What size / scale for WWII

[ian pillay]

Ok, so I am in the process of sorting out all my wargaming stuff. I seem to have WWII in 6mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm and Bolt action size 😁

My query is if you were to start again in WWII, what size or scale would you go for?
(My go to rules for the period or Crossfire and. Wargames an Introduction.)

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
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[Mike Headden]

Starting again with a clean sheet? Blitzkreig Commander 4 with 3mm Oddzial Osmy forces.

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Tony Hughes]

Can’t say I like BK4 but do agree on 3mm as a scale/size. Still trying to find the ideal ruleset.

 

 

[Olaf Meys]

28mm. Hands down. The rules could be whatever you please, depending on what your preferred number of troops on the table is.

http://mainly28s.com
wargames review site...

[Jim Webster]

It really depends on whether you want to deploy divisions, companies, or squads 🙂

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[Mike Headden]

Each to their own, naturally but for me I can’t see me doing WW2 using anything else in the near future, Tony, and, Olaf, for me 28mm figures are way too big to do anything other than squad-a-side type games.

Never liked Flames of War, Bolt Action or Rapid Fire which were the group’s original alternatives to BKC. We’d all played Warmaster but no one had played the other players go to rules so the common denominator was BKC.

We used Chain of Command, with 15mm figures, for a while but kind of grew bored of it. Probably says more about us than the rules!

Been a while since we’ve been able to get a game of anything on the tabletop but I’m sure we’ll get the 10mm stuff back in action eventually.

Unless, of course, I can lure them into the mire of Strength and Honour and 2mm figures! 🙂

 

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Whirlwind]

ian pillay wrote:

My query is if you were to start again in WWII, what size or scale would you go for? (My go to rules for the period or Crossfire and. Wargames an Introduction.)

For those two rules? 15mm or 20mm depending upon whether you preferred plastic or metal and how tight space was.  The tighter the space, the more I am going for 15mm.

[Don Glewwe]

I lean towards matching the figure scale to the ground scale as best I can – that way the tabletop is as much WYSIWYG, making the ‘translation’ players have to do from what the models are to what they represent as little/nonexistent as possible.

 

Although Crossfire has no specific ground scale I use 6mm to get what I feel is the correct ‘look’ for the battlefield/tabletop -YMMV.

[Steve Johnson]

It would be 6mm for me, as it gives that big battle look for a very reasonable price, plus it is easy to store a battlegroup etc. My go to rules are BKCII with a few house rules and bits from BKCIV. So Battalion sized games and up for me really.

[Mike]

Jim Webster wrote:

It really depends on whether you want to deploy divisions, companies, or squads

This would my thinking.
Though I would still be tempted with 6mm for all of those options and others.

😀

[Daniele V]

1/72… lots of of cheap plastic figures and vehicles…

[ian pillay]

All good comments. I am still sorting everything out but I think there could be some 20mm 1/72 metal figures unpainted, FREE to good home in a week or two. I will let you all know once they are ready!
(I think I have some more in the garage…?!?!?)

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
http://steelcitywargaming.wordpress.com/

[John D Salt]

1/72nd, I’d say. Loads of good, cheap soft plastic infantry, that aren’t proportioned like hobbits; good, cheap armour from PSC and Armorfast; a decent selection of guns from PSC; and the sort of scale where conversion and scratch-building are eminently possible. For terrain, it’s close enough to 1/76th to nick HO/OO railway stuff.

All the best,

John.

[willz]

20mm, 1/72, 1/76 every time for me but that’s probably due to the fact I am over 60 and that’s all that was available when I started this hobby😃.

 

 

[deephorse]

I have a very large collection of 20mm/1:72 figures and models, but that’s really because I’ve been playing WWII for a very long time, and Airfix was really all there was when I started.

But if I was new to the period now I would go for 15mm.  You can store more stuff in the same volume of space, but the models are still large enough to incorporate good detail and reward your painting skills.

As someone who is still buying plastic kits, I don’t find them to be particularly cheap these days.  PSC are three tanks for £24.  Maybe that’s a good price, but I wait for their fairly frequent sales, such as the one last weekend.  Then they are a good price.

Play is what makes life bearable - Michael Rosen

[irishserb]

If starting today, I’d start with 15mm.  I find that it easy to manage on the table, small enough that I can play more than just a few squads on a decent size table, and large enough to capture the flavor of small skirmishes if I’m looking for a more intimate game.  Basically 15mm gives me much of the same scope of gaming that I can get with everything from 10-28mm.

If I expanded on that, I would also play 6mm, as the scope of games on my table would be greatly increased.  I find that 2-3mm is so small, that I lose the 3-D perspective, and given the abstractions of some rules, feels like a board game to me, which is not what I’m looking for.

If I were young, had space,  and didn’t chase too many different periods on the table. I might add a small number of 28mm figs, mainly to do very infantry focussed actions, paras and commandos and whatnot.  This scale would also largely be about the model building, allowing a level of detail that I don’t put into smaller scale stuff.

Like others said above, consider the scope of the desired games, your rules mechanics,  and available space.  Cross that with the preferred aesthetics, and maybe any issues that might come with age; eyes, bad back, etc.  There are probably 1 or 2 scales that will show themselves to be the best choice.

Best of luck to you, reducing the collection is always a hard thing to do.

[Thuseld]

I currently do 6mm. I would stay at 6mm. I can play many different game sizes on different table sizes.

One infantry stand can just be redefined as whatever I want according to the rule set.

Terrain is pretty simple to make and still looks fine.

Experiments here: http://inexperiencedmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk/

Tranquil Stars updates: https://tranquilstars.wordpress.com

[ian pillay]

I have rummaged around and I think I have more 15mm WWII stuff than any other sizes I have. So I am going to fill out the 15mm collections. I am going to keep my 6mm as well because I really like them. So I will have both my 10mm and 20mm WWII that need good homes. Any takers please PM.

thanks all.

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
http://steelcitywargaming.wordpress.com/

[Tony S]

I’ve settled on your conclusion too Ian.  I use 15mm for platoon or company level games like Chain of Command or Poor Bloody Infantry.  I rather like the ground scale equals figure as well.

But I have 6mm too, for games like I Ain’t Been Shot Mum, or BKC.  I really don’t like the Flames of War style armour parking lots, so for games that have lots of armour, I use 6mm. The ranges in the table also look more palatable to me.

That said, as per your original question, if I was starting again…well, the 10mm ranges from Pendraken are mighty tempting!

[kyoteblue]

15mm it works for me.

[MartinR]

I’ve got WW2 stuff in 6mm, 15mm, 20mm and 54mm and I play everything from platoon sized skirmishes up to multi Corps operational things, and I generally play on fairly small tables.

If I had to pick just one scale it would be 15mm, a good compromise of looks, cost and ease of storage and transportation. It is also similar in size to the old Airfix figures and Roco stuff I started out with, whereas a lot modern 1/72nd scale stuff has got really bloaty.

The vast majority of my purchases in the last 20 years have been 15s, although I do keep and use a fair bit of 6mm stuff for some theatres.

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[Gaz045]

I have WW2 collections in 6 & 20mm…….mostly due to availability back in the day and rulesets that defined scales of action.

If I was to start over I would pitch for 15mm…….now there is much more miniature availability and terrain out there, it’s also a good trade off in ‘mass’ and individuality for characters and vehicles. Many rulesets now allow interchangeable scales….a stand can be individuals, a squad, platoon, company or more…..and I’d say that 15mm caters for that in being easily identifiable at arms length too.

 

"Even dry tree bark is not bitter to the hungry squirrel"

[Sane Max]

15mm is practical and paintable. But I would love to get the most out of all the 1/72 plastics out there, so 20mm

[Paint it Pink]

Jim Webster wrote:

It really depends on whether you want to deploy divisions, companies, or squads

I would agree with Jim; though I would add a caveat that people tend to gravitate to a size that suits their preferred sort of games.

Now for me, that used to be 6mm, but only because 3mm wasn’t a thing back 30  plus years ago when I was into 6mm.

Age related long sightedness has pushed me up to 12/15mm and pivoting my games from a desire for large actions to smaller, more intimate warfare.

One is good, more is better
http://panther6actual.blogspot.co.uk/
http://ashleyrpollard.blogspot.co.uk/

[Mike Headden]

Bizarrely, the older I get, the worse my eyesight and the shakier my paws the more I am drawn to smaller and smaller figures and larger and larger scale actions.

If I make it to 100 I expect to be playing planet-wide battles with figures consisting of a single atom 😀 😀 😀

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[ian pillay]

Mike Headden wrote:

Bizarrely, the older I get, the worse my eyesight and the shakier my paws the more I am drawn to smaller and smaller figures and larger and larger scale actions. If I make it to 100 I expect to be playing planet-wide battles with figures consisting of a single atom 😀 😀 😀

😂😂😂 that’s optimism for you!

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
http://steelcitywargaming.wordpress.com/

[ian pillay]

So anyone in the UK want my 20mm stuff? Totally free!

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
http://steelcitywargaming.wordpress.com/

[Sane Max]

ian pillay wrote:

So anyone in the UK want my 20mm stuff? Totally free!

Don’t do it! Don’t do it!

I have sold, given away, and in one case melted down quite a few armies in my time, and i bitterly regret every single one of them. I actually had a DREAM a few months back that I still had my Epic 40K Stuff and woke up feeling happy and was then sad….

Store them away. One day…… you will want them.

**EDIT**

Or sell them to someone you know and trust for £1.00 so you can buy them back some day if you choose to.

[Thuseld]

ian pillay wrote:

r sell them to someone you know and trust for £1.00 so you can buy them back some day if you choose to. Author Posts

The idea of giving away my miniatures is so foreign. I would like to think I will use them one day…one day.

Experiments here: http://inexperiencedmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk/

Tranquil Stars updates: https://tranquilstars.wordpress.com

[Jim Webster]

Mike Headden wrote:

Bizarrely, the older I get, the worse my eyesight and the shakier my paws the more I am drawn to smaller and smaller figures and larger and larger scale actions. If I make it to 100 I expect to be playing planet-wide battles with figures consisting of a single atom

 

by then I’ll probably have written the rules for it 😉

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[Rod Robertson]

I think two sizes are needed to have the best flexibility in wargaming WWII conflicts with the most fun in mind. My two chosen sizes are 6mm and 15mm. The 6mm for large games involving multiple companies, battalions, brigades or divisions and then 15mm for small scale actions from squad level skirmishes to reinforced company tactical battles. That’s just my two cents/pence on this scale issue. Your choices may vary.

Had I had it all to do over again and had good quality models and figures been readily available in other scales, then I might have gone with 6mm and either 10mm or 12mm instead of 15mm back in the days when I was building up my stock of miniatures, but they were not available back then and so 6mm and 15mm minis it was.

Cheers and good gaming.

Rod Robertson.

[ian pillay]

I know what you mean but I’ve had them since 2008 and done nothing with them except undercoat the Brits.

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
http://steelcitywargaming.wordpress.com/

[Mike Headden]

2008? They’re pretty much brand new!

I have unpainted figures from 1978, I’ll get round to them soon* (TM)

Mike

*Soon (TM) – a period up to but not including the next Ice Age 🙂

 

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

I, personally, like Oddizial Osmy’s 3mm line. I think it is better than 6mm for giving you the scope of WWII actions, if you want to be commanding a battalion or more.

For skirmish actions, I’d go for 10mm.

 

 

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[DrussTheLegume]

I’ve settled on 15mm for all the figure based games i play – across Ancient, WW1, WW2, Modern and SciFi genres. It gives, for me, the best blend of appearance, ease of painting and space on the table.

Now that I’ve embraced 3D printing I would, if I were starting again, probably go for 10mm for similar reasons with the added advantage of even more kit on the table ! 🙂

 

[ian pillay]

Mike Headden wrote:

2008? They’re pretty much brand new! I have unpainted figures from 1978, I’ll get round to them soon* (TM) Mike *Soon (TM) – a period up to but not including the next Ice Age 🙂

. Brilliant! Love it😂

Tally-Ho! Check out my blog at…..
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[Jim Webster]

1978 sounds familiar, I think I got everything painted from before that 🙂

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[Paul Fleming]

I started my wargaming in the previous century (1972, or thereabouts), using HO/1:72/1:87 scale WWII vehicles and soldiers.  This always took a lot of room to have a good size battle, but we had a lot of fun.  Then, I saw a picture in a Wargamer’s Digest of some fellow Grognards having a set-to with GHQ Microarmor.

Still being in high school, with few funds, they were priced out of my league.  I knew I would one day own my own, but it would take until I was on active duty with the U.S. Army.  I found a hobby shop just off base that carried the entire GHQ line and a large groiup of people who enjoyed  conflict simulation.

That was way back in 1977, and I have continued to collect and field 1:285 and 6mm mini’s, much to my wife’s dismay, (You’re too old. etc, etc).  After 45 years of building my armies, I have reached a point of it being rather silly to clear the slate and start over.

I am the proud General In Command of approximately 4220 individual vehicles.  My collection started with primarily German WWII, but slowly began expanding into other countries and timeframes.  I know can table forces of The U.S, Great Britain, Russia, Italy and of course German from WWII.  The modern forces range from Korea to current days and include U.S., Germany, Britain, France, Israel, Russia, and Sweden.  Of course, most any army can be fielded  using the main weapon suppliers vehicles.  I now also have mostly GHQ, but over time I have added C in C, Ros/Heroics, and Shapeways pieces, as well as some oddball lines I have run across from time to time.

The totals do not count my Infantry stands, aircraft or buildings/fortifications and terrain (mostly Terrain Maker).

Too much time (and money) have been invested for me to even contemplate  ‘cleaning it all out’, and this does not include my 1:2400 navies (German and British, primarily).

So raise a pint/tankard/glass, bottle or can of your favorite brew and ‘Battle On!!’

[Raymond Haskins]

I started using 20mm in the early 80’s in those days it was mostly plastics from Esci and metals from Platoon 20 and Hinchcliffe,then 6mm,28mm and back to 20mm from the mid 90’s to now. Do what ever suits you and the gamers you game with.

[Steve Burt]

I have a huge collection on 20mm stuff covering pretty much all areas of WW2, and they are fine for skirmish, company, regimental, and divisional scale rules. But if I were starting from scratch I’d go with 6mm. Then you get skirmish games with a 1:1 ground scale, and terrain looks terrific in this scale too.

[Author]

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