"6 x 4 table for 20mm WW2" Topic

How big a game (numbers of vehicles) before it all becomes…stupid?

Hmm. OK. 12 units a side, so each unit takes up about 6". That's maybe three tanks each on Planet Sane, and probably six each on Planet Wargamer. No more than half the units are armor unless we're in North Africa, in which case we ought to be doing microarmor anyway. So maybe 48 tanks with recon vehicles and prime movers for AT guns to taste? Still feels like too many.

I'm going to be very interested to see the other responses.

It will really depend on ground scale. Most gamers use a ground scale that is very different to the ,model scale.
If 12" on your table is 100m then your table is 600m by 400 m. A normal encounter engagement might have up to say 6 tanks per side and about 140 infantry figures?
If the rules have no ground scale then you could assume 1/300th and gets loads (16+) tanks per side on the table.

For 'What a Tanker' 6x4 does work with 3 vehicles a side, I think any more might make the game dynamic less… interesting.

I put on a convention game 6'x5', 12 tanks on the allied side and 8 on the axis side, using Rapid Fire rule set.

I recently bought some old Wargamers Digest mags from the mid seventies and there was a photo-by-turn wargame article in one issue involving Airfix figures and Roco Minitanks which had about 30 vehicles and 100 infantry (On stands of ten ala Angriff Rules) per side; all on an 8x4 foot area.

It looks like they didnt even use 2 feet of the long side and there seemed to be plenty of room for maneuver.

On a complete tangent, it's interesting that even back then there was an advert for a company called Z&M printing Horse and Musket era flag sheets. Mustve been hell to typeset.

I think I might still have some of those Z&M flags.

But for tank density, it looks as though there's a divide between skirmish games at the 1 model=1 real tank level and games at a higher level of representation.

It depends on ground scale.
If you are playing an operational game like 'Rommel' a 6x4 table is 12km x 8km, and each tank model represents a company, so you might have quite a few.
If playing a platoon level game like Chain of Command, you wouldn't have more than 2 or 3 vehicles a side.
For something intermediate like Battlefront:WW2 each model is 3 tanks, and I've played games with a dozen or more tanks a side on this size table.

Besides the rule set and the ratio (1to1), I also vary the amount of armor depending on the amount of cover, the scenario, and the field of operations (as others have said).

I play 1:1 scale tank games with about a platoon per side on a 4x6 table using 6mm or 15mm, but nothing bigger than that.

20mm figures on a 6'x5' table

You base your tanks?

I also do 1:1 in 20mm – all set in Normandy so lots of bocage to cut down line of sight. It's mainly infantry, up to a full company with at most a troop of tanks in support and all on a 5'x8' table. It's really up to the individual what they think looks right (or is fun).
Enjoy whatever you do.

PS how does one post photos?

@Minipigs – Yes, for transport and game handling. People pick them up by the base.

@BIllyNM – Expinalation is under FAQ. TMP link

Basically you need to download your photos onto a photo sharing website such as Imageshack or Photobucket.
Copy and paste the image location, ie: right click on image and click on "Copy Image Address". Then past it in your post

I designed Combat Command for 20mm (works in 15 too but felt like 20mm needed a "game").

6X4 is enough to hold a 2 player game. Multi-player works best by push two 6X4 together for a 6X8.

Thomas J. Thomas
Fame & Glory Games

I hope your middle name is John :)

Do you have a shot of a game on a 6x4 table?

We play Battlegroup loads on a 6 x 4.

Well done to wrgmr1 for basing his vehicles. How you can keep all the bits on without doing so defies me. Of course, I also enjoy modeling.

Also keeps them at the same height as the based figures.

Great topic because it makes me realize that I have vastly too many 20mm vehicles that I will never come close to using. Just one of my 10 vehicle T-34 units seems a little sparse, but if I add another, the table is way too cluttered.

Middle name is James.

No to big a hassle to post pictures here.

I post them regularly on the GigaBytes Historical Facebook page – where we run a game every month. Just posted some NashCon photos though that was a big 6 player game on 6X8.

Thomas J. Thomas
Fame & Glory Games

That must make for a handsome monogram :)

Does anyone have an aerial shot of a good 20mm game on a 6x4 table?

wrgmr1, How big are those tank bases?