"Contemplation Time: Switching To 15mm Fantasy Skirmish " Topic

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Contemplation Time: Switching To 15mm Fantasy Skirmish

I love 28mm Oldhammer, but my aching body cant tolerate playing on big tables anymore.
Im not saying Im getting rid of my 28mm collection.
They are just (possibly) going into hibernation for a bit.

In the meantime, I have painted up some test figures for 15mm skirmish!
The idea of 3 foot gameboards that are comfortably in reach from any table edge is appealing to me.
And I want to scratchbuild some really nice terrain boards for this.

Rules? Im thinking… Mordheim, Frostgrave, Dungeon Scum, Havoc, Goalsystem Delves, Otherworld Skirmish, and of course LOTR SBG. I will try a game or 3 of each and see what sticks.

My campaign setting?
I dont know if I will stick with my Middle Earth mashup, but if I do, maybe I will call it Mordorheim!

Yeah its Mordheim in Mordor.
But also it moves forward in time to the 4th Age of Middle Earth.
The War of the Ring is old history, its 200 years after the Fall of Sauron.
King Aragorn has died at the ripe old age of 210. The rest of the Fellowship have either died or sailed west to heaven. But rumors of a shadowy evil Cult are everywhere!
Small bands of magic users and their henchmen are crossing over into Mordor to find ancient relics to further their own arcane business ventures.

Even if I end up not using Mordheim, and use Frostgrave, I might stick with the name of Mordorheim.

Anyway, here are 4 trial figures and their backstory…

Left to Right: Tom Dominick Cruise, Sean Connor McGregor

Sean Connor McGregor is a wizard serving in Her Majesty's secret service as agent 00Grey. On his off time he competes in the Ultimate Pit Fighting Championship, the UPFC. He is also known to have a tattoo on his chest of a gorilla wearing a crown and eating a heart.

Tom Dominick Cruise is a short fellow who likes to jump on couches but is also a champ in the Tinyweight division of the UPFC.

Left to Right: Bela Bartok Lugosi, Jesse James Gandolfini

Bela Bartok Lugosi is either a Priest of Morr or a Mordor Death Cultist, perhaps they are the same organization. He is also known as the composer of the eerie horror movie soundtrack to Redrum Hotel Axe Murderer. After his death, his followers known as the cult of Bauhaus decided to proclaim in song that he, Bela Bartok Lugosi is indeed dead.

Jesse James Gandolfini is the most rootin' tootin' two gun shootin' wild west buccaneer outlaw and bushwhacker of the the post Moria Civil War era. But dont call him an outlaw to his face, he prefers the title Waste Management Consultant. He spent many years "managing" the Moria Department of Sewer Safety and Sanitation. This stuntie has a lot of "buffers".

~~~~~

I will try to finish up the Shire Campaign and the Big Moria Battle in 28mm before moving on to smaller scale pastures.

But yeah, Im thinking 15mm is my future.

Cheers,
Mar

The idea of 3 foot gameboards that are comfortably in reach from any table edge is appealing to me.

Wouldn't 28mm fantasy skirmish work on 3-foot gameboards?

Mordorheim…love it.

Editor in Chief Bill,

I tend to think 3' square is cramped for 28mm. I always did 4' for Mordheim at the minimum.

Also, I like maneuvering about a table, even in skirmish rather than a traffic jam in the center.

I know its just a 1 foot difference, but that difference is just enough for me to not have to stand or bend while gaming. Not that Im lazy, mind you, just a bad back. and left hip. and a bad left knee, oh and a bad right ankle too!

Interesting for me because I tend to see 15mm as being for mass army games rather than skirmishes. I do know what you mean about about the extra foot. I have some 25mm and 28mm Hordes of the Things armies; the figures are nice (even with my mediocre painting skills) but I find it much more convenient to play with the 15mm armies, so the bigger armies rarely get a look in.

15mm is for skirmish. 3mm is for mass army games (at least for me)

I played Mordheim using 10mmm miniatures and a 60x60cm board size (my old DBA board).

People often switch from 15mm to 28mm or higher for their eyesight as they get older. I hadn't thought of the back problem.

Have you tried different table heights?

andy

3mm for modern aerial (well, all aerial actually,) 3mm/6mm for mass/large battle, 15mm for Small battle and skirmish, 25mm for RPGs.

Painting is only a problem if you try to paint smaller figures like you paint larger figures.

Back On Topic – Excellent figures and back stories!

Andy Skinner,
Different table heights wont change the fact I will still have to move to the other side of a table if its more than 3 feet across. My problem is more with mobility than bending.

Recovered 1AO,

3mm/6mm for mass/large battle, 15mm for Small battle and skirmish, 25mm for RPGs.

My whole life Ive done 28mm for skirmish, and 15mm/10mm for mass.
But now, for me, the whole thing slides down to exactly what you got there.

How about a board you could spin?
A 4' board is a lot better than 3' if you could possibly manage.

15mm is the way to go. I've painted over 300 15mm fantasy miniatures. Yes, I do drool some 28mm stuff I see every now and then. Then I remember how much they cost, how much time they take to paint, and how much room they take up. Don't see me going back anytime soon.

Recovered 1AO – In my opinion you are all sorted (body ailments aside). Forget spinning tables and tall legs – 15mm is a great scale for skirmish for numerous reasons, many touched on above.

My main interest is 15mm, but I do love and dabble in 28mm for skirmish too. But for two reasons – one, I love painting and they offer a different challenge than 15mm which I – two, the gaming club I attend are more likely to go with the 'norm' for scale so if I want to play it's more polite to comply than to try and convert the masses.

Love your minis (can't go wrong with Demonworld) and your rule set plans, some of which I do not know and will explore, and Mordorheim.

An aside – if your were to develop an interest in 15mm sci fi skirmish as well, to me, everything on the table, ranges and movements rates etc – all 'feel' better and realistic on small or large tables.

As 'new' to 15mm fantasy, you might find a few ideas on my blog to get the juices flowing. It's starting to get quite populated. warchest.co.uk/blog

blacksmith (Javier?) – yeah! to scaling down further too. 10mm fantasy is more viable with the ranges out now. I've dabbled with 6mm scifi skirmish myself and love the 'dinky' nature of it all. Great board.