"Looking for mass combat sci fi " Topic

Hey all

I'm a veteran wargamer all the way back to the 80s and 90s. I used to play Epic 40k, Battletech and Ogre/GEV. I would like to get back into a 6mm Sci-Fi game but there are so many choices.

I'm looking for something that is truly combined arms… armour, infantry and air power. I want to feel like the game is representing a major engagement.

Any suggestions? I would prefer to play in 6mm scale.

not sure if its what you're looking for, but i quite like the Polyversal rules

Dirtside II, free on GZGs website: link

Strike Legion Tactical Compendium

link

solid mechanics, ery flexible design system, true combined arms…

I've even run convention games with these rules and they were well receieved..

cheers
Francisco

I believe there's a new version of 40k epic coming out soon, or maybe one of their other small scale sci-fi games.

Also Epic has continued to be supported by the fan community and the latest version I think is called Net Epic.

Hammer's Slammers:The Crucible works well in 6mm.

link

Epic Armageddon is the latest version of Epic. 6mm scale, combined arms with artillery, armour, infantry, aircraft and Mechs, 10 different races that all play differently with different troops, free rules, free army lists, a large loyal fan base, and great discussions at' Tactical Command' website. There even are many Epic Armageddon tournaments if that's your thing. Rules and some army lists here. tp.net-armageddon.org

I'm going to second Dirtside II. It's an excellent game set and it's free. But you HAVE to print the counters to play!

Dirtside has vehicle generation rules and covers mechs, tanks, GEVs, dropships, powered armored, whatever! The rules are simple enough to understand but have some rather complex interactions. Infantry are actually useful (!) and can be pretty deadly when used correctly. But the biggest plus to me is little to no paperwork. All you need is your army list with stats and you're good. The counters track everything else.

And like I said: it's free! You can grab it right now and take a look. If you like what you see you can get physical copies of it easily enough… but it will cost you a bit.

auction

link

It's not out of the range of many modern rule sets, but it is way more than what I paid 20 years ago! However you can take your PDF to a print shop and print the book and the counters. That will run you $20 USD or so and you probably have to cut out the counters. Worth the money though to have a physical copy for the game.

Horizon Wars might work for you

link

and my attempt at Epic lists

link

Strike Legion is my game of choice, but Dirtside is also a good option and free.

There's Strike Legion: Planetary Operations if you want a larger scale game. Bases/vehicles are companies. It's standalone and doesn't require the (1:1, IIRC) original game.

5150 Battalion Commander

Here's some Bat Reps – Play it with any figures.

link

As you mentioned Battletech, you could give Alpha Strike a try. Its fundamentally for mechs, but 12 per side and in a manageable time lapse, but you can of course add tanks, infantry….

Also, Future War Commander!!

Alpha Strike is an excellent game. Can easily handle 10-20 units per side or more. It's clearly the BT universe, but all the unit cards For Mecha, vehicles and infantry are downloadable for free at the "Master Unit List". It also has rules for the air aspect of combat.

I've also heard very good things about Horizon Wars and Strike Legion.

I've seen or own most of those the crew listed here. They all are actually pretty good.

And I'm an old member of the Tac Cmd site, Calico Bill mentioned. link That site covers a lot of what rules were mentioned here. It's all about 6mm Sci-fi. Might be worth a look … You'll find the Net Epic rules that Black Cavalier mentioned.

I believe there's a new version of 40k epic coming out soon

Well it won't be a new version of Epic. It will only be a Titan vs. Titan game. Like their original Adeptus Titanicus (AT) back in '89. Before they did the first version of Epic Space Marine in '90.

The new AT is supposed to be 8mm. Not the 6mm-1/300, like Epic. And some don't know. Titans are 1/500 scale. But there was no problem using AT with Epic SM. They were designed to be played together. You'd have no problem using the 8mm Titans with existing Epic scale, either, I'd think.

I would recommend Future War Commander Rules. Hope it helps.

Take care

Andy

Future war commander is flexible and encompasses all major arms. AND aliens!

I ended up getting Tomorrow's War. While not exactly what I was looking for in terms of mass combat… I do have a buddy who loves the Force on Force engine behind the game.

I'm currently shopping for 15mm miniatures. Any recommended ranges?

For 15mm I'd check out GZG and Rebel Mini's for sure. Brigade and Khurasan are good too. It depends what you are looking for, there are tons of good choices. GZG has a huge number of complete lines which are excellent. Rebel has some great lines that are a little more exotic. Khurasan has lot of pulp sci fi and crazy stuff. There's a bunch of smaller product lines that are great too.

ref Dirtside II

you can get physical copies of it easily enough… but it will cost you a bit.

a bit less expensive here:
link

I'd also like to recommend Epic Armageddon, a refreshingly fast paced game.

We've even adapted it for playing moderns (1990s).

Hoping Polyversal hits my itch, looks like detailed enough with decent play.

Should be outhere soon.

Ya, got a preview of Polyversal yesterday. Just glanced at it, but looks pretty good. Will definitely be giving it a try once its out.

Dittos for BT Alpha Strike and Future War Commander.

Ogre is also worth checking, just needs a little tweaking to add air power.

I'm currently shopping for 15mm miniatures. Any recommended ranges?

Rebel Minis
Ground Zero Games
Khurasan
Brigade
Loud Ninja
Ion Age/Alternate Armies
Picoarmor
Darkest Star