are either for land based or naval based battles. Something which combines the two for Pirate games, ACW or Ancients is missing.
So why do we keep buying new sets. I guess we are all looking for the perfect set, the Holy Grail of rules. Production qualities are certainly up but so correspondingly are prices. At £20 a set you think twice before parting with your cash now.
My views on best practice rules
1) Have a good index/ table of contents - it's incredible how many sets don't do this
2) Pageinate - again some many sets have no page numbers
3) Be flexible on basing - I hate rebasing and want my current basing system to work without any changes
4) Provide quick reference tables and charts - essential
5) Provide additional detachable tables and charts and templates - I've just bought the Foundry Medieval rules which give a page for you to photocopy and cut out. Rules sets should either provide laminated / plasti templates (for fire/artillery etc) or try and use already commercially available etemplates (Games Workshop/ Flames of War etc).