"25mm/28mm AWI Questions" Topic

I would like to paint and game a period in 25/28mm because it is the only scale I have not tried yet and I would like to try my hand at painting larger figures.

I think the AWI would be a good place to start; the period appears to be well covered by several 25/28mm manufacturers, has several rulesets to choose from, and is supported with several scenario books; it has a variety of units with interesting uniforms; features small battles so does not require a lot of space or figures; and there is the option for skirmish level gaming with the many excellent skirmish level rules available.

My problems is I only have a 6 foot by 5 foot gaming table. I know most rules are flexible regarding scale and basing, but not all rules are equal when it comes to table size. For example, I often play 3mm and 6mm WWII armour battles, not skirmishes, on a 3 foot by 3 foot table, but I could not have the same experience with my 1/72-1/76 scale WWII afvs on that size table.

So before I invest the money and time, I would like to ask the 25/28mm gamers here on TMP a few questions…

Is a 6x5 foot gaming table large enough to game AWI battles, especially historical refights, not skirmishes, with 25/28mm figures?

And of course, what ruleset would you recommend for 25/28mm figures on a table that size?

Or with a table that size would it be better to use 15mm or small figures and use 25/28mm (or even larger) figures for skirmishes?

Thank you in advance!

6 x 5 would work for some battles, but it depends on the rules you are using (I use British Grenadier, sized for 15mm or 25mm) and the size of the engagement. We routinely use 6 x 4 for most battles, unless you're doing Long Island (5 x 10). We are using the 25/28mm scale in the rules, even though our figures are 15/18mm.

In the end it's going to depend on the scale you are using and the size of the battle.

Not sure if this helps.

We use both a 5'x6' and a 6'x8' size table for our AWI battles with vintage 25mm figures. We seem to always have plenty of room but the key is not to try to cram all your figures onto the battlefield. I think that you will be fine using modern 28mm figures on a 5'x6' table fighting medium to small battles.

As far as figures, you can't go too far wrong with Jim Purky's "Fife and Drum" line. He's a neighbor of yours down near Chicago. The figures are sculpted by master sculptor Richard Ansell to a constant 1:56 scale with appropriately scaled weapons. fifeanddrum-minis.com/index.html

Jim

6x5 would work for Volley and Bayonet

6X5 would also work fine for Rebels and Patriots rules. I have a 6X4 table and for small to medium fights it works fine. Like ColCampbell said, don't try to cram all the figures on the table at once. We did a version of Brandywine using R&P rules the key was to have the British flanking force basically be off table for the first couple of turns and it worked fine.

The Carnage and Glory computer moderated AWI rules allow you to use whatever ground scale you wish, as long as the units are sized appropriately…I have seen the rules used generally with a 1"=25 paces scale, but for 40mm I use 1"=15 paces and others have used greater and lesser variations.

It comes down to your rules. Volley and Bayonet? Sure. A set that suggests 48 figures to the battalion? No. Do you have any idea how many figures you would like to see in a battalion?

An advantage of the Fife & Drum figures is that they are quite slender and can be based tighter than many other 28mm figures. I know that AWI formations could be in more open order but to my eye model units look better with figures close to each other. This can save you useful frontage. It may not sound like a big deal but a few mm saved per figure all adds up as I have found with other periods where I've gone for tighter than typical basing.

The F&D figures are beautifully cast so you'll probably find that it's quite a quick process when it comes to cleaning up figures for painting.

While I often setup the monster table, I now have a dedicated 6x4 table that I use more than anything, and I have no issue with doing AWI on it. In fact, so many of the engagements are smaller than things like ACW or NAP, it is much less an issue from what I have found. If you run into something bigger you want to do, you can do as Thomas O suggests he did with Brandywine.

I use and like Carnage & Glory II a lot for everything from ECW through ACW. You can actually scale it however you want, just adjusting the measuring stick.

You can also easily do Sharp Practice games whenever you want.

I base my infantry four figures to a 40mm square. A regiment has a command stand in the center, and up to 8 additional stands, for a 36 figure unit. Which fills up a lot of frontage. But some actions, especially in the south, have small armies so the big battalions look great.

But it is easy enough to remove 2 or even 4 of the stands, giving units of 28 or 20, and a much reduced frontage. That works for larger battles.

I would look at this as a unit should have about a 6-8 inch frontage, however you want to break that down. I'd base individually and use movement trays.

We've been using A Gentleman's War for AWI but I'm biased.
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As well as figures Fife & Drum have a set of free rules that are very good.
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Here's an AAR on a 4x6 table.
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Guns of Liberty works great too. Most AWI were smaller battles (well at least in the South)