"28mm Gaming?" Topic

I am tempted to start WW2 gaming in 28mm. This is my prefered scale to collect figures in. The doubt that is holding me back, is table size. I have a 6x4 table at most and would be interested to hear opinions on rules and if my gaming space would be big enough. I may want to get 1 or2 tanks later but intend to start small.

a) Just use lots of terrain.

b) Adjust your ground scale, and any ruleset can be played on any size table.

I game 28mm WWII regularly. Go for Iron Ivan's Disposable Heroes or the new Point Blank. Great Rules – no question about it. Squad level/individual level games respectively. No trouble adding vehicles. We've gamed on a 4 x 6 and 4 x 4 with no problems.

Check out the II site and forums for more info. ironivangames.com

Good Luck. It's worth it.

No, I'm not a sock puppet.

Disposable Heroes is a good set.

I prefer Rules of Engagement, which take for granted that the average game table is 6x4.

You need a pile of terrain for WWII so a small table is really a better choice anyways to start.

Iron Ivan games look interesting. How many figures are required for a game?

You can play with just a squad or two perside and get a very fun game of it.

Point Blank lets you start with a squad and support weapon, so two Artizan Miniatures Sections (Ger and US, or Ger and British) would be fine.

Here is another vote for Disposable Heroes, you could also look at Force on Force. In fact I play both for 28 mm WW II. With 28 mm you do not need a lot of tanks; however, you are going to want some of the lighter armored AFVs and soft skins such as jeeps at some point and time. I also recommend looking at the Skirmish Campaigns books for scenarios to guide you collecting. Most of the Skirmish Campaign books are designed for 15mm or 20 mm WW II but you can scale back on the units and still have a great game. Plus these are some of the best researched scenario books for WW II to be found.

On another note if you have not started collecting your miniatures I would be remiss if I did not mention the alternative of going with 20mm. Do not get me wrong I enjoy my 28 mm WW II collection and gaming in this size. The quality of 20mm metal miniatures is very high and you can buy a platoon for what a squad would cost you in 28mm. 20 mm is also the best of both worlds between 15 and 28 mm. In terms of tanks and other vehicles you can get about two to three tanks either in resin or plastic of great quality for what one quality resin 28 mm (1/56 scale) tank will cost you. Terrain is also easy and affordable as much can be had by using model railroad building that are in HO scale or 1/72 about.

Of course, 28mm is a great size to wargame WW II in. I have gotten many years of enjoyment out of gaming North Africa,the Russian Front, ETO, and the Pacific. The selection of figures and vehicles is far beyond what was around when I started this period in 28 mm.

Another vote for DH/CF7B – that's about the size I normally play it on. Dean

NUTS is another good choice of rules for this sized table.

Crossfire. End of story.

Thanks for all the advice. I will have a good look at all the options.

Infantry engagements typically happen at 200-400m ranges. Anything beyond this, terrain usually means you can't see anyone.

400m is under 4 foot at a 1inch:10m ground scale. A platoon frontage is 2-3 feet in defence, a squad will have about 6 inches to fill which works out pretty good for 28mm figures on 1 inch bases. You can almost insist on b-2-b contact being unit coherency criteria.

I suspect any skirmish rules that you like will work in the scales and board size you suggest.

Buck