"What scale do you prefer for your TSATF gaming?" Topic

The heading pretty much says it all. Do you have one particular scale army or multi-scale? Dad's TSATF armies were mainly 28mm with some 25's and 30's lurking about. But he started with Scruby and SAE armies in the late 1950's – early 1960's.

I game on a continuum from 25mm Ral Partha – 28mm Black Tree Design, and everything in between time wise and scalewise. They all mix together well on the table.

I also started with Scruby figures for my first metal castings, at 10 cents/man.

Rick

28 / 25mm.

True 25mm.
Like Ral Partha, Frontier, Falcon, etc.
It's what I built up the bulk of my forces with.

True 25s, and I tried it with 54mm plastics.

Started in 25s; sold some and had the movers lose the rest; moved to 15mm but never really liked that scale and am now using 6mm.

54mm, though with infantry units generally brought down to 10 figures. We've had good fun with 12 or 14 counts also. The larger sized figures rather force one to have fewer units per side, which really lets the rules shine.

Though I swiftly add I'll happily game in any scale!

I just recently purchased TSATF, and I am using Perry Bros. 28mm plastics (which are really 30mm) for British and Mahdists, and Old Glory 25s (which are really 28mm) for Boxers. I will be expanding my British with some Copplestone 28mm Vickers teams.

Old Glory 25/28mm.

Ral Partha true 25mm for British colonial and Old Glory 28mm for the Spanish American War.

15s

For Sudan:

For French Foreign Legion:

And for Sword in the Forest:

Much more FIW: link

1/72 Plastics.

Great economy for bulk, not to mention Airfix' Fort Sahara!

15mm

As with others, "true" 25mm Scruby, MiniFigs, Frontier, Falcon, and Iron Brigade.

Jim

1/72.

25/28mm

My colonials are almost entirely Ral Partha. Everything they made in colonials I have an army for. I do have some of the new plastic Perry stuff as well. So 25/28mm.

Flashman, those figures look just great. Are the Sudan figures Essex?

Started out with Ral Partha's 25mm and have not wished for anything different.

Thanks! Yes, the Sudan stuff is all Essex.

25/28

Pendraken 10mm.

Started with toy soldiers (54mm) but found it to be too expensive. Now use 1/72 plastics.

Ral Partha true 25's like the others. If I did it again I would choose Jacklex 20mm. They would be perfect for my Airfix Fort Sahara.

For Colonials, I started out with Ral Partha, and later moved to 28mm figures, like Foundry and Old Glory.

TSATF proved to be rather versatile, something that could be amended for other periods. Inspired by Patrick Leigh Fermor's book, Mani, I put together small armies of Maniots (Ral Partha) and Turks (Minifigs).

Grelber

1/72 plastics along with a few old true 25 mm ral parthas for specialty figures. 1 box of 1/72s let you field at least two units of infantry or 1 full unit of cavalry. can't beat the price.

Originally 25mm Scruby, then 30mm Scruby, then Ral Partha. Now 28mm Empress.

15's and 25's in the past. Now, 28's.

28's

I only own 28s.

Yah, I know, I'm a relative latecomer to Colonial Wargaming on this thread.

Chick

15mm

All my colonials are a combination of 1/72 and 20mm metals.

Many, many thanks for everyone's replies.

I asked the question because a recent potential customer got a bit "snarky" prior to his purchase. He said that everyone knew "TSATF could only be used" with those "antique, old-time 28mm figures". I replied they could be used with many different scales as well as simply changing the 20-man units to whatever works for them. But for those of us who have 28mm armies, that's what figures were available when TSATF came out 40 years ago. And we also have customers who game in all the scales you've mentioned above.

So you have proven me correct and thanks again. And if you were wondering, he did buy TSATF, after all his snarky comments…….

25/28mm

Some 28's, lots of true 25's, a few old 30's. And I'm experimenting with 10's for "The Sword in Gaul".

While I have never had the opportunity to play TSATF with 54mm figures, I certainly believe that might almost be the perfect size.

Mind, my collection was, like most everyone else, a mix of Ral Partha, MiniFig, and some Frontier and Falcon 25's when I actively started playing/collecting back in '82. But with several thousand figures for all the basic armies, and a few others, it was always too easy to load the table and spoil the game accordingly.

But with the excellent selection of 54mm Colonials in totally affordable plastic now available, I think I'd encourage any newcomer to the game to give them a try. Easier to paint for a newbie, they automatically have the charm of making a 5'x 9'(or larger where possible) table just the ticket for the way the game plays best.

Indeed, those same figures played with on the lawn would work just as well, and be a special experience in and of itself.

That said, how many other war game rules, on any subject, be so flexible and enjoyable in any scale?

To The Immortal Sergeant--Huzzah!
TVAG

Oh heck, it would work fine with 10mm or 6mm for a kitchen table game!

6mm for me now based 10 to a stand. I did own Ral Partha 25mm individually based in the past but gave those away to a gaming friend years ago. I've found by changing from inches to centimeters I can play a fair game in a small area and storage is less of an issue.

I'm kinda all over the place…
Originally Scruby 25s
Then Scruby 30s
Today is the real mixed bag:
Bloodaxe 15mm, Bloodaxe 25mm, Scruby 25mm, Scruby 30mm, Scruby 40mm and just starting on Scruby 54mm

Each figure size is for a different game/theme
Bloodaxe 15mm = Adowa Campaign
Scruby 30mm & Bloodaxe 25mm = Zulu
Scruby 30mm = Arab vs. Legion
Scruby 25mm = Boer War and non-historical Mafrica
Bloodaxe 25mm = NWF
Scruby 40mm = non-historical Mafrica
54mm (Scruby & my own) = Zulu

Originally -- way back when TSATF was first published in 1979 -- 15mm Mike's Models, which I had already based for other rules but quickly changed the basing, then "true" 25mm Ral Parthas when they first came out, and then a couple decades later when I got back into active gaming, 25-28mm, using mostly Wargames Foundry and Perrys, with a bunch of other manufacturers thrown in, and even a troop of "true 25mm" Ral Partha Bengal Lancers and a platoon/battalion of 60th Rifles to connect with my youth.

Confession… I'm really a die-hard 20mm guy (WWII and pulp).

BUT… colonial TSATF really plays wonderfully in 25/28mm! Our local group is getting set to do a BYOT series of TSATF games using the old Mafrica map… of course in 25/28mm.

*BYOT = bring your own troops.

I would like to put in a good word for RAFM Soldiers of the Queen figures.
I have mixed them with Ral Partha. They aren't all that much larger. The RAFM Riel Rebellion figures scale well with Ral Partha also.
Finally, Wargames Foundry Colonials had not yet achieved "Heroic 25mm" or 28mm scale. So even they are sculpted by the Perrys they are not out of place with 25mm figures. I'm thinking particularly of the Zulu range.
Essex can also be considered 26mm. Even though they were in at the beginning of scale creep, they still haven't attained 28mm.
I've always used them with Ral Partha figures.

15mm

When I started in the early 1970s I used a variety of 25mm . Then when TSATF came out I used Ral Partha . Now I use primarily 25mm Old Glory with a mix of others .