"If you could start all over, which scale would you pick?" Topic

Would you retain your current scale, or begin again by going bigger or smaller?

Well I suspect like most wargamers different scales have snuck up on me all unbenowknst and sandbagged me, so even if I was able to rationalise a single choice, I'm sure they would soon start proliferating again!

The advent of high quality but cheap hard plastics in Napoleonics and ACW has cemented that scale for me, really, the smaller chaps don't get out much these days…

For WW2 its pretty much equal attention for my 15mm and 20mm collection

Probably about the same for Moderns, although of course wargaming the Cold War in 20mm is sheer insanity! Fun, but insane!

I'm afraid the only answer I can give is 'Haven't the faintest idea'. Life was so much easier when I started…

We grognards do all scales. I do 3 scales for WWII. 2 scales for Sailing Ships, 2 scales for WWI Naval. 2 scales for Ancients. You never abandon any painted collection.

Pretty well what agrippavips says, but if I lost my collection and had to start again I'd go with 15mm for land stuff, 1:3000 for ships.

1/100th for land

Probably stay with 25-28mm, that's what I started with & like the best.

15mm. Seems to be the best of all worlds.

But the reality is, I'm all over he board…..

28mm everything

I have multiple scales, everything from 2mm to 54mm.

If I was starting out again back in the 1970s and it had been available, 15mm all the way.

If my house burnt down and I had to replace the lot now, probably 6mm.

if I had as chance to start over with my vision also, then 10mm.

Well I change scales all the time but never start again as such.. I just do YET another scale.
Maybe if I lost all my WW2 for example I might start again in 15mm… everything else I might go 54mm…

Different periods need different scales. 15mm works well for Eastern Ren. I tried it in both 28mm and 10mm before going to 15.

I have ECW in both 10mm and 28mm.

I have Napoleonic naval in 1/2400, 1/900 and 28mm.

I guess if everything were destroyed or I had to sell it all I might stick to 28mm to start over where possible.

I'd do it the same way. Scale is a function of the intended type and scope of the games to be played.

1:48 or 1:35
very impressive as scales go.

Hard to say. I think 15mm is an ideal compromise of detail and space required but for large games where a stand is a platoon I prefer 6mm.

I'm with ZuluPaul. Started with 25's. Sticking with em.
Peter
board2deathterrain.com

If I was starting all over I'd do 6mm for price, storage, portability, painting ease and great looking terrain. I'm all 15mm now, which I'm very happy with as a compromise.

I made a conscious switch to 15mm for my armies and terrain several years ago. The only difference are my DnD minis and naval minis

Everything gone… 28mm for replacement.

Completely depends on the period.

I would switch to 2mm or 3mm for everything except for games of One Hour Wargames were I would stay with the 54mm I have started collecting for those armies.

When I started painting large armies it was for play test and demonstrating my Guard du Corps rules. Since I needed to do at 30 battalions per nation, I went with 15mm. I wish 10mm had been around at that time. I would have done 10mm. The same is also true for 6mm tanks. I wish 10mm tanks had been available. I would have done forces in 10mm. In regards to other game systems I would select different scales.

I am with Saber6 but I would add that I would have probably switched my napoleonic army to 6 or 10mm for smaller footprints for units and space to play needed. I still like 15s for ancients but if I had the money I would do those in 28 for DBA big battles. Skirmish and D&D are 28 and I have quite a few figs so it may still happen. War of the roses is just too spectacular in 28!!!!

I really wish I had gone 1/144 instead of 1/72 for wwI air. Those wings of war ac are really cool and the footprint far more useable. The 1/72 are time consuming to build and paint. But are a joy unto themselves.

I would probably go with the 1/72 plastic, if I was starting over again right now. They are relatively inexpensive, and the figures have come improved quite a bit in recent years.

Due to space issues, 15mm like I have now (mostly). Were I to move to a less urban environment and have more space, 28mm plastic would beckon.

