"State of 15mm Fantasy Gaming?" Topic

What is the state today of 15mm fantasy wargaming?

* it's the Golden Age
* improving
* same as always
* declining
* dying out
* no opinion

Golden age! It has been for a while too!

Golden Age and getting better.

Golden Age! With my 3000 points Warmaster Orc army almost done

Maybe I'm contrarian, but it seems we have one or two manufacturers churning out new stuff, but most lines have had the same selection for years and years. 'Same as always (?)', I hope to see more hats in the ring.

I rarely see it played. Fantasy is still 25mm, for which it is a golden age though the demise of Warhammer Fantasy Battles may change that.

You will know 15mm Fantasy has arrived when you can watch YouTube 15mm Fantasy bat reps from dusk to dawn. We're not there yet….or even close. There's not enough money on any one horse to pay it's feed. Doesn't mean there aren't great rules out there. Just means if anyone is playing them they need better PR.

Painful as it may seem competitive play (industry supported/fan sponsored organized play) seems to put the spotlight on any given system that wants to experience any degree of "high visibility" and the perception of popularity. The FNGS needs to reserve their space for "live" games and/or figures they can sell also…..so dead games are most often played underground (basements) in hiding.

Dawn of the golden age. If we're already in the golden age, then we wouldnt be able to go much farther, but there is still a lot of room for growth.

@JSchutt – rules aren't an issue, anything works for 15mm, from 28mm big battle to skirmish to element based games that also work for 6mm to specific 15mm rules. 28mm just has a lot of inertia behind it and 6/10mm are also catching up.

We're close to a golden age,no much is missing.

Dead as a door nail from my perspective.

Heading into a Golden Age and hopefully into Platinum.

For me, 25mm is legacy (not buying any) and 28/30/etc., is moribund for war games – turning into painting more than wargaming. Skirmish gaming is acting as the Life Support for larger figures along with niche/display gaming.

Declining? 10mm seems to be stealing its thunder.

Golden age for me. All the things I want keep getting made. 😀

David
Splinteredlightminis.com

Could be better, but it is good enough. It'd be better if it was on par with 15mm sci-fi….

Improving.

I don't think it's had quite the same push that 15mm scifi had, but I think we're getting there.

Since 1977, it's all I've ever done. I couldn't be happier. Well, perhaps if someone made a 4-headed winged hydra…. (hint, hint, David)

Regards,

Scott Chisholm

LOL. I will have to see what I can do but I don't know that my hydra will have wings.

David
splinteredlightminis.com

How would you tell the difference between a winged hydra and a four headed dragon? :-)

I haven't done any fantasy for decades, but then my 12 year old got into Tolkien,….

I was surprised by how is out there.

Pig-Faced orcs… I see Gold in them thar hills!

The miniature ranges seem better than ever with Splintered Light, Khurasan, Ral Partha, Alternative Armies, and Magister Militum all having fantastic minis. The old standbys (Peter Pig, Chariot, etc.) are there, too. There is also a great deal of quality 15mm historical miniatures that can easily be used as well.

As to rules, seems solid as well. DBA/HoTT and Mighty Armies are still alive and kicking, for those who want to push blocks of troops around and Song of Blade and Heroes, THW Warrior Hero Legends, and the like cater to your skirmish needs. Plus, you can easily use and 25/28/30 game (Frostgrave, Warhamsters, etc.) just fine and the ranges start to look more believable.

Not sure where the naysayers are coming from on this one.

Golden Age! It seems the player base just keeps growing…

RebelMike
Rebelminis.com

Goldfish.
I'll leave that autocorrect because is reminds me of Hitchhikers.
Goldish. Lots of good stuff out there and if the fine chaps driving it ( you know who you are) then they're headed in the right direction for solid gold.

I have been wargaming and roleplaying with lead figures now for 36 years and in my opinion its a case of "Golden Age" and "already declined" at the same time.
Golden age because of the wide choice of figures we now have, including older ranges being brought back on the market.
Already declined because in the 1990's 15mm gaming was actually overtaking 25/28mm in popularity.At shows you would see more 15mm games than any other scale.
This only changed when Wargames Foundry with designers like the Perrys and Mark Copplestone started really pushing 28mm figures again with great fotos and articles in Wargames Illustrated and inspiring new ideas like Darkest Africe which was great for skirmish games with character figures.

I have been collecting 15m fantasy for many years and there are some very good ranges on the market.

The one thing that holds it back is a unified rules system. Whilst there are many out there that can be used, Kings of War, Hail Ceasar Fantasy, HOTT, Warband none seem to grab people.

Now personally I have just played my first ever game of Kings of War using 15mm figures and really liked it! I will be doing it again.

There is also the ancient/medieval rules Sword and Spear which are really enjoyable to play, give a good realistic game in the historical world, they are looking at a fantasy version and I m sure that will be great too….

If the momentum continues the Golden Age is coming……but anyway, just play 15mm Fantasy….it's great!