Battle Valor Fantasy Question

[Skipper]

My boys and I are about to dive into Battle Valor Fantasy.  I've ordered 3 starters and some extras to get us going. 

Anyhow,  after cutting some bases, I've realized this game is going to take a lot of space. I  went to 15mm to cut down playing space and storage.  So here are my questions for those with experience with the game.

1) I'm looking at reducing all ranges and base sizes by 25%.   base sizes 30x30mm from 40x40mm.  Movement ranges to 15mm from 1 inch.  The movement is a little more than a 25% reduction .  Will this affect the game too much?

2) I have heard that the figures are large (heroic) 18mm instead of 15mm.  I'm ok with them being large, but will they be too big for bases reduced 25%?

I'm looking forward to recieving the figures and getting back to painting.  I'm just trying to decide what size bases to cut.

Thanks for answers in advance. 

Skipper
"No challenge is too large or too small"

[Mammoth miniatures]

If you aren't married to battle valor and want something to cut down on space you might try looking for the might armies rules from mongoose publishing, it plays with 15mm on a 2x2 board.

beyond that i do seem to recall BV having slightly larger minis, but not to such a drastic degree that you'd notice from the tabletop.

[fred]

If the minis are big for the cut down bases, then go with less figures on a base. The advantage of this is you get more units!

They key thing to check for with re-scaling is any area effects, or radius measurements - as these may need checking to see if they still have broadly the same impact as they did in the unscaled rules.

I suppose remember to put the terrain a bit closer as well. But generally this kind of shrinking down works well. We played lots of KoW with 10mm figures on approx 80% sized bases, but kept the standard measurements for movement and range. Worked fine.

[Hobgoblin]

I don't know the Battle Valor rules, but 40mm is the 'universal' frontage in 15mm (it's used in DBA, Hordes of the Things, Arte de la Guerre, Mighty  Armies, Mayhem and many other systems). So, for the extra 10mm, you'd be keeping your figures compatible with a whole host of other games. In most of these games, depth is relatively unimportant or doesn't matter at all. Also, many of those games are designed for a small space. For example, the standard table size for Hordes of the Things in 15mm is 2' by 2'.

(Apologies if you know all this - just in case it helps!)

I've got a few Battle Valor miniatures; they're a bit bigger than some but well within the normal 15/18mm 'tolerance'.

All things considered, though, I'd recommend sticking with the standard 40mm: it unlocks a whole load of games and will make your elements that bit less fiddly to move.

[swiftnick]

I haven't seen the rules so not sure how many figures are meant to be on a base. But here are some battle valor on a 40 x 20 which is my standard base. With another one behind it. This will give you an idea of the size of the figures.

[Skipper]

Thanks for the replies. It gives me food for thought. 

Battle valor fantasy uses the following standards.

4 infantry figures to a 40mmx40mm base
2 Ranged figures to a  40mmx20mm base
2 cavalry figures to a 40mmx40mm base.

I tested some bases with Cobblestone Barbarians and the 30mmx30mm with infantry look fine with them.  The bowmen crowded the 30x15mm base a bit with some overlap but staggering the figures made it un-noticeable.

The suggestion for 40mm standard to allow play other games is a good suggestion.  With a 40mm base I could add a socket or two to allow 1-2  removable figures to allow for casualty removal or more importantly, for use in skirmish games like Frostgrave or Rangers of Shaodows Deep.

I guess I may have to wait till the BVG figures arrive to make my final decision and just paint the 15mm figures I currently have on hand.  Maybe build some more terrain too.

Skipper

"No challenge is too large or too small