OSchmidt | 11 Jun 2015 5:32 a.m. PST |
Must the table top representation of a battle be perfect, or is substitution allowed. For example. You want to do an Early WWII battle, but you only have late war troops. Can you use your Mark IV's for Mark II's or Mark one's, so long as the stats are the stats of a Mark I or II. |
doc mcb | 11 Jun 2015 5:39 a.m. PST |
In a con game, appearance. At home, what I have. |
Feet up now | 11 Jun 2015 6:58 a.m. PST |
Me and gaming buddies have used many proxy models for units , vehicles and single figures for many years with no problems to gameplay or atmosphere. Most of the time it was to try a new unit or fill a gap in an army list. I have used my little girls plastic my pony as Tiamat the dragon for a D&D skirmish using the cartoon characters and these were all proxy models too. I would highly recommend anyone to use stand in models for any GW forgeworld stuff as they could be a costly mistake if they do not suite your play style. |
advocate | 11 Jun 2015 7:07 a.m. PST |
From your examples: I'm not a rivet counter so I don't care about many of the minor variants between tanks, for example. Or even a PZ III with a short-barelled 75 to stand in for a similarly-armed PZ IV. But there are limits: a PZ IV is nothing like a Pz I, and so I wouldn't 'count it' as one. I might put in (say) a similarly armed armoured car – but that's what it would be, in the game. And my regiments of foot won't necessarily have the correct facings. I will be less flexible if putting on a display game than otherwise. |
Frederick | 11 Jun 2015 8:29 a.m. PST |
Sure – I have used Napoleonic French for Texas Rebellion Mexicans and ACW Union for Napoleonic Prussians |
Jamesonsafari | 11 Jun 2015 8:43 a.m. PST |
wot advocate said my short barreled pzIIIs are all one variant but they stand in for anything with a short 37 or 50mm gun and I'm not too picky about facing colours |
Dynaman8789 | 11 Jun 2015 8:47 a.m. PST |
If it were not for Proxies I would never be able to play. |
Decebalus | 11 Jun 2015 8:54 a.m. PST |
Usually i try to change the scenario, not to proxy the models. If i dont have Cruiser A13 and Pz. IIIs i would switch a 1941 Battleaxe scenario to tunisia and play with Shermans and Pz IV F2. But i would not play the Shermans as Cruiser A13. |
21eRegt | 11 Jun 2015 9:26 a.m. PST |
I'll swap a MkIVh for an "e" but never for a smaller or larger tank. Kind of concerned about appearance would never willingly allow unpainted items on my table. |
etotheipi | 11 Jun 2015 9:31 a.m. PST |
Well, being that miniatures are already proxies for actual people, I have no problem with proxies. I do, however, like to keep things as close as possible to representative. I think that helps with the evocation of the mood, which I believe gets people in the appropriate frame of mind to role play the engagement rather than min-max it. That said, I had not finished my new Mexicans for the Battle of Puebla by May 5th this year (my old set being gone), so we battled Cinco de Mars-o (John Carter green martians against British steampunk colonials). |
Mako11 | 11 Jun 2015 10:07 a.m. PST |
It depends, I guess. I'm okay with some substitutions, especially at home, if they make sense, or am just doing a little playtesting. I've even been known to play miniatures games, without miniatures (I know, crazy, right?), when playtesting. Works quite well, and you get a nice map of the engagement(s), along with a narrative of the action, turn by turn. I'll probably be using T-54s as T-55s, in 1/144th scale, from time to time, since they're pretty close in overall look. Might even press them into service as…………….T-62s, if budgetary restraints require that (yes, going off the rails). Also, my pre-assembled and prepainted Leopard 1A5s may be pressed into service as Leopard 1A2s, or 1A1A1s. Not sure I can stomach Marder 1A3s as Marder 1s though. We'll have to see. So, while a little deviation is okay, there is a limit, in many cases, at least for me. |
Bunkermeister | 11 Jun 2015 1:27 p.m. PST |
I don't count buttons, or pocket flaps and such. So many of my figures get a quick head swap and they become something else. A coal scuttle helmet makes anyone a WWII German. In some cases ignorance is bliss, I don't much about trains and construction equipment so a simple paint job and it's German, French, Japanese, etc. Mike Bunkermeister Creek Bunker Talk blog |
Winston Smith | 11 Jun 2015 5:35 p.m. PST |
We once used my 1:144 Japanese bombers as gliders for an Italian and German air assault on Malta. |
dsfrank | 11 Jun 2015 8:53 p.m. PST |
In my opinion play board games if appearance isn't important I will sub similar – like a PZIVf for a PZIVh – or late war german minis for early war minis if equipped correctly if it looks pretty much like what it should look like I am ok – not a rivet counter or uniform nazi but the model has to give a good representation of what it is supposed to be |
Der Krieg Geist | 03 Jul 2015 3:28 a.m. PST |
I generally don't like substitutions. If I don't have the right equipment I don't include it in the game. If someone else does it in their game, no problem. I not hard about it. Just won't do it in a game I set up. A lot of the pleasure for me in gaming is building and painting the models I want to play with.. |
Zephyr1 | 03 Jul 2015 2:31 p.m. PST |
I proxied an unopened pack of graham crackers for a Rhino in a game of WH40K once. Nobody complained… |