"Advice on 6mm Wargaming" Topic

I think this is in the right forum, if it's not, I apologise; please feel free to move it to the correct destination.

Long story short, it looks like I'll have to pack away my 6' x 4' table for the immediate future, so I'm looking at wargaming 6mm on a smaller battlefield.

I'd like to stay with ww2 as I have 6mm figures on the way, but I'd consider another historical period aside from ancients (so obviously nothing fantasy or sci fi either).

I guess I'm now looking at a battlefield of around 2' x 2' or perhaps 3' x 3'.

Any suggestions on a rule set?

Thanks all.

I have been playing platoon+ sized games on a 3'x2' battlfield recently link using the old (and free!) WRG 1925-1950 set: link

For a more stylised but equally pleasing game using hex-terrain, you could have a looke here: PDF link

The Neil Thomas One-Hour Wargames rules work on a 3' x 3' battlefield and you would be able to use any scale figures with them.

Mike

Thanks all

I'm ok for rules as far as ww2 is concerned, I have Flames of War and Chain of Command and hopefully soon, I Ain't Been Shot Mum.

I was just wondering if gaming on a 3'x3' table is a good experience.

Any suggestions on a rule set?

I'm ok for rules as far as ww2 is concerned,

I'm confused.

I was just wondering if gaming on a 3'x3' table is a good experience.

Not with FoW or CoC. I don't think either of them would work at all well on a 3'x3'.

Sorry MajorB, what I mean is, as far as rules for ww2 goes, I'm ok, I'll use them and just shorten all the ranges. If I want to wargame in a different period though, I'll need a rule set recommendation.

Isn't DBA geared toward 3'x2' gaming tables?

Oh, so, when you said "I'd like to stay with ww2" you did not mean exclusively ww2? I think I get it now.

DBA is designed for a 24"x24" or 30"x30" board. BBDBA works on a larger play area.

I run a blog that specifically looks at wargames in small spaces. It favours hexes and there is a set of free WWII hex based rules for 2 x 3 games there.

Link – link

I second the Neil Thomas One-Hour Wargames rules. Great book, simple rules, and the 30 scenarios seem to fit all nine historical periods, at least Ancients to Machine Age (RJW, WWI, RCW). 3' x 3' board.
Normal DBA is a 2' x 2' board, while Big Battle DBA expands the width 1' or more for very large battles. The OHW Ancients are well worth a look.

The only issue I have with One-Hour Wargame rules is that a reviewer on Amazon said the games turned out to be a bit too basic?

Of course I have no idea of the reviewrs' likes or dislikes, but even so it did make me a little wary of buying the rules. Although I am new to wargaming, I did play roleplaying games for 30+ years, so I'm quite familiar with the more crunchier rules sets.

If you want more crunchy and I'm sure it'll work well on a small space is Nuts by Two Hour Wargames. It works for solo as well as multi player, best as a small figure number skirmish but can handle a bigger figure count too.

Thanks Ewan I'll check it out

Staying in 6mm is a big limiting factor for you here … I tend to think of 6mm on big tables for epic battles; once you reduce the table down then tactically there's no place to go.

Thoughts are …

A skirmish game in a different scale? They are not all Sci-Fi and Fantasy, TooFatLardies have some good games that are 1:1.

or

6mm scale but a bigger rules set?

@ Ssendam

Thanks for the advice

I've got Chain of Command though haven't read the rules yet. I've heard good things about them though

Not sure what you mean by a bigger rules set

Five Core Company commander works well with 6mm on a small table, 1 base = 1 squad. You can see report fro Jack here link

They are availible on wargames vault.

One Hour Wargames has very basic mechanics, but is concerned with playing out specific scenarios rather than pitched battles. So the demands of the scenario compensates for the simplicity of the mechanics. I've enjoyed the games I've played. Bit I'm also back with DBA 3, which gives a good fast ancients game. I use a table which is 39 inches by 39 inches. Its a converted office notice board, which explains the strange dimensions.

Mighty Armies Ancients or Fantasy will both work on smaller boards. You could knock those armies out quite quickly too.

Thanks all for the advice

> Not with FoW or CoC. I don't think either of them would work at all well on a 3'x3'

Both should work just fine with a 3' by 3' playing surface using 6mm figures. For CoC use CM instead of inches and that 3' surface is now equivalent to 7.5' (and since at 6mm the ground scale and figure scale would be nearly identical that is something you need to do anyway – quite the different idea from normal games where the figure scale is way larger than the ground scale).

Same idea for FOW, use CM or half inches instead of inches for measurement and a 3' by 3' table is fine.

I like 6mm for WW II and later. I have never found a good set of rules except one of the PW's home Rules.

Works okay for skirmishes.

I'd recommend either using the dinner table, or folding tables, for a larger area though, if possible.

You can fight "big" battles with 3mm armor on a small playing surface like that.

I think Chain of Command may work on 3' deep by 4' wide. You may have to reduce some of the patrol phase measurements. My games have been set up on 4x6 tables but invariable the drama of the fight is on 4x4. Stick with 15-28mm (I can't remember what you settled on). I agree with @Ssendam, 6mm is for Epic games.

Please don't take offense, but you seem a bit all over the place. Pick something and get a game or two under your belt.

Most rules will work on smaller tables, although you may need to reduce some ranges. Grid based rules are largely independent of table size.

You can play something like 5Core Brigade Commander on a tiny table (say 80x80cm) and still have a decent game. In 6mm, which I certainly don't regard as the province of huge battles.

@ PrivateSnafu

We have started to play Flames of War, we had our first game last Friday and it was fun. I've also bought Chain of Command (but haven't read it yet) and I Ain't Been Shot Mum (which hasn't turned up yet). I'm only looking at a smaller battle field right now, because it looks like I'm going to have to pack away my 6'x4' table for the immediate future. That said you do have a point though as I readily admit that I tend to jump from one thing to another. :) I used be terrible for changing one roleplaying game for another, and usually in mid campaign.

Thanks all for the advice. It seems to me you could play on smaller battlefields with minimum fuss if using 6mm and shorter ranges.

Thanks again.

I have an AAR of a 1 Hour wargame on a 3' x 3' with an edit at the bottom of the post showing how the same game was played on an 18" x 18". I am just posting so that you can see a 3 x 3 game.

Link – link

Thanks for the link normsmith.

I read a bit of it but the rules feel a bit too light for my likings. No doubt it does well what it is mean to do but for my game I'd like a bit more crunch.

When playing on a smaller table I often just reduce all measurements proportionally, including base sizes if needed.

I find 6mm gives good options for keeping a massed troops look on small bases. I can mount two Baccus strips on a 20mm x 15mm base in two ranks of 4 figures each. This compared to the same foot print for one 28mm figure.

There is a point of diminishing returns at which base sizes and movement and shooting range increments become small and fiddly enough that the added compression is more trouble than it is worth. But a 3x3 foot table or a 2x2 is big enough for a decent game.

I find that when I am playing on very small tables my preference is to game smaller actions with a ground scale closer to figure scale. The look of a less jam packed battlefield appeals to me for more modern periods.

We used to play with Spearhead but in recent years switched to Blitzkrieg Commander and Battlefront WWII.

Thanks for the info Dave

I think I'd be more than happy on a 3'x3' with 6mm too

One Hour Wargames rules are indeed simple. But the games rarely last more than one hour. You play a campaign in an evening.

@ Lonkka1Aactual – I used to have Spearhead, but never played it.

@ vtsaogames – An hour sounds about right for filling in a few gaps in the day