"WWII & Figure Scale" Topic

I don't actually game WW2 land combat, but if I did I figure I'd use 15mm if infantry-focused, 6mm if vehicle-focused.

Personally, 28mm is wrong for me. Just too big. I go with 15mm because that's how I started. Starting again I would consider 10mm very seriously.

For me it really depends on the scale of the game and pieces. If it is a skirmish game where each figure represents a single man, than 28mm is good. When the stand of figures is a platoon or company, then I prefer 15mm or 10/12mm.

I agree with Last Conformist and myxemail, and ranted as much in the pre-poll discussion. Very few of us will use the same scale when one stand is a platoon of tanks and when one stand is a single sniper. The poll will tell us more about the relative popularity of mass battle and skirmish WWII play than it will about preferred figure scale as such.

I have WWII in 3 scales, 6,15,28mm. The ones that get used depend on what kind of game I am going to play.

I have it in 5 scales, but !/87 is by far my preferred one of the lot!

It really depends upon the level of the battle: strategic, tactical, or skirmish level? I've played 6mm, plenty of times, but my favorite is 54mm skirmish games -- well, if you consider 500 figures (only 1/2 of the Attacking Force on display, the Defenders are on the opposite long end of the table) on a 12-foot by 32-foot table, to be skirmish. LOL! I like to go big: big scale figures, and big tables. There is nothing so satisfying as big scale figures on a big table. That is my personal favorite, bar none. Cheers!

Interesting. As of this posting 42% 15mm and under--presumptively mass battle. 30% 28mm and up--presumably skirmish--and 16% 20mm or 1/72, which might go either way. I'd love to hear from the 1/72 or 20mm crowd about what they play and how they base. (And if anyone's playing Chain of Command with microscale, or Command Decision in 28mm, those too would be interesting conversations.)

Me? 2mm and 6mm, and I picked 6mm for the poll. I had 15mm, but I seldom play at home, and it wasn't really portable.

10mm is portable and if I was starting over, that is what I would use. I have too much 15mm to change now. Of course I am not skirmishing, divisions are on the table..

I have 28mm and 15mm. I prefer the platoon/company games and so choose 15mm for the poll.

Robert, I started playing skirmish games with 1/87–1/76 back when I first started collecting towards bigger battles.

Skirmish was WYSIWYG singles with a running, standing, kneeling, and prone figure option available for each one on the table, plus a pile of seated figures for riding in transports.

The eventually realised goal was bigger games with 1 vehicle/stand = 1 platoon. Infantry platoons are 4 figures, or support weapon & crew on a square base — 2 bases can fit inside a truck or halftrack, 1 in a smaller truck. Inspired by Wargamers' Digest 'Series 78' units and articles. By the time I had built up for it, Command Decision came on the market so I didn't have to write my own (none of the rules available in '78 were at all suitable for that level of game — I wanted PanzerLeader style fast play with miniatures.)

RP…started out back in the day with 1/72 along with Command Decision. Then my friend's house where we kept our wargaming stuff was burglarized and all of it was lost. So we rebuilt, but in 15mm, and switched to Spearhead. Best decision ever.

We're now looking to get into Chain of Command and we're going back to our roots with 1/72 instead of 28mm.

As a solo gamer who has to buy everything from all troops to all terrain different scales for different battles is a luxury I can't afford. 15mm is a great scale.

Joe

28mm. Skirmish 1:1.

I had a large collection of 15's including armor I gave away years ago. I am still regretting that.

If I started over it would be the new-ish 10/12mm.

20mm 1:1

My gaming group decided to go with 28mm, I tried to talk them out of it but it was a done deal. A few years later one of the guys got rid of his 28mm and went to 20mm. I have too much invested in 28mm to go back. We mostly all wish we had done 20mm.

So many tank model kits are made for that scale. Doesn't take up as much room for gaming and storage. Play bigger battles, figures and Terrain are less expensive. Lot's of advantages with 20mm. I would not go any smaller for 1:1 gaming.

Huron, if I was starting over I would be tempted with the 12mm as it has come a long way.
OC, 20mm would be a nice scale if limited to 1:1 gaming. 28mm as well but you clearly point out the disadvantages of 28.

Joe

I play in 6mm, 15mm, and 28mm. This should have been a multiple choice pole.