I am happy with the scales that I currently have: 28mm for land and 1/1000 to 1/1200 for sea.

Kevin

Given that I have more than a few armies a tough one – I would stick with 28mm for SYW, Napoleonic skirmish, Colonial, Ancients and Medieval

I would,though,switch my ACW from 15mm to 10mm

For most games, from Ancients to WW2 land battles, I would go for "10mm", in scale terms approx 1/150. It enables you to field decent sized armies on relatively small tables. The quality of the sculpts from many manufacturers, such as Pendraken, Bend Sinister, Magister Militum, Arrowhead etc is excellent. I can get an army on the table within a few weeks instead of the months (or even years) needed for a 28 mm army and, very important on a retirement income, they cost a lot less. My 600 plus 10 mm figures for League of Augsburg have cost me far less than my 80 figure 28mm Arthurian force and they look very impressive on the table.
For skirmish games, such as Dux Bellorum and Lion Rampant I still like my 28 mm. For 20th century naval, I am very impressed by the 1/2400 that Ken the Yarkshire Gamer features on these pages, but as I have heavily invested in 1/3000 for WW1 and WW2 naval, they will remain a distant dream.

I'm glad that I went thru all the various scales that I did over the years. I have ended up with 40mm of which I am very satisfied.

I would stick with the scales I use for the various periods/genres.

I would go smaller and only use 10mm or 6mm.

I don't think I would change much other than I would not have gone so far afield in terms of the number of periods and sizes/scales I collect.

Perhaps the only one I would have done over was going strictly with 20 mm for WW II. I still prefer 28 mm as you can see all the details.

15mm for everything.

No changes – 15mm for the bigger formations, 28 for the smaller ones.

As of today?

Historical.

Aerial = 3mm aircraft.

Land (post Renaissance through pre-WW1, Nothing earlier, nothing later) = 15mm for skirmish gaming, 6mm (only because 3mm has not "matured" yet for tricorne hatted troops,) for mass battles.

Sea = 1:6K ships.

Fantasy, – 25mm for skirmish from Classicminiatures.net (again 15mm is almost "mature" enough to replace 25mm but still needs a few things,) and 6mm for mass battles (again, 3mm is "maturing" but not quite "ripe" to fulfill my wishes yet.)

SF – 15mm for skirmish and 6mm for the rare mass battle scenario (yet again, 3mm is "maturing" but not quite "ripe" to fulfill my wishes yet.)

VSF – Pending a breakthrough on 15mm Tarzan and "Venus" figures it would be 25mm.

1/6th scale, baby!!!! BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA-BOOM!

If money was or had not been an issue, 28mm all the way.

I don't do only one scale. It depends on the period.

Naps – 15mm
Boer War – 25/28mm
ACW – 15mm
FPW – 15mm
FFL – 25/28mm
AWI – 25/28mm

I was going do early WWI in 25mm, even painted up some figs. But I sold everything and now going to do it in 15mm. Other than that I wouldn't change a thing.

armies (longer range weapons) = smaller scale (6mm)
armies (short range weapons) = medium scale (15mm/25mm)
Skirmish = Larger scale (25mm)

Ancient – 25mm/15mm
7YW – 15mm
Naps – 15mm
ACW – 15mm
WW2 – 6mm
Modern – 6mm
SciFi skirmish 25mm army 6mm

One thing that I find strange is when you are fighting a WW2 battle and the artillery is on the board (FOW). The last time artillery got that close to the battlefield was at the start of WW1 and it got butchered.

I wish that I had put more into 1/72 plastics earlier on.

I love my 28mm and I'm a dedicated skirmish war gamer, but a total do-over starting now? 15mm. Great selection nowadays. I could still do skirmishes but also larger, combined arms battles.

Pentatonic scale.

The best for doing Snoopy dances =^,^=

15mm again but 10 and 20 would be tempting.