"Same period in different scales? " Topic

WWII in 28mm and 15mm. I do 15mm so that the other kids will play with me – otherwise it would all be 28s.

I am wondering why companies that use 3D prototyping technologies aren't doing their models in a multiple of scales.

I mean, if you have a 3D file of some sort (whether you are doing SLS, FDM, or DLP) then all one needs to do is click the "Scale" button on AutoCAD, Maya 3D Max, or Rhino to get a "figure" in a different scale.

Of course, only a few people seem to use these processes currently, but it boggles the mind that no one has though "Scan that figure" and then beef up the arms, hands, legs, and feet a little (to provide added strength to areas I have just been told are "fragile" when using this method) then scale it to a smaller scale (or, scale it up and then slim down said features a tiny bit).

Or, just build the figures in 3D Max to begin with, where every bone and muscle in the human (or horse, or dog, or cat, or elephant, or rhino, or alligator – just depends on what animal plug-ins you buy) body is capable of being lengthened, shortened, slimmed or thickened by just sliding a "grip."

There are several of the Sci Fi lines I have been looking at that I would either kill to have in 6mm, or that exist in 6mm that I would kill to have in 28mm (or 15mm. I guess like WWII stuff, I can see some sense to having 15mm Sci Fi stuff).

But of course!

I try to resist. But fail.

Romans and Celts in 6mm and 15mm.

Sci Fi in 6-8mm and 25-28mm.

WWII in 1/285 and 1/87 (with 1/87-1/76 infantry).
And I really don't even like 6mm for WWII, I can't tell a Pz.III from a Pz.IV, or a long barrel from a short barrel, when they're out on the table. But a local club uses that scale, so I built up a small force.

I do ww2 in both 20mm and 6mm. I only got into 6mm a few years ago due to lack of time and space. I would play 20mm as a preference.

However, I am drawn to also acquiring 6mm or 2mm ancients (in addition to existing 15mm ancients) as the smaller scale makes the game look more like a large battle.

I don't use different figure sizes but I do use exclusively 28/30mm figures using different figure to man ratios. For example, I have SYW armies at 1:10, 1:20 and 1:30 ratios used for different rules. This results in battalions of 60, 30 and 20 figures respectively.

I've got GW Orcs in both 28mm (WH) and 10mm (WM) scale.

WW2 in 20mm for skirmish and 6mm for company action, both 1:1 ratio. ACW in 28mm for skirmish at 1:1 ratio and in 6mm for all other, at variable ration depending on rule system.

Not me. I don't have the space to keep double armies.

Dan

Yes because some armies I like so much that I want them in different scales.
More realistically my budget and availability of figures for my favourite armies change so why not. Another reason (for example0 I have Caesarian Roman and Basilian Byzantines in 15mm- finished and complete (sort of) many of my regular opponents have 15mm enemies for them. My regular chums though play in 28mm so it was a good excuse to revisit those armies I like very much.

7yw, 6mm and 28mm,
AWI 6, 10, 28 and 40mm
Napoleoincs 6, 15, 28mm

Can't help it.

SYW in 6mm, 15mm and 25mm

Napoleonics in 6mm and 28mm

AWI in 10mm and 28mm

ACW in 6mm and 28mm

I guess for me its all down to the size of game I want to do, if its a large scale one, then yes I'll use smaller figures, but if its meant to be a skirmish game where every figure counts, then I'll go for a bigger scale. As for mixing scales- yes as long as they don't look too daft on the table top.

Yeah, Yorkists based for FoG though these days they see more action under Impetus as you simply take units of 4 FoG bases arranged 2x2 or 2x1 to make an Impetus unit. They are in 15mm.

In 25mm I am building Lancastrians specifically based for Impetus as I want to play in a few Impetus competitions next year, they seem friendly and fun. Later on I expect I'll build the Yorkists in 25mm too.

I'm *trying* to keep to a total of 2 scales, but that hasn't been working too well.

28mm for small skirmishes with not more than ~30 models per side, and 15mm for everything else. I used to play both 40k and Epic, but I'm divesting myself of almost all GW products.

Back in the day (when I lived in Pennsylvania near Philadelpia) our group gamed in 30mm Napoleonics, mainly by Stadden and Willy. At first there were "battalions" of 18 French, 15 British, 16 prussian, 24 Austrian; all without officers, colors, drummers. Eventually other makers crept in – 25/28 mm more modern. Some units were built up to 36 French, 40 British, and the like.

I played my first Napoleonic wargame – in the 1960's – using flats, acquired by doing a window display for FAO Schwartz (toys) in New York City. They had bought a 10,000 figure collection, and gave me a cigar box full of my own choice. I later bought Kilia boxed sets in Philadelphia (painted) and unpainted sets from different makers from the Soldier Shop, then in NYC. Much later, we also used more 30mm flats from Europe, using 3 or 4 figures to represent a battalion. We made green manilla folder-like card bases into which the figures would slide. They could then be removed and boxed for storage. One of the players paid another to build all the forces at Waterloo in this way. They were nicely done, shaded, flat paint. He also used the West Point Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars maps to set up the table and deploy the tiny battalions and cavalry regiments on them. Naturally, a battalion could be gone in the blink of an eye!

GdeP

I do World War II and Viet Nam in both 15mm and 1:285 (6mm). Eventually, I will do the American Civil War in both 15mm and 25mm.

In all cases, the smaller scale is for larger battles and the larger scale for smaller fights and skirmish.

Bob Bailey

Rhys, I just love medievals. I enjoy painting and collecting them. My club doesn't even play medievals that often. Every time I pull the 6mm stuff out to sell I talk myself out of it even though I never game with them. I wish I had an answer that had some logic in it, but I don't!

Allen

Sci-Fi in 6mm & 28mm. Toying with the idea of getting into 15's because of all the cool new stuff coming out.

I just started doing scifi in 15mm on top of an existing 28mm collection, and have 15mm and 28mm pirates as well. Aside from that, I haven't had much time or desire to do multiple scales for the same genre / period.

Yes

Yes,

15mm WWII- Platoon or company level
20mm WWII- Skirmish

10mm AWI- Regimental Level
20mm AWI- Skirmish

Disagree: I understand one can be tempted by a 'large size' (28 to 40mm) for individual adventures / skirmishes and another, smaller size (6 to 15mm) for large battles: BUT when it comes to characters you'll NEVER find exactly the same miniature figurine in both scales. Better to change the 'representational scale' of 28-30mm minis, from 1<=>1 [playing 'Flashing Blades, 'LOTHS', 'Gloire', 'Sharpe's Practice', 'Chaos in Carpathia', 'Strange Aeons'… 'Necromunda'] to 1<=>12-20 for large battles (or even 1<=>50, as when Charles Grant refought large Lace Wars battles with 1 48-minis unit <=> 1 brigade). At least for "pre-modern" periods, before the ranges of 'modern' weapon and the speed of modern vehicles would require to play large battles on a dancefloor or in the garden…

I must confess that -probably a scar from the scarcity of potential wargamers in "70 France- I'm automatically allergic to any factor of 'division'; 15mm appeared when Ancient wargaming was becoming popular in France and seduced all newcomers, thus the 'brotherhood' was divided in two alien 'churches' that could not play together. Division -in any form of dispersion- 'weakens' also any individual wargamer.

Wow, what a fantastic response. Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and experiences. It all makes very interesting reading especially how wargamers started way back when!

At the moment I'm being disciplined and sticking to one scale but I'm really getting into the period and completely understand now why people would want to do an era in two scales or more!

Rhys

It's an addiction, crack pewter.