"What constitutes a skirmish game?" Topic

What is the broadest criteria for a skirmish game, for you?

1: Individually based figures (but may use unit based combat)
Examples: Stargrunt 2

2: Individually based figures that fire individually (rolling to hit for each figure) but act as units
Examples: Warhammer 40.000, Chain of Command

3: Individually based figures that can take individual actions but may belong to units
Examples: Warzone, Nuts

4: Figures that are individual in all respects
Examples: Laserburn.

5: I'm a special snowflake and therefore have a unique and exciting opinion which I will detail below.

4, but can be part of a unit.

I'd say 3, with the caveat that some significant portion of your force will act individually in any given turn cycle.

Warmachine, for instance, is usually pretty skirmish-y, even in mid to larger games. You might have a few large 6 or 10-man units, but you'll also have an equal number of 2 or 3 man units, plus individual warjacks, warcasters, and solo units. By contrast, 40k, even at the lowest point levels is far more likely to be 2 or 3 units each of 5 or more models, and 1 solo "hero" who usually attaches to a unit, and thus not a skirmish game to me.

I also personal tend to view "skirmish" games as limited in both overall size and duration. The center line for me would be about an hour and a dozen models. The further from that you are, the less likely it is to be a skirmish as opposed to something else.

For time, if it takes more than 2 hours, it may be a small game with few figures per side, but it's not really a skirmish (it's a protracted fight/battle). I don't think I've seen a game that didn't last long enough to qualify as skirmish, but I suppose something that lasted only a single exchange would probably be more akin to a "combat puzzle" than a skirmish game.

If you've got more than about 30 models on the table, no matter how they're organized or activated, it's probably not skirmish, but instead some sort of battle. And as with time, games are rarely 1 or no figures on a particular side, but if you did something like that, it'd probably be a duel or something similar.

"What constitutes a skirmish game?"

1 figure = 1 man, with a limit of ~100 figures per side.

i do not see a distinction between choices 2-4; they all work as a defining characteristic.

Rick

yes.
individual figures may take multiple hits to extend thier longevity in combat.
Ex. in Brother against Brother- each figure represents two men. It is stil considered a skirmish game.

It is what I say it is and no Poll result will change my mind.
I consider The Sword and the Flame a skirmish game, even if I have 20 or more units per side.

I know one when I see one.

The definitions above include all sorts of rules which in no way can be considered skirmish games.

each figure represents two men. It is stil considered a skirmish game.

I wouldn't call that a skirmish game.

5. Variation is required. Units are not required in all cases, e.g. RPG alley fights with a squad of city guard, vs. Conan and a buddy. Units are useful for small engagements. Anglo-Saxon definition works: up to seven men is called mere "thievery", between seven and thirty-five men is called "a band", but any number in excess of that is called a "here", which we can loosely translate as an army. (thanks Peter Marren, Battles of the Dark Ages, page 3) So a battle can be upwards of 35 men per side, which is a small "game". The entire "army" is probably one "unit", or war band, with each figure moving, shooting, fighting as an individual event.

I don't think that the RL time a game takes has anything at all to do with whether or not it is a skirmish or a battle. A detailed, or affectionately labored over skirmish game could take several hours or even days, remaining in situ all the while….

3 (which is how my skirmish game works), but also 5 – a skirmish is a small battle within the context of a larger conflict (which is how my scenarios work).

A skirmish game is one where 1 figure = 1 man, in my humble opinion.

2-4. Mostly 3 for me.

But verily verily, Etopheipi spake well.

The First line of all your suggestions.
Individually based figures

4, but since I don't play any titles at that scale